Turn Up the Heat by Kimberly Kincaid Read Free Book Online Page A

the boss from hell to try and weasel a whole week’s worth of days away from the grind.
    â€œI’m here to forget one man,” she corrected. “And to be honest, I don’t really think it’s worth my energy to be pissed at Derek.”
    Jenna tipped her head as they hustled through the busy parking lot. “You’re not mad at Mr. Fantastic anymore?”
    â€œHe wasn’t that fantastic, obviously,” Bellamy griped.
    â€œHow great can a guy who colors his hair be?” Holly said, giggling. “I swear, he was more of a product whore than me, and that is totally saying something.”
    Bellamy laughed, letting the bone-chilling cold take her buzz down a notch. “I’m not talking about that.” Oh, thank God. They had finally reached the door. “What I mean is, now that I think about it, the whole thing was kind of just . . . meh.”
    If her relationship with Derek was as exciting as dry wheat toast, then she’d found its polar opposite in the bar she’d just entered. The place was packed with people, all in various states of drunk and disorderly, and between the low lighting and the loud, freely flowing music, Bellamy knew they’d discovered the perfect place for her to drown her sorrows.
    â€œYeah, no offense, honey, but Derek wasn’t exactly riveting. Although he thought he was,” Holly half shouted over the din as they made their way toward the crowded bar.
    â€œPlease. I can say this now that he’s a thing of the past. The guy was an asshat,” Jenna said, frowning.
    Bellamy stopped short a few steps from the glossy wood of the bar top that ran the entire length of the room. “Did you always think so?”
    Jenna chewed her lip for a second. “Yeah, kind of.”
    â€œWhy didn’t you say anything?” Bellamy gasped.
    â€œBecause I wasn’t the one dating him. You seemed to like him, and that was good enough for me. His pretentiousness wasn’t that offensive in the grander scheme of things. It’s not like he kicked puppies or stole money from little old ladies or anything.”
    â€œStill! You’re supposed to be my friends. If anything, you should’ve told me for my own good,” Bellamy said.
    Holly looked at her as she leaned against the bar. “Derek’s a complete weasel, honey.”
    â€œIt’s not retroactive,” she sighed.
    Of course, neither one of them was wrong. Derek wasn’t necessarily horrible. But he sure wasn’t as great as he thought he was. In more ways than one.
    â€œOh. Okay, well have a drink, then,” Holly said brightly, passing her a fresh beer.
    The unexpected pang at the memory of her lackluster sex life with Derek made Bellamy’s cheeks flush, and she took a long draw from the bottle. It wasn’t like a through-the-roof sex life would’ve saved the relationship in the end.
    But it wouldn’t have hurt anything, either.
    â€œI’ve got bigger fish to fry than Derek. How am I going to get home on Monday without a car? Bosszilla is probably already losing her mind at the fact that my cell service is spotty at best up here.” The discovery of cell service within the boundary of the resort had been the only bright spot in Bellamy’s otherwise trying afternoon. Right up until the three voice mails and nine texts from her boss popped through, anyway.
    â€œOh, no you don’t. We’re not worrying about any of that crap until tomorrow. Tonight is supposed to be about you forgetting your sorrows,” Jenna reminded her. “Now knock it off before I find out whether or not that karaoke machine is functional. I’d love to see you belt out some Lady Gaga.”
    Bellamy had a retort on the tip of her tongue when she heard the sound of a very deep, very male throat being cleared.
    â€œExcuse me, ladies. My friends and I were wondering if you’d like to join us for a drink.”
    No pick-up line, no