Inner Predator: Unleashed

Chapter 26

Chapter 26 here! Yay! I think this is one of the longest chapters so far - maybe the longest :] Hope you all are happy with it!

Chapter 26

 

"You're distracted," Jess points out.

I'm still not really sure why I agreed to lunch with her. Probably because Penny is practicing with Arlo. And Jackson is training in the pool. Chase is still too hard to be around. And I spent the entire morning arguing with my father and Beckett about my role in Friday's attack.

They seem to think I'm on a suicide mission for wanting to lead the assault on the White House. My father and Beckett seem to have teamed up on me. They think I've been through too much and should take a more relaxing role in this next fight. It's the same excuse they used to minimizing my fight in the attack on San Francisco. I let it slide then but I refuse to give in so easily this time. Especially when no one blinked when Chase up and declared his need to rip out as many throats as he can.

So even though she was probably my last choice, I wanted the company. The distraction from the arguments and the fact that Chase hasn't so much as glanced at me since I hit him with Illusions. And partly, I just miss my friend.

"Sorry," I shake away all other thoughts and try to focus on eating and listening to whatever it is Jess is talking about. "What were you saying?"

"Not important," she shrugs. Unfortunately, I know her well enough to know that whatever I was ignoring wasn't completely irrelevant to her. Or at the very least, the fact that I was very obviously not listening hurt her feelings. We sit in a long, uncomfortable silence both picking at the food on our plates, but not really eating.

"I can help you, I think," she suddenly blurts out.

"I'm sorry?" I question thinking I must have misheard her because I can't imagine how she thinks she can help me.

"With Chase," she says. I raise an eyebrow waiting for her to go on. While part of me doesn't care what she has to say, mostly, I'm desperate and open to any idea. "I noticed he was kind of avoiding you, but remember what he was like before you and he got together. You know, how he was with women. What kind of women he liked. They weren't... you."

"Is this going somewhere?" I ask trying to remain polite. The remind that I'm not exactly Chase's type makes it difficult to keep my cool though. It means that maybe he won't remember me, or even fall more me again.

"It's not you," she says quickly. "You're hotter than any girl he's ever been with, for sure. He just might need a little help remembering that."

"Okay," I draw out.

"Seduce him."

"What?"

"Make him remember just how attracted he is to you. Seduce him. Stop walking around in tee shirts and cargo pants and quit training in baggy sweats and oversized shirts. Show up to your next meeting in a skin tight dress or something low cut and when you go to the gym this afternoon try yoga pants and a sports bra—"

"I can't do that," I tell her.

"Sure you can," she says sounding completely humored. "Everyone else dresses like that and you definitely have the body for it."

"My body is completely scarred... the big nasty marks down the center of my chest and all over my stomach aren't going to seduce anything."

Jess's face falls. I'm certain I've just made her uncomfortable, which only serves to enhance my point. Just hearing about the scars makes people feel awkward, seeing them will certainly act as a turn off.