Anna Marie’s face changed to a whole new shade of red, and she gave a curt nod, turning and walking swiftly toward the kitchen. I expected Hannah to pull away as soon as we were alone, but to my surprise, when I tried to move my hand back to my lap, she held it in place. She even started lightly rubbing her thumb back and forth, chatting about how she was doing in school. Though I didn’t know what she was talking about, I tried to pay attention.
It was obvious to me what she was doing, but I was confused as to why. She clearly could see that there was some sort of connection between me and the waitress. Hell, it had to be obvious to everyone in the whole restaurant with the display she had made.
Hannah was clearly trying to give off the appearance there was a real relationship between the two of us. I wanted to ask her what she was doing, but I didn’t dare. Anna Marie would be back in mere moments, and I wanted her to see this display of affection every bit as much as Hannah wanted to show it off.
“And I thought we could go on a cruise or something after I graduate. You know how stressed I’ve been lately, I’d love to see the Mediterranean or something,” Hannah continued. She was looking past me as she spoke, however, only turning her attention back to me when Anna Marie returned with the bottle.
As at the other restaurant, Anna Marie made a show of pouring the wine first into the decanter then into the glasses, setting them down in front of each of us, though she refused to make eye contact.
“Are you ready to order?” she asked, rather harshly. I could see the plethora of emotions that were playing around the corners of her lips. She was clearly angry, but it was difficult for me to tell if there was any sadness or regret.
“I think we need a few more minutes,” Hannah chimed in. “Thank you.”
Without a word, Anna Marie reached for the bottle and decanter, but I stopped her. “Oh, you can leave that. I’m sure we’ll make it through the whole thing.”
She gave me another look that was clearly full of anger. I wished to see some sort of regret or sorrow mixed in, but she just looked to be pissed off. Of course, that would be typical of Anna Marie. She loved to pretend like the entire world was out to get her, and nothing was ever her fault.
She probably thought that she was justified in doing what she did, and if I had been there to do what she wanted when she wanted, then she wouldn’t have had to leave me like she had. Hell, if I was right in my hunch that Charlie had left her, then there was little doubt in my mind she’d see any fault of her own in that, either.
Anna Marie, the girl everyone thought was perfect and whom most wanted, finally had to face the facts. If she wanted to live the rich and lavish life, she was going to have to work for it.
No one was going to just give it to her, and I was more than done trying. She turned on her heel and walked back toward the kitchen, and Hannah happily went back to her stories of her schoolwork. I knew I was going to have to ask her about them again sometime.
When I wasn’t so taken with running into my ex.
After another fifteen minutes, we both ordered, once again making a point of ordering expensive items off the menu. I got the impression Hannah was also proving a point to our waitress by ordering things that seemed out of character to her.
And I appreciated it. Hell, the more she could make it appear as though I was the one with money, the more I could put on the show, finally getting the revenge on Anna Marie I so desperately wanted.
I had sacrificed years of my life to making that woman happy, only to have her run off with my best friend. If I could make her think that I had finally achieved what she always wanted, but she missed out on it because of her own selfishness, then I was going to take full advantage of that situation. It felt petty, but in that moment I didn’t care.
After dinner, Hannah didn’t move as I paid for the food on the credit card she’d given me, then the two of us gathered our things to leave. I was glad it was a business card with just the company name across the front. Even then, my ex wouldn’t be able to know it wasn’t my money.
It wasn’t until we were out on the sidewalk that I turned to Hannah with an inquisitive look clearly written on my face. “What was that all about?”
She shrugged. “I saw when she walked over that both of you nearly threw up. Mostly, I could see there was pain in your face, however, and anger in hers. She had to have done something to you in the past.”
I hesitated. I didn’t want to go into the whole story. Not now. Not when I was feeling so good. Though Hannah had just done something amazing for me, and I felt it was only right that I told her the truth.
“My ex-wife,” I said. She gasped, her hands flying to her mouth in a bit of a cute school-girlish way. But I got the impression she was feeling compassion, not betrayal that I hadn’t said anything about it before now. “Ran off with my best friend when I was overseas.”
She reached down and put her hand in mine, giving it a squeeze. “You don’t have to go into the details, really. It’s none of my business, but I do think you should know that you are better off single than with someone like that.”
I smiled. It was a sad smile, but I was still glad I was able to smile. I gave her hand a light squeeze in return. “You know what? You’re absolutely right.”
10
Hannah
I lazily walked back to the couch and plopped myself down, balancing the pizza carefully on the plate. I had a bottle of wine on the floor with a half-full glass on the table in front of me, but I was more interested in the pizza at the moment.
I looked down at my phone and sighed. I’d forgotten that Teisha had texted me fifteen minutes before, and she just had again. She was trying to get me to go out to the club, but I wasn’t about to leave alone. Not after last time.
I’m spending a lazy night on the couch but thank you! Raincheck?
I hit send, but before I had the chance to set my phone down, she fired a text back. I knew she was getting mad at me, but I didn’t care. I was still feeling rather upset with her after what happened at the club last time, though I was happy about how it had led to me meeting Drake.
Just because you are playing house doesn’t mean that you have to play by all the rules. If he’s not going to let you get out and have a good time you need to pretend to divorce his ass and get down here!
I rolled my eyes. Teisha was the only person I’d told the truth. I made her swear she’d not breathe it to anyone, not even to Mel and Cami, and I believed she hadn’t. But I still wasn’t going to let her tell me what to do.
I don’t know where the hell he is, and that doesn’t matter. I’ve got wine and a movie and pizza. There’s no need for me to go anywhere
After hitting send, I just held onto my phone, waiting for the reply. Sure enough, it came fast and furious.
You’re never any fun anymore! Bye Bitch!
I laughed as I set the phone on the coffee table. She’d be mad for a day or two, but then she’d feel bad for being a jerk to me and text me again. It was the way we related to each other. Sure, it could be annoying at times, but I put up with it.
Hell, that girl sure put up with enough of my drama when I was with Brandon, I owed it to her to put up with a bit of her frustration every now and then. I turned up the volume on the TV and laid back on the couch, once again turning my attention to my pizza, and letting my mind wander back to the fact that I wanted a cat.
It was something I’d thought about since Brandon and I had split, but I had a feeling my parents would put their foot down if they knew I wanted something that could scratch up their five-thousand-dollar couch.
Then again, I thought, they would probably be pretty pissed if they knew I was eating pizza and drinking red wine on their five-thousand-dollar couch, too.
I chuckled to myself at the thought as I took another bite. A cat would be nice to hang out with, but then, I wasn’t truly home enough to really justify having a pet. Sure, it might seem like I preferred to be home since I refused to go out on a Friday night, bu
t the fact of the matter was that school took up most of my time.
And when I finally did get my degree, I would be working with kids most of the day. A pet would just be another thing that I had to squeeze into my schedule, and I didn’t want to have to deal with that.
The cute cat that suddenly appeared in my movie wasn’t helping the argument I was having against myself when suddenly my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Drake coming in.
I wasn’t sure where he’d gone or what he was doing, but I always locked the door regardless. It was one thing I made clear to him from the moment I gave him the key. Keep it on him or risk being locked out. I sat up more on the couch, assuming a more ladylike position and placing the pizza on the table rather than holding it up to my face.
The longer Drake lived with me, the more I found myself trying to impress him. Whether it was with subtle things like making sure I looked presentable, or the bigger things like talking about my dream of working with kids in the city, I really wanted him to think highly of me.
Hell, if I was perfectly honest, I didn’t just want his respect, I wanted him to notice me. To think of me as more than just some girl he was helping get rid of her ex.
I knew it was all wishful thinking, but it gave me something to focus on. And for the moment, it was fun. With all the stress I was dealing with in life. I could use some fun.
Drake walked in with his jacket draped over his arm. He looked like he was in a hurry, but he stopped long enough to shake his head at what I was doing.
“What?” I asked with an innocent smile.
“. I would think that a beautiful young woman like you would be out having fun on a Friday night, not sitting home in their pajamas watching some Disney moving with wine and pizza,” he said.
“What, you don’t like my outfit?” I said with a as I rose from the couch and held out my t-shirt. I knew it was long enough to cover my shorts when I let it free, so I did so with a smirk. “It’s a good look, I’m not going to lie,” Drake said as he hung up his jacket on the rack by the door. I blushed, glad that he had his back turned to me. “I’m going to shower and head out for some drinks with the boys. Is this what you’re doing tonight?”
“My friends invited me out, but I’m not going, so yes,” I said. “I would way rather do this than that.”
“I don’t blame you. You look, cozy,” he said after a moment of hesitation.
“Thank you?” I said, phrasing it more as a question than a statement. I was now fighting not to blush again, and I feared I would with him standing in front of me.
“Oh, do you care if I have a slice of this?” he asked, changing the subject and turning to the pizza. “I’m starved and know I shouldn’t drink on an empty stomach.”
“Sure!” I said, relieved that the awkward tension was fading. “Let me grab you a slice.”
I hurried over to the counter and grabbed a plate, then pulled out a slice of pizza. I set it next to the box, but as I turned, I realized Drake was standing right in front of me. My heart was racing in my chest, and I could feel the heat building inside me.
It had been so long since I’d last had sex, I desperately wanted it. But, not just with anyone. I wanted it with Drake, and there he was. He gazed down at me as I tried to hold his eye contact, but I couldn’t. As I let my eyes fall, he scooped his hand under my chin and lifted my face toward his.
Neither of us spoke as the need built between us. My lips parted to meet his as I rose slightly on my toes to meet him as he came toward me.
As soon as our lips touched, the passion started to grow between us. We started slowly at first, but as our hands started to explore each other, the need grew. Drake ran his hands down my back and onto my ass, squeezing my cheeks in his hands, pulling me upward toward him.
I could feel his cock hardening in his pants, and I pressed myself into him, arching my back as I continued to kiss him. Our tongues danced around each other’s and I bit his lower lip, pulling it out slightly before letting it go.
It was all the encouragement he needed. I pulled at his shirt, yanking it over the top of his head and letting it fall to the floor. In an instant, mine had joined his, but since I was in my pajamas, I wasn’t wearing a bra beneath.
Immediately, he grabbed at my tits, pressing his lips to them, sucking at my nipples. He took one in his teeth, sending a shockwave of pleasure throughout my body. I let out a moan as I ran my hand around the back of his head, running my fingers through his hair.
I couldn’t take it for very long, and soon I had my hands at his jeans, fussing with the button, pushing them down his legs and to the floor. His dick showed clearly through his boxers, and I knew he wanted me as desperately as I wanted him.
We were together again in an instant, kissing as we walked backwards to the couch. I fell backward over the arm and he followed, stopping himself from landing on me with one arm on the cushion. He pulled my shorts down as I pushed his boxers down, then he took his hand and ran it over my soft, wet pussy.
I closed my eyes and arched my back, letting out another moan as he continued to pleasure me. I could feel his hard cock, the tip already wet with need, rubbing against my leg, and I lifted my hips, silently begging him to be inside me.
Drake reached down and took his dick in his hand pressing the head of it to my opening, teasing me for a second before pushing himself inside. I let out a cry of pleasure as he kept pushing until his full length was in me, and he let out a gasp that told me it was as good for him as it was for me.
Then, he started thrusting. Hard, fast, smooth, gliding in and out of my wet pussy as my hands ran down his back, leaving little red marks from my fingernails. He grabbed at my breasts and delved his mouth into the crook of my neck, kissing and licking me as he continued to push himself in and draw himself out.
“I’m going to come!” I gasped. “Don’t stop!”
“Me too,” he said in a low, aroused tone, “Come with me, baby.”
I moaned loudly. He was thrusting faster and harder, with each one pushing me closer and closer to climax. The tension was building deep inside me until it was more than I could stand. I let out a cry of pleasure as the waves washed over me, then, I pressed my teeth to his shoulder, enjoying each second the orgasm rushed to every bit of my being.
Drake finished at nearly the same time, also letting out a moan of satisfaction as his dick bucked and started to pulse inside me. He moaned, easing himself down onto my bare body as he emptied himself fully into me.
Neither of us spoke as we held each other, catching our breath. I wasn’t sure what to say, and I had a feeling he was dumbstruck as well. Then, he suddenly lifted himself slightly, planting a light kiss on my cheek before pulling himself out. I smiled softly as he rose from the couch and gathered his things then hurried to his room, closing the door behind him.
Within seconds the shower was running, and I slipped off the couch to get my own clothes. Pausing my movie, I slipped into my room and also closed the door, waiting to emerge until I heard Drake leave to meet his friends.
So many emotions were running through me, I hardly knew what to think. I didn’t want to think. I just wanted to be.
I just had sex with Drake. I waited for the guilt and shame to hit me, but it never came. All I felt was happy. Safe. Satisfied.
And I hoped it’d stay that way.
11
Drake
The sound of the door opening and closing in the other room woke me, and I stared up at the ceiling. It was ten minutes until nine on a Monday morning, and I had a feeling Hannah was on her way to school.
I hadn’t said much to her since Friday. She was in her room with the door closed when I got out of the shower, and I’d left to hang out with friends. By the time I got home, she was in bed altogether, everything in the living room turned off and only the light by the left on for me.
Neither one of us had said anything about the fact that we’d had sex. I knew it was something that we should talk about, but I di
dn’t know how to bring it up, and I wasn’t sure why she didn’t either.
We had seen each other a couple of times through the weekend. Mostly, Hannah breezed in and out, sometimes she’d come in with shopping bags, sometimes she’d gone to get groceries. I didn’t keep track of all that she did, and she didn’t seem to mind that I was doing nothing at all.
Since I knew this was my job for the moment, and I wasn’t sure how long it was going to last, I’d decided to put looking for a job and a place of my own on hold. It didn’t make sense to find a job then tell them that I didn’t know when I’d be able to start, or to put down money on an apartment and not move in for several months.
I was sure she’d give me enough money at the end that I would be able to live comfortably and get a place of my own with enough time to find a job. Shit, I’d probably be able to afford a car, too, from the life that she lived.
As I laid in bed staring up at the ceiling, I thought about the past couple of days.
Saturday, I had done nothing but recover from the night before. I had been out with my friends at the bars until they shut them down, then when I got home, I took a couple of drags off one of the bottles in the apartment’s bar.
I was still keyed up from the time I spent with them, and I wasn’t ready for bed. So, I watched a movie in my room until the sun was starting to rise. The hangover didn’t hit me until mid-afternoon. And when it did, it hit hard.
The only times I’d seen Hannah was when I was heading out to the kitchen to see if there was anything I’d be able to stomach. She was kind enough to offer to grab me something from the store, but I turned her down. I was already taking over enough of her life, I didn’t need her to do that for me, too.
Hell, I was veteran; the one who was supposed to be taking care of her and protecting her through all this. Not the one who was supposed to move in and partying myself away for a few months while she worked her ass off.
Playing Pretend Box Set Page 44
