by Grace Risata
“Actually, so do I. My light is a tire pressure monitor. It has nothing to do with the engine. The tires all appear to be fine, so I assume it’s just a faulty sensor.”
“You’re sneaky, you know that?” I asked, proud of how confident and capable she was when it came to cars. Alyce was no helpless doormat and I appreciated that.
“Yeah, but I still need to take it to the shop. Don’t forget that I have an appointment to get it fixed tomorrow after work so I won’t be at the veteran’s center. And I have to stay late at the dental office on Wednesday because Mrs. Conway holds a monthly free clinic for impoverished children to get their teeth examined. So don’t worry if I’m not there for a few days. I haven’t bailed on you.”
“You don’t have to check in with me, Alyce. We don’t have that type of a relationship.” I fucking hated those guys…the ones that had to constantly call or text their lady and insist on knowing what she was doing every single second. If you can’t trust your girl when she’s more than ten feet away from you, then why bother with her in the first place? Some assholes out there are nothing but control freak pricks, and I would never be one of those.
“What kind of a relationship do we have, Dixon?” she asked, stiffening up and giving me a strange look. “Are we just fuck buddies? We don’t have to talk at all unless one of us is calling the other for a quick screw? Is that how it is?”
Shit. This is why I strongly believed that mouths should be used for kissing, eating, and giving oral sex. Words were highly unnecessary and only caused pointless drama. Is that what she thought of me? That I just cared about getting a piece of ass and that’s the only reason I paid any attention to the woman? What a fucking insult.
If I got pissed off and kicked her out, that would only reinforce her opinion that I was an immature jackass. But if I held her in my arms all night long like some giant douchebag pussy, that wasn’t exactly helping my mission to have her view me as a strong person she could trust.
So basically I’m screwed no matter what I do.
“Alyce, I think neither one of us is in a position to have this particular conversation right now. In order to prevent myself from saying something that’s going to haunt me later, I think it would be best if we part ways for the night and revisit this later. Does that work for you?”
I sounded like a pencil dick businessman brokering a real estate deal, but at least I didn’t lose my temper. That’s gotta count for something.
She narrowed her eyes at me and cocked her head, as though trying to solve a puzzle. Muttering under her breath about never being able to understand me, the confused woman crawled over to her pants and began getting dressed.
After she was put back together and no longer half-naked, I leaned down to embrace her and we shared a lengthy kiss. Once our lips parted, I could tell she didn’t want to leave. Hell, I didn’t want her to leave. But I’ll be damned if I’d invite her back to my apartment and ask her to hold me in case I had a nightmare.
I felt like the moment required me to say something significant, so I did.
“Alyce, this isn’t just meaningless sex for me. Being with you makes me feel better than I have in a long time. It’s a slow process to get through each day and deal with all my demons. But…you just…you make it easier. Thank you.”
She gave me a sweet smile, stood on her tip toes, and softly kissed me.
“You’re not so bad yourself…and I like the new haircut.”
Mission accomplished. My new transformation was off to a damn good start.
Chapter Twenty-Two
I snuck a glance at the large round clock hanging on the wall of the Veteran’s center and silently wished I had the ability to speed up time just a little bit faster. While I normally wouldn’t get excited to have a girl’s night out on a Thursday, it had been ages since I shook my ass on the dance floor and whooped it up.
“You have no idea how stressed out I am right now, Alyce,” Debbie complained for at least the third time in the past twenty minutes since I’d agreed to help her address envelopes for the charity gala. The woman had been chattering away the entire time we sat at the table, and I don’t think I’d gotten a word in edgewise. In her defense, she did have a lot of gossip to share.
“I can imagine you’re wound rather tightly,” I commiserated, nodding my head and glancing over at Dixon who sat off to the side in his desk and pretended to ignore us. I knew he was listening to every single word of our conversation, yet wouldn’t join in the discussion. He was like some strange invisible man that only I could see. Yes, he would flirt with me and open himself up every so often, but the stubborn beast would rather eat his own underwear than let anyone else see his soft side.
“It’s just been such a roller coaster around here lately,” she insisted. “First Kassie doesn’t show up for work again on Tuesday and finally gets fired, then she comes in on Wednesday and acts like she never got the voicemail about her termination, and now I’m stuck addressing three hundred invitations all by myself. I can’t even keep up with my life anymore. I need a vacation.”
It took a herculean effort to bite back the smile as I pictured the look on Debbie’s face when Kennedy showed up pretending to be Kassie, not knowing her sister had already been given the heave-ho via a nasty message on her cell phone the night before.
Such a fucking soap opera. It made me glad I wasn’t a twin.
“Please excuse me for a few minutes while I grab a bottle of water, Alyce,” Debbie said, cracking her knuckles. “I need a break or my eyes are going to pop right out of my head from staring at these tiny letters for too long.”
The second she was out of earshot, Dixon piped up to ask me a few questions.
“So, let me get this straight. The chick who works with you—”
“Kennedy,” I offered.
“Yeah. She keeps calling in sick every other day so she can come here and impersonate her sister? How stupid is that?”
I rolled my eyes at the logistics of their whole failed operation. It hurt my brain to try and understand who was who on which day.
“From what I can figure out with only knowing the barest of details, Kennedy thought Kassie had her shit together but she was wrong. I haven’t heard from anyone today so I don’t know what the hell is going on.”
It was a true cluster fuck. I texted Kennedy, but she never responded. I expected Mrs. Conway to go apeshit when her favorite employee called in sick on the one day a month when we have to stay late to examine the uninsured kids, but the woman didn’t seem bothered in the slightest. Instead she snapped at me, complaining that I should have pity for an ill co-worker. Even kind-hearted Nina only snickered when Mrs. Conway dramatically put a hand over her heart and said we should have some chicken soup sent to Kennedy’s apartment.
Speaking of Nina, I looked at my watch again.
“You keep checking the time. What’s the matter? Got a hot date tonight, Alyce?” Dixon snapped in annoyance. I told myself that he probably missed me since we hadn’t talked since our ‘garage incident of passion’ as I liked to call it. While it’s true that I was busy with my car appointment and work commitment, it’s not like he couldn’t have taken fifteen seconds to send a text. It killed me not to shoot him a quick, ‘hey,’ but I forced myself not to do that. As he made painfully clear, we didn’t have that kind of a relationship and I wasn’t about to start pressuring him for something he wasn’t ready for. Things seemed to go more smoothly when I let him make the first move.
“Who has a date?” Debbie asked, returning to the table with two bottles of water. “We don’t really know each other very well, so I haven’t gotten a chance to ask you too many personal questions. I don’t mean to pry, but are you seeing anyone special? Does he have a friend? Ever since Kassie ran off my last boyfriend, there’s been slim pickings for any members of the opposite sex.”
The woman sadly slumped her shoulders and let out an audible sigh of disappointment. I took a closer look at her appearance and realized tha
t the mounting pressure must be getting to her. Trying to do the work of two people was definitely taking a toll on Debbie. Normally sparkling eyes had become lifeless, shiny blonde locks hung limply, and her clear skin had turned blotchy from lack of care. Hmm…I wonder if she needs a night out too.
“Aren’t you going to answer the question?” Dixon prodded, finally joining the discussion.
I raised an eyebrow, curious as to what he expected me to say about my love life. Let the games begin, motherfucker.
“Yes, Debbie, I am seeing someone. It’s very new, so I don’t want to jinx it, but I will say that the sex is un-fucking-believable and I come away from every encounter highly satisfied.”
Debbie’s jaw dropped and Dixon cracked a teeny tiny smile. But I wasn’t done yet.
“Unfortunately the guy can be a stubborn prick when he wants to, and it takes all my self control not to kick his ass most days. Men…am I right?”
The woman burst out laughing while the cocky grin wiped right off Dixon’s face.
“If the dude is such a douchebag, then why don’t you walk away?” Dixon growled. I began to formulate a snappy answer in my head, until I realized that his question was coming from somewhere deeper than I’d initially thought. Some part of him really wanted to know why I kept coming back for more, otherwise he wouldn’t have asked the question. I guess, even after all the ways I’d proved myself, he still expected me to bail at the first opportunity.
Staring straight at him with a look that meant to convey my seriousness, I replied, “A good man is hard to find. When someone special comes along, you hold on tight with both hands. Life is like a boat floating in the ocean. Sometimes you have no choice but to jump ship and live to sail another day…but other times you batten down the hatches, wrap a rope around your wrist, and ride out the storm.”
Yes, that nautical analogy was cheesy as hell, but it seemed appropriate.
“Have you ever been out on a boat in your entire life?” Dixon questioned in amusement, seemingly missing the entire point of my words.
“Nope,” I replied smugly. “I don’t know how to swim.”
“You guys are weird,” Debbie said, grabbing another envelope and continuing to write the address of some rich person who would potentially donate a small fortune.
“How many more invitations do we have left?” I asked. “I need to leave in about fifteen minutes. I’m sorry to abandon you in your time of need, but I have plans tonight.”
“What plans?” Dixon barked at the same time Debbie mumbled, “No problem.”
She gave him a strange look and then turned back to me.
“I appreciate your help. These don’t all have to be done in one day. I can finish them tomorrow. I’m just really, really sick of working so much.”
“Do you want to come with me?” I offered. Ever since we sat down, I had been mulling over the idea of inviting Debbie. Birthdays should be fun and I think tonight requires an attitude of ‘the more, the merrier.’
“Where?”
“I’m taking one of my co-workers out to celebrate her birthday tonight. We’re meeting up at eight-thirty, which would give you plenty of time to go home, shower, and get ready.”
“I could never intrude. I’m sure your friend doesn’t want a stranger to randomly show up for her birthday party.”
“It’s not a party at all. Nina moved to town a couple months ago so she doesn’t really know anyone here, her boyfriend just dumped her for her ex-best friend, and she needs to go a little bit wild and release some pent up frustration. I think it would cheer her up to raise a little hell. You could use a break, too.”
Debbie bit her lip, turned around to look at the front desk that was currently occupied by one of her bosses, and then slowly nodded her head.
“Hell, yeah. I haven’t gone out in ages. I need this, Alyce. Let’s do it!”
“Excellent! I’ll text Nina and tell her.”
“Wait! Where are we going? I need to know what I should wear.”
“Nina’s been googling all day at work for cool places. She stumbled onto something called ‘Badlands.’ I told her it sounded like a biker bar, but she assured me it catered to an entirely different crowd. Actually, she used the term ‘bunnies’ so I assume it’s an upscale club where the servers dress like playboy bunnies. Hell, for all I know it’s a strip club and Nina is into kinky shit.”
“So I should just wear something totally trampy with the goal of picking up a rich businessman, taking him home with me, and fucking like crazy until we watch the sun rise from my apartment balcony?”
Uh, what? Maybe Debbie likes to get freaky. File that under the ‘stuff I didn’t need to know’ category.
“Whatever you want to wear is fine with me. Maybe nothing too flashy so we don’t upstage the birthday girl.”
Dixon loudly stood up and smacked his paperwork down on the table for Debbie to sign. He narrowed his eyes at me, but never said one single word before walking out.
It would have been nice to hear a ‘have fun and be careful,’ or a ‘stay safe, baby,’ or even an ‘I’ll text you for a booty call later,’ but I got complete silence. Could he actually be jealous and partially worried about me hooking up with someone tonight? Did the fucker not just hear my boat speech of commitment to his stubborn ass?
I stuck around for another ten minutes while Debbie gave me a lengthy description of every single piece of clothing in her closet. When I couldn’t handle it anymore, I told her to just surprise me and asked her where she lived.
“Oh, I’d be happy to be the designated driver tonight, Alyce. I can pick you up in my car. I can’t drink anyway because I’m on antibiotics and they don’t mix well with alcohol. It’s no problem at all.”
I was dying to ask why she was taking medicine, but part of me really didn’t want to know the answer. Debbie was a talker, and I had no desire for all the gory details about any STD or random infection she might have. I hope that doesn’t make me a bitch. Oh well. I tend to be anti-social and isolate myself from other people until the loneliness builds up. Then I have the habit of dropping my shields and being a little too friendly. It never failed to bite me in the ass and I’m sure this time would be no different. I cursed myself for failing to learn from my past.
But, hey, it’s one night out with two girls that I barely know. What could possibly go wrong?
Had I been in possession of a crystal ball and asked that question, the answer would have shocked the crap out of me. Little did I know, the evening would take a dramatic turn and set a stunning series of events into motion that completely changed my world. It also ended up being the last time I ever volunteered at the veteran’s center. Life has a sneaky way of fucking you over at every opportunity…
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Okay, my turn,” Nina squealed excitedly. “What was the strangest place you ever had sex?”
For some odd reason, the drive over to ‘Badlands’ had turned into a game of ‘truth or dare’ without the dares. I guess you could say it was more of a ‘true confessions’ type of thing to see who had the wildest stories. Debbie was winning by a landslide.
“Um, I’d have to say it was in my boss’s office with the janitor who came in to clean up after everyone went home for the night. Miguel came from Nicaragua and it didn’t matter one bit that I don’t speak Spanish. That man was fluent in the language of passion. If I said it didn’t drive me wild when he bent me over that desk, I’d be a liar.”
Fuck. I had to hand it to Debbie; she had a way with words.
“Alyce? Your turn for a question.”
I sat in the back seat and pondered my options. I could try and invent some tawdry question or pretend I couldn’t hear them over the radio.
Nina turned around, raised an eyebrow, and stared directly at me.
“We’re waiting,” she demanded in a sing-song voice.
Not wanting be the buzzkill of the evening, I opted for the best one I could think of.
“Cr
aziest role-playing scenario you ever acted out?”
Nina made a face, most likely because the innocent girl never did anything like that. Debbie, however, bit her lip as though trying to decide which answer would most shock us.
“I pretended to be a student once and my boyfriend was the naughty professor,” Nina confessed, “but all he did was spank my ass with a ruler and then took me doggystyle.”
“That’s nothing,” Debbie insisted. “I once re-enacted a famous movie scene with the actual actor who played the part! Maybe that doesn’t count as role playing, but he sure played the role of a lifetime!”
I mentally punched myself in the face for deciding it would be a good idea to invite Debbie. Her answers were becoming so off-the-wall that I think she was lying in order to make a good impression on Nina. Honestly, it didn’t matter because my story was impossible to top.
“Oh yeah? Well I once knew a guy that was obsessed with everything prehistoric. I let him dress up like a dinosaur and we had a pretty unique adventure.”
While this was one hundred percent true, I didn’t feel the need to share the fact that he kept making strange grunting noises and refused to unzip the suit in order to have actual sex. Coincidentally, I broke up with him the next day. Sometimes freaky could be good…and sometimes it was just fucked up. I wonder if Dixon had any fetishes?
“Damn, Alyce. You win with that one!”
Desperate to change the subject, I began peppering Nina with questions about the club she picked out.
“So, birthday girl, what can you tell us about ‘Badlands?’ We need more info!”
Her face lit up and she began jumping around in her seat.
“Badlands is only the most exclusive place to go if you’re a buckle bunny. You guys are going to love it!”
Neither Debbie nor I wanted to look like rubes by asking just exactly what a ‘buckle bunny’ might be, so we kept our mouths shut. I mean, it was Nina after all, so I didn’t think it would be anything too crazy. Although she was dressed rather uniquely. Strangely enough, the outfits worn by my two travel companions could not have been more different.
