Page 57 of The Wallflower
The tension in my shoulders tightens, and the buzzing under my skin increases. I need to get the fuck out of here. Jackie better be joking, or Maybel better have miscommunicated because… I can’t even think about losing my temper at this moment. A new group of people steps up to the booth, and I force a breath out of my nose before sucking it back in. It’s the poorest example of how to calm down ever, but it’s that or lose my shit and turn into a feral animal. I’d rather not make a giant ass out of myself…not yet. I'll find Maybel shortly. This shit show is almost over.
I count back in my head:ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one…I’m about to start over again when one of the basketball dickheads jokes with some friends as he puts his feet on the line. I recognize the fuckface as one of the guys who Maybel tutors. Stewart, I think. I did a complete dissection of his life the moment I saw his number in her phone.
Seb passes him three balls. The guy's tall, with big hands, and easily holds all three balls in one hand. I glare at him, wishing he would hurry the fuck up so I can get on with this shit. He tosses the first ball and of course misses. It’s with that movement that I notice the small shadow standing beside him. My heartbeat skyrockets. The blood in my veins reaches boiling.
All I can think is how she told me it wasn’t anything, that he’s a friend. Ha, a friend that wants to fuck you five different ways. I’m seconds away from coming unglued. I should look away. She doesn’t deserve my attention or desire, but I can’t bring myself to do it.
I grit my teeth and stare her down. She’s wearing her hair down, the blond waves end just above her tits. As my gaze lingers, I notice she’s wearing a dress. A goddamndresswhen it's cold outside. I wouldneverlet her leave her room in a fucking dress in the cold. She gently touches the basketball player's arm, and the rage unfurls in my gut.
I call out. "Yo, Dick. You going to hit the target or not? I don't have all day to sit here."
A few people in the crowd chuckle. He throws another ball. Misses again.
Bel moves her hand off his arm, and I relax my shoulders a bit at the distance. It doesn't matter. This little fucker is going down anyway, but...her not touching him keeps me from launching myself at him right this second.
She is mine. MINE.
I grit my teeth and stare him down. "You having a little trouble performing there, Dick? Do you need me to take care of your girl for you?"
She jolts, and her eyes fly wide to meet mine. I give her a smile, all teeth, making sure she knows how much fucking trouble she's in. She knows better than this, yet here she stands with another man, acting like she doesn’t belong to me.Did she let him kiss her, touch her?If so, his fucking hands will be broken too.
Stewart throws the last ball and, once again, misses.
I laugh. "It's okay, honey. Come over here. I'll make sure you're taken care of until Dick can actually perform."
She frowns at me and crosses her arms over her chest, her hair looking more like a halo now. I want my fingers in it, to tug it tight and watch her mouth part. She belongs to me, and I won't be leaving this carnival without her. Stewart laughs between sending glares my way. Sebastian hands him another three balls, and I yawn and bounce my foot, waiting.
He tries two more times and misses both times. Pathetic, and he calls himself a basketball player? Bel steps up beside him and takes his last ball. He bows like he's conceding a prize and steps out of her way.
What are you up to, flower…
I keep my eyes locked on hers while she raises her arms and lines up the shot. I exhale and count back from ten, watching her.Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four.The ball leaves her hand and smashes against the target, sending me ass first into the water. I almost inhale a gallon of water from the smile that pulls at my lips and rise to the surface, coughing. Laughter cuts through the sloshing of the tank when I reach the surface, but I discover everyone except Bel is laughing. Instead, she casts a guilty glance my way and follows Stewart the fucking dick, away from the booth to another one. Not fucking happening.
“I’m done for the night,” I announce while climbing out of the tank. I grab the duffel bag of dry clothes I had Sebastian stash for me earlier.
“I have you on for four hours,” Sebastian replies.
“Sounds like a you problem.”
My only priority at the moment is making sure Maybel learns her place. If she thinks I’m going to sit here and let her be paraded around this place by another man, she’s out of her fucking mind. I keep my eyes trained on her back as I dry off and pull on a clean T-shirt.
“That girl’s got an arm on her.” Aries walks up, crossing his thick arms over his chest. He’s wearing his usual perma-scowl, though his tone is curious.
Before I can say anything to him, Sebastian interjects in a menacing whisper, “Didn’t our conversation at the library mean anything to you?”
I slip into the self-made changing booth, swap out my boxers for dry ones, pull on a shirt and tug on a pair of jeans. I shove my feet into my boots and exit the changing room, coming face-to-face with Sebastian. His expression is unreadable, but I don’t give a fuck about what he thinks. Not right now at least. “Your opinion doesn't mean shit to me, Seb. She’s mine, and I will do whatever the fuck I want with her. Get off my back about it, or we'll have problems. You're one of my best friends, but you don’t get to tell me what to do.” I lean in so my mouth is near his ear. “Not even if my father is paying you to make sure it stays otherwise.”
I don’t give him the opportunity to respond. Time is being wasted as it is. Back at the front of the booth, Lee mocks the gawkers with lewd comments while handing out tickets in Sebastian's place. They love it, and he is so much better at this than I am. Unease coats my insides. I scan the crowd, looking for Bel and her...date.
If Bel wants to play games, then we can play games, but she should know better than anyone else that I don’t play fair, and when I get my hands on her, there will be hell to pay. I thought I’d made it clear that she belongs to me, but I guess I’ll have to do something drastic to show her otherwise.
“Aries! Lee! Follow me.”
CHAPTER 20
BEL
I knowI shouldn't feel so pleased with myself about dunking him, but the smirk on his face when I grabbed that ball just pissed me off. As usual, he underestimated me.