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“I want her to do my hair,” Tempt says, lifting her hand and extending an index finger in my direction.
Reese doesn’t even glance behind her to look at me. She knows exactly who this woman is pointing at. I’m not sure what I expect her to say in response, so I hold my breath. Although, I would like to do her hair. I would like to bleach it off, then shave it.
“I’m sorry, but Piper isn’t a hairstylist at the salon,” Reese replies, her voice curt. I’m grateful for that, because I am seconds away from breaking down in tears.
Tempt smiles, then she rolls her eyes before she speaks again, her gaze focused on mine and nowhere else. “No matter, so you’ll do my hair.”
She isn’t asking a question. She’s too much of a bitch for that. She’s announcing it as if she doesn’t have to make an appointment. Like she’s some kind of queen or something.
“Piper, can you help me with something?” Kiplyn calls out from her little esthetician area.
Finally, my feet become unstuck from the floor, and I spin around before I hurry toward her. Piper and Reese continue speaking, but I ignore them and try with everything that I have to focus on what Kiplyn has to say.
“Do not let her get to you. This right here, the way she’s acting, this makes me think she’s one hundred percent full of shit.”
“Why do you say that?” I ask.
She presses her lips together. My attention is fully on her and nowhere else. She has my complete and total focus at this point.
“If she’s even pregnant, I would be surprised,” Kiplyn, murmurs. I open my mouth to ask her what she’s saying, but she continues.
“Girls like that, she wants something from Itch, and she’s trying really hard to get it. The best way to live comfortably in their world is to have one of their kids. He’ll pay for her forever. And if she’s not pregnant right now, she’s going to have a few months to try and get that way.”
My stomach twists at the idea of them together. “I don’t think he has, not with her, not since we’ve been married.”
Kiplyn crosses her arms over her chest, leaning forward slightly. “She is going to try every trick in the book, mark my words.”
I feel hopeless and helpless all at the same time.
“I can’t stop him from doing whatever he’s going to do,” I whisper.
“You can’t, but you can make home really comfortable for him.” Her words hit me like an arrow straight to the heart, and I know exactly what she means by them. I can do that. I’ve been trained in pleasure and seduction, but it has been nice not having to use that. To just be myself with him. To just want to be with him the way we have recently. “Don’t show any weakness to that woman.”
Giving her a nod, I turn around and start to get to work, cleaning and sweeping. The phone hasn’t rung this afternoon, and I know it’s likely because Reese tries not to schedule anything after a certain time, just in case there is an emergency or her clients are running behind.
“We’re going to the doctor together in just a few weeks. I hope we get an ultrasound so he can see the baby. It’s going to be so beautiful. I just love it when big, strong macho men get all emotional,” Tempt blathers.
“Oh yeah? That’s exciting,” Reese murmurs.
To her credit, Reese’s words come out pretty flat, and she seems the least bit excited about the whole conversation. There is a moment of silence as Reese works on the bitch’s head. Then Tempt starts talking again. I know that whatever she says, it’s for my benefit, and it’s probably all a lie, but that doesn’t make the words hurt any less.
“I love my new apartment, too,” she announces.
“Oh yeah? What’s it like?” Reese asks.
“It’s fully furnished, and he prepaid for a whole year. It’s amazing. I am seriously so lucky. He’s also going to be spending the next few days with me. I can’t wait to have him right where I want him—all to myself.”
God, I feel sick.
My phone vibrates in my pocket just as she’s finishing her little monologue of being alone with my husband for days on end. Shoving my hand into my back pocket, I take my hone out and look at it.
There’s a new text message notification from Itch himself.
ITCH: Hey, baby, I have some shit I need to do for the club. Won’t be home for a few days. Just wanted to let you know.
That arrow to the heart, it is shoved inside of me a little bit deeper, and the pain radiates throughout my entire body as I read those words and think about the ones Tempt just shouted into the room loud enough for me to hear.
I wish I could disappear into thin air. I blink a few times, fighting back tears. When it becomes obvious that I can’t keep them back, I do exactly what she’s been waiting for me to do—I disappear into the back room to have myself a really huge cryfest.
