Page 61 of Animal's Reformation
“Oh, wow.” Ivy straightened out and picked up a fry and nibbled on it.
“It gets worse. I just accepted a date with him. I’m totally insane!” Olivia pushed her half-eaten burger away from her.
“Is that allowed at your school?” Ivy asked.
“Yes and no. I mean, if I was Lucy’s actual teacher in her grade, it would be a major no-no, but since I’m just tutoring her in reading and she’s not getting graded or anything like that, it’s probably okay.” She crumpled her napkin and put it on the table. “I don’t know. Anyway, I’m not supposed to be going on a date with anyone—I’ve sworn off men.”
“A good-looking guy like him would make any woman break her resolution. He’s rugged and dangerous looking, don’t you think?” Ivy briefly glanced over her shoulder again.
“Yeah,” Olivia begrudgingly agreed. “He’s in a motorcycle club.”
Ivy’s eyes widened. “No shit.”
“It gets even better—it’s anoutlawclub. When I fuck up, I fuck up big.” She shook her head and motioned the server for another glass of white wine.
“Aren’t you scared to go out with him? I’d be petrified to date a biker.” Her friend shuddered.
“Not really. He’s actually a decent guy, and the way he tries with Lucy melts my heart.”
“Is his ex in the picture?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen any woman at the house.” Olivia should know since she’d spent far more time spying on her neighbor than she’d ever admit. “Lucy never talks about her. I really don’t know what the deal is with all that.”But I’m sure as hell going to find out on our date. Date. I can’t believe I agreed to go out with him. What was I thinking?
“Considering what happened to me with Brady, you better find out exactly what the situation is, you don’t want any surprises, believe me.”
“I don’t plan to go out with him more than once.” Olivia reached over and patted the back of Ivy’s hand. “I’m sorry you had such a jerk in your life. Let’s forget about Animal and—”
“Animal? That’s his name?” Ivy’s fingers rested against the base of her throat.
“It’s a road name—bikers have them. I’m sure he got his from partying too much with the ladies.” Olivia rolled her eyes. “His real name is Raxton—I saw it in Lucy’s records.”
“I likethatname. I don’t think I could call a man Animal and do it with a straight face.” Ivy giggled.
“You should hear some of the road names that bikers have, Animal isn’t that bad.” Skull Crusher—her father’s name, and Torturer—her dad’s best friend’s name came to mind.
“I guess. I think I’m just too square, that’s why I liked Brady—he was pretty conservative. He was also very meticulous and liked everything in its place.” Her voice hitched.
“But he wasn’t too nice during sex, remember?”
“I know, but that was a small part of us. I can’t believe he lied to me.”
For the next couple of hours, Olivia listened to her friend vent, cry, and lament over the breakup, and by the time Olivia locked the door to her house, she was exhausted to the bone. She kicked off her heels, unzipped her dress pants, and lifted her sweater top over her head as she trudged into the bathroom to wash off her makeup.
Fresh-faced and her dark brown hair in a half, pulled-through ponytail on the top of her head, Olivia sat in the desk chair with one of her legs tucked under her bottom, scrolling through the multitude of messages posted in her dating account. When Olivia had set up her profile, she’d used her middle name and a fake last name. As she read the messages, she scribbled notes in her writing pad. She already had half a notebook of research for her psychology paper, and she’d only had her profile up for a little over two weeks.
A bell chimed indicating that someone named “Hunter” had sent her a Real Time message, and she opened it.
Hunter:You sound like an intriguing lady.
Olivia scratched the side of her nose, then picked up her pen and jotted down what the person had sent her. She messaged back using “Rose,” her alias name.
Rose:I am.
She groaned as she clicked theSENDbutton.
Hunter:Now you’ve really piqued my curiosity. I wish I could see more of you.
Olivia shook her head. “No way, buddy,” she whispered under her breath.
