I Stole the Alpha's Car (18+)|✔️

Chapter 10

An hour later, I knocked on Jess and Tori's front door. Tori let me in, stepping back to give me a wide berth with my arms full of bags.

"Alright, you guys are going to be having shrimp etouffee tonight – did you know they had a shrimp vendor down there? It's great! I'll need to run to an actual grocery store to grab the rest of the ingredients. Anyway, you might want to ask Jessica to pick up some white wine on her way home to pair with it. I'm going to dinner with Dwayne."

His name stumbled off of my tongue – I don't think I'll ever get used to it.

Tori shook her head, shutting the door. "Okay, but make him wear a condom."

Carrying the bags to the kitchen, I retort, "It's just dinner."

"And hell is just a sauna. Where is he taking you?"

"Bygone? I haven't had a chance to look it up."

I glanced back into the living room and Tori's raised eyebrows told me everything.

"Expensive?"

"Very. Like, 'dress code' expensive."

"Does Jess have anything I could borrow?"

"I am not sending you out in something nice if you're just going to have it ripped off of you."

I grinned, "But that's why I need to wear something borrowed."

"I'm not following?"

"I can't get caught up in the moment if I know that I'm going to have to return the clothes I'm wearing."

"That's... actually not the worst idea. But I'm not sure Jess really has anything." She rummaged in her pockets, "Give me a second, I'll text her."

We'd put the groceries away when a ping sounded from Tori's phone.

Picking it up, she read aloud, "The dress I wore to Cousin Natasha's mating ceremony. Also, bank an hour for me to do her hair."

The uncertainty in Tori's eyes had me asking, "What?"

"It's easier if you just see it."

In their bedroom, I eyed the garment that Tori had dug out of the deepest recesses of their closet.

"How much does Jess hate her cousin?"

Strapless, black, figure hugging, with a sweetheart neckline and a hemline that would barely cover my ass, it was stunning for all the wrong reasons.

"There's some bad blood there."

"I cannot wear this."

"I don't know what Jess was thinking, honestly." Shaking her head, she typed into her phone and held it up to her ear.

"Hey, hon? What's plan b?"

I couldn't hear her response, but Tori replied, "Jess, she took one look at it and almost fainted – this is not the vibe we want to be going for, we need to be thinking nun's habit or – what? Okay, fine." Taking the phone away, she hit the speaker phone button and held the phone up for me to hear.

"Am I on?"

Tori answered, "Yeah."

"Okay," Jessica continued, "Listen. That dress is perfect, and you are absolutely wearing it tonight."

I shook my head, "Jess, it's gorgeous, but I do not need to rile this guy up- "

"Yes, you do!"

"What?"

"This asshole's had you running scared, and now it's time to put the fear of god into him."

Well, when she puts it like that...

Tori began nodding slowly, "Okay, okay. I'm getting the picture now." Turning to me, she asked, "Can you walk in heels?"

My smile was smug. "Yes, I can."

"Hey, Tori?"

She called from the kitchen, "Yeah?"

"Could you stir the etouffee, please?" I sat on their floor while Jessica sat on their couch and braided the hair on the left side of my head tight against my scalp.

"On it."

Behind me, Jess finished one row and tied it off with a tiny, clear hair elastic. Moving down to the next, she asked, "So, you got an exit strategy?"

"Huh?"

"In case this gambit of yours goes tits up?"

"Well," I start, "I had one. Sort of."

"Oh?"

"I was on a train heading up to Burlington. I thought if I could get near the border, I could cross and...I don't know – make up a sob story about getting mugged and get to the embassy?"

"Yeah?"

"But then he showed up in the train station, and I had to get off ASAP." I examined the fingernails I'd painted earlier. "If I could get my hands on a passport, I could be gone tomorrow."

"Tori's got family in Vermont."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. If it comes to that, we'll drive you."

I felt my lip tremble, wanting to turn and hug her, but knowing she'd be pissed that I ruined a braid. "Why are you guys so nice to me?"

I felt Jessica shrug. "I never could stomach seeing a damsel in distress, you know?"

"Hey," I protested, "I'm not a damsel."

"You were looking pretty damsel-y when we met."

She finished the last row, right above my ear. "There," she fluffed the loose hair on the other side of my deep side part. "Now, I want you to go in that bathroom and do three things for me: Eyebrows, eyeliner, and a bright, red lip. You can use my stuff in the makeup caddy."

"You got it, boss."

I came out wearing the dress and a pair of towering black slingback pumps. If my feet had been killing me yesterday, then these shoes might literally put me in the ground. But, checking myself out in the full-length mirror in the hallway, I had to admit they looked good.

In the living room, Jessica giggled, "His head might actually explode."

Next to her, Tori handed me two items: a simple black clutch, and a red, faux leather bomber jacket.

"I just had this vision of the moment you take that off and he gets a look at those clavicles."

Jess snorted, "Babe, he ain't gonna be looking at her clavicles."

I glanced down and blushed. Jess's strapless bra had been too small, so I was going to have to do without.

Grabbing my purse, I transferred over the necessities and checked on my ride – two minutes away.

"Okay, right now the food's on low, so you can eat whenever – just remember to stir it periodically. You need to serve it in bowls; put in a scoop of rice, then the etouffee."

"Got it." Tori answered, "You've got the spare key?"

I pulled it out of the clutch and dangled it from my pointer finger. "Yup."

"Alright – now, I want you to go out there and bring him to his fucking knees!"