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I thought you saw me, Fred said in explanation. Have you seen Paul?
I keep getting these weird vibes that something s wrong, and I can t reach him
on his phone. The hospital couldn t even get hold of him.
Tina thought about where she d left Paul earlier. Surely, his girlfriend
had rescued him.
I left him handcuffed to my bed a couple of hours ago with his
girlfriend. She spit the distasteful word.
Girlfriend? Fred huffed. What are you talking about? The only
woman Paul is interested in is you.
Tina didn t believe him. His girlfriend showed up here looking for her
watch. So I left.
When you left he was handcuffed to your bed? You re certain he s not
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Monkey Business
still there? The anger in Fred s voice gave her pause. Could he still be where
she d left him?
Tina turned and walked to her bedroom door. Please don t let him still be
here. I can t bear to face him.
If he s still here, wouldn t he have called out to us?
How could you do this? Fred growled, pushing past her to enter the
bedroom. You just left him here like this?
The sight of Paul sprawled naked and snoring on her bed was probably
even worse for Fred. Lord knows she didn t want to see him naked and
vulnerable. Staying near the door, she stayed out of Fred s way.
Why hadn t Paul just told his girlfriend to get the key away from the
monkey? Or why hadn t he told the bimbo to call his brother?
Grabbing the sheet, Fred covered the slumbering Paul before giving him
a gentle nudge. Paul? Wake up.
Paul s eyelids fluttered open, and, for a moment, he seemed disoriented.
I guess I fell asleep. What are you doing here?
Fred sat on the edge of the bed. Are you okay?
Fred s concern for his brother touched Tina when she didn t want to feel
sympathy for Paul. Why should she? He d deceived her.
Could you get Kisses to give you the key to these things? I didn t want
to break Tina s bed. She s mad enough at me already. She wouldn t give me a
chance to explain I need to talk to her.
He hadn t seen her yet, and she wasn t ready to confront him. She only
needed to walk away& Why didn t she?
Why would Kisses have the key to the handcuffs? Fred demanded. If
you were doing something weird with mom s monkey you know she s not going
to be too happy with you.
She stowed away in the jeep and then made off with the key while Tina
and I were otherwise occupied. Paul looked away from his brother and saw
Tina for the first time.
The sadness in his eyes tugged at her heart. Why? She didn t owe him
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any compassion. And she was done being a doormat for any man. Tina turned
away to leave the two brothers alone.
Tina, wait. Let me explain. That woman is a stalker.
Yeah, right. At least Donald hadn t tried to hide his character. Tell
someone who cares. Her words were brave, but she didn t keep moving.
Instead she turned back to face him.
The little blonde from OB? Fred asked.
She had been blonde, just like Donald s woman. And Tina had first seen
her in OB. Paul nodded to his brother.
Fred gave a growl. I told you to have that woman arrested. You re too
kindhearted for your own good. What s she done now?
Tina s insides went into chaos. He stomach pitched and her already raw
nerves joined the party.
She has Tina believing I slept with her this morning. She showed up at
the door asking for her watch.
Paul s gaze locked on Tina. You have to believe me. The woman is a
menace. I ve never even dated her, let alone slept with her.
Fred stared at Tina, a look of utter disbelief on his face. You thought he
slept with her?
The lump in Tina s throat made it impossible to speak. She didn t know
what to say anyway. Of course, she d thought that. What else under the
circumstances? Should she have trusted Paul? Her stomach pitched again.
Fredrico, don t blame Tina. You weren t here. You don t understand.
Fred pushed up from where he sat and glared at Tina. Don t you dare
hurt my brother.
Tina didn t reply as he passed near her on the way out. She didn t know
what to say.
He forgot to get Kisses and the key to the handcuffs. Paul sighed.
Glad for reason not to be alone with Paul, Tina raced to catch Fred, who
was already out the door and speeding down the walkway.
Fred, wait.
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Monkey Business
You left him alone again?
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