Snippet Saturday – Friends

This week's theme is friends and I've chosen to highlight Eve and Jennifer from Power Play. Jennifer comes from a not so great background that has her leery of friendship on anything more than a surface level. So when Eve befriends her she isn't quite sure what to do or how to handle it.

Jennifer is near and dear to my heart. She's so messed up and confused sometimes but she's also fiercely independent and determined to overcome her shortcomings. If she could only learn how. And that's where her friends come in.

Excerpt:

Jennifer stood at her car door, legs trembling and hands shaking. She needed to get in her car and drive far away from here as fast as possible. When Daegan discovered her gone, he was not going to be happy. He'd probably come looking for her, and she couldn't face him now. Unfortunately, her body was being uncooperative. With her key at the ready, she reached for the lock, and her hand shook harder. Tears streamed down her cheeks and into her mouth and none of it mattered.

She'd run. She'd done exactly what he said she would. Her head buzzed with the words he'd spoken the night before. Disappointment slashed deep.

So what. She didn't owe him a thing. She'd agreed to his offer in the heat of the moment before she'd had time to think about it. It wasn't like her to make spur-of-the-moment decisions. Over the years, she'd learned to carefully consider all of her options and not rush into anything with the potential to backfire on her. Jennifer laughed through the tears. What a joke. She was like her mother always said. Fickle.

"One minute you want one thing, and the next it's something else. Which one is it, Jennifer?"

She heard her mother's voice in her head as if it'd been yesterday, not a decade ago. How long had it been since she'd talked to her mother? A sob sounded in her throat. She had to get out of there before someone found her like this. She tried again to put the key in the lock, and the keys slipped from her hand.

"Fuck!"

Jennifer slid to the ground and plopped on her butt. She couldn't drive across town like this. Maybe she could hide in the studio until she got herself under control. Yeah right. The minute Daegan found her car in the parking lot, the first place he'd look was the stupid studio. Thanks to his role as contractor, he had access to the entire building. There was nowhere for her to go. With trembling hands she fished her cell phone out of her purse and turned it on.

Who are you going to call?

She had no one. Story of her fucked-up life. For now her life consisted of her career. Friends were hard to come by, but she kind of had a few. She considered Chase and Murphy her friends, even if they'd betrayed her with that asshole and allowed him to say she couldn't work. Jennifer swiped at the tears that continued to flow. There'd be no talking to them. She'd watched them interact with Eve when they didn't realize she was looking. Her friend submitted to them on a level she couldn't comprehend. No matter what they asked for, she gave willingly. And with a smile on her face. Hell, the woman practically glowed.

Eve. That's it. She jerked open the cell phone and dialed the number she knew by heart before she had a chance to change her mind.

On the fourth ring, Jennifer's hope wilted. Not available. Then Eve answered.

"It's-a-Jennifer," she spat, knowing there was no way to hide her distress.

"What's wrong? Are you all right? You sound like you're crying."

Regret lanced through Jennifer. This was a dumb idea. She began to pull the phone away from her ear and disconnect.

"Don't you dare hang up on me, young lady. Where are you?" The demand in Eve's voice startled her. She'd never heard the other woman talk like that before.

"Downstairs," she whispered.

"Good, don't move. Seriously, if you don't wait for me, I'll have Murphy track you down and whip your hide. You know he'll do it."

Jennifer nodded her head and felt a ghost of a smile cross her face. "Okay," she mumbled. "I'm in the parking lot." She folded the phone and pushed it into her pocket. She had about two minutes before Eve found her, and she didn't know what to do. There'd be no hiding the tears or getting cleaned up. With one last glance at her car and her only chance for escape, she turned and shuffled back toward the building.

Eve burst through the door, and all the emotion inside Jennifer boiled over. "I tried to run," she blurted.

Her friend wrapped her arms around her. "Of course you did, sweetie."

She held up her shaking hands. "Fingers wouldn't work. Can barely hold the keys." She knew the words tumbling from her mouth made little sense, but they were the best she could do at the moment.

"Come back inside, and you can tell me what happened." Eve ushered her through the front door and steered her in the direction of the studio. "In here." She pointed to Chase's private office, and Jennifer hesitated.

"Don't worry. Chase and Murphy aren't here."

"But Daegan—"

"Won't dare come in here without an invitation. Trust me."

Trust her. Eve had no idea how foreign those words were to her. And what the hell was up with everyone today pushing her to trust them? Jennifer gritted her teeth against the desire to spit on that word.

"Have a seat. I'll grab us both a drink. I think we're going to need it."

Jennifer nodded before collapsing into the closest chair. Eve reached into the credenza behind Chase's desk and pulled out a bottle of vodka and two tumblers. Desperate to think of anything other than what had happened with Daegan, she sat mesmerized while watching Eve go about retrieving ice, pouring generous shots of the alcohol into the glasses, and restoring things back to their original order. Even in the face of a crisis, the woman had efficiency down to a science.

She swatted at the fresh tears trickling down her face before Eve could see them.

"Here, drink this. It'll help." The other woman thrust a glass into her hand and waited while she gulped at the clear liquid. Instantly the fiery burn singed her throat, and Jennifer began to cough uncontrollably. She grabbed the box of tissues Eve had set out on the coffee table and swiped at her watering eyes and worked to get herself under control. After a few minutes, the burn receded, and she was left with a warm sensation low in her belly. In a not so ladylike fashion, Jennifer blew her nose and lifted her lashes to find Eve waiting patiently across from her.

"Better?"

She nodded.

"Good. Now tell me what happened. Every detail from the beginning. I want to help you."

"Why?"

"Jesus, Jennifer. Why not? We work together all the time. My men care about you a lot, and that means something to me. I'm actually flattered you called me."

"I didn't have anyone else."

Eve winced.

"I mean…"

Her friend held up her hand. "I know what you mean, and I'm still flattered. Leaning on anyone is hard for you."

She wasn't sure that was meant as a question or not. Either way she had no desire to go down that road. "Daegan wants to dominate me."

 

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