Entice - By Ella Frank Page 0,75

nice life, Shelly Monroe, and do me a favor—lose my number.”

Shelly watched him march over to his truck’s door, haul it open, and get in. Just as he pulled out from the curb, that stupid mutt poked his goofy head out the window. Shelly tried to remind herself that this was all Josh’s fault, but as they drove away, she was finding it harder and harder to convince herself.

She was perilously close to feeling sorry for herself when her phone rang. Pulling it out, she flipped it open where she stood on the sidewalk.

“Okay, what happened?” Lena asked without any kind of preamble.

Shelly sighed, trying to push Josh’s parting words and the thought of him going back to Melissa from her head.

“I need to get drunk.”

“Tell me what happened,” Lena requested again.

“Josh Daniels happened, and I need alcohol to recover.”

There was silence, and then Lena suggested. “Rachel has been bugging me about this place she goes to. She says it’s off-the-chain wild.”

See, this is what I need—a night with the girls.

“If it’s Rachel I’m sure it will be, count me in.” Shelly paused, and then asked, “What’s this place called?”

Lena laughed, and Shelly groaned, knowing it was going to be some crazy place no one had ever heard of.

“I believe she said it’s called Whipped.”

Shelly paused. What the hell?It could be fun. “Okay, call me with details.”

“Will do. Hey, Shelly?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you going to be okay?”

“Sure,” she said in a soft voice. “Just don’t ever fix me up again. You suck at it.”

With that, she hung up, wheeled her bag to the lobby door, and went inside to try and sleep the horrible morning away.

***

Josh was fuming while he made his way back to his house. He couldn’t believe Shelly had reduced their weekend to a fling.

A fling!

The woman was so pig-headed and stubborn that she couldn’t even see what was in front of her—which, of course, was him. Well, not anymore. He was not going to be one of those guys who waited around for a woman, who in the end said no, thanks and wiped her hands clean. He wanted a partner—someone to share his life with.

The problem was he also wanted Shelly.

Turning into his street, he saw the blue car still parked in his driveway. He had been hoping that maybe, just maybe, Melissa would have left.

He parked the truck into the spare space beside his home and got out, opening the door for Mutley. Melissa smiled over at him as she got out of her little car.

Josh walked over to her and demanded, “Okay, what do you want, Melissa?”

She smiled at him, reaching out to touch his arm. It was almost strange how much he wanted to pull away.

“I told you, Joshua. I want to try again.”

Josh looked to the sky and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, and then looked back to Melissa, focusing on her.

“I don’t understand. It’s been months, Melissa. Why now?”

He watched as she stepped closer, and he just waited, not moving.

“Can’t we go inside?”

Clenching his jaw, Josh shook his head once. “No, we can’t go inside. You can tell me why you’ve turned up here. Did you run out of money?”

Josh watched as her brown eyes widened in feigned shock, and he couldn’t help but compare them to a startling blue pair he had come to adore. Melissa’s were suddenly lacking.

“No. What a horrible thing to say to me!”

Raising a hand, Josh ran it through his hair. “Look, Melissa. I’m tired, annoyed, and just want to go inside and get some sleep. Stop jerking me around and tell me what you want.” He paused, and then added in an annoyed tone. “Or leave.”

She looked around, and then finally her eyes came back to his. “Fine. A friend of ours saw you the other day with the blonde.”

Josh blinked once slowly, trying to comprehend what she was telling him, and then he shook his head again. “Are you serious? You came all the way here because someone told you I was out with another woman?” Beyond incredulous now, Josh demanded, “Where did they even see me? No, wait a minute. Who cares? Tell me you didn’t come back here because of that.”

She bit her bottom lip in a gesture that had once worked every time, but suddenly, all Josh could think of was a certain man-eater.

What the fuck is wrong with me? He internally berated himself and his poor choices in women. He was obviously delirious from lack of sleep.

“Well, I’ve