Free Powerplay by Cher Carson Page B

future. He would tell her to get her head out of the clouds and set more attainable goals.
    Is that what she wanted, a man who would quash her spirit? She sank down on the chair, staring at her two best friends in turn. “Am I making a huge mistake?” she whispered.
    A look passed between them before Callie said, “Only you can answer that question, honey.”
    “I’m asking you.” She looked at Trace, who had always been honest with her, no matter how difficult it was to hear the truth. “I’m asking both of you, please, tell me what you think I should do.”
    Brushing her hair off her face, Tracey said, “We’ve been telling you what we think of him all along, Jen. You just didn’t want to hear it.” 
    Kevin had often been the butt of their jokes, but she assumed they were poking fun at him to amuse themselves, not because they genuinely disliked him.
    She drew her legs up, resting her chin on her knees. “You really think he’s wrong for me, huh?”
    “The question isn’t whether we think he’s wrong for you. We’re not the ones who have to live with him, you are,” Callie said.
    After their dress fitting, she convinced herself it was pre-wedding jitters, the normal doubts every bride experiences before taking that long walk down the aisle, but she knew every bride didn’t spend every waking hour fantasizing about a man who wasn’t her bridegroom.
    “This is such a mess,” she muttered, circling her arms around her face.
    “It’s not too late to back out,” Trace said, reaching out to rub her back.
    Jen tilted her head to the side, looking at her friend. “You know what I wanna do right now?”
    “What’s that?”
    “I wanna get loaded.”
     
    Mark and Steve entered the restaurant, trying to slide in under the radar of the other diners. Mark realized he should have chosen a less conspicuous dinner companion if he didn’t want to be recognized, but Steve had experience landing the woman of his dreams and he needed his expertise tonight.
    Steve approached the hostess as Mark scanned the bar, looking for a man who might pass as the owner. He needed to see Kevin for himself, if for no other reason than to size up his competition.
    If Callie was right, and Kevin made a practice of cheating on his fiancée, his employees may know about it.
    Steve clapped Mark on the shoulder. “She’s got the perfect table for us, way in the back.” He nodded his head toward the bar. “That blond guy, dressed in black, that’s him.”
    Mark glared at the man in question. He was model perfect with bronzed skin and glaring white teeth, a pretty boy if he had ever seen one. “Ugh, seriously?” He watched him lean over the bar, flirting up a pretty patron wearing a thigh-high dress.
    Steve laughed. “Yeah, he’s got that look about him, doesn’t he?”
    Mark tore his eyes away. He wanted to observe Jen’s fiancé without being obvious. “What look is that?”
    “You know what I mean. He makes you wanna knock all of his teeth out.”
    Mark fisted one hand in the other, wishing he could do just that. But he had a game in two days, and the coach would have his ass if he got thrown in jail. “I thought I was the only one who felt that way.”
    “Nah, you can tell he’s a dirtbag,” Steve said. “Just look at the way he’s chattin’ up that chick. No question he’s banging her.”
    Mark looked over his shoulder at the couple in question. They did look too intimate to pass as mere acquaintances. “You think so?”
    “No doubt about it, man,” Steve said, shaking his head. “The guy’s an asshole.”
    “I can’t argue with that.”
    Steve chuckled. “Hey, I remember Jenna. Any guy who’d fuck around on her must be crazy.”
    Mark wished he could say he had been smart enough to realize a good thing when he had it, but he was no smarter than Kevin. At least he had finally come to his senses. He only hoped it wasn’t too late to make up for his past sins.
    The hostess appeared and led them to their