Surrender to Love by J. C. Valentine

frightened kitten with its sharp teeth and claws, with a little bowl of milk and the right words spoken in a soft, soothing voice, she’d eventually let her guard down, and then he’d be free to stroke her all he wanted. 
    Tonight, Jon planned to take it easy and let his dinner plans simmer on the back burner for a bit. Slipping into a nice, form-fitting black cotton T-shirt and dar k wash jeans, Jon dialed up Travis and grabbed his keys as he headed out the door.
    “You got the booze?” Travis said by way of answering.
    “That depends, you got the ladies?”
    “In the bag, baby.”
    “Then I’ll see you in ten.”

 
     
     
    6
     
    Annoyed. Aggravated. Attitudinal. Patti was all of those things as she strutted into the sandwich shop Tuesday afternoon and made her way to the back where she and Lynn agreed to meet for their weekly lunch date. She wore her emotions on her sleeve as she dropped into the last available chair. “Talk about a week from hell,” she groused, slamming her purse down on the table.
    Lynn looked up from her phone and arched an eyebrow. “I smell gossip,” she said, setting her phone aside. “Spill.”
    Patti took a moment to collect her thoughts and to order a small sub before venturing down that treacherous path of depression and disillusionment. “So, I start with catching Kyle in bed with a hooker—”
    “Oh , my God! A hooker?” Lynn screeched. If Patti could have seen her own face in a mirror that day, she imagined it would have looked something like Lynn’s now. Her jaw dropped in shock, her eyes wide in stunned disbelief.  Lynn reached out to cover Patti’s hand. “I’m so sorry, sweetie. Did you kick him in the balls? Tell me you kicked him in the balls.”
    “I wish,” Patty said with regret. “I did throw the bitch’s spike heels at the back of his head, though.”
    “Did you make contact?”
    Patti grinned. “Did I ever.”
    “That’s my girl.” Lynn patted her hand and drew back to her side of the table to resume eating. “So a hooker, huh?”
    Patti’s shoulders lifted and fell. “ I don’t think she was actually a hooker. I mean, I don’t think Kyle would ever have to stoop that low in order to find someone willing to spread their legs, you know?” In fact, Kyle was pretty damn handsome. He was tall with an athletic build. His dirty blond hair was wavy and he kept it at the perfect length to entice a woman to run her fingers through it. And his smile was killer. It’s what drew her to him in the first place. He used all the clichéd, cheesy pick-up lines that men and women both laugh over, but he delivered them with a knowing smile, and that made him just plain cute in her eyes.
    A man who could make a woman laugh was something to be treasured. But it was all blown to shit when he proved to be like all the rest of the men she’d ever dated. Now, all she could see was the troll living inside of him, using women without regard to their feelings.
    “You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig,” Lynn said.
    “I know.” Patti sighed. She picked at the wrapper surrounding her sub. She’d lost her appetite.
    “Sweetie, I think we both knew going into this thing that Kyle was never going to be the man you would marry. It was fun while it lasted, but, hey, it’s over now and good riddance. The man was not good enough for you.”
    “Thanks.” Patti’s lips curled up in a soft, shy smile.
    “You’re welcome. Now eat. I will not have that jerk making my friend anorexic.”
    Patti did as she was told. They ate in companionable silence, and when they finished, Patti decided to steal a few more minutes with her friend, so she walked with Lynn back to her office. She used the time to tell her about losing her job and about Jon.
    “You mean to tell me that guy from the club the other night hit you?”
    “He did,” Patti said as they came to a stop outside Lynn’s workplace.
    “That’s gotta be fate if ever I heard it.”
    “Not