Mr. Mitchell Billionaires' Club Book 2 - Raylin Marks Page 0,53
now helping her to open her first store in some ritzy area with an outdoor shopping mall.
If I was honest with myself, somewhere in the back of my mind, I think I’d always wanted my sister to bring me into her company. However, I figured that part of her still viewed me as the runaway who gave our mom hell when Jill fostered me, which is partly why I was surprised she’d name-dropped me to this Stefanie woman at all.
“Hey,” Britney said, “you’re not drinking.”
“Four shots aren’t enough for you?” I smiled at her.
“We have the party limo, and you’re turning down a night where we can let loose?”
“Come on, Avery,” Sarah said. Sarah, the straight-up, perfect wife—until she got away from her husband and kids and drank with the girls, of course. “You’re normally leading the way.”
“She’s probably fantasizing about her new job over at Mitchell and Associates.” My sister winked at me. “She fucked the CEO, you know?”
“Shut up,” Michelle said. Our lawyer friend’s eyes lit up as she choked on her cocktail. “Mr. Fortune 500? Mr. Sexy himself—James H. Mitchell? You fucked him?”
“Yeah.” Jim and I were pretty good at lying to people while screwing off together, so what was the harm in playing along when it was the truth? These girls were heading to blackout drunk—they wouldn’t remember this anyway. “We fucked all over some castle in the middle of England’s countryside.”
“Oh, God.” Michelle rolled her eyes. “You almost had me, girls.” She started dancing in place. “Let’s go. I want to dance.”
Typically, I was the one to lead the pack in a fun night out, but tonight I felt off. I hated that Derek knew I’d been with another guy, not because I was afraid of him, but because I knew this shit would probably send him off the deep end. And he had my baby.
“Brit,” I spoke up over the music. “Why did you tell Derek about Jim and me?” I asked, the girls already on the dance floor.
“Oh, Jesus,” she said. “You’re letting him ruin your night, aren’t you?”
“I don’t like it when he gets pissed off like he did when my daughter is there.”
“Then why did you admit that you did when he asked you?”
“Why did it even have to come up? Why do you always feel like you have to intervene in my goddamn life? Shit like this always stirs the pot with that asshole.”
“Sorry,” she said, half drunk and half remorseful. “I guess I should’ve just told him you enjoyed touring the sites alone.”
“You didn’t need to tell him anything at all, but that version would’ve made my life a bit fucking easier.”
“You need to find a way to cut his ass off. You say his parents enable him, but you also do. You don’t see it, but you do.”
“I’m doing the best I can with what I have,” I snapped. “If my daughter gets—”
“We all know, Av. If she gets thrown into the system like you, right? When are you going to stop lying to yourself and face this head-on for Addy?”
“When I know for a fact that he won’t bury me with his bullshit and lies.”
“And what dirt does he have on you to do that with?”
“The fact that I have a DUI on my record and jail time for that shit. I was a runaway. The fact I did drugs too, and that’s why I was stupid enough to get with him in the first place. He’ll bring up all my history and paint me to look like the piece of shit he is.”
Brit rubbed her forehead. “If you get a good lawyer, you’ll be fine. They’ll see that it was all six or seven fucking years ago.”
“Are you paying for the lawyer? Michelle already made it clear that she wasn’t getting involved, and she knows Addison.”
“Michelle is a bitch,” Brit said. “And no, I’m not paying for your lawyer. I paid to retain one for you already, and you fell for Derek’s bullshit and trusted his stupid ass again. Never used the lawyer after he manipulated you the last time.”
“Fuck this,” I said, shouldering my purse. “Listen, thanks for the job offer, but I’m out of here. Tell your friend that I’m happy where I’m at.”
“Don’t do this, Avery,” she said, stopping me from leaving. “Take the job. Take it for Addy.”
“Throwing that back in my face again?”
“When you get pissed like this, someone has to help you see things clearly.”