Page 59 of X's and O's

Bliss looked at me hopefully.

Anger blazed through me in a swift rush. I didn’t need him doing me any favors because he felt bad about the way he’d dumped me on my ass before we’d even had a chance to be a thing. I didn’t need his charity, and I wanted nothing to do with the Slayers, especially if he was back with them.

“I’m sorry. I can’t.” I spun on my heel, slipping away into the crowd.

His big body was behind me in an instant. “Violet.”

I just kept going, because if I turned around and looked at him again, I was sure I’d do something stupid, like burst into tears.

Or beg him for a chance.

I wasn’t going to do either. “Go away, Levi. Or should I call you Reaper now?”

“Violet!” He grabbed my arm, spinning me around.

All the anger I’d been holding back spewed forth. “What? You want to humiliate me some more, is that it? Haven’t you done that enough?”

He blinked at my stinging words, but I didn’t care.

I moved to get away from him but then thought better of it, because actually, there were some things he needed to hear. “You’re back with them?” I practically spit at him. “After what their last president did to you?”

He stiffened, clearly uncomfortable.

Normally, I would have rushed to fill the silence. To put the other person at ease.

I didn’t have it in me tonight. Not for him. I just stood there, waiting for an explanation as to why he’d spent a year lying to me.

“I never wanted to go back to them. Believe me, if I’d had any other choice, I wouldn’t have.”

I shook my head. “We always have other choices. You just chose to make a bad one.”

Anger flickered over his face. “You think it’s the choice I wanted to make? Of course it’s not! But nobody wants to hire me, Violet! Nobody wants to give me a chance on the outside! All I have is this club!”

“And me!” I blurted out before I could stop myself. “You had me!”

He looked about as shocked as if I’d slapped him with a cold, dead fish. “I… Violet.”

But those stupid angry tears were burning behind my eyes, and I refused to cry in front of him. I steeled every ounce of strength inside me and stared him down, not trying to hide how much he’d hurt me. “But you don’t anymore. So have a nice life,Reaper. When you end up back in prison, don’t bother writing to me.”

I stormed out of the club without turning back. Vincent eyed me as I rushed past him, but he didn’t try to stop me. On the outside, I realized I hadn’t stopped to get my coat, but I just kept going, not willing to go back now because I knew I couldn’t keep it together much longer.

I rounded the corner of the building, away from the watchful eyes of the psychotic clown mural, and stopped, leaning back against the wall, sucking in deep breaths because running felt like death. I couldn’t stop thinking about that woman all over Levi. How cute and confident and sure of herself she was. Bliss had strutted around that club, all tits and ass on display, and she hadn’t been even remotely ashamed of her body. And her man had eaten it up.

I so badly wanted someone to look at me like that.

Toby’s comments that my lack of confidence was half the problem rang in my head, and watching Bliss tonight, I knew he was right. She was just as big as I was, but she hadn’t hidden away in a corner feeling ashamed. She’d walked around with her head held high, and I knew without a doubt she could have had her pick of men in that room, even though she’d only had eyes for her biker.

Instead of crying, I found myself digging through my purse, searching for something I’d almost forgotten I had.

I pulled out the little white business card with nothing but a name and phone number on it.

And before I could chicken out, I called it.

“Hello,” the deep, gruff voice on the other end answered.

I sucked in a breath. “I heard you help women become more confident.”

There was a pause on the other end. “That’s one of the services I offer, yes.”