Women Iknewwere beneath me—which meant I wasn’t gonna make some scene by kicking her out myself. I shouldn’t have to kick her outmyself.
I shouldn’t have to ask Jude to kick her out,either.
She wasn’t here for me orJude.
“She’s not a good person, Zane,” I informed him, because to be fair, maybe he’d never seen that side of her. With him, she was probably sweet as pie. “I don’t want to see her. Is it too much to ask that she doesn’t show up at everyparty?”
“She’s not at every party,” he said. “And I get that you don’t like her,but—”
“But what? There’s nobut. I have reasons for not liking her,Zane.”
“Why, because she grabbed my dick? She didn’t know I was with you when she did that, becauseyou don’t let me tell anyone I’m withyou.”
“Right. So it’s my fault. And that makes it okay for her to grab yourdick.”
“Well, it doesn’t make it not okay,” hesaid.
“You did not just saythat.”
“Maggie. I’m not fucking Dallas and I’m not looking to have my dick grabbed by anyone. When are you gonna believe me when I saythat?”
Silence. It was loud in the party, but we just stared at each other for a long moment in our silent, heatedcorner.
“I understand that you don’t like Dallas,” he said again, slowly. “I just don’t understand why she needs to be punished. If you need to punish someone, punish me. I’m the one who slept with her when I shouldn’t have. That’s not herfault.”
I shook my head at him, still angry. I was mad at myself, too, for flipping out on him about this, about that stupid girl, when I couldn’t even stand up to the one person who really deserved my anger—mydad.
“I can’t believe you don’t see it,” I told himquietly.
“Seewhat?”
“You think she’s a nice girl? Ask her what she thinks ofme.”
I turned to walk away, because stupid tears were actually forming in my eyes—but Zane grabbed my arm, stopping me. He spun me around to face him and held me by my shoulders. “What does thatmean?”
I blinked back my tears, trying to cover the pain with anger. But I couldn’t deal. I was so done. I had nothingleft.
Dealing with my dad had taken itall.
“I overheard her talking about me at the Christmas party.” My lips actually quivered as I said thewords.
“Talking about you? What do you mean, talking about you?” Zane’s hands tightened on my shoulders, his fingers digging intome.
A part of me couldn’t believe I was really telling him this… But I told himanyway.
“It was late, after a lot of people had left. I found her in the kitchen with her girlfriend. They were drunk, and I guess they were looking in your fridge for booze. They didn’t see me. But I heard her say, ‘Where’s that little brown girl who makes thedrinks?’”
Zane stared atme.
I didn’t want to say it, but there it was. I’d never wanted to repeat those ugly words tohim.
Zane knew who I was and what I was worth, and everything I did for Dirty. But to some people, all I’d ever be was the little brown girl who made the drinks at a Dirtyparty.
“She saidwhat?”
I swallowed a sob that threatened to escape. “She said, ‘Where’s that little brown girlwho—’”
“Don’t. Don’t fucking say itagain.”
