Entice - By Ella Frank Page 0,76

been thinking about it for a while—how much I missed you—”

“That must have been when Dave was at home with his wife, right?” Josh asked coolly.

“Being an asshole doesn’t suit you, Joshua.”

“Well, I didn’t think being a cheater would suit you, but you made it work,” he told her, watching as she registered his words. Then, he said what he had wanted to say for years. “I wanted a life with you, Melissa. I wanted to make it work. Hell, I moved across the country to try and make it work.” Shaking his head, he looked over his shoulder and whistled at Mutley. He watched his dog’s ears prick up, and then he trotted over and sat by his legs. “It was you who chose otherwise. So, please don’t come back here, pretending to care because you heard I might be moving on. Get in your car, drive away, and please don’t ever look back.”

“But, Josh—”

“No,” he said, effectively cutting her off. “There’s nothing else to say except goodbye.”

He spun on his heel without waiting for an answer and made his way to his door. When he got there, he turned and watched as Melissa, the first woman he thought he had loved, reversed down the driveway. As she pulled away from the curb, he realized he felt nothing as she drove away. He wondered if that had anything to do with the fact that he’d left his broken heart at a certain blonde’s feet as he had driven away from her not even an hour earlier.

***

It had just turned 10:00 p.m. when Shelly’s intercom sounded.

Buzzing the girls up, she applied one last coat of gloss to her lips, and then headed to the door to unlock it. Several minutes later, the door opened and in walked Lena and Rachel. Shelly tried to smile at them both.

With her hair flowing over her shoulders, Lena was dressed in a tight black dress and bright red shoes. It was her go-to dress as Lena liked to joke. Hey, it works, and she looks gorgeous.

Then, Rachel moved from behind Lena and shook her head as she looked over Shelly. “No,” she told her pointedly.

“No?” Shelly questioned, looking down at her black strappy top and flirty pink skirt. “What’s wrong with it?”

Rachel rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

She was dressed tonight in a black backless halter top and skintight black leather pants. Her dark hair was pulled up in a tight, high ponytail, and the purple tips were brushing the nape of her neck.

As Rachel walked around her, Shelly noticed for the first time a wicked-looking tattoo, running vertically along the length of her spine and disappearing beneath her leather pants.

Shelly looked over to Lena, mouth hanging open, and her friend shook her head.

“I didn’t know she had it either.” Lena paused, and then chuckled. “She has a whole bunch. She was showing me on the way over here.”

Shelly turned back to look at Rachel, who was still frowning at her.

“What’s wrong with my outfit?”

“You look like you’re going to a high school dance,” Rachel told her with a smirk.

Shelly tried not to be offended. She decided if Rachel was going to turn up looking like the sexiest version of a goth dominatrix, then she needed a drink to deal with the fashion advice.

Most of the time Shelly was the one handing out the opinions. Tonight, apparently, it appeared she was totally out of her depth.

Moving to the kitchen, Shelly poured them all a lemon-drop martini. She then turned, handing the drinks to the girls, and looked over at Goth Barbie in the corner.

“Well, I’m sorry I don’t know how to dress appropriately for a place called Whip Me.”

Lena laughed as Rachel raised a brow.

“It’s Whipped, Monroe, and don’t be so quick to judge. I hear your nickname is Man-Eater,” Rachel said with a grin.

Shelly felt her mouth drop, and then she shut it, shooting a quick glare to Lena. “I’m killing Mason. Next time I see him, he’s dead.”

Lena gave her a pretend pout as Shelly turned back to face this morphed version of Rachel. Gone was the fun-loving pastry chef, and in her place seemed someone slightly detached and cool.

Almost as though she was removed from the entire discussion, Rachel looked over Shelly. “You want to bring sex.”

Shelly raised a brow and put a hand on her hip. “Excuse me? This isn’t sexy?”

Rachel nodded. “It is. But it’s not the right tone. You want dirty sex.”

Narrowing her eyes at Rachel, Shelly turned