Honest Betrayal by Dara Girard Read Free Book Online Page A

for a diversion although she wasn’t a club person. She’d talked about taking risks; she might as well take one now. “Come by tomorrow.”
    ***
    The next day Stephen came to her office as she put things away. “I thought I’d take you out to dinner,” he said.
    Brenna knew he was feeling guilty about their last discussion. She patted him on the shoulder. “That’s okay. I’m going out with Bette.”
    “Oh, yea. How is she doing?”
    “She’s still single. Very cute. You might like her.”
    His eyes hardened. “I’m with Fiona.”
    She held up her hands in surrender. “Okay. Okay.”
    “So where are you going?” Pauline asked curious.
    Brenna snapped her briefcase shut. “The Ride Club.”
    Stephen’s lip twitched.
    Pauline stared. “The Ride?”
    Brenna nodded. “Yes.”
    Stephen burst into laughter. Pauline bit her lower lip. “Oh, Brenna.”
    She looked at them confused. “What?”
    “The Ride.” Stephen fell against the wall doubled over in laughter.
    “What is wrong with you?”
    Pauline touched her sleeve looking worried. “The Ride is a lesbian club.”
    “No, it’s not.”
    Stephen said, “I dare you to go and find out. Or ‘come out’.”
    Brenna wadded up a ball of paper and threw it at him. “Be quiet.” She turned to Pauline. “Are you sure?”
    She nodded.
    “But why would Bette invite me to a gay bar? We’ve been going out for over two months, having such a great time. She said Mom gave her my number and...Oh no. She wouldn’t.”
    Stephen saw her face and burst into fresh peals of laughter.
    “Shut up!”
    “What?” Pauline asked.
    Brenna picked up the phone. “Let me make sure. I may be wrong.”
    “I don’t think you are,” Stephen said, wiping away tears.
    Pauline looked at them confused. “Wrong about what?”
    Brenna picked up the phone and dialed. She waved a hand for quiet as her mother picked up. “Hi, Mom. Yes, I’m fine. I have a question for you. Did you know that Bette was gay? Uh, huh. I see. Yes, yes. Right. No. Bye.” She hung up.
    Pauline and Stephen stared at her.
    “She knew Bette was gay. She said she wanted to cover all bases and if you start laughing again little brother I swear I’ll write your name and phone number in the first gay bar I see.”
    Stephen straightened his face.
    Brenna fell into her chair. “This is awful. What am I going to do? She’s so nice.”
    Stephen smiled. “You could take a risk. You never know.”
    She glared at him. “I may just risk murder charges.”
    “You’ll have to tell her,” Pauline said.
    She stood and grabbed her briefcase. “Follow me home,” she told Stephen.
    “Why?”
    “Because you’re going to help me come up with something.”

CHAPTER FOUR

    “Will you relax,” Brenna said as Stephen looked around the apartment corridor. “I’m the one with the problem.”
    “I hope that woman doesn’t come out of her cave.”
    Brenna gritted her teeth. “Don’t worry. I didn’t see her tiger outside.” She stopped in front of her apartment and searched for her key. When the door next to them opened, Stephen moved to Brenna’s other side.
    Tima popped her head out and smiled at them. “Hello you two.”
    “No time to talk,” Brenna said. “I have a mini crisis.”
    “What is it?”
    “She’s dating a lesbian,” Stephen said.
    Tima blinked. “Oh, I didn’t know—”
    “Apparently neither did she.”
    Brenna nudged him. “I’m not a lesbian. There was a slight misunderstanding.”
    Tima nodded. “I see. Would you two like to come in and discuss options?”
    Stephen took the keys from Brenna and opened the door. “We’re fine thanks.”
    “Are you sure?”
    He gently pushed Brenna inside. “Very sure.” He closed the door.
    “That was rude,” Brenna said as he tossed her keys aside. “She was trying to be helpful.”
    “We don’t need her help.”
    “I think we do.”
    “If you invite her over, I’m leaving.”
    She put her hands under her arms and made chicken