by Ramona Gray
Chloe flushed before poking at her chicken. “It’s really great.”
“Yeah? Good, I’m glad. Care to share the dirty details?” Amy grinned at her over her glass of wine.
Chloe probably shouldn’t be telling Amy anything about her relationship with Jackson and Ian, but she couldn’t help it. It felt so good to have a friend to confide in again. Even after all this time, she missed her best friend Kandace with a fierce ache.
“They’re both amazing in bed. Like, crazy good. And I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to, uh, you know, please them both, but they’re so sweet about making it all about me. I mean, they have a good time too, but I don’t feel any pressure to make them feel good.”
“Awesome,” Amy said. “Do you sleep with them separately too, or always together?”
“Always together,” Chloe said. “It’s my preference and theirs as well.” She wouldn’t tell Amy about Jackson’s issue, it wasn’t her issue to share. “That could change in the future, but for now…”
“So, this is serious?” Amy said. “I thought it was just a fling.”
Chloe shrugged. “It is. They’re not interested in anything more and I feel the same way.”
“Do you?” Amy cocked her head at her.
Shit. Amy was already good – too good - at knowing when Chloe was lying.
“Honestly? I don’t know.”
“Are you more attracted to one than the other? Maybe eventually you can date only one of them?”
Chloe shook her head immediately. “No, I can’t. I couldn’t choose between them. They’re so different from each other, but they both have qualities that I admire and want. Like, Ian is quiet and a bit of an introvert, but I feel protected and safe with him. Jackson’s a total extrovert, and so sweet and funny and caring.”
“Is Ian a Dom? Did you find out for sure?” Amy asked.
“I haven’t talked to him about it yet, but I’m pretty sure he’s at least close to being one,” Chloe said. “Like, he’s usually the one, uh, telling us what to do and stuff in bed, so…”
“Dom,” Amy said with a grin, before drinking some more wine. “Sounds like you kind of like it though.”
“I like everything they do to me in bed. I like being with them outside of the bedroom too. We agreed that it was just casual, but we almost always have dinner beforehand and we always spend the night together. The idea of being with the two of them long-term is intoxicating. In fact, I think I’d love to date both of them, but…”
“Dating two men isn’t exactly a socially accepted norm,” Amy said.
“No, but I don’t actually care about that,” Chloe said. “It’s more – how Jackson and Ian feel about it. Ian and I kind of talked about it last night, actually. He seems ready to settle down and start a family, but Jackson definitely isn’t, and like I said before, I won’t choose one over the other. I can’t. It makes me feel sick to even -”
“Chloe?”
Her heart dropped into her stomach at the sound of her sister’s alcohol-rough voice. She turned and stared at Lori as her sister, holding a bottle of beer in one hand, weaved toward their booth. Already the strong scent of beer clung to her and Chloe grimaced when she had to grab their table to stop from falling.
“Lori, what – what are you doing here?”
“Enjoying a night out with my friends. I got friends too, you know.” Lori made a petulant jerk of her head over her shoulder. “Shove over.”
“Lori, I’m in a work meeting. I can’t -”
“Shove over, I said.” Lori pushed her way into the booth beside Chloe.
She took a swig of beer before eyeing Amy. “I’m Lori – Chloe’s big sister.”
“Hello, Lori,” Amy held out her hand. “I’m Amy.”
Lori shook her hand, her chipped and dirty nails and nicotine-stained fingers a stark contrast to Amy’s perfectly groomed nails. “Nice to meetcha’.”
“Lori, I’m actually in a meeting and -”
“You dress pretty fancy,” Lori said to Amy. “Where’d ya get that suit?”
“I designed it actually,” Amy said. “Your sister and I work together at a clothing company.”
“Oh yeah?” Lori took another drink of beer. “Chloe likes to draw clothes and shit, but she wasn’t never good enough to get into school for it.”
She laughed so loudly that the people at the table closest to their booth stared at them. “How many schools did you apply to again, Chloe? Like five?”
She leaned over the table and gave Amy a conspiratorial grin. “She got rejected from all of them. She cried so hard that summer. Swear to God, Nana’s house was almost washed away from all the cryin’ she did. Ain’t that right, Chloe?”
“You should go back to your friends now, Lori.”
“Hold your fuckin’ horses, Sis.” Lori gave her an angry look. “I’m talking to my new friend.”
She turned to Amy and shook her head. “Jesus, she’s always tried to tell me what to do. It’s a real pain in my ass, to tell you the truth. She thinks she’s better than me, but,” she drank a swallow of beer before wiping her hands across her lips, “she ain’t. She ain’t nothin’ special. Couldn’t even get into design school.”
Lori snorted laughter before slamming her beer bottle down on the table. She scanned the restaurant. “Fuck, where’s the goddamn waiter? I need another beer.”
“No, you don’t,” Chloe said. “Go home, Lori.”
“Shut up, Chloe.” Lori kept her gaze on Amy. “Hey, what did you say your name was again?”
“Amy.”
“Right. You look like you do all right for yourself, think you could buy me a beer?”
“Lori, no. Amy is not -”
Lori elbowed her so hard in the ribs, that Chloe’s eyes watered. “Shut up, I said. What do you think, Amy? You wanna be nice to your friend’s sister and buy her a drink?”
“No,” Amy said.
Lori’s lip curled. “Why not? You think you’re better than me too? Is that it? You think -”
“Hey, sorry I’m late.”
Chloe’s shame grew when Mark slid into the booth next to Amy. He kissed Amy’s cheek and smiled at her. “Hi.”
“Hi, Mark,” Amy said.
Mark tugged at his tie before smiling at Chloe. “Hey, Chloe.”
She nodded to him as Lori gave Mark a delighted look. “Well, ain’t you a handsome man.”
“I’m Mark.” He held out his hand, tugging it free when Lori shook it and then ran her fingers suggestively over his wrist.
“Lori. It’s good to meet ya, Mark.”
“You’re Chloe’s sister,” Mark said.
“That’s right.” Lori glanced at Chloe. “How do you know my sister? You ain’t datin’ her, are you?”
“No,” Mark said. “We’re friends.”
“That’s real good to know.” Lori poked Chloe in the ribs again. “A guy like you is way too good lookin’ for my sister. She couldn’t even keep her man. He dumped her like a piece of garbage a few months ago, isn’t that right, Chloe?”
She didn’t reply. Her cheeks were painfully hot, her dinner was sitting like a hard stone in her belly, and she wanted to sink under the table with shame.
“Did you ever meet her fiancé?” Lori asked Mark.
Mark shook his head, and Lori finished off her beer and reached across the table to stroke his arm. “He wasn’t nearly as good looking as you. In fact, he was kind of a weenie. Like,” Lori made a jacking off motion with her hand, “I actually think he was gay and my sister was his beard. I bet they didn’t even fuck. Did you, Chloe? Did you fuck him?”
“Enough,” Chloe snapped. “Go home, Lori. Right now.”
“Shut up,” Lori said dismissively. She took Mark’s hand. “Hey, you wanna go somewhere quieter and have a drink with me?”
She glared at Chloe when Chloe pulled her hand away from Mark’s. “Mark and Amy are dating, Lori.”
“What?” Lori gave Amy an incredulous look before her ga
ze skipped to Mark. “No, that ain’t fucking true.”
“It is,” Chloe said through gritted teeth. “C’mon, let’s go. I’ll give you a ride back to Nana’s and -”
“You,” Lori pointed one finger at Mark, “are dating her?” She pointed at Amy, her hand shaking unsteadily.
“Yes,” Mark said politely. He took Amy’s hand and squeezed it.
“But – but look at you,” Lori said. Her mouth was open, and she had a look of genuine astonishment on her face. “You’re fucking hot and she’s a goddamn fatty.”
“Lori!” Anger shot through Chloe and without stopping to think about it, she shoved Lori out of the booth. Her sister landed on her ass on the floor, bellowing a curse as the babble and murmur of voices cut out and the restaurant turned deathly quiet. She could feel everyone’s eyes on them as she slid out of the booth and grabbed Lori’s arm, hauling her roughly to her feet.
“Get up,” she snarled at her when Lori stumbled. “Get up right now.”
“You’re hurting me!” Lori whined. Chloe dug her fingers into her arm.
“Shut up,” she said into Lori’s ear. “Just shut your fucking mouth for once in your goddamn life.”
She never cursed at Lori, never allowed her anger at her sister to overwhelm her, but she couldn’t help it. Lori gave her a startled look as Chloe grabbed her purse and her jacket from the booth. Without looking at Amy and Mark - she couldn’t look at them, couldn’t bear to see the anger on their faces – she mumbled, “I’m really sorry. I – I need to get her out of here. I’m so sorry.”
Still holding Lori’s arm, she marched her toward the door of the restaurant, past the staring patrons, past the hostess standing silently near the front door. For once, her sister didn’t argue or complain, just followed her out the door and to her car.
She yanked open the passenger door. “Get in.”
Lori climbed into the car and Chloe slammed the door shut before stalking to the driver’s side. She started the car, put on her seatbelt and pulled out of the parking lot.
“You know, you didn’t -”
“No!” Chloe held her hand up but refused to look at her sister. “Sit there and keep your goddamn mouth shut. If you say another word, I swear I will take you directly to the bus station, buy you a ticket to the farthest destination they have, and fucking tie you to the bus seat. Keep your mouth shut, Lori.”
Her sister grunted angrily but didn’t say anything. Chloe drove through the darkened streets, trying not to cry as her anger pulsed and thumped inside of her. Lori had ruined another friendship. No, make that two friendships. Neither Mark nor Amy would ever have anything to do with her after this. It was fucking goddamn Kandace and Adam all over again.
She rubbed a shaking hand across her forehead. It was worse. At least with Kandace, all she’d lost was friendship. By this time tomorrow, she would most likely be unemployed. Amy was a nice lady, but holy shit, Lori had hit on her man and called her fat to her face.
She wanted to weep, but instead she hit her hands on the steering wheel. She drove another ten minutes, trying to calm down before she spoke to Lori. If she didn’t, the conversation would delve into a screaming match.
She took a deep breath and stared at the road as she drove. “Lori, what you did back there was unacceptable. Amy is my boss and my friend, and you cannot insult the people in my life like that. Do you realize that you’ve probably gotten me fired? I love my job, and you’ve ruined it. You, Lori. No one else.”
There was no reply. Steeling herself, she glanced over at her sister. Lori was passed out, her head lolling on the seat, her mouth open and a thin line of drool running down her chin. She made a loud snoring noise before grunting and farting.
Chloe turned her gaze back to the road. The tears leaked down her cheeks as she drove toward her Nana’s place. Lori had fucked up her life again. She would always fuck up her life. Thinking she could have friends, or a job she loved, or a relationship with Ian and Jackson was a pipe dream.
Lori would always be there. Waiting and watching like a rattlesnake hidden in the tall grass. Striking and pumping Chloe full of her poison when Chloe least expected it.
Chapter Thirteen
Chloe took a deep breath. It was Friday morning and she’d barely sat down at her desk before she’d received the email from Amy. She’d read the request to come to Amy’s office with an utter lack of surprise. She was very glad that Jackson wasn’t in the office yet. If he’d been there, she would have been tempted to crawl into his damn lap and sob.
She closed her eyes, straightened her skirt, and knocked on Amy’s office door. She wouldn’t cry, she told herself. She wouldn’t cry or beg for her job. She would tell Amy that she understood and apologize once more for her sister’s behaviour before walking out of the office with her head held high.
“Come in.”
Amy’s voice made the acid in her stomach bubble up to her chest. She swallowed hard and stepped inside Amy’s office, closing the door behind her.
“Hi, Amy. You wanted to see me?”
“Hi.” Amy walked across the office and stopped in front of her. “How are you?”
The compassion in Amy’s face made her voice falter a little. “Uh, I-I’m fine. I would like to apologize for my sister’s behaviour last night. She was drunk and it’s not an excuse, but…”
She took another deep breath. “I want to say I’m sorry and that I’ve really enjoyed working with you these past couple of months. Having you choose some of my designs was the best moment of my life and I can’t thank you enough.”
“Chloe, are you - are you quitting?” Amy gave her a confused look.
Chloe blinked at her. “I – you’re firing me.”
“I’m not firing you.”
“Of course you are. I – my sister hit on your boyfriend and called you fat.”
Amy shrugged. “It’s not the first time I’ve been called fat and it won’t be the last. Chloe, I called you up here to make sure that you’re okay. I was worried about you.”
Chloe stared at her in astonishment. “You’re worried about me?”
“Yes, I am.” Amy took her arm and tugged her toward the beanbag chairs in front of her desk. “Sit down.”
She sat, sinking into the soft leather as Amy sat in the beanbag chair beside her. “I wanted to call you last night, but Mark said it was best to give you time to decompress. Considering he’s gone through the same shit with his brother, I figured he knew what he was talking about. Was he wrong though? Should I have called you last night?”
“Why – why are you being so nice to me?” Chloe said.
Amy reached out and snagged her hand, squeezing it tightly. “You are not to blame for your sister’s actions, Chloe.”
“Yeah, but…”
“But what?” Amy said. “You can’t control what your sister says and does, just like Mark can’t control what Michael says and does. They’re addicts, and neither you nor Mark can fix them.”
Chloe’s lips trembled, and she pressed them together. “You’re serious.”
“Yes. You’re not fired, Chloe. In fact, why don’t you take the day off. No offense, honey, but you look terrible. Did you sleep at all last night?”
“Not much,” Chloe said. “I really am sorry, Amy.”
“You have nothing to apologize for.” Amy squeezed her hand again before releasing it.
Chloe knotted her hands together in her lap, staring at her fingers. “I used to have a best friend named Kandace. She was married to a guy named Adam. They’d only been married a year or so, and Lori, she… she seduced Adam and they slept together. Lori didn’t look, uh, as rough as she does now. But she was still drunk most of the time and she didn’t care who she hurt. Kandace found out they’d slept together and she blamed me.”
“I’m sorry,” Amy said.
Chloe shrugged. “She was right to blame me. I dragged Lori into her life, you know? But Kandace and I had been friends since school and I never thought that Lori
would do something like that. She knew how much Kandace meant to me. She knew and she still… anyway, Kandace and Adam divorced and Kandace refuses to have anything to do with me. We were friends for years and years, and in one single night, Lori ruined it. She cost me my friendship with Kandace and, even worse, she destroyed Kandace and Adam’s relationship.”
She pressed her lips together again before whispering, “Why can’t I just walk away from her, Amy? Why do I let her keep hurting me and dragging me down into her fucked-up life?”
“It’s hard to give up on the people we love,” Amy said. “I’m no expert on this, but I’ve seen what Michael has done to Mark over the years. I see how Mark is now that he doesn’t have any contact with his brother, and the difference is astonishing. I know it’s not the same, Michael is in prison and it’s easier for Mark not to be around him, but maybe you need to take a break from Lori for a while.”
Chloe nodded. “Yeah, I know, but my nana won’t agree to it, and I can’t leave her to deal with Lori alone.”
Amy sighed. “That does make it more difficult.”
Chloe cleared her throat. “Anyway, this really isn’t your problem and I’m sorry I dragged you into it.”
“You didn’t,” Amy said. “Chloe, I know we work together, but we’re friends too. And I promise you that Lori can’t say or do anything to ruin that friendship, all right? Calling me names and hitting on Mark doesn’t even ping on my anger scale. I’m a laid-back hippie, remember?”
Chloe smiled a little and Amy reached out and patted her knee. “Why don’t you take the day off? Go home, have a hot bath and a nap and then watch really bad daytime television.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll sit and mope all day if I do that. It’s better for me to stay busy. Besides, Jackson will be crazy busy today trying to get the software finished for the new digital storefront, and I want to be there to help him if he needs me.”
“All right. But if you change your mind, email me. I’ll let Luke know I gave you permission to take the day off.”
“Thanks, Amy. I appreciate it.”
* * *
