Cheaters Anonymous by Lacey Silks Page B

he still wouldn’t get the hint. This surprising reunion was giving me the creeps. Before I could turn away, Brad reached for me and touched my shoulder. I jumped up, ready to scream, but he lifted his hands in the air in a defensive position.
    “Whoa! Relax, Julia. I just wanted to ask you if tomorrow night would work. I doubt I’ll get a chance to run into a beautiful woman like you again.”
    I wanted to believe that this meeting was innocent, but it was more likely I’d hear truth in a politician’s campaign promise. If I never saw Brad again, I’d have to check my ass to see if someone stuck a horseshoe there. Because honestly, at this point luck had totally abandoned me. And wasn’t he supposed to be engaged? The weird vibes coming from Brad were off the charts.
    “Where’s your fiancée?” I asked. “Wouldn’t she be jealous of you hitting on other women?”
    “Is that what you think I’m doing?” he laughed. “Sweetheart, I don’t need to hit on women who don’t give a fuck about me. Most of them drop on their knees to suck me off without having to ask.”
    What the hell? His foul mouth sent the nerves tingling over my nape and I stepped back.
    “Then I guess your fiancée must be very proud of you.”
    “We have an open relationship.”
    Translation: I do whatever I want.
    “Look, I may be blunt saying this, but nothing would make me happier if I never saw you again. Forget about the weekend or any kind of offense you think you may have caused. I’m not interested. Let’s just forget about it and move on.”
    Darkness shadowed his eyes. They sparked with anger and disappointment before turning to determined vengeance. Now I really wished that Scar was here.
    “You work at Huntington Hospital, don’t you?”
    “Yes, how...”
    “I found one of your business cards by the booth at the club, but you were already gone.” I remembered dropping my purse that night and spilling its contents onto the floor. Unfortunately his explanation did nothing to relieve the anxiety I was feeling inside. Brad was as creepy as they got.
    “I’m sorry, but I don’t accept any patients. It’s on an emergency walk-in basis only.”
    Though I was pretty sure Brad would benefit from mental treatment, I didn’t even want to keep in touch with him to recommend one.
    “Understandable. So, maybe we could make it up sometimes?”
    Couldn’t this guy take no for an answer? “Like I said, I don’t think that’s such a great idea.”
    “Oh, come on. A friendly dinner wouldn’t hurt. I’m sure we can find some time when Scar is working and get together.”
    I don’t think so. Was he actually asking me to cheat on my boyfriend who wasn’t even my boyfriend?
    “I think I’d better leave before I say or do something we both will regret.”
    “Listen, bitch.” He grasped me by my wrist tightly enough that I felt its burn. “I’m just trying to be nice, and you’re making it very difficult. What will it take for you to agree to a coffee at least?”
    Definitely not this. If I were smart, I’d have taken the self-defense class my sister joined a year ago and squished Brad’s balls into an omelet. Or maybe I should have re-watched that episode of CSI where the kick-ass agent flipped the suspect onto his back.
    “Go to hell.” I bared my teeth, hoping to somehow scare him off, but from the look in his eyes, I doubted there was much in this world Brad was afraid of.
    “Only if you join me there,” he winked.
    I ripped my hand away from his and set off running. Looking back once in a while like that girl in Scream everyone knew would eventually be killed, I made sure he didn’t follow me. There was no way I would run in this park again; at least not on my own. I had a bad feeling about Brad, and most of all, I was afraid that this wouldn’t be the last time I saw him.
     

 
    C HAPTER 10
     
    My legs were already aching so much that I knew I’d have a difficult time walking the next day. When I got home,