Page 47 of Sin for You

The wind had picked up, and I ducked my head and wrapped my arms around myself. “Right, I better get to the bar.”

Cassy smiled. “Talk later?”

“Sure thing.” I waved as Cassy went to visit with Cal at work, and I headed across the street.

The bar was warm and toasty when I walked in, and busy. I was rostered off tonight, but since it was Bull’s night off and he was spending it with Mase, I’d called Graham who was in charge of the bar when Bull was off and told him I could do a few hours to help out with the after-work crowd.

Graham was behind the bar, and I waved to him and Dot, whose shift had started a few hours ago, then pointed out the back. She nodded, and I went to the break room, dumping my scarf and coat.

Pulling out my phone, I quickly checked it, making sure I hadn’t missed a call or text from Cassy or my dad. Nothing. I clicked open Facebook, since there were several notifications waiting.

And the first image I saw in my feed was one of Bevan and Tonya, the woman he’d cheated on me with. I stared down at it. I don’t know why it was a shock, but it was. I knew they’d had sex, but I didn’t know about this. That they were now in a relationship.

It was a selfie they’d taken in front of a restaurant, one Bevan and I had gone to a lot, just down from my apartment, their mouths kind of pressed together, eyes to the camera. Above it, he’d written, “My angel. Best thing to ever happen to me.”

I sucked in a sharp breath.

It shouldn’t hurt, but it did. I didn’t want Bevan anymore. I didn’t love him. I didn’t. But that self-deprecating voice in my head was whispering, what was wrong with you? Why weren’t you enough?

I hadn’t seen a post from him in all these months, he must have been avoiding social media. Now he was back and spreading his good news.

I clicked to his profile, unfriended him, something I’d forgotten to do, and shoved my phone in my back pocket.

Then grabbed my apron, and headed back out, and tried to lock it all away. To not let the awful feeling in my belly, the racing of my heart, get to me.

I was on my way to my section when I spotted Mase at a table across the room. Bull was with him, like I knew he would be, his back to me, along with several of his biker friends.

I glanced out the window, and sure enough, there were about five bikes lined up. I hadn’t even noticed them when I’d walked across the street, probably because I’d had my head down avoiding the bitter wind.

There were also a lot of women at the table, laughing and drinking with them. I desperately wanted to go over there, but Dice thought I was Bull’s girlfriend and if he said something in front of Mase, everything would go to hell.

So I forced myself to get on with my work, the rhythm of taking orders and delivering drinks. I did my best to ignore the way several of the girls with them were dancing on the table, and that Bull did nothing about it, and I tried really hard to ignore when one of them touched Bull’s arm and said something to him.

One eventually climbed onto Mase’s lap and he seemed happy to have her there. As the night wore on, they got rowdier. Bull didn’t seem himself. How I could tell looking at his back, I didn’t know, but I could.

Dane said he drank too much when Dice was in town, but I’d never seen it, and last time he was here I’d made him promise not to. Was he drunk now? It was hard to tell from over here. Mase definitely was.

I was kept busy in my section, and with the bar full I could barely see them, only getting a glimpse here and there.

I’d just delivered some drinks and was heading back to the bar when a group of guys moved to a vacant table and I got a glimpse of them. Mase was on his own now, his new friend no longer in his lap, and he looked like he’d had more than enough to drink.

Bull, who still had his back to me, appeared to be watching a curvy, extremely beautiful brunette walk toward him.

She kept coming and she didn’t stop, not until she climbed on Bull like she belonged there.

Like she had a right to be there.

And she probably did.

Lynette Castle was the same age as Bull and Mase. She and Bull had a thing in high school, everyone knew it. I also knew they occasionally screwed. I saw her come out of his office once all mussed and flushed when I first came back.

He obviously couldn’t stay away from her.

The crowd closed in again, and I lost sight of them, but I’d seen enough. It took everything I had not to run out of there. I’d told him the way it had to be, that it had to be only me while we were together.

Apparently, it only took a couple of days for me to drive a man into another woman’s arms now.

Maybe I should call Guinness and see if that was some kind of record?