“What the fuck did you just say to me?” I snap. From behind me, chairs scrape against the concrete floor and footsteps close in. Dawn’s eyes dart over my shoulders before they fall on me again. She jerks her chin up and smirks.
“You know what they say—can’t make a wife out of a whore,” she says and licks her lips. Looking me up and down she chuckles. “Like mother, like daughter, huh?”
Chapter 21
Shoving her chair out of my way, I close the distance between us. Dawn is an inch or two shorter than me, but she’s curvier in all the right places. My chest heaves in anger, and my body is so fucking tense I think I could throw my fist through the brick wall behind her head. We may not know each other very well, but it’s no secret that my mom was a club slut who never could settle down, and it was fucking cheap of Dawn to bring my mother into this. And today of all days? She can’t know, but the damage is done and it doesn’t matter.
“Shit. I’ll go get Duke,” one of the prospects says from behind me. I purse my lips as adrenaline rushes through my veins and psyches me up for this shit. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a fight with somebody aside from Duke. I’m seriously overdue.
“Keep talking, bitch,” I say. She looks to her left and smiles then nods her head. She’s dumber than she looks if she thinks this shit is going to be cool with the club.
“I can see why you like him, though. He’s hot and knows how to use his dick,” she says. “What have you done to him? The guy was desperate for a good fuck. Apparently he hasn’t had that in a while.” I take another step forward, and we’re standing chest to chest, both of us knowing that there’s no going back from this moment. The shit she’s saying about Duke kills me, but I can’t show her that. I can’t show any of them how much it hurts to hear her say that he was with her that night.
The Old Ladies have all been through this, and, in their own ways, they’ve had to claim their spot beside their man. It might not always be this public, but it almost always goes down like this. Old Ladies have to be tough, and if I want this—and I do—I’m going to have to suck it up and be strong for my man and our kid.
He may come in really late at times, but he’s been in my bed every night he can be. She could be lying, but some of the brothers are in the room. The vibe always changes when they walk in. It’s like a cloud of testosterone blankets everything in the confined space. I don’t think she’d lie in front of them. While they tolerate a lot of shit, flat-out lying about this kind of crap isn’t something they’re very fond of.
“He practically begged me to suck his dick,” she says. “Glad I did, too. He tasted sweet as ever. Would have fucked his brains out, but he had to go. Some pathetic bitch can’t even pay her light bill without his help.”
Without thinking about it, I reach up and wrap my hand around her throat and shove her backward, which throws her into the brick wall behind her. Her hands wrap around my wrist, trying to pull me off. She gives it as much force as she can, her eyes grow wide, and she gasps for air. But she went too fucking far, and every bit of rational thought has left me. I don’t know how she knows about the electric bill being past due, but her mention of it makes me feel like total shit. Worse than anything else she’s said.
Leaning in, I squeeze her throat and say, “You wanna talk shit, baby? Let’s talk shit. First of all, I don’t give a fuck that you sucked his dick, because he’s in my bed and he’s licking my pussy. He is mine. So again, fuck you. And I hope when he came, he did it in your mouth, and you swallowed—because that is the last time you will lay a finger on him.”
Strong hands wrap around my upper arms, gently guiding me backward, but I fight it off and lean in to her ear. Duke keeps his hands on my upper arms, but stops pulling. Very gently, he gives me a squeeze as a show of support. The scent of Duke’s soap wafts up my nose and has me on an emotional cliff. My body jerks in desperation to be left alone. He can’t be here, not now.
“Third, I guess you don’t know who I am,” I whisper into her ear, hoping he can’t hear. “I’m the bitch who has his baby, and that’s something you’ll never have.” I remove my hand from her throat and step back. I run right into Duke and have to swat him away. The last thing I want is him touching me right now. Dawn’s face is a purple-red as she strains to suck in as much air as she can. She bends forward and places her hands on her knees and continues to wheeze.