“You are breaking bread with a liar and a convict. Why can’t you do that? He could try to hurt you, Gigi. He doesn’t seem like a friend.”
“I can’t just leave because you tell me that Ben is someone named Jake. I don’t know that to be true. What if your information is wrong? And how did you even know I worked with someone named Ben in the first place?”
I’ve had enough of this. I close the distance between us and back her plump ass into the window of the restaurant. My body is so close to hers I can smell the sweet and tangy aroma of margaritas on her breath as she exhales.
“Do it now or I’m going to walk the fuck in there and do it for you.”
Her body stiffens at the urgency in my voice, but she doesn’t make a move.
Or a sound.
“What’s it going to be, Queenie?”
Twelve
Gigi
* * *
The moment Knox corners me with that tough-as-nails expression on his face, my knees practically buckle and then a pulsing wave of warm slickness gushes in between my legs. I press my palms behind me against the smooth stones of the building to ground myself. My traitorous body is playing tricks on me because my vagina may actually believe that it’s attracted to Knox Masterson. Luckily for me, the rest of my body knows better.
“I play a sick person most days at work so I should be able to pull it off.”
A smug smile spreads across his face and I notice a dimple right below the left corner of his mouth. Something about it is super sexy. Is it new? Why have I never noticed it before?
“Hurry up," he says with some sort of new found bravado.
Knox has been ordering me around for most of my life, but something about the way he’s talking to me right now is different, or rather, my reaction to his words feels different.
My nipples feel like hard pebbles and almost hurt as the sensitive tips brush against the textured lace of my bra. If he comes one more inch closer, he could easily have me splayed out on the concrete sidewalk like a melted ice cream cone.
I've got to be careful.
I go back inside (where it’s safe) and make my apologies. I try my best not to look too long or hard at Ben… or Jake… or whoever the hell he is, just in case Knox is telling the truth.
“I’m so sorry, guys, but those margaritas are tearing up my stomach. I’m going to have to get going and get some rest.”
“I was going to invite y’all to one of my sets. I go on in a few hours,” Casper says, sounding rather disappointed that I’m cutting the night short.
“Another time,” I say, holding my stomach as if it hurts in order to sell this last-minute lie.
“Are you on the schedule for tomorrow?” Bernadette asks.
“No, Janet scheduled me for the day after tomorrow.”
“Oh, at least you have a day to recuperate. Feel better then.”
“Thanks.”
“I can ride with you in the Uber and make sure you get inside okay,” Ben suddenly offers.
And now I’m looking at him in a completely different light. We barely know each other and his offer to accompany me home seems forced. Has he taken this job purposely to get close to me? To hurt me? To use me against my family like Knox probably thinks? Or is he just a regular guy looking for a second chance in life?
“Bernadette lives further away," I say to him. "Why don’t you go with her?”
I can feel Knox’s eyes urging me on without even looking in his direction. If this takes too much longer, he’s probably going to come stomping in here and making a scene. I quickly lay two twenty-dollar-bills on the table and stand.
“Thanks for the invite, guys.” I say being cordial, but remember to have a pained look on my face. “Have a great show, Casper.”
