Read Online Bottom Feeder by Maria G. Cope - Free Book Online Page B

me nervous.
Pffft. Not at all.
    Daddy is explaining that Jackson will
drive me to New York City. Something about a planned trip and
requesting my father’s permission to “escort” me. Yeah,
right.
    I rise from my stretch to raise an
eyebrow at Jackson, who is smiling like someone with a secret to
tell. I bend for another stretch while Daddy goes on to say I will
spend a week in Fayetteville, the town connected to Fort
Bragg.
    “ I’ll be in Korea for
forty-five days. If you stay in Fayetteville, Jackson will not have
to drive down to Savannah then back up to New York. It’ll be best
for you. Make me happy and do this, won’t you?”
    “ Daddy . . .”
    “ Don’t argue with me, you
ungrateful child! You’ll do as I say and will damn well like it.
You got me? Selfish, bottom feeding brat.”
    I was only going to ask when we were
leaving. “Yes, Daddy.”
    “ You didn’t want to go
with me?” Jackson questions after I end the call.
    I push myself up from the floor.
Jackson follows and places a hand on the wall behind me, a smile
playing at the corners of his mouth.
    I let out a nervous chuckle. “I’m not
sure you want to stand so close right now. I’ve been dancing for
hours in this studio without air cond . . .”
    Did he just sniff the air? What is he
doing?
    He drops his hand and shrugs. “You
smell like coconut. Kind of reminds me of summer.”
    Of course I blush, which amuses him,
which embarrasses me, which amuses him more. A vicious
cycle.
    “ Thank you . . . I
think?”
    “ I wanted to talk to you,”
he begins after one last, low chuckle. Can a chuckle be sexy? No.
Stop thinking he’s sexy. “I think we should. . .”
    “ Maddy! Where are you?”
Dixon calls out from the front of the studio. “Lipinski needs
you.”
    Jackson’s brow creases in
frustration.
    “ I swear if you’re
showering, I’m coming in!” Dixon yells.
    Remembering the squishy butter in my
sneakers, I press a finger to my lips, signaling Jackson to be
quiet. He follows silently as I tiptoe to the entrance.
    “ Come on, hussy!” Dixon’s
voice inches closer. “It’s hot and I want to get to the
beach.”
    Jackson leans into me. “Did he just
call you a hussy?”
    I roll my eyes and nod.
    “ Seriously, Maddy, it’ll
just be a few . . .”
    I blindside Dixon as he steps through
the entrance, bringing him to the floor with a grunt.
    Hey, I never said I was a
lady. Well, there was this one time. I swear it was the worst twenty minutes of my
life. Besides, I can’t pass up a good tackle.
    “ Dammit, beesh!” Dixon
grunts. “That was dirty.”
    He tries to get off the floor, but I
have a control grip wrapped around both his wrists. I’ve been
practicing Krav Maga for two years. Much to his amusement and
dismay, I often practice my training on Dixon.
    My palms are sweaty so he quickly
loosens the grip and manages to stand. He shuffles like he’s in a
boxing match and motions for me to get up. I sweep my leg around
his feet, bringing him down on his back. In one swift move, I
straddle his waist and pin his arms to the floor.
    “ Say it and I’ll let you
up,” I tell him.
    “ Never!”
    “ Say it and I’ll let you
up,” I repeat.
    “ Fine,” he grumbles and
begins his best Muhammad Ali. “Maddy is the best. Maddy floats like
a butterfly and stings like a bee. Maddy is not the greatest, she’s
the double greatest. Not only does she knock 'em out, she picks the
round.”
    I kiss his cheek and help him up.
Dixon charges at me again, but comes to a halt when his eyes land
on Jackson, who is pressed against the wall stifling a
laugh.
    After an awkward introduction the two
stubbornly nod once and look in opposite directions.
    Dixon begins a long speech about his
co-star. Apparently Laney has intentionally ripped several gaping
holes in one of her dresses.
    “ . . . I told you that
beast was dreadful,” Dixon complains, bringing his rant to a close.
“She’s a shitty excuse for a human.”
    “ Language,