Tryst Six Venom by Penelope Douglas

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when I leave for college.But I really like my crazy-as-fuck Barbie doll with a mouth that pisses meoff one minute, and arms that hold me so tightly that I don’t care if I canbreathe the next.I open my locker, a paper dropping onto the floor from inside.Bending down, I pick it up and unfold the half-sheet.Fear grips me. It’s probably a hate letter. A threat. It wouldn’t be the firsttime.I almost crumple it up, but I see the words and start reading.It never looks like me, the person in the mirror, the black script reads.She looks like everyone else.I look around, not seeing anyone else in the hall, except for a few loiterersdown by the doors to the lunch room.I keep reading.She’s like every woman on his arm—the same hair, the same clothes, thesame smile, because to beat she has to compete, right?I stood in front of the mirror this morning, a mouthful of toothpaste andmy hair tangled by your fingers. You sucked my lips swollen last night, and Ican still smell your kisses on my skin.The world swims, how hard I’m used by you.How all I have when you’re done with me is my bones.I don’t care what I look like anymore as long as I look like yours.Marked, raw, tangled, sore, and scented like you—I don’t care.As long as I look like yours.My eyes burn, a baseball lodged in my throat as I read it again and again.As long as I look like yours.A tear spills down my cheek, and I hear a locker open. I look over myshoulder, down the hall, and see Clay watching me as she pulls out a book.Even from this distance, I can see her eyes pooling too.The hall floods with students, afternoon classes about to get under way,
and I lose sight of her, but my body overheats under my skin, and I’m so hot.I need her. I need her skin on mine like I need food. More than I needfood.I love Clay Collins.A text rolls in, and I click it, seeing it’s from her.As long as I look like yours.I hover my fingers over the screen, nothing I want to say good enough. Ijust want to haul my ass over there and press my mouth to hers in front of thiswhole fucking hallway.I can’t breathe.Clay, I’m dying, I type. You’re killing me. Please stop.A text rolls in a moment later. Can you?
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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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spilling over the rim of her cup. I
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Except for Archie.Old places have a
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“A friend.”“Someone you’ve
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few short nibbles. “I liked it wh
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venom, and sometimes you need poiso
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direction as they bump into each ot
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Clubhouse…“Fox Hill!” I shout
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But no one listens to me.The boys o
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of yours and your friends. This is
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the streetlights off, as well. The
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I can’t take my eyes off her, pai
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I push my finger a little more, her
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breathing hard as she loses her min
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in love. Jesus.”Clay stays silent
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“She was better than I’d dreame
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God, please.”I step back into the
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you weren’t happy. To support peo
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“Right.” I put my practice clot
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and from everyone except her who ti
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She leaves, and I bite my bottom li
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I don’t know if I’m relieved th
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We walk toward the dining room, dow
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bus here, but I’m filled with a s
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“I notice men.” I wave the air,
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minimum to get what she wants but n
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seems to close again, and she sits
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CAN’T WE JUST go park somewhere?
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Turning, she rounds the table and h
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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
Page 277 and 278: the bleachers.The drumline beat fil
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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
Page 287 and 288: caressing me through my underwear.I
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.
Page 295 and 296: sociological, political, and theist
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
Page 305 and 306: Wait…“You never did that with a
Page 307 and 308: “I’m…uh,” Clay stammers, br
Page 309 and 310: Amy adjusts her bra straps inside h
Page 311: Clay, I still wouldn’t have been
Page 315 and 316: I smile. She must be eating dinner.
Page 317 and 318: Letters were how old people communi
Page 319 and 320: “SO, I WAS kind of thinking,” I
Page 321 and 322: heart.She stands there, her chin tr
Page 323 and 324: “Have you ever kissed a man?” h
Page 325 and 326: She hasn’t called. She didn’t a
Page 327 and 328: “You’re going to leave,” he g
Page 329 and 330: Oh, shut up.I walk away without say
Page 331 and 332: “Listen to me,” he says.But I d
Page 333 and 334: Like Henry.“His brother was makin
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Page 337 and 338: Does my mom know that’s how I see
Page 339 and 340: that I’m…”“Well, honey, we
Page 341 and 342: “YOU’RE NOT ACTUALLY dating Tra
Page 343 and 344: I hate it. I hate acting like this.
Page 345 and 346: But then I remember, I blocked her
Page 347 and 348: on.And then the door at the back op
Page 349 and 350: “YOU GIRLS LOOK beautiful,” my
Page 351 and 352: God, shut up. I squeeze my fists, s
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Page 357 and 358: What do you mean, what? I know what
Page 359 and 360: that.I’m still not apologizing, t
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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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