Baited by CRYSTAL GREEN Read Free Book Online Page B

‘playing’ is an everyday thing for you, but it’s not going to happen again.Chris is thirteen and you’re…what? Mentally twelve? Except you outweigh him by about one hundred pounds and fifteen physical years. That’s not a fair round.”
    “We were goofing off, not that it’s your concern.”
    Duffy took another sip and his blue eyes bored into her. Not quite drunk yet, she thought. But sober enough to know that he’s offending me.
    Her adrenaline hummed, warming up for a real show. “I think you’ve got different sandbox rules than the rest of the world. Regular people don’t pick on kids, unless they’re trying to make up for certain other…shortcomings.”
    “Well, you’re a ballbuster, aren’t you? Why the hell my gramps tolerates you, I’ll never know. You can’t be that good of a lay.”
    She froze.
    With as much control as she could muster, Kat lifted up a finger and held it in front of Duffy’s face, leaning over to make her point. Even with his fumes of gin and vermouth hitting her she didn’t flinch.
    “If I see you messing with Chris again,” she said, “I will make good on that promise I made earlier, except we won’t be talking about guts being all tied up.”
    She lowered her gaze to his lap, making sure he caught her meaning, then turned around to walk away. God, she was proud of herself for keeping it cool.
    “You won’t last long anyway. Ever wonder why you’re such good friends with Daddy Warbucks, Orphan Annie?”
    Yes. Hell, yes. Sometimes she felt like a charitycase or downright pet to Duke, and that even dolts like Duffy could see it hurt her with shame.
    He didn’t even wait for her answer. “Gramps is a collector, you know. He’s done this a hundred times before, so don’t let his heroic stories of redemption fool you. He’s still a womanizer—always will be—and you’re his final project. Girls like you give him a thrill—to refurbish, just like the old buildings he used to buy and sell.”
    She was actually standing here listening to this, glued to the spot but wanting to run away. But she needed to hear what she’d always suspected: that Duke had ulterior motives, that she wasn’t good enough for him on her own merits. With every syllable, Duffy was nailing her further into the floor, the truth ringing in her ears. When she opened her mouth to stop him, to save herself before she crumbled before him, she found she couldn’t talk. Dryness—cotton-like on her tongue—evaporated each word.
    “Don’t worry,” Duffy added, “he’ll leave you in good shape. But, for now, keep this in mind: you’re the hobby of a bored old man, Katsu . So don’t think you’ve got any kind of superiority over me.”
    By now she was quivering.
    Duke, one of the only people around who seemed to respect her, to believe in her…He was just a player.
    But Kat couldn’t really buy that. It was a lie. A way for Duffy to bring her down. And the only thing Kat could do was start walking again, praying that her jelly legs could make it to her cabin.
    But Duffy stopped her by grabbing her T-shirt. “I’m not done yet, señorita.”
    Bristling, she stopped, but not before he slid his other hand under the curve of her butt.
    He laughed. “What’s good for the old goose—”
    She whipped around and swung her arm, knuckles crunching his cheek. In the same motion, she pushed one of his arms away and sprang backward so quickly that he didn’t have time to latch on to her clothing again.
    “That was a warning,” she choked out.
    He was holding a palm against his face where she’d connected, mouth agape and eyes wide. It took about a full minute for him to lower his hand.
    “You bitch. ” He was wearing the same expression she’d seen when his father had dressed him down. Destroyed.
    But did that give him the right to call her a bitch? Little did he know that in her neighborhood, the term was a compliment. A damned badge.
    “Number one,” she said, her voice edged with a