Exsanguinate by Killion Slade Read Free Book Online Page A

Dakota jumped up on her knees. “How are you possibly going to outdo yourself from last year?”
    “Uh, uh uhn.” Sheridan waggled a finger in front of us. “You’re not getting my surprise out of me. You’ll see tonight once you get into the park. You won’t believe your eyes.”
    I sat there looking at them both, gaining more and more awareness that I was going to meet Roxas soon.
    Dakota touched my shoulder. “So are you nervous about tonight, Chey?”
    “I think I’ve puked up everything I’ve eaten today, I’m so riddled with nerves.”
    “There’s nothing to worry about. You guys have seen pictures of each other. He’s a hottie, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
    “Yeah, I know. But he’s fallen in love with Lady Caz.”
    “Uh huh.” Dakota, looked at me sideways.
    “I’m just nervous he won’t have the same affection after meeting the real me.”
    “Seriously? Are you listening to yourself? One – you’re the spitting image of your avatar, and B – you don’t think he’ll adore you?”
    I could tell Dakota had already been shooting the Irish whiskey between ciders since her outlining skills were already confused.
    “Look, I’ll level with you. I suck at relationships. I’m not sure I’m ready for this. I’m the type of woman who gets all sloppy when I let a guy into my life.”
    Sheridan sat up on the bed. “I remember that last guy you were all up into. What was his name again?”
    “That’s not important. But you understand. Remember, I stopped working out. All my spare time went into him instead of into myself. My programming time decreased. It just wasn’t healthy.”
    Dakota said, “Yeah, but you gotta admit, all workie and no nookie can’t be healthy either, Chey.”
    “Don’t get me wrong. Lord knows, I sure could use a decent shag. There’s only so much fantasizing a girl can do alone, but how can I ever tell Roxas how he makes me truly feel?”
    “What if he doesn’t feel the same way about me?”
    Sheridan grabbed my hand. I looked at her with a half smile.
    “I don’t think I can handle that kind of rejection from him after all this time together online.”
    Dakota clinked her bottle against Sheridan’s. “Look at it this way. If the relationship doesn’t work out, you get the satisfaction of firing his ass.”
    I rolled my eyes at her.
    Sheridan flopped back on to the bed. “I completely get what you’re saying, Chey. Ever since we started this company, I haven’t had a decent date.”
    Dakota and I both looked at her.
    “Well, think about it. Daddy lives with me, and it seems like every guy I know has a full-blown dossier already filled out on me. They’re more interested in how much money the company makes than just being with and caring for me.”
    I reached out to her. “I’m sorry, Sheridan. I didn’t know it’d been that hard for you.”
    “So I totally get that you guard your heart, Chey. ‘Cause it feels like I’ll never find that one guy who doesn’t need my money, has a cool life of his own, and only wants to take care of me and not my bottom line.”
    Dakota and I looked at each and grimaced. Here I was moaning about meeting the love of my life, and she has had no life.
    Sheridan clapped her hands. “Okay, chicas. Thanks for the gal time. I gotta run. Speaking of getting lucky, that Tech One supervisor at Global Studios is oh so fine, and I don’t want to be late.” She winked at us. “Ya never know.”
    “Go get ‘em Sheridan,” I cheered for her. “Maybe we’ll all get lucky tonight!”
    Dakota put her arm around Sheridan, and we all clinked our bottles together in one last toast. “Here’s to true happiness, and may tonight be the luckiest night of our lives.”
    Luckiest night of our lives, huh? Then why do I have a sick feeling deep in the depths of my stomach?
    Sheridan picked up Stormy and gave her explicit instructions how a lady should act around male puppy dogs. She put Stormy down and Stormy curled up inside