Free Jilted by Eve Vaughn Page B

she didn’t reply.
    “To be honest, you’re the first date I’ve had in over five years.”
    “Your children’s father?”
    She nodded. “Yes.”
    “Did he hurt you?” He asked softly. “I’m sorry if I’m being too intrusive. It’s just that sometimes I notice sadness in your eyes and it makes me wonder.”
    “No, it’s okay. You can ask. Yes, he hurt me. Not physically but in a way that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. But I believe I’ve gotten past it. It’s one of the reasons I agreed to come out with you tonight. I really like you, Jeremy, and I look forward to see how things develop between us.”
    He reached over and took her hand. “I’m glad to hear you say that. It really means a lot. And I just want you to know, I will never hurt you or your children.”
    “I’m glad to hear that, Jeremy.” She squeezed his hand. “Very glad.”
     
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    Denise’s hand inched further up Ashley’s thigh until she touched the outline of his cock. Thankfully his chair was far enough beneath the table that no one else noticed. He caught her hand and shoved it away with enough force for her to take a hint but not enough to draw attention to them.
    The table was surrounded by his fellow law associates. William was in the middle of telling one of his long stories about his travels. While the others listened to him, Ashley was trying to not to look bored. These types of events were not his cup of tea, but in his line of work he had to make appearances at social functions to keep in touch with clients, make connections or possibly learn of any goings-on in the world that pertained to him and his firm.
    Denise learned over and whispered in his ear. “What’s the matter, baby? Don’t you like it?”
    “Not here,” he answered through gritted teeth.
    “Well, your dick doesn’t seem to mind. You’re hard.” She attempted to place her hand on his thigh again but he pushed it away.
    “I’m a man, Denise, if you touch it, it gets hard. That’s how penises work.”
    “You don’t have to be a jerk about it,” she said in a tone that started out as a whisper but got progressively louder.
    William stopped talking mid-sentence and all eyes fell on them.
    “Sorry about that,” Ashley apologized. “Denise and I have decided to go outside for a little air. Excuse us.”
    Everyone nodded and William went back to his story. Ashley took his date by the forearm before she could protest and led her out of the ballroom, not stopping until they were in the hotel lobby.
    Denise yanked her arm away. “What’s the big deal? You seemed to like what I was doing earlier.”
    “Earlier we weren’t surrounded by a roomful of people and sitting at table with my colleagues. When I brought you here tonight, I thought you understood that this is business for me.”
    Denise crossed her arms over her generous breasts. “It’s so boring. And the band isn’t even good. Let’s ditch this place and do something more fun.”
    He knew it was a mistake to bring Denise to a function like this. The few times he’d taken her out didn’t generate any meaningful conversation. If she had a solid thought in her head that wasn’t superficial, he would have been surprised. She was good for when he needed to get his dick wet, but beyond that she bored him. It just so happened that he’d forgotten to arrange for a date to this gathering and knew she’d agree to go with him on such short notice. He’d met her at an associate’s barbeque. He was in between lovers at the time and Denise was a beautiful woman. She was a model, slim with alabaster skin that made a startling contrast to her ink black hair. She was the kind of woman who knew she was beautiful and expected special treatment because of it, and after they left this function he intended to end their association.
    Besides, he never dated the same person longer than a couple of months. His friends and associates teased him about his playboy ways, but Ashley didn’t