Dawn of Eve by MJ Howson (best ereader for students .txt) 📕

injury. He lowered the bottle and sighed. “I thought there might be a chance, you know? With Dawn. But she’s. . . too fucked up.” Jacob tilted the bottle back, allowing the alcohol to run across his tongue and down his throat. He winced and said, “Like her mother.”

“What do you mean?”

Jacob looked over at Sean. His roommate looked and sounded genuinely concerned. Jacob held the bottle out and waited. Sean slowly took the tequila and then snapped his head back and took a swig. He immediately began to cough.

“It’s that stupid doll of hers.”

“What about it?”

“She’s talking to it. And it talks back.”

“What?” Sean’s eyes widened in disbelief. He took another sip and passed the bottle back to Jacob. “It’s possessed?”

“No.” Jacob briefly closed his eyes as he recounted Dawn’s desperate screams to save Eve. “Well, if it was, I never heard the thing talk.”

“Was?”

Jacob smiled as he remembered how good it felt to drop Eve from the terrace. He stared at his bottle, lost in his thoughts, and said, “I tried, Sean, I really tried. I went there with dinner so we could work things out. She told me the doll told her I was a liar and couldn’t be trusted.”

“The doll told her that?”

Jacob nodded and said, “That’s just the start. It turns out she’s been deceiving me all along. I found out she’s been taking fertility pills behind my back.”

“Holy shit.” Sean edged closer to Jacob. “Why . . . why would she do that?”

“Who knows. Things escalated. I couldn’t calm her down. She just kept screaming at me, saying the doll was now her baby. I gave up and left.” Jacob took a swig of tequila. “End of story.”

“I’m sorry, Jacob.” Sean placed a comforting hand on Jacob’s shoulder. “It sounds like she was just using you.”

“I know. I’m such a fool.”

“Don’t say that.”

“I keep trusting people I shouldn’t.” Jacob instinctively ran his fingertips across the scar on his face. “I thought we had a future together. How many times have I said you need to invest in the future you want? What a waste. I was wrong. Again.”

“You . . . you deserve better.” Sean took the bottle from Jacob and took another shot. “Why let yourself be used like that? All that money you spent on her.”

“I was trying to operate at her level.”

“You shouldn’t have to.”

Jacob reached over and took Sean’s hand. He raised it to his face, pushing Sean’s fingers against the long scar that ran from below his eye and through his lips. Jacob held Sean’s hand there and said, “Nobody wants this.”

Sean shook his head as he pulled his hand away. He said, “Are you joking? Look at you. You’ve got this incredible body. And as screwed up as Dawn was, there was a time when she was chasing you. I see how people look at you. Even with the scar, you’re super handsome.”

“You think I’m handsome?” Jacob arched an eyebrow and smiled at his roommate.

Sean’s cheeks blushed, and he looked away. He said, “All I mean is there’s more to you than just a scar.”

“Thanks.” Jacob put his arm around Sean and pulled him close so that their heads rested together. “It’s hard though, you know? Every time I look in the mirror, I’m reminded of my past. Always.”

The two sat there, side by side, for several seconds in complete silence. Sean grabbed the nearby remote, turned off the TV, and asked, “How . . . did you get it? The scar.”

Jacob sighed and took another shot of Patron. The liquid felt so relaxing as it burned its way down his throat. After all that wine and now the tequila, Jacob had a strong buzz going. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to recall the sting of the blade slicing through his face. Jacob took another sip of booze and passed the bottle to Sean.

“Five years ago, I was about to make the jump from modeling to acting,” Jacob said.

“Really? Wow. You never told me that.”

“Yup.” Jacob allowed his eyes to settle on his reflection in the television at the foot of the bed. “I was going to be the next big action star. My agent had everything lined up for me. He promised it was a done deal.”

“So, what happened?”

“He insisted we sign the paperwork at his place. That should have been the first warning sign. Anyway, he promised me the world, you know? I had this sweet supporting role lined up first, but he said it was only a matter of time before I’d become a headliner. Maybe even a superhero. There was just one little thing he needed from me to cement the deal.”

“One little . . . . Shit. Is this going to be one of those hashtag me too things?”

“You got it.” Jacob turned and looked deeply into Sean’s eyes. “Look, Sean, I can be as kinky and erotic as the next person. Men. Women. It makes no difference. Nobody fucks like me. But there are some things I just won’t do.”

“What . . . what did he want you to do?”

“He . . . he . . . .” Jacob took another shot of Patron and sighed. “It doesn’t matter. There was no way I was going to be used by him. I . . . I just couldn’t do it. And deep down, I knew if I did, he would just come back later demanding more. He was setting me up to be his bitch. So, I told him no. Never.”

“Good for you.”

Jacob’s grip on the bottle tightened, and he said, “He shredded the contract. Right in front of my face.”

“What?” Sean’s jaw stayed open as he stared at Jacob. “Why?”

“Because he could. He held all the power. He told me he’d blacklist me, too. He’d tell every agent in Hollywood I couldn’t be trusted.”

“What did you do?”

“I . . . I lost it.” Jacob felt his heart begin to reverberate faster and louder in his chest as he tried