Experiment in Terror 06.5 And With Madness Comes the Light by Karina Halle Read Free Book Online Page A

tops.
    “I’m good,” she said slowly. “But you go get
yourself one. I’ll just be in the women’s washroom, right over
there.”
    Message was received loud and clear. I
watched her sashay her tight little jean-clad ass over to the
washroom and disappear inside. I had maybe two minutes before I
would join her and suddenly I was nervous as fuck.
    I went over to the bar and got Clarissa’s
attention long enough to order a shot of bourbon. After I put it
back and tried to gather up my courage, which had somehow
disappeared along with the blood in my brain, Dean appeared beside
me.
    “Saw you talking to that hot piece of ass,”
he commented, leaning forward on his elbows.
    “I guess you could call it talking,” I said,
wishing I had another shot. I raised my hand for Clarissa and
waited. “It was more like ‘let’s fuck,’ but not said as vaguely as
that.”
    “You know, I always thought you had a type,”
he mused.
    “What do you mean?” I asked as Clarissa
filled up my shot glass again and down the hatch it went. What the
hell was wrong with me? Even my erection was deflating, like I was
losing all my nerve, like I was all talk and no show.
    “Oh, the bitchy look. Like Jenn, like the
redhead. Gorgeous and all that, but mean. You know, you can tell
when a girl ain’t got no heart. And you like that. That’s why I was
so surprised that you fell in love with Perry.”
    I fell in love with Perry. I was in love
with Perry.
    “She was so sweet and cute and somewhat
innocent. Not the girl who would screw you in a shithole. Not a
girl who would ever hurt you on purpose. You know, she was nice.
And well, you don’t like nice, Dex. You like bitches. You like to
be treated like shit for some god damn reason, and I don’t know
why. You don’t deserve it. But maybe you think you do.”
    “Dean,” I said slowly, pushing my shot glass
away from me. “Have you been listening to a lot of self-help tapes
lately?”
    “I’m just saying, man. It’s interesting. I
feel like I’m finally cracking the Foray code.”
    Time was ticking away. The redhead was still
in the bathroom, probably waiting for the last chick to leave so
she could barricade the door, avoiding the puddles of vomit and
piss in her platform shoes. Was that really what I wanted? Now that
I was called to act upon it, my dick argued against it. It didn’t
give a fuck and I meant that literally. I wanted the easy bitch
because it was safe and familiar. And let’s face it, I was horny as
hell.
    But that wasn’t me anymore. I’d seen the
light. I wanted the girl who embodied it. I wanted to deserve her,
to be the man she needed. And I’d do whatever I could to be that
man.
    I sighed and slapped a few bills on the
table. I smacked Dean on the arm. “I’m going home, buddy.”
    I pushed past him, waving at Seb as I went,
who was still stuck in a conversation with one of Clarissa’s
friends.
    “Does that mean I can have her?” Dean called
out jovially from behind me.
    “She’s probably still in there,” I answered
back and walked out into the cold night. I was going home alone,
and for the first time in a long time, that was completely okay
with me. I, too, had a code to crack.
     
     
     

CHAPTER FIVE
     
     
     
    With my life wrapped up in running, working
out, and making myself extremely fuckable in Perry’s eyes, a couple
of weeks had flown by before I saw Rebecca again. She finally
flagged me down and invited me out for pizza. I hated to be one of
those guys who turned his nose up at the Italian pie, so I dragged
my ass out the door, promising myself I’d do an extra session at
the gym afterward.
    “Dex, over here!”
    I scanned the restaurant looking for the
source of the smooth English accent that called my name. I swear,
Rebecca’s voice was on par with Morgan Freeman’s in the voices I’d
like to narrate my life category.
    I saw her in the corner of the room and made
my way over. The restaurant was a hipster-ish pizza joint not