Tryst Six Venom by Penelope Douglas

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Her breath brushes my lips, and I can almost taste her.“Let’s go get you naked,” she whispers.
CAN’T WE JUST go park somewhere? Or go to my house like shesuggested?What was I thinking?I gaze out the passenger side window, concentrating on keeping my handson my lap instead of fidgeting, because all of these houses remind me of thatfeeling I’d been fighting since I was a kid. That there are places I don’tbelong.Smooth roads void of any puddles or potholes. Gates and trimmedhedges.White houses.White Rovers.Lots of white people who will take one look at my last name and thinkI’m here to clean, cook, or rob something.I look over at Clay, wishing she would’ve let me drive, so I wouldn’t feelso vulnerable right now with nothing to do; but then I catch sight of hertoned, tanned thighs peeking out of her skirt, and I exhale, remembering.Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. I shake my head at myself.She pulls into her driveway, and I look out at the oaks lining the circle, afountain spilling water in the center. I scan the windows for lights.Everything appears dark, except for the gaslit lanterns—one on each sideof the front door and two more posted farther down the exterior to the left andright. I can’t see the third floor from inside the car, though.Clay parks and climbs out.“Are your parents home?” I ask, leaving my school bag in the car and
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Penelope DouglasCopyright © 2021 P
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Chapter 24Chapter 25Chapter 26Chapt
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Stream here“All The Things She Sa
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To Abigail
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“Yeah!” they cry out.“Then I
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“We love you, Clay!” some of my
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My mother rushes up to me as the ol
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happy when she’s out to hurt my f
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Kind of amused, but mostly a warnin
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The simple hoop skirt wraps around
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I rub my thumb over the small tatto
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I CLIMB OFF the back of the bike an
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the school. She’s only being nice
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into the trash can as I move ahead,
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smiles down at me, a clipboard in o
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A water bottle falls into the tin g
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I’m yelling at a teacher, but I
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changing audience. Firefights, car
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“If I consider your offer,” I a
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I RUN MY hands down my thighs, the
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can. Being that different from ever
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“I’ll be leaving again tomorrow
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her, my gaze catching the dimple on
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But she rises from her seat without
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that years ago when I first met her
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He bats his eyelashes, and I let ou
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He thinks theater is stupid. He thi
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“The hardest choices were never c
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promising more shitty weather to co
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She can protect her precious little
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my enjoyment as I lower my voice to
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overstock here for rehearsals when
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She stares at me, unblinking, and e
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I look at her through the water in
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“MISS CLAY?” BERNIE calls out.
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on my hand, I fist the underwear ag
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won’t fit like it’s supposed to
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don’t recognize coming into view.
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off you as soon as possible.”I lo
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stomach as I watch her watch me rub
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“What?” she taunts. “I just l
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sit back, shaking my head.But my sm
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My father, I only saw at the end of
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me to Marymount, I didn’t want to
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I thread her hair through my finger
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“Olivia?” I hear the leather se
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“Scared?” she whispers.I almost
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before everything is gone.Clay hesi
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I’m a little scared, but I’m a
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watched Gates stitch a gash from a
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I clutch the arms of the chair for
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dropping it to the floor.I mean, if
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“You wanted it up, so it’s back
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I know, all right? I know. I wasn
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She won’t meet my eyes.“Are you
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are necessary to the success of the
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heard of Biscayne Bay.Bay… Not Sa
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I look back to Iron.“Don’t you
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mumbles, more like she’s arguing
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to the right and assume that’s wh
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I stare at her, the world spinning
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“MACON!” SANTOS CALLS out as if
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move you.”Clay glances to me. A s
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down next to her, pushing her fucki
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“Fine,” I grit out, pushing awa
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himself. Army drives off, Liv next
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air boat, and one with Iron holding
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I slip into the kitchen, Amy lurks
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“What the hell?” someone bellow
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time. Ask me.But she just shakes he
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I SCROLL THOUGH Liv’s Twitter and
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I walk away, looking back at the bo
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So, she left. She let me win.She ju
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But still, I don’t let her go, gr
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needing to run to get rid of the ur
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“DID YOU THINK I wasn’t going t
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video of the assistant coach and me
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happened?I’ll admit, the prospect
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on.”Coomer always takes us out to
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But Clay just sits, her elbows on h
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I YANK MY rubber band out, letting
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I almost smile. In her rush to leav
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“I didn’t let you win,” she t
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I CHEW THE pizza, glancing up at he
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My mom had mental problems her whol
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But the door falls shut, and Amy an
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why hide anything else as if that w
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panties, shivering when I feel the
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between them. Our warmth seeps thro
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she gasps, her hands immediately di
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WE JERK OUR heads, seeing someone
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And without a moment to lose, Liv d
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freefalling.I collapse on top of he
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orders.A shiver runs through me, an
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looks over his shoulder. “Amy! Ca
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SHE DOESN’T GET over it.I called.
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amicably.I grab my test and pencil
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Like it’s inevitable, because he
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as long I shut up about it.Maybe th
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The lighthouse rises above us, a co
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Page 205 and 206: Except for Archie.Old places have a
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Page 209 and 210: few short nibbles. “I liked it wh
Page 211 and 212: venom, and sometimes you need poiso
Page 213 and 214: direction as they bump into each ot
Page 215 and 216: Clubhouse…“Fox Hill!” I shout
Page 217 and 218: But no one listens to me.The boys o
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Page 221 and 222: the streetlights off, as well. The
Page 223 and 224: I can’t take my eyes off her, pai
Page 225 and 226: I push my finger a little more, her
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Page 231 and 232: “She was better than I’d dreame
Page 233 and 234: God, please.”I step back into the
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Page 237 and 238: “Right.” I put my practice clot
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Page 241 and 242: She leaves, and I bite my bottom li
Page 243 and 244: I don’t know if I’m relieved th
Page 245 and 246: We walk toward the dining room, dow
Page 247 and 248: bus here, but I’m filled with a s
Page 249 and 250: “I notice men.” I wave the air,
Page 251 and 252: minimum to get what she wants but n
Page 253: seems to close again, and she sits
Page 257 and 258: Turning, she rounds the table and h
Page 259 and 260: can have problems.”I never though
Page 261 and 262: never getting away from me, Jaeger,
Page 263 and 264: I whimper, startled as she pushes u
Page 265 and 266: “Oh, God,” I moan.She grinds in
Page 267 and 268: “Don’t apologize, baby.” I ho
Page 269 and 270: “GOD, I NEED a shower,” Liv whi
Page 271 and 272: me understands why. And the other p
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Page 275 and 276: Liv walks to the stationary bike, a
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Page 279 and 280: gazing at her and seeing myself in
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Page 283 and 284: not replying. She’s not even typi
Page 285 and 286: She gets me going, and while I may
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Page 289 and 290: I stop. Excuse me? I turn, glaring
Page 291 and 292: I check my face in my side mirror,
Page 293 and 294: tell her as I season two oysters.
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Page 297 and 298: eyeing my brothers. “Know anythin
Page 299 and 300: I whip the spoon, the glob slamming
Page 301 and 302: she peels off my tank top and helps
Page 303 and 304: God, she’s beautiful.Leaning down
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Wait…“You never did that with a
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“I’m…uh,” Clay stammers, br
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Amy adjusts her bra straps inside h
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Clay, I still wouldn’t have been
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and I lose sight of her, but my bod
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I smile. She must be eating dinner.
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Letters were how old people communi
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“SO, I WAS kind of thinking,” I
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heart.She stands there, her chin tr
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“Have you ever kissed a man?” h
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She hasn’t called. She didn’t a
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“You’re going to leave,” he g
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Oh, shut up.I walk away without say
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“Listen to me,” he says.But I d
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Like Henry.“His brother was makin
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NEW YORK. WHY does the idea of bein
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Does my mom know that’s how I see
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that I’m…”“Well, honey, we
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“YOU’RE NOT ACTUALLY dating Tra
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I hate it. I hate acting like this.
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But then I remember, I blocked her
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on.And then the door at the back op
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“YOU GIRLS LOOK beautiful,” my
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God, shut up. I squeeze my fists, s
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But my dad pulls her back around an
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face falls.“In or out, kid,” Ar
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What do you mean, what? I know what
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that.I’m still not apologizing, t
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value won’t always look like them
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My father steps up behind us and Kr
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starts.“Undo me,” Liv pants, gi
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I BREATHE HARD, sucking my hair int
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can track me, and there are four of
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you.”Milo pulls me back around, s
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“Come on, Milo!” someone shouts
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I glance after Dallas for less than
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“Not here,” I whisper to my bro
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I just laugh, climbing into the cab
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Dammit. I grab it off the floor, kn
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lot of trouble, but of course, he w
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One Month LaterCLAY RUNS PAST me, a
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Her mother’s help to protect the
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confection off the tray and let Cla
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Four Years LaterI’M GONNA BE sick
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He laughs, glancing to Army and the
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“Oh, I need a board, right? I don
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“What are we doing?” I ask.She
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Thank you so much for reading Tryst
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ErikaHE WON’T BE HERE.There’d b
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Trees rose above and all around me
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It was my fault I didn’t love him
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I tucked my hair behind my ear, not
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Other than that one night, he’d i
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smiled, pulling out a heavy steel D
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To the readers—Again, I want to t
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Penelope Douglas is a New York Time
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Tryst Six Venom by Penelope Douglas

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