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with drunken people. It required walking a fine line between friendly and
patronizing. She liked to think her technique had been perfected.
Hi. I recognize you from my table. We didn t get a chance to meet, though.
I m Ginger. She held out her hand, but the woman simply looked at it and
laughed hysterically.
Oh, my God. Please say that accent isn t real.
Real, I m afraid. Unlike your breasts. Guess you don t hear many
Tennessee accents in Chicago.
Nope. She pretended to look thoughtful. I guess it must be kind of a
novelty for someone like Derek. Although I m surprised he d bring you to such
an important event sounding like& I don t know, a cowgirl or something.
Apparently, she found that awfully funny and sunk against the wall in a fit of
laughter.
Ginger somehow kept the smile glued to her face. I m sorry, I didn t catch
your name.
I m Lisa.
She stepped around the other woman, intent on exiting the bathroom. Well,
Lisa, it s been lovely. But I can t just spend all night in the bathroom.
I know exactly what you ll be spending the night doing, cowgirl.
Ginger sighed and pushed away from the door. Listen up, sweetheart. For all
your outrageous subtlety, it s obvious you have a problem with me. Care to
share?
It s not so much a problem. More of an explanation.
The obvious agenda on the blonde s face sent a warning shiver up Ginger s
spine, but she ignored it. Don t let me stop you.
Lisa smirked. You see, I m here with Kenny, Derek s ex-partner. We ve been
together about two years, but before that it was me and Derek.
Ginger schooled her features, not wanting to give Lisa the reaction she
desired, but ice formed in the pit of her stomach. Is that all?
Honey, you must be wondering why Derek brought you here. At first, I was
a little confused, too. You re hardly his type. She swayed a little in her
laughter then refocused squarely on Ginger. I left Derek for Kenny. He s never
gotten over it. You re simply here to piss me off.
Ginger tilted her head sadly. Looks like it worked.
Oh, fuck you, Bessie. In her drunken state, the woman tilted to the left and
nearly sprawled on her ass, but Ginger caught her arm at the last moment.
Lashing out with a growl of rage, she pushed Ginger away. I just wanted him
to see what he d be missing, she spat, red-faced. I didn t think he d leave for
good.
Time to go. Ginger beelined toward the door, but somehow Lisa moved
quickly enough to stop her once more. Have you fucked him yet? I know you
have. I saw the way he looked at you. Enjoy it while it lasts, cowgirl. You ll
never get it that good again.
Chapter Thirteen
With the reluctant bathroom attendant s help, Ginger finally managed to get
past Lisa and out of the bathroom. She pushed through the swinging door and
nearly ran into Derek waiting for her on the other side, holding her shawl. One
look at his face and she knew he d seen Lisa enter the bathroom behind her.
Ginger stormed past him, through the lively banquet hall and lobby,
encountering a few curious looks as she passed. She found herself on the dark
street outside the hotel before she took a single breath. Derek s hand wrapped
around her arm, stopping her before she could hail a cab.
Slow down. What the hell happened in there? She spun on Derek and his
irritated expression vanished. Talk to me, he implored.
I ve just been accosted by your hammered ex-girlfriend in the bathroom.
Jesus. He pinched the bridge of his nose. What did she say to you?
Ginger ignored the question. You know what I don t understand, Derek?
Why you weren t just honest with me. We re not dating. We barely like each
other. You told me this date was a favor to you. If you d explained your reasons
for bringing me along, we could have put on a real good show for old Lisa. Hell,
if you d asked nicely, I might have let you feel me up on the dance floor.
He stared at her for a minute, expression confused, then took her arm and
led her down the sidewalk, away from the hotel. A valet attendant even
jumped out of his way to let them pass. Nice.
Let me go.
No.
Upon arriving, Derek had parked his SUV down an empty side street adjacent
to the hotel, placing a police department placard in the windshield so it
wouldn t be towed. In the night s darkness, the street now resembled more of
an alley, steam rising in white curls from manhole covers and zero traffic
passing by.
Having no choice but to trip after him in her heels, she fumed in silence at
Derek s back the entire way to the car. Reaching it, he whirled around to face
her.
Are you jealous?
Sputtering, she pulled her arm out of his grasp. Excuse me?
You are. He nodded slowly. Good.
You have no idea how close you are to a painful death right now.
Derek stepped closer and Ginger held up a hand to stop him. He merely kept
coming, pressing his chest against her palm and groaning at the simple
contact.
I don t play bullshit mind games, Ginger. I brought you here for a lot of
reasons. Making Lisa jealous definitely wasn t one of them.
Ginger scrutinized Derek s face closely to judge his sincerity and sensed him
telling the truth. He d been up-front with her since the beginning of their
association about what he wanted. Mind games simply weren t his style. If she
allowed herself to be honest, she d hardly believed Lisa in the first place.
So why didn t she feel reassured? His words did nothing to soothe the foreign
emotions swirling around, bumping into each other inside her chest. She felt
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