Two Can Play (Celeste and Dominic) novel Chapter 401

Before I could respond, Scarlett spoke, her voice perfectly pleasant.

"We will be leaving."

Without wasting a second, she turned and walked out. Jasmine and Maya trailed behind her like shadows.

I turned to Granny, and I did not bother to keep the edge out of my voice.

"Judging someone before you know them is a distasteful and low behavior, Granny. Even for you."

Her mouth opened, but I did not give her the chance to respond. I excused myself, got up, and walked out.

I did not know why I felt aggrieved on Scarlett's behalf. The old woman had said hurtful things, deliberately, cruelly, and Scarlett had taken every word with a smile. But she had not deserved it. None of them had. I had brought them into that house, and I had stood there while my grandmother called them prostitutes to their faces.

I half-expected to find them crying when I stepped outside, huddled together in the cold, wounded by the old woman's words.

Instead, Scarlett stood by the car with a pleased smile on her face, like she had just won something. Maya looked bored, examining her nails. And Jasmine was staring at me with an expression I knew well; awe, and desire, all stirred into one heady cocktail.

I got that look from women sometimes. It was no surprise that she was looking at me that way.

"The old woman's words did not affect you?" I asked Scarlett.

She scoffed. "I have always had a thick skin. Besides, there was a lot of truth in some of what your grandmother said."

"Oh?"

"She was right that we showed up uninvited to a dinner meant for three." She ticked the points off on her fingers. "And she was right since I am a whore who would have sex anytime, as long as it serves my purpose."

"And the third point?"

She moved closer, close enough that I caught the scent of her perfume, something warm and spicy, and lowered her voice.

"I am fucking the bride's husband-to-be."

I stared at her for a long moment. Then I smiled.

Granny was waiting when I returned, her arms crossed, her face a thundercloud.

"What was that about, Sparrow? Spending time with those women in front of your bride?"

I kept my voice even. "I wanted them to leave quietly, Granny. Nothing more. I did not want a scene outside the house that the neighbors would gossip about for months."

She huffed, but I could see the fight going out of her. The explanation was reasonable, and the old woman valued appearances above almost everything else.

"Fine. Sit down and finish your dinner. And keep those girls away from this house from now on."

I sat. Dinner resumed, and Granny returned to her wedding plans with renewed vigor, describing seating arrangements and cake tiers and the exact shade of white for the linens. Tasha nodded along, agreeing to everything, playing her part to perfection.

But my mind kept drifting to the front of the house, to the three women waiting outside in the dark, to the redhead with the pleased smile and the quick tongue and the eyes that had tracked me across the city just to make sure her girl was safe.

Scarlett.