Damn him. I slide the drink closer to me and place the straw between my lips. "Thanks." He props his feet up on my side of the booth, blocking me in again. "You're welcome," he says, shooting me a smile that's on the verge of seductive, and even a little bit cocky. I catch myself staring at his lips for a beat too long, and his smile widens. "Don't smile at me like that," I snap, annoyed that he's making this harder on both of us with his subtle flirtations. I force my back against the booth and kick my legs back up into the seat next to him. The smile disappears from his face and he drops his gaze down to my arms. Anger returns to his eyes when he notices the fading bruises plastered on me like I've been branded. That's how they make me feel, anyway. I run my hands up my arms and cover them, suddenly feeling exposed. "You don't want me to smile at you?" he asks, a confused expression strewn across his face. "No," I say sharply. "I don't. I don't want you to smile at me like you like me. I don't want you to sit next to me in class. I don't want you to hold my hand. I don't want you to flirt with me. I don't even want you to buy me lunch, but I'm too hungry to really care about that one right now." I bring my drink to my mouth to shut myself up. He looks down at his glass and runs his hands up it, wiping off the condensation. He slowly inhales; staring down at his glass the entire time, then expels a long, deep breath. "So, you want me to be mean to you, then?" He looks at me with an expression so cold, I don't even recognize him. "You want me to treat you like shit? The way Asa treats you?" He leans back in the booth, folding his arms over his broad chest. "Funny. I didn't peg you as a doormat." I return his heated stare with just as much fury. "Funny. I didn't peg you for a dealer." We hold each other's gaze, refusing to be the one who cracks first. "I guess I do have that going for me," he says with a smug grin. "Dealer? Check. Asshole? Check. What else would it take, Sloan? What else do I need to do to get you to fuck me? You want me to slap you around a little bit? Seems to work wonders for Asa." His cruel words are like a direct punch to my gut, knocking the breath out of me. "Fuck you," I say through clenched teeth. "No thanks. Apparently I'd have to hit you first, and that's not my style." I bite my lip and hold my breath, fighting back tears. I've spent the last year and a half teaching myself how not to cry in front of assholes. I've got this. "Take me back to my car," I say. He closes his eyes and rubs his hands over his face. He groans out of frustration, then clasps his hands together behind his neck. "I'll take you after you eat something." I scoot over in the booth until my thigh meets his feet. "I'm not hungry. Let me out." He doesn't move his feet, so instead I pull my legs up and stand up in the booth, then jump over him. I head for the door, never having wanted to get away from someone so quickly in my entire life. "Sloan," he calls after me. "Sloan!" I swing the door open and walk outside—a rush of wind colliding with my face as I gasp for air. I bend over and put my hands on my knees, inhaling through my nose and out my mouth, over and over. When the threat of tears subsides, I straighten up and walk toward his car. The alarm beeps twice and the doors unlock. I turn around, but he isn't following me. He's still inside the restaurant. Damn him. He just unlocked the car for me. I slam the door as hard as I can after I climb inside. I wait for him to walk outside, but he doesn't. Several moments pass, and I realize he has no intention of following me. He's actually going to eat first. He's an even bigger jerk than I thought. I grab the baseball cap off the console and put it on my head, pulling it down over my eyes to block the sun. If I have to wait for him to eat lunch before he takes me back to Asa's car, I might as well get a nap out of it.

Carter- 10

Chapter Ten

Carter

"Can we get these to go?" I ask, handing our drinks to the waitress. "And the pizza?"

"I'll have it right out," she says. She walks away and I lean forward, dropping my head in my hands.

I have no idea what just got into me. I've never let a girl get to me like this. Much less a girl I'm not even dating.

But damn her! She's so frustrating. I don't understand how she can be so headstrong and confident when she's around me, but at her own home she acts like Asa's fucking doormat.

Then, out of the blue, she accosts me for being nice to her? What the hell? I realize some women are drawn to men like Asa. I've been in this career long enough to see that. But Sloan is different. She's smarter than that. Which is why it's so damn painful having to sit back and watch it, because I don't know what's keeping her there. Even if it's not my place, I can't be alone with her like this and not use it as an opportunity to convince her she's better than this. Although, I'm pretty sure calling her a doormat and saying the shit I said isn't how to convince of that.