My Stepbrother's Dirty Little Secret novel Chapter 188

Chapter 188

“Gianna, get back here,” he snapped, but I was already halfway to the door. I heard him mutter a string of very colorful curses under his breath, before I heard the heavy thud of his boots following me.

The inside of the place smelled like old oil and salty heaven. I marched up to the counter, my eyes fixed on the menu board like it was a holy text.

“I want a double cheeseburger with extra pickles, a large order of fries, and a large Oreo shake,” I told the teenager behind the counter, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else on earth. “And make the shake thick.”

I turned to Raphael, who was standing three feet behind me, looking like a misplaced god in a world of plastic booths.

“What do you want?”

He looked at the grease glistening on the grill and curled his lip in genuine physical pain, “I don’t put that disgusting, processed garbage into my body. It’s practically poison.”

“Suit yourself.” I turned back to the cashier. “Just the one meal, please.”

The kid tapped on the screen, “That’ll be fifteen-fifty.”

I reached into the tiny handbag that went well with my lingerie but not so much with the sunflower dress, but Raphael’s hand was already moving. He flicked a sleek, black titanium credit card onto the counter before I could even blink.

“No!” I snapped, my inner feminist leaping to the front of the line. I shoved his hand away with a sharp smack. “I pay for my own food, Raphael.”

He frowned, his eyes darkening. “It’s fifteen dollars, Gianna. Don’t be ridiculous. I’m paying.”

“I prefer my arteries unclogged, thanks,” he muttered, “It’s unhygienic. Low-class. It’s food for people who have given up on their health.”

I rolled my eyes, dipping a fry into the shake because I knew it would annoy him. As I chewed, I noticed him tilting his phone at a weird angle. He wasn’t typing anymore. He was holding it steady, the camera lens pointed directly at my face while I had a mouth full of burger.

I narrowed my eyes. He was taking pictures, I think, “Stop it,” I mumbled around a fry.

“Stop what?” he asked, his expression perfectly blank.

I managed to demolish half the burger and a mountain of fries before the grease started to win. I wasn’t done, though. I signaled the cashier for a to-go box and, while I was at it, ordered a fresh second meal, another double cheeseburger and a large shake.