LEAH
The chatter of Mrs. Hoke lulled me into a stupor. I was already working late tonight and this woman called to complain to me on a weekly basis.
She was one of Season's most important clients, though, as she had banked us for fifty-some-odd years. Unfortunately for me, she felt that gave her the privilege to remark on every little thing she didn't appreciate about us.
Tonight she was prattling on about our ATM interface that had been updated yesterday. She didn't know how to use it and was quite upset with me that I hadn't given her any notice.
"Mrs. Hoke," I interrupted her as politely as I could. "I'm terribly sorry that this has inconvenienced you. If you'd like to stop by any time on Monday, I would be more than happy to personally walk you through a tutorial. I know the new changes are frustrating but they do allow our machine to work more efficiently."
She sighed annoyedly. "I might be retired, but my weekdays are very busy. Saturdays are the least busy days."
Rolling my eyes, I curled my finger around the phone chord and said, "I understand that completely, Mrs. Hoke, but we are closed on weekends. A tutorial will only take a few minutes of your time."
"You'd think I would get better customer service after using your bank for so long!" she fussed. "Maybe I'll take my money elsewhere."
If I had a dime for every time this woman threatened me with this . . .
"Again, I apologize for the inconvenience," I told her. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I do have some things I need to take care of before I leave tonight. Thank you for calling, Mrs. Hoke. I hope you have a great weekend."
The line went dead and I was not at all surprised that she hung up on me. She was an abominable old force of a woman.
I finished reviewing our monthly accounts, replied to any last emails in my inbox, and then logged out.
As I packed up my lunch box and grabbed my purse, my phone rang. I retrieved it from my purse and made sure to check the caller I.D. before answering.
Jarrod called me a few times this morning and I had to make sure it wasn't him now. I knew I was acting like a total bitch.
Who runs away after having quality sex? No one in their right mind!
Yet, the fact remained that I was honestly ashamed that I'd let our little fun go so far. He seemed to be a nice guy, he did. I just couldn't mess around with him without my heart getting involved.
Right now, the idea of another man hurting me again, so soon, was too much to bear. I'd rather be alone than experience the pain of another failed relationship.
Fortunately, Isabelle was the one calling me now.
"Yo," I answered as I locked my office and headed through the dark bank to the exit.
Since our operating hours had ended an hour ago, all of my employees had gone home. There were many nights when I was the last one here, but I didn't mind.
"Hey, biatch," she said. "Ryan and I are talking about going downtown in a little. You down?"
I nibbled my lip as I walked to my sexy white Mercedes. "I don't know. I'm pretty wiped."
"Ah, come on! I owe you one after that tragedy of a date, remember?"
"Well, that's true."
I'd already forgotten about that. My head had been whipped around a certain somebody and I seemed to be more distracted lately.
I hadn't told anyone yet about the sexcapade with my doctor. I wasn't sure I wanted to.
My friends wouldn't judge me. They would just have a million questions that I didn't feel like answering yet. I was not proud to admit that I'd shacked up with my hot doctor.
Like damn, how cliche and desperate could I be? I was honestly pathetic.
"Exactly," Isabelle chattered on excitedly. "So get your bubble butt down to The Lip by nine. Their happy hour is later on Fridays, you know. Also, they have a pretty good band tonight."
"No karaoke then?" I asked with a chuckle.
"I mean, we can hijack the stage and make it karaoke if we have to."
I laughed. "I think I'd rather be entertained than be the entertainer. Okay, I'll see y'all at nine. You said Ryan's coming?"
"Yep."
"I'm going to give that fucker hell for leaving me to shower while I was so drunk last weekend."
She barked a laugh. "He thinks girls are gross. The thought of seeing you or anyone not with a penis probably horrifies him."
"Well, unless he wants to pay my hospital bill, I'm giving him hell."
"Tonight sounds like it's going to be more fun than I imagined! See you soon, tits."
"Bye."
I tried to get excited on the drive home. Going out with them would be fun.
We always did stupid shit, but maybe that was what I needed. I'd been in a funk all day.
Even though I didn't want to admit it, I felt horrible for leaving Jarrod like I did. I felt horrible for not responding to his texts or calls.
Although the alternative would inevitably hurt me, I knew he thought I was being a bitch. I knew I being a bitch.
Foxy met me at the door as I came in. I scooped her up into my free arm and carried her to my bedroom.
I was ready to take off my bra and lounge for a bit before I had to leave. Dropping my little black floof onto the bed, I tossed my purse down and peeled off the blazer, blouse, and skirt I'd worn to work.
I considered throwing my bra across the room in protest but that just reminded me of having frenzied, hot sex with Jarrod.
So, instead, I calmly stuffed the evil contraption into my undergarments drawer.
Slipping on my silk kimono, I picked Foxy up again and toted her into the laundry room. She nestled her face into my chest with a content purr.
"Did you have a good day, little demon?" I asked her. "Did you tear anything up?"
Her purrs grew louder as I scratched behind her ears. Foxy was the first and probably last cat I'd ever own, but sometimes I did find her cute.
I dumped a scoop of kibble into her bowl and refilled her water. While she ate, I shuffled into the kitchen to make something to eat. I opened the fridge and found it depressingly empty except for a few packets of leftover condiments and coffee creamer.
Another frozen lasagna it is, I thought with a sigh.
Once I'd popped the frozen container into the oven, I drifted to the living room to turn on New Girl. I watched the first few minutes of the episode where Jess thinks she has a bag of meth in her closet before losing interest.
I inconspicuously pulled out my phone and read over Jarrod's texts, as if my mother may round the corner at any moment.
JARROD: Good morning gorgeous. Thinking about you this morning
JARROD: Want to grab a bite this weekend? I'll cook! 😁
To my surprise, there was a more recent text that I somehow hadn't seen while at work.
JARROD: Found out that my sister isn't doing well so I'll be in FL this weekend. We should still make plans for this week. Dying to see your pretty self again 😍
I sighed.
Why is he so nice to me?
I wished he would be mean so I could have a reasonable excuse to ignore him. A panicky feeling tickled my stomach.
What if Jarrod truly was a nice guy and I ended up losing him simply because I allowed past hurt to influence my decisions?
If he just wanted to fuck, he was putting in a lot of effort. He would have no problem finding a fuck buddy, either. He was mouthwatering to look at and fun to talk to. Not to mention that he knew what he was doing in bed.
Thinking about the way he'd taken control of me, pinning my hands over my head, had been hot as fuck.
Who was I kidding? I wanted him to have his way with me again.
I pushed my heart on the back burner for a moment and decided that, even though he would probably break me in a few days or weeks or months, he deserved a chance. I wanted to see him again, too; I'd just been in denial over my heartache.
He might turn out to not be a douche like Danny. One could hope, anyway.
LEAH: I hope your sister gets better! Travel safely. Xx
The oven timer chimed at me and I gladly jumped up from the couch to fetch my dinner.
Within two hours, I had stuffed myself with delicious pasta and then squeezed myself into the only little black dress I owned. I fixed it around my breasts to show off what cleavage I had and then ruffled it over my stomach to look more flattering. After digging around in my closet, I found a pair of black platform heels that would make my calves look nice.
Foxy sat on my vanity while I curled my hair into ringlets, flicking her tail as if annoyed.
"Yeah, I'm leaving you again," I said. "I think you'll manage. And listen." I set the curling iron aside to peer down at her. "If I come home wasted and Ryan tells me to shower, do not let me do it. Okay?"
Meowing, she hopped off my vanity and trotted off. I rolled my eyes. She would probably happily witness me busting my ass again.
Since I didn't call an Uber ahead of time, I drove down to The Lip in my Mercedes. If I got drunk like I hoped to, then I'd just come back in the morning to get it. That had happened an unfortunate number of times.
I pulled out my phone as I walked into the club to call Isabelle but I was distracted by a new text from Jarrod.
JARROD: We made it safely thnx. What are you up to tonight?
"There's my bestie!"
My head snapped up.
Isabelle waved excitedly at me from the bar where she was perched next to Ryan. He smiled at me in his usual cool way.
Tucking my phone away, I scuttled over to them. Isabelle already smelled like dry martinis as I hugged her.
"God, it's so good to see you," she said. "It feels like it's been forever!"
I chuckled and hugged Ryan.
"Hola, Loca," he greeted me. "How are your injuries?"
"All fine, no thanks to you."
Isabelle laughed. "I see trouble on the horizon."
Quirking a brow, Ryan passed me the can he was drinking from. "No thanks to me? Is this my fault?"
I took a sip of the craft brew and my mouth twisted up. He knew I didn't like IPAs. I pushed it back to him and raked my tongue over my teeth to get rid of the unpleasant flavor.
"It's not your fault that I fell, but it is your fault that you didn't stay to make sure I didn't die in there," I told him. "I hold you at about 10% guilty."
He chuckled. "Okay, Loca. I'm very sorry I abandoned you in your time of need. I have to admit, the thought of witnessing you shower did not sound enticing to me and I thought you'd be okay. Next time, I'll put on a blindfold and make sure you live to see another day."
"See," I said gleefully while patting his arm. "This is why I love you. You're too good for this world, Ryan."
"That's what they keep telling me."
We all laughed.
The bartender came to get my order and then the band took over the stage. Isabelle got up to come stand between me and Ryan, basically sitting on our laps.
We all listened to the first few songs while we drank. Much to our collective surprise, the band was decent.
"So," she said over the music, "how'd my blind date go?"
"You wouldn't have liked him."
Ryan perked up. "Blind date? What am I missing here?"
"I tricked our gullible little Leah into going on a blind date for me that my sister had set up because I had a client appointment," Isabelle told him.
"I'm not gullible!" I frowned. "You tricked me."
Pursing her full lips, Isabelle waved me off. "Give me details, girl. Was he ugly? Was he polite? You said he sucked, but if he's hot, I'm gonna be pissed."
"He was pretty average except he had a little bald spot. He also made it pretty clear that I was not his type," I said, flourishing my free hand over my body.
"Ugh. Yeah, I'm glad I dodged that bullet. Thanks for taking care of that for me."
Ryan patted my knee. "We'll find someone who treats you right, Loca."
I shrugged. This would be a good opportunity to tell them about Jarrod, but for some reason, I held my tongue.
The band took a break and we all gossiped about work and things. I got up to use the bathroom, leaving them to their own devices.
Clutching my glass of rum to my chest, I pushed my way through the crowd to the bathroom. Since everyone was heads above me, my gaze was focused down on the ground and I didn't see the train wreck coming my way until someone slammed into me.
The rum in my glass sloshed out and covered my chest. I gasped, looking down to see the dark liquid staining the front of my dress.
"Oh, shit!" the guy who hit me yelled. "I'm so sorry!"
I look up at him, stunned and irritated. Then I realized he was the lead singer. He was actually kind of cute in a young rocker kind of way. His black hair was spiked and his bright blue eyes were underlined with eyeliner.
"Let me buy you another," he said. "I'm headed to the bar right now."
I had to pee pretty bad but I was not about to pass up a replacement beverage. "Okay."
He led me to the corner of the bar and ordered himself a shot of Jack. Then he glanced down at me.
"A rum and sprite, please," I told the bartender. She whirled off to get our drinks.
"I'm sorry about your dress," he said.
I shrugged. "It'll dry."
And make my boobs all sticky.
"What's your name?"
"Leah. Yours?"
"Adam." He grinned. "Nice to meet you, Leah! I hope you and your friends stick around here awhile longer."
"Oh, we definitely will." My smile dropped. "Wait, how did you know I was here with friends?"
Winking, he handed me the new drink. "I'll see you after the show." Then he strode off into the crowd.
What the hell? I sighed. Oh, whatever.
He must have noticed us from the stage somehow. I carried my new drink to the bathroom, this time managing to not spill it on myself or anyone else.
When I returned to the bar, the band was playing again. Ryan was talking to some guy in really tight ripped jeans and blond-tipped hair. Isabelle scrolled aimlessly on her phone until she saw me.
"What took you so long?" she asked with a pouty face.
I jumped ungracefully onto the stool next to her. "That guy up there"—I pointed at the stage—"ran into me and spilled my drink all over me."
"That asshole!" She squinted. "Wait, the lead singer? He's hot!"
I laughed. "Yeah, I think my inner emo is quite happy we exchanged names."
Gasping, she slammed her martini glass on the bar. "NO WAY. You better rack up, sis! Or I will," she added with a smirk.
Truthfully, I wasn't even interested in Adam. My mind was much more preoccupied by a certain doctor who was currently out of reach.
I suddenly remembered that I never responded to his text.
Shit!
I pulled my phone out while Isabelle looked Adam up on Instagram. I had a new text from Jarrod now.
JARROD: Hopefully not breaking our promise, Miss Party Animal
I blushed. How did the sneaky bastard know?
He was going to think I was an alcoholic if I told him the truth.
LEAH: Pshhh. No. I'm definitely at home on my couch with my devil cat
"Smile!" Isabelle demanded.
I looked up in time to see her taking a selfie of us. Of course, I didn't have time to smile and I looked drunk and very confused in the picture.
Isabelle laughed like a witch, so I knew she was much drunker than she was pretending not to be.
"I'm posting this shit!"
"I will end your life!" I yelled back.
She stuck her tongue out at me. I shaped my index and middle fingers into a pair of scissors and pretended to cut her tongue off.
A caramel-colored hand swept between us, knocking my scissors down.
"You two are freaks," Ryan muttered, retracting his arm. "BTW, I'm about to get out of here with this guy."
I spun around and eyed the guy he'd been talking to. He flashed me a shy, awkward smile. Turning back to Ryan, I nodded.
"Don't get murdered," I told him. "If he tries anything, I will drag Isabelle's drunk ass to wherever you are and ruin his life."
Ryan chuckled. "I think I can handle it. You two be safe. Don't let her go home with anyone." He flicked his eyes at Isabelle who was back to scrolling on her phone.
"I'll do my best!"
He pinched Isabelle's leg, blew her a kiss, and then left with Mr. Blond Tips. Isabelle put her phone aside and blew out a sigh.
"What is it?" I asked.
She pursed her lips. "I might have texted Sebastian."
"Girl." I shook my head. "You've got to stop this nonsense. Remember why you broke up with him? The reason you've broken up with him every time?"
"I know! I know. He's just familiar and comfortable. I miss him."
"You don't miss him. You miss having someone." I lifted my hand and motioned to the bar around us. "Look at the guys here. You have so many options. For the love of god, pick anyone but Sebastian."
She seemed sad for a second until Adam's voice came out of the microphone.
"All my single ladies, please stand up!"
Her eyes brightened as they rose to mine. My stomach dropped. Oh, here we go.