Read From Manhattan With Revenge Boxed Set for Free Online Page A

lifted her hair and kissed the back of her neck.   She closed her eyes.   No one excited her more than Mario.   He had a way with her that laid waste to
any other man she’d been with.   Her
connection with him was so intense, it was palpable.   She couldn’t wait to be married to him.
    He
started to massage her shoulders, which felt just as good as she knew it
would.   He smoothed his hands up the
length of her body and stopped to cup her breasts.   She could feel him against her.
    And that
was it.
    She
turned to him and put her arms around his neck.
    “Okay,
you big lug.   You win.   Sweep me off my feet.”
    He
hoisted her over his shoulder.  
    “So,
what?   Now I’m a cavewoman?”
    “Actually,
now you’re being sensible.”
    “Ask me
that same question in five minutes.”

 
 
    *   *   *

 
 
    Later,
when they were showering in the master bath’s double shower, Mario decided he
had to break the news to her at some point.   The best time to do it was before they
arrived at the event.
    “Your
father called while you were gone,” he said.
    She had
soap in her eyes and couldn’t see.   “My father what?”
    “He
called.”
    “How
does he even know our number?   It’s
unlisted.”
    “He’s
George Redman.”
    “Oh,
right.   Sorry.   Forgot.”   She moved under one of the two shower
heads and rinsed her hair.   Her
issues with her father and how coldly he treated her when she was growing up
still cut deep.   “What did he want?   I haven’t heard from him in a year.”
    “He
knows about the hotel.”
    She
shrugged.   “I figured he’d hear
about it at some point, especially with his building directly across the street
from it.   What did he say?”
    “You’re
not going to like this.”
    “It’s my
father.   You know, the one who has
won Father of the Year twenty-seven years in a row because of his excellent
parenting skills.   Anything that has
to do with him I’m not going to like.”   She stopped for a moment.   “So long as it doesn’t have to do with my mother.   We may not be on the best terms, but I
don’t want anything happening to her.”
    “It has
nothing to do with your mother, but he did mention that she hasn’t heard from
you.”
    “We’ve
been busy,” she said.   “What am I
supposed to say to her?   ‘Hi,
Mom.   I hope everything is going
well in prison.   Hang in there.   We’re all hoping for good
behavior.’   It’s too much.”
    “You
should call her.”
    “I
actually plan on driving out to see her.”
    “Right,”
Mario said.   “Anyway, your father is
going to be there tonight.   He’s
been asked to give you the award.”   He held up his hand before she could launch into a rant.   “The Millers know nothing about your
beef with your father.   They
probably thought they were doing a kind gesture, especially Addy.   He likes you.   He always has.”
    “I have
that effect on gay men.”
    “Addison
Miller is gay?”
    “Of
course, he is.”
    “How do
you know?”
    “You
hear things.   You see things.   You sense things.   But it doesn’t matter.   Addy is Addy and I love him.   I just feel bad that he feels he can’t
be who he is.   He’s a nice man who
deserves something better than living out the rest of his years with that hag
Tootie.”
    “I don’t
know her.”
    “You
don’t want to.   And you’re probably
right about him suggesting that my father give me the award.   Addy doesn’t know what our relationship
is.”   She twisted the water from her
hair and reached for a towel.   “But
he’s about to find out.”  
    She
walked past Mario and stepped out of the shower.  
    “What
are you going to do?” he said.
    “I’m
going to talk to Addy.   If anyone will
understand, he will.   He can choose
any number of people to give me that award, but it’s not going to be my
father.   I won’t take anything from
him.   Besides, he probably called
here because he knew I’d react this