“Well, I wasn’t going to say it like that, but yes, since you put it that way.”
“It’s a little weird, but nothing about us has ever been normal. Why should this be any different?”
“Good point,” he laughs lazily.
My eyelids start to feel heavy, and I yawn into the phone due to the fact that my body is tuckered out from the release I’d been holding in for too long. Either that or I’m turning into a guy who rolls over and dozes off right after having sex.
“You’re tired,” he says. “I’ll let you go, but only if you promise me one thing.”
All I can muster is a barely intelligible mumble of noises that I think resemble a yes.
“Go out with me tomorrow night.” He pauses and then adds, “On a real date this time.”
“Okay.” I yawn again into the phone. The fight has left me; that’s how good this little phone sex session was. Do I want to delve in and psychoanalyze the shit out of this right now?
Nope, not at all.
“Wow, that was easy. You’re not going to fight me at all on this?”
“Hey,” I say, a tad more alert but still overly drowsy. “Don’t push your luck, mister. Take the yes and call it quits while you’re ahead.”
“Fair enough,” he concedes. “Good night, beautiful.”
I smile to myself in the dark at his parting words and bring the comforter up to my chin, ready to snuggle into it further. And as I drift off into dreamland, sprawled out and naked as the day I was born, I’m still smiling.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
I wake up the next morning with the birds chirping outside, the sun streaming through my windows, and my alarm clock blaring. It’s a scene right out of Snow White if it wasn’t for the hangover. I reach over with my free hand to hit the snooze button when all of a sudden it dawns on me. My free hand? What in the name of Sweet Fancy Moses is my other hand holding on to? And why am I naked?
Afraid that I might find a horse’s severed head in my bed, I gingerly lift the comforter inch by agonizing inch until a pink helmet with a smiley face comes into view. Phew! It’s just my vibrator.
Wait a second.
Fragmented memories of last night start coming back to me. There was a happy hour where drinks were had and I flirted like a champ with Alex. Then Lisette drove me home—shit, I need to call her to pick me up. I go to grab my cell phone off the nightstand only to come up empty-handed. What in the blazes is going on today? My head is beginning to throb as I look for my phone until I find it buried underneath the pillows. When I unlock it and go to the recent calls so I can find Lisette’s name, my face freezes in horror when I see the last name of the person who called and the time stamp. Now the rest of last night’s memories are flooding my brain in all their Technicolor glory.
Don’t tell me.
No, wait. Tell me that I didn’t do what I think I did.
I did, didn’t I?
Oh my God! I had phone sex with Alex last night!
I facepalm myself and groan out loud. The blossoming headache that was a dull throb has been upgraded to DEFCON level one status. Jesus, I’ll never be able to face him again without thinking he knows what I sound like when I orgasm.
First things first, I bring the comforter up to cover my body. Apparently I’m modest when I’m the only one here—well, me and the Bugs Bunny vibrator. Ugh, I’m still gripping this thing like it’s the Holy Grail of vibrators, so I toss it across my bed, where it lands by my feet.
I decide to call Lisette.
“Good morning, sunshine,” she says after answering on the second ring.
“I don’t know about it being good,” I mumble.
She laughs. “Let me guess—hangover?”
“Among other things.”
“Oooh, what other things?”
“Nothing.” My voice wavers slightly, and she laughs again. “Can you do me a favor and pick me up on your way to the office?”
“Of course. Can you be ready in about a half hour?”
“Yep.”
“See you then.”
As soon as she hangs up, I fling the comforter off of me, stumble out of bed, and race toward the bathroom. I take the fastest shower ever in the history of showers. All the while I’m not thinking about “the incident” from last night. I’m so not thinking about it that I’m thinking about it, which gets me to really thinking about it, to the point of dwelling on it.
It’s not the first time I’ve ever had phone sex. But the couple of times when it’s happened before, it was in an already-established relationship after we’ve done the actual deed. Alex and I have just started dating or whatever you call it, and the closest to doing the deed has been with our clothes on. Not one nip slip at this point, and yet I’ve allowed him to talk me into an orgasm over the phone.
As I’m zipping up the black pencil skirt I had picked out for myself the night before, I freeze in mid-zip remembering something. Dear Lord, I agreed to a date with Alex tonight. I can’t sit across from him and try to have a casual conversation when you know I’ll be busy thinking about him jacking off over the phone. How is that going to work? Probably something like this: “Um, can you pass me the butter, and by the way, you make the sexiest noises when you come.”
Just kill me now.
I button up my red silk blouse and grab the first pair of black high heels I can find. I rush through putting on my makeup, and I blow-dry my hair to the best of my abilities. Glancing at the clock, I see that I have three minutes to spare before Lisette is supposed to arrive. I’m darting around like a crazy person, grabbing my keys, purse, and phone when I hear her honking the horn outside. Before I make it to the front door, I turn around and run back to my bathroom, nab the bottle of aspirin for my head, and throw it in my purse—now I’m ready.
My ass isn’t completely settled into the front seat when she starts pulling out of my driveway. “Here,” she says and shoves a Starbucks cup in my face.
Ahhh, the sweet smell of coffee, the elixir of the gods. “Have I told you lately how much I love you, Lisette? Because I do.”
“You’re welcome.”
I tip back the cup to my awaiting pursed lips and let it swirl around in my mouth for a second before taking a huge gulp. My cell phone starts to chirp as I’m about to take another sip. I dig it out of my purse and stare at the screen. Oh, hell no! Cursing under my breath, I ignore Alex’s call and keep drinking my coffee instead. I can’t face the music just yet. Plus, how can I have a normal conversation while I have Inspector Gadget sitting to my left chomping at the bit to see who keeps calling me?
“Why didn’t you answer him?”
So much for trying to keep it on the down-low. “No reason,” I say and shrug my shoulders. “He’s probably butt dialing me and has no idea.”
“Hmmm. Muy interesante.”
“There is nothing interesting about it, Lisette.”
“If he’s butt dialing you like you say he is, then that would mean your number was the last one called or the last number that called him.”
Sliding my sunglasses down the bridge of my nose to peer over at her, I can almost see the wheels turning in her head. I push them back up to cover my eyes and try to change the subject.
“So how did it go dropping Sarah off last night?”
“Fine,” she says like it’s an afterthought. “But getting back to this Alex thing—”
“Oh my God! Really?”
She laughs again. Seriously, she’s laughing. Cackling, to be more accurate, like she’s really enjoying herself on my account, which only makes me irritable.
“Lisette, I’m not going to tell you what happened, so drop it.”
“Aha! I knew it!”
“Knew what?” I ask in between another sip of coffee.
“I knew something happened between the two of you last night!”
I pivot in my seat to face her. “Nothing happened. That’s it. End of story.”
She stops at a red light and turns her head t
o say something when my phone rings again. Why me? I think to myself while looking up at the roof of the car in exasperation. I’m a good person. I pay my taxes. I donate to Goodwill. I never change lanes while driving without turning my blinker on first. So why am I being tortured like this?
“Just answer the phone, Julia,” Lisette pleads before slowly inching the car forward.
“Fine. I hope you’re happy,” I snap.
As soon as I swipe the phone to answer his call, he doesn’t even give me a chance to say hello. “Were you trying to ignore me?” he guesses with a smirk in his tone.
I suck in a breath and answer truthfully. “Yes.”
“And why would you go and do a thing like that?”
“Gee, I wonder why.”
Alex’s rumbling laugh makes me roll my eyes. “Well you better get over that because not only are we going on a real date later tonight, you and I have a meeting this afternoon to go over some of the particulars with Josie’s party, in case you forgot.”
Shit, shit, shit! How do I get out of this? Then in the midst of my panic-strewn thoughts I picture sweet little Josie’s cherubic face and remember that this is for her. Looks like I’ll be taking one for the team after all.
“Judging by your silence, I assume you conveniently forgot about that,” he goes on, delighting in his ability to trip me up at every turn.
“I didn’t forget, I just—”
“Just what? And remember, don’t lie to me,” he chides in a naughty tone.
I sigh loudly and tilt my head, only to find Lisette craning her neck like she’s Mr. Fantastic from the Fantastic Four attempting to listen in on the conversation. Covering the phone with my hand so Alex can’t hear me, I slide my sunglasses down my nose to look at her.
“Ahem! Excuse me, Mr. Fantastic,” I say, acknowledging her attempt at eavesdropping.
Lisette straightens her back and shoots me a who me? look.
“Yeah, you. Do you mind?”
“Sorry,” she mumbles. “Go on.”
Putting the phone again to my ear, I lower my voice. “I can’t talk right now, Alex. Can we discuss this later?”
“I’ll see you at one o’clock in my office,” he says. “And Julia?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t be late.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” I tell him as sickeningly sweet as possible.
The last thing I hear is his roguish laugh when he ends the call, adding to my already crabby mood. How this man can be such a nuisance and still somehow be appealing at the same time confounds me. One minute I’m itching to be with him in the biblical sense. The next minute I have an overwhelming urge to slap him. Everything is so black-and-white where Alex is concerned. Generally, that is the way I deal with most people in my life: either I like you or I don’t. But in this scenario it makes me uncomfortable. Makes me feel like I’m out of control. And God how I despise not being in control. I’d much rather be the one calling the shots.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Lisette asks sheepishly.
“Nope. And yes, I’m sure.”
The few minutes left of our drive to my car is in silence. Well, not total silence since she decides to turn up the radio when Justin Timberlake’s latest single comes on. Can’t say that I blame her. It’s quite catchy, and plus, you know, it’s Justin.
When we arrive at my car, I gather up my things and step out into the blistering Miami morning sun. Not wanting to be drenched in sweat by lingering too long outside, I throw a quick thanks to Lisette over my shoulder. She drives off just as I’m climbing into my Range Rover, and I follow her back the few blocks to my office.
There is no use in pretending that I’m not distracted the entire morning at work. I’m able to power through it, but I’m edgy and having a hard time staying focused. My mind keeps drifting to the impending appointment I have with Alex. I’ve even tried to watch some How It Should Have Ended videos. Specifically the Lost one because it still cracks me up. But today, zilch, nada, not one crack of a smile from me. And yes, it’s definitely because I’m remembering the phone conversation from last night. That right there might be the more accurate reason why it’s so difficult to concentrate. It’s enough of a distraction that I’m not even bothering to play with the stress ball, which has been like an extension of my own arm for the last few weeks. I can’t lie either and tell you that there isn’t a big part of me that is curious to see how this will go later. Because this game we so effortlessly play is part of the allure. The thrill of the chase, if you will.
But what happens when he catches me?
Wait. Don’t answer that.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
You know that feeling you get when you’re strapped in your seat on a roller coaster ride and realize there is no turning back? The cars start to lurch forward, inching ever so slowly uphill while your stomach is in knots. The clanking noises of the wheels churning along the track until you get to that inevitable first drop. But at that point all you can do is scream at the top of your lungs from both fear and excitement. That’s about as close as I can come to describing precisely how I feel as I approach the front doors of the gallery. I can almost hear Darth Vader’s “Imperial March” in the background if I listen closely enough. Jesus, I’m going crazy because I really do hear it.
Oops! That’s my dad’s ringtone.
I don’t know what’s worse right now, having to deal with my dad or having to deal with Alex. I take the lesser of two evils, which also buys me some time, and answer the phone.
“Hi, Daddy.”
“Julia Ann, where the hell have you been? You and your brother up and disappeared on us the other day without so much as a good-bye. Your mother has been worried sick about you two.”
Great, just what I needed right now, a mental image of my parents being horn dogs because of a freaking screwdriver. “Daddy—”
“Don’t you ‘Daddy’ me, young lady,” he says with authority. “Just call your mother before she drives me crazy.”
“Daddy, she can’t be that bad. I bet she just—”
“She’s gone insane, Julia! She wants me to help her redecorate our bedroom. I keep telling her to do it herself, but she says she wants us to have a bonding experience and we should do it together.”
“Daddy—”
“Now I love the woman to death, you know I do, but if she thinks I’m going to Home Goods one more time just so I can follow her around like a goddamn lost puppy dog, she’s got another thing coming.”
I sigh loudly into the phone while I begin to pace back and forth at the entrance of the gallery. “Daddy …”
“Have you ever been to Home Goods, Julia?”
“Yes, I have, but Daddy—”
“Let me tell you what it’s like. It’s a fucking nightmare, Julia. A nightmare. It’s a glorified Marshall’s with no clothes.”
“Daddy,” I say, trying yet again to get a word in edgewise, but he’s on a roll now.
“If I have to listen to your mother tell me about one more set of prints that would look fabulous in the bedroom, I’m going to lose my shit. Don’t even get me started on all the choices they have for bedroom linens.”
“Daddy—”
“Did you hear what I just said? I called them fucking bedroom linens. They’re sheets, for chrissakes! See what she’s doing to me? And that’s the other thing. I—”
“DAD!” I yell into the phone. People walking by on the sidewalk stop and stare as I compose myself quickly. “I’ll call her tomorrow. I promise, okay? I really have to go though.”
“Oh, am I keeping you from something more important than bedroom linens?” he says sarcastically. “Welcome to my world.”
“I said I’ll call her tomorrow, but I really do have to go. I have an appointment that I’m going to be late for.” I confirm this by lifting my wrist to double-check the time. Three minutes to one o’clock.
“Fine, go on then,” he says in a huff. “I’ll let her know to expect your call tomo
rrow. But you know what would be better? If you stopped by the house instead.”
“Don’t push your luck, Dad.”
He laughs through his good-bye and hangs up. I’m left to wonder if my parents may need to start thinking about separate living quarters when I hear Sarah’s voice behind me.
“Are you coming in finally?” she asks all bubbly.
“I was just finishing up with a last-minute phone call. Is Alex ready for me?”
She does a wiggle of her eyebrows and holds the door open farther. “Are you kidding me?” she groans. “He’s been asking me if you’re here every two minutes for the past half hour.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. He said to tell you to go straight to his office as soon as you arrived.”
“Okay, thanks.”
My high heels click across the hardwood floor as I make my way to Alex’s office. Palms sweating, check. Heart racing, check. Stomach in knots, double check. Of course his is the very last door in the offices of the gallery, too. And to top it all off, it’s closed. Ugh, that means I have to knock and announce myself. I don’t think I can find my voice long enough to do that. But the heavens part for a brief moment when he opens the door, and then he’s standing right in front of me with the most mischievous grin I’ve ever seen.
He’s wearing black pants and a freshly pressed white shirt paired with a simple black silk tie. Trust me, I can tell that it’s silk. His dirty blond hair is slightly unruly today and looks as if he’s just been running his hands through it. A stray lock of hair brushes across his forehead when he bows his head slightly at my arrival and opens the door wide for me to enter his office.
“We should discuss your ground rules first,” he says as I brush past him.
The only thing I have in my arsenal right now is my wry wit and cunning instincts. Bullshit. I don’t know what the hell I’m going to say or do. I’m completely out of my comfort zone here, and when he closes the door behind me, I can tell I’m in for it. Don’t ask me how I know, I just do. Kind of like my spidey senses are kicking into gear. Well, that and the fact that he grabs me by the wrist and swings me around so that my back is against the door.
Playing It Safe Page 14
