Prison Break by Jade Onyx Read Free Book Online Page B

had come out strangled and clipped. He stared at the plush
carpet near his feet.
    “No, Má. I've had a rough week at work. Thank
you for calling.” He held his breath, anticipating Má's next
words.
    “I found someone you might be interested in.
Courteous, traditional, and from a good family.”
    And probably not my type at all.
    He took a deep breath, willing air into his
constricted chest. Má was matchmaking again, probably tired of his
sorry excuses for the past year. How blunt. How could he refuse
without being disrespectful?
    “ Thank you, Má, for going
through the trouble. I'm quite busy for the next few
weeks.”
    “ You're thirty.”
    And you want grandkids... His eyes squeezed shut for a moment.
    “ You aren't getting
younger.”
    Bro, I wish you were here. That way, at least An would not shoulder the
pressure as the sole heir to continue the line of Tangs... He let
out a slow breath.
    “ You ought to meet her
anyway sometime.”
    Here goes...
    “ Thanks, but I met
someone.” A complete lie. White, but still a lie. He pressed his
lips into a thin line.
    “ What? That's big news. Why
did you not bring it up before?”
    “ I want to be sure before I
introduce her to you and Ba.” He gulped. This was getting deeper.
He hated lying, but that seemed to be the only way Má would back
off at this point.
    “ Perfect. How about we come
visit you next weekend to meet her?”
    Fuck. You wanted deeper, man? You
got it.
    “ It's too soon, Má.”
Agitated, he brushed his hair back. “You might scare her
off.”
    “ Nonsense. We'll just be in
the area and meet you for lunch or something.”
    By the time they got off the phone, An knew
that Má was going to get her way. How long could he keep his
dutiful son facade?
    What a clusterfuck. He was screwed. Damn, he
needed to clean up his language, too. Being around ex-military was
rubbing off on him. Slumping over on the couch, he buried his head
in both hands.
    His cell rang again. He stood up to take the
call. “Frank, what is it?”
    “ An, do me a favor.” If he
was not Frank, An would have put the man in his place. However,
this was Frank, grad school buddy and entrepreneur extraordinaire.
He could talk to An this way.
    An arched an eyebrow. “You're not the kind
to seek any from me.”
    “ Ah, hell. Geneva promised
me she'd give me her whole weekend next week if I could do just
this one favor for her.”
    “ Gotta be huge, if she
promised you a full weekend.” He half-grinned.
    “ Yeah, well, she's going
clubbing tonight with a couple friends, one of whom she'd like you
to meet.”
    “ Great. That narrows it
down. I haven't even met your girl and she wants favors?” An walked
to the patio door and peeked through the blinds. Night had set
in.
    Frank laughed. “I've been keeping her to
myself, and this is one of her best buds she wants you to
meet.”
    Another matchmaker. What was it about Sunday evenings?
    “ More like she's been
keeping you busy from your own buddies,” An grumbled, stepping away
from the patio door.
    “ I'll send you a
photo.”
    “ You got one of the girl?”
Going out after a shower wouldn't seem so bad if the girl was
attractive.
    “ No, but she's the one with
the darkest hair.”
    “ What's in it for me?” An
asked, crossing one arm over his chest.
    “ Besides the fact you've
had quite a drought for awhile and this just might be the way to
wet up some?” Frank chuckled.
    An humphed.
    “ How about I relieve you of
your duties this week at the club?” Frank offered.
    Couldn't say An wouldn't jump on the
opportunity. Everything felt routine. Empty. Obligatory. “The whole
week?” he asked.
    “ Yes.”
    “ Game on.”
    “ Right on then. I'll text
you the club info after I send you Geneva's pic.”
    The evening just got interesting. Maybe he
would actually have someone to show off to his parents this coming
weekend, at least for the weekend . . .
    ***
    Hot, heavy dance music pulsed through
Jessica's veins. The strands