Page 136 of Mad Girl

“None of my business? This psycho stood in my kitchen, refused to take no for an answer, and basically said that when she forces you to sleep with her, you’ll enjoy it.”

“Except she can’t actually force me to do anything,” you said.

“You told her no multiple times. You withdrew your consent—and she threatened you. If you sleep with her, that’s not just sexual coercion. It’s assault.”

“But it’s none of your concern. Because I’m handling it.”

“By doing what? Giving her exactly what she wants?”

“No. She’s just a pretty girl who expects guys to fawn all over her, and when they don’t, she throws a tantrum like the one you’ve just witnessed. I can handle her. Believe me, I’ve dealt with far worse.”

“But Casey⁠—”

“Listen, her threats aren’t real. She’s bluffing. She can’t tell the truth about me without incriminating herself. She tells Michael why she really asked him out, and he’ll never speak to her again.”

“What if she lies, though? Makes up a story where she’s the innocent one, and you’re the bad guy who coerced her into doing something she didn’t want to do? Like dating Michael on your behalf, for instance? Then what?”

“I don’t know. But I can’t risk her being the one to tell Michael how we really met, or he might never accept me. I got myself into this mess, and I’ll get myself out of it. I don’t need you stepping up to defend me.”

“Like you did with Greer and Rory, you mean?”

“That was different.”

I scoffed at this. “It was not different. You just think it’s different because our genders are different.”

“I haven’t been beaten or nearly killed, either. So there’s that.”

“I think I could take her,” I said with a decisive nod, arms crossed over my chest. “She’s a couple inches taller, but I have way more pent-up rage. She’d never know what hit her.”

You lifted both eyebrows. “Stand down, Wednesday. What you’re talking about is assault, too.”

“Don’t care. I will fuck up anyone who tries to hurt you.”

You held my gaze a moment. “You sounded quite scary just now.”

“Because I’m serious.”

“For now, though, collect our cream and sugar, will you? Leave this Sienna business with me.”

Still stewing, I pulled our cream from the fridge, filled the little blue-and-white creamer we used for tea, then grabbed its matching sugar bowl from the cabinet. I couldn’t leave the Sienna incident with you or let it go, but that’s exactly what I was forced to do when Michael walked through the back door—to some extent, anyway.

He glanced around the kitchen. “Where’s Sienna? Did you get rid of her?”

“Sure did,” I said. “Caught her hitting on Casey, and when he told her he wasn’t interested, she started giving him hell about it.”

“Really?” Michael asked, walking over to the island. “What happened, dude? I thought you were into her?”

Into her? Since when?

Your gaze remained stubbornly lowered to the counter. Were you avoiding making eye contact with me? Again?

“She isn’t my type, mate,” you told him, scooping dry tea leaves into a strainer. “Especially not if you’re hooking up with her, too. It’s weird.”

Tinsley wouldn’t think so. Two brothers sharing the same girl was one of her favorite fucking tropes.

“I’ll talk to her,” Michael said, taking a seat at the island.

While I stared at Michael in awe, it hit me: months ago, when I’d met with Sienna in the park and she’d said, “This works out so much better,” she’d meant the “cheating” incident had provided her the perfect opportunity to secure an open relationship with Michael. An arrangement where she was allowed to be with you, too. Where she could have you both.