Page 412 of Call Me Baby 2: Side B

The speakers spit heavy metal, a swarm of electric guitars hijacking the room.

This should make me feel better,

but all I see is Andrew’s face—his eyes.

It makes me want to scream,

to break everything in this room.

To run to Jersey and break Andrew.

But as I stand here, looking down,

all I have to break is Ben.

“Look at me,” I grit out to keep my voice from shaking.

He looks up, eyes bruise-blue and apologetic. It only reminds me of the blue welt he left me, and the throb of it resurrects.

I strike Ben’s face,

my palm cracking against his cheek.

His head snaps to the side, the force so powerful it leaves an echo and stings my hand. Ben’s chest rises as he draws in a sharp breath.

I feel it in my bones,

I feel the vibration crawl up my arm.

A red handprint spreads fast across the side of his face as he goes still, submitting to it.

‘Cause it’s all he can do.

The only other option is to use his safeword, but he won’t.

His head turns to face me again, and his held breath rushes out, hot and hitting my skin. “Why don’t you use me, huh?” he murmurs, gaze creeping up. “Slip those panties off, lemme make you come.”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

“You would too,” he says.

“When’s the last time you came, Baby?”

I look down at him, my eyes narrowing.

“None of your business.”

He chuckles. “Okay, so, a while.”

My whole body’s ignoring him,

except for my pussy.

It’s turning into a fist trying to punch through with heart-eyes for Andrew. But once it sees Ben instead, the craving in its mouth will go stiff, mummify, ancient and pissed off, waiting for only one man.

“Jersey’s got you like that, huh?” he says. “You would’ve never turned that down before…”

I bite into my smile.