“This is already the best birthday I’ve ever had.” I squeeze him tighter, savoring that rare feeling of being completely and fully happy. Before I met Valeri, these moments were so fucking rare that I could barely remember how it felt, but he makes it seem normal to walk around in a state of pure bliss. It’s so effortless with him. I don’t even have to think about it.
“I don’t want to let you go, but I’ve got to do a few things before tonight. I’ll pick you up at the same place I dropped you off the other day, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Text me so I know you’re safe.”
“Okay,” I say, smiling even bigger at how damn protective he is.
“I’ll see you tonight, baby.”
“Okay.”
He laughs and kisses me again. “I’m going to miss you.”
“Okay,” I say and then squeal when he tickles me.
“Okay? No, I’ll miss you too, Valeri?”
I laugh and choke out an “I’ll miss you too, Valeri.” By the time he lets up, tears are running down my face, and I’m out of breath. I cup his face and kiss him. “You know I’ll miss you like crazy and not just because you give me such good orgasms.”
He smiles against my lips and smacks my ass. “Better be nice or I’ll make you wait a really long time before you get another.”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me, baby.” He smacks my ass hard enough to sting. “That’s a small preview of what you’re getting later. Twenty-one spankings,lapochka.”
I rock my hips and suck on his bottom lip. I could get used to having all of Valeri’s attention. I’m already completely addicted to him, and I know that may not be a wise choice, but I can either hold part of myself back to avoid getting hurt, or I can embrace this miraculous opportunity with both hands and hope like hell it doesn’t ever slip through my fingers. I’d rather experience this, even if it does end with my heart being shattered into a million unfixable pieces, than hide from it and regret it for the rest of my life.
With a pained sigh, he kisses me one last time and sets me down. “Don’t forget to text, and I hope your eye appointment goes well.”
“I will.” I grab my flowers, giving them one last big sniff before handing them to him. “Can you hold onto these for me?” Before I hand them over, I snap off the head of one rose, smelling it again before putting it in my pocket.
“That might be the saddest fucking thing I’ve ever seen, Evie. I swear to god, I’m getting you out of that fucking house, and then you’re going to be surrounded by fresh flowers every goddamn day for the rest of your life.”
I cup his face and smile up at him. “Thanks for coming to visit me.”
“I’ll keep visiting until I can convince you to quit,” he says, giving me a wink before he turns around to leave. I’m so focused on his perfect ass that I don’t notice he’s looking over his shoulder and caught me staring. His deep laugh has my cheeks heating up, but it’s not really my fault. The man’s ass is amazing. “See you soon, baby.”
Jerry’s giving me a big smile when I come back down to my locker. “I like your boyfriend. He may have a lot of tattoos, but it’s obvious he’s crazy about you and completely devoted to you.”
I couldn’t hide my smile even if I’d wanted to. He laughs and shuts his locker before turning back around and handing me a card. “Happy birthday, Evie.” He gives my arm a soft pat as he walks by. “Just a little something from me and Betty, honey.”
“Thanks, Jerry. You didn’t have to do that. It’s enough that you’re covering me for tonight’s shift.”
“We wanted to.” He gives me a wink. “First round of drinks are on us.”
I laugh and say, “Tell Betty I said thanks.”
“Will do.”
He leaves while I quickly step out of my coveralls so I can run to get my eye exam done. One of the perks of this job is that it does come with some very basic insurance so I can at least stay up to date on things and I don’t have to worry about a simple UTI emptying my account of what little money I have. The doctor is just one street over, and I’ve got a little time to kill, so I open my birthday card, smiling when I see it’s a cute puppy with a birthday hat on. They’ve tucked two twenties inside, and my eyes get a bit watery at how damn sweet they are. I decide to treat myself to a birthday latte on my way and then pocket the rest.
When I walk out of the doctor’s an hour later, I’m down to ten dollars thanks to my co-pay, but I do have two pairs of sample contacts. I couldn’t afford to order any, and I’m pretty sure the doctor slipped me an extra sample pair out of pity, but I’m not saying no to it today. I’d rather swallow my pride and have the contacts. I check my watch and decide I have time for a quick stop at the Goodwill store on the corner. It’s where I’ve always bought all my clothes. I tell myself that it’s the environmentally responsible thing to do because there’s too much waste in the world already, but the truth is it still embarrasses the hell out of me. I’m not walking in here because it’s trendy or responsible; I’m here because I’m broke and I’ve always been broke, and every time I walk through the racks of clothes, painful memories hit me of being teased at school because nothing I ever wore looked new. Most of the stuff was faded and ill-fitting.
When I pass by the children’s section, I notice that the selection they have is way better than the stuff they had when I was little. Back then the store was brand-new and the selection was half of what it is now. It makes me feel better to know the kids have more options than I did. Hopefully it’ll help them avoid the embarrassment that I endured.
I stop at what I always call the fancy rack. It’s the one I usually avoid because I’ve never had a use for it, but I want something special for tonight. I flip through until I find a really cute off-the-shoulder top that’s in a vibrant red that hasn’t yet faded from too many washings. I examine it closely, not too surprised when I see a tiny black stain along the very bottom. It’s on the side, though, and I don’t think it’s noticeable. I push aside my annoyance at someone donating a shirt that’s already stained and instead turn my attention to the skirts. I’m not usually a skirt kind of girl, but I really want to go all out. It’s my birthday, and I have a gorgeous boyfriend who can’t seem to keep his hands off me and plans to bury his head between my legs later. If that isn’t reason to celebrate, then I don’t know what is.
