by Sarah Peis
I knew Jameson couldn’t keep it in his pants, but nobody deserved to be treated that way. And the gossip mill was still going strong, not letting anyone forget about the incident. It was, after all, one of the most exciting things to happen to this town since Barry Laker painted his house blue.
I stole a glance over Stella’s shoulder and looked straight at none other than tall, dark, and broody. I was confused as to why he would be watching us. In all the years we had lived in the same town, he had exchanged exactly three words with me, three words I would always remember. His deep baritone gave me shivers, and looking at his eyes made me lose all brain function.
Word one was to order a Coke, word two to order a burger, and word three was to ask me for the bill. And I’m not even kidding when I say it was a total of three words. He didn’t do polite, and he certainly didn’t waste his words. He believed in the power of one-word communication.
Maisie nudged me and nodded toward him much more subtly than Stella. “He is definitely watching, and I am pretty sure it’s you he’s looking at.”
I tried hard not to turn my head again and glued my eyes to Maisie instead. “I don’t think so. But I have to head off now anyway. You guys want a lift?”
Stella was talking to someone we knew from class, and if the gleam in her eyes was anything to go by, also her latest hookup.
“I’m good. Lance is around here somewhere, so I’ll just catch a ride with him later,” Maisie said.
“If you’re sure,” I said, knowing the crush Maisie had on her brother’s friend all too well. Maisie waved me off when I did my duty as devoted friend and asked her again if she wanted to come with me. After a round of hugs and promises to meet up the next day, she pushed her way through the mass of people.
I made it outside after receiving a few slaps to the ass, and someone was even so nice as to share their drink with me. The top half of my dress now had a big wet spot down the front, making it look like my tits were leaking. There weren’t many people around, and the fresh air made me breathe easier again. At least I could start my paper early in the morning and maybe have something to show Maisie. I knew she would be on me again tomorrow.
I walked the few blocks to my car and shivered in my thin dress. It was hard to find free parking near the club, and I wasn’t picky where I parked as long as it didn’t cost me anything, a decision I regretted in moments like these when I turned onto the dark side street. At least my car was still there. It wouldn’t be the first time someone broke into it or towed it, leaving me with no way to get back home.
I unlocked the door, thinking about the leftover pizza in my fridge. Lost in thought, I didn’t hear someone approaching until they were next to me, making me jump back in surprise and emit a loud squeal.
The guy put up his hands to indicate he meant no harm, and I immediately recognized Jameson.
“Willa,” he said in his raspy voice.
I stepped back to put some distance between us. “How do you know my name?”
Very smooth, Willa. Just blurt out the first stupid thing that comes to mind.
“Of course I know your name. We went to school together.” Holy caboodle, that was one long-ass sentence for him. Was he drunk?
Okay, now I was ready to get my camera out to document this pivotal moment in my life. The moment the mighty Jameson talked to me. With my luck, I should have really known better than to assume he just came out to corner me in a dark alley to have a chat.
I blamed it on his eyes. They sucked you in and didn’t let go. My brain function shut down, and I think I could feel a little drool on the corner of my mouth. Not my finest moment.
When I stayed quiet and stared at him openmouthed, he took that as an invitation to continue. “Look, your dad owes me a lot of money. He’s not settling his debt, and he put you down as his reserve, so to speak. If he can’t pay, it’s your debt.”
My dream where he came out here to declare his undying love for me came crashing down. Unicorns were crying rainbow tears, and kittens wailed in agony. I should have known better than to assume he was interested in me.
So I yelled. Because it seemed appropriate. And besides, when I’m upset, I yell. It’s never healthy to keep your emotions locked up tight. That shit could give you cancer. Or an ulcer. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I had definitely found my voice again. “I didn’t lose that money, and I have no intention of paying it back.”
“I don’t think you understand how this works.”
“And I don’t think you understand how impossible it is for me to pay off any debt my dad might have with you.” I stupidly decided this was a good point in our conversation to poke him in the chest to accentuate each word.
My finger just wouldn’t stop poking once it made contact with his firm pecks. Holy hotness, he was built. My out-of-control finger wandered down and hit his abs, and they were just as firm. I was pretty sure that was an eight-pack I was poking.
Before I could travel further south, he caught my finger and held on tight.
“I want my money, Willa. $20k is not something I can just brush off.”
When I heard the number, my eyes went wide and I was pretty sure they were bulging out of my head. “$20K? $20K? Twenty fucking grand?”
“It’s not gonna get any less the more you repeat the number.” The bastard looked amused, yet there was nothing amusing about this situation.
I pulled my finger from his hand, already lamenting the moment he wasn’t touching me anymore. My finger was one lucky bitch.
“I know that, jackass.” Oh no, I can’t believe that just came out of my mouth. Bad mouth.
“I think it’s a safe bet to say that you don’t have the money. I hope you know what you’re doing because this is one situation you can’t get out of simply by blinking your big eyes and showing off your tits.”
I narrowed aforementioned eyes and pushed at his chest in anger. “And I think it’s safe to say that you’re an ass. I don’t have the money that I don’t owe you.”
He leaned in until we were nose to nose. “Do you think you are the first one to tell me that they can’t pay me? So let’s skip the bullshit. I want my money, so find a way to get it to me.”
I took a deep breath and regretted it immediately when his scent filled my nose. He was still entirely too close, and his big, stupid arms caged me in, making escape impossible. I also didn’t think my feet would work at this stage. They seemed to like him just as much as my finger and inched closer instead of retreating.
“I don’t have your money. My bank balance shows $4.37 at the moment. You know why I know that? Because I just had to pay the rent, which means I’m broke until I get paid next week. And it certainly won’t be twenty grand they’ll pay me.” I turned my head to avoid breathing him in again but didn’t quite succeed since he was so close. “And I would appreciate it if you could take a step back and stop harassing me.”
Instead of doing what he was told, he stepped closer until all of him touched all of me. Dear donut gods, please make this stop.
My knees were ready to give up holding my body, and my hands went on another quest. I meant to push him away, but the second they made contact it was all over. Just like my finger, they refused to let go.
Jameson wasn’t impressed with my refusal to pay. Well tough titties, because there was no way I could get that much money.
He was still leaning in too close and said, “I don’t think you grasp the gravity of the situation, sweetheart.”
My mouth was still going strong, refusing to give up the fight even though the rest of my body had. “Oh, I get the gravity just fine. But what you don’t seem to grasp is that you can’t squeeze money out of someone who has less than five dollars in her bank account.”
He studied my face and took a step back. The relieved exhale that came out of my mouth would be heard by the rats in the sewers two counties over.
“I want the money by tomorrow.”
“What? Are you crazy? How do you think I
can come up with twenty grand in twenty-four hours?” I motioned to my beat-up old Ford. “Does this scream money to you?”
“That’s not my problem.” He held out his hand. “Give me your phone.”
I pulled my bag closer. “No way. I’m not giving you anything.”
He sighed and took the bag out of my hands. I was too stunned at his audacity to hold onto it. After a quick search, he came up with my phone, and I had to admit I was slightly impressed. It took me a lot longer to find anything in the endless depths of my key-swallowing bag. He typed something in and handed it back to me. “My number, so we can set up a time and place to meet.”
And with that he was gone. If only I knew at that moment that my life had just taken a tumble down the rabbit hole.
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