Tagged Steel (Men of Steel #6) - MJ Fields Page 0,12

my purse, I got all sorts of stupid.

I don’t do stupid.

I also don’t chase boys; I make them chase me. If they tire at all, take so much as a water break, they’re out.

But this envelope, the one I am carrying, the one he gave me back on the sly, further heating my already hot and bothered self, is now going to be spent on drinks with my girls.

Why? Because I followed him from the shop to a twenty-four-hour fitness center, looking for the perfect time to slip the envelope in his bag, when I heard him tell his buddy, “I’m just gonna shower off before I go home so the old lady doesn’t flip the fuck out on me.”

I, Isabella Steel, not only fucked a hot tattoo artist, which was never on my list of things to do during college, and it literally makes me feel like I may throw up now, but I fucked a married one.

Walking from the bar out to the rooftop, I spot Victoria sucking face with Brian, her douchebag ex’s roommate. Alice sitting on one of the many couches, and Lily is passed out with her head on Alice’s lap.

Alice looks up and waves to me as I walk over.

“Let me see.” She smiles broadly.

I pull my phone from my bag. “Take a picture for me?”

“Of course.”

When I turn around and lift my shirt, she breathes in an exaggerated breath. “Beautiful.”

I look over my shoulder. “Can you see it through the wrap?”

“Yes, it’s so much bigger than I expected. And the flowers … wow.”

“Pic?” I remind her.

“Of course.”

When she hands me back the phone, I walk over and sit on the couch beside Lily’s ass.

“So, did it hurt?” she asks as I look at the picture and zoom in as far as I can.

I nod. “Yeah, it sure did.”

I know beautiful body art, and even though its dark I can tell this is beautiful work.

“What was the artist like?” she asks.

Shaking my head, I flop back against the cushion. “Hot as hell. Hung, too.”

“You … you …” She pauses then realization hits. “You …”

I stop her from continuing. “I had a one-night stand.”

“You mean”—she pauses and looks at her own phone—“five-hour stand.”

I cringe at the thought. Then I cringe again at the thought that I was with a married man. My night was double cringeworthy.

“Which is much more daring than a full night.” She is so sweet.

“Yeah.” I smile and nod. “Well, I did it. I destroyed Dad’s list of don’ts.”

She waves over a waitress. “We need two glasses of your best champagne.”

The waitress nods.

I pull out the envelope and hand it to her. “We’ll take a whole bottle. Keep the change.”

When the waitress leaves, Alice whispers, “You know I can’t drink more than a glass or I get kind of crazy.” Her bright blue eyes are sparkling under the red neon sign.

Alice’s version of crazy is falling asleep.

I smile. “Then let’s make our last night together really crazy.”

Really crazy ends up with Alice drinking two glasses of wine and me polishing off the rest of the bottle.

Graduation day, we woke to my entire family—all of them—coming to our apartment, and all of us, except Alice, dragging ass while getting ready.

Dad was not impressed, but Carly kept him in check and he eventually chilled out.

We had dinner with Alice, Victoria, and Lily’s families immediately after the ceremony and then, in true Steel family style, we were on a plane within an hour, heading to Savannah, Georgia to attend a wedding.

Never a dull moment.

Standing on my second cousin, Dominic’s yacht, I have admittedly drank too much champagne … again. But it helps as I try not to think about … What’s his name?

No, really, what is his name? I don’t even remember.

I look at my phone and the picture of my tattoo, the one Alice took. Hell, I haven’t even had enough private time in the bathroom by myself to get a good look at it.

My siblings, Kiki and Max, have been square up my ass. My roommates weren’t ones to give much privacy, but they gave a hell of a lot more than my siblings and my cousins do. Besides, I wouldn’t have to hide it from them.

I’m a freaking adult, dammit, and stuck in the middle of actually being treated like one and a child.

The kids, they missed me. I get it. I missed them, too. But Kiki is even in the bathroom when I shower. It’s a freaking miracle she hasn’t seen