On closer inspection, it is, in fact, exactly what I thought it was. It’s a birthday cake for me.
I notice the white buttercream icing is topped with cherries and grin. I love cherries. Choosing to ask for forgiveness later—assuming the cake isn’t supposed to be for now—I pull a knife from the block in the open-plan kitchen and cut myself a slice.
Forgoing a plate or napkin, I pick up my definitely larger-than-average slice and take a huge bite. The vanilla sponge practically melts in my mouth and the pleasure makes me think of the man playing hide and seek with me. I wonder how long I could leave him out there before he gets bored…
I chuckle to myself at the thought as I head outside, ready to try Tanner at his own game and play with him. I plan to find him,which I’m sure won’t be hard if he plans to have his eyes on me the whole time, then I’m going to tease him by circling him for as long as I can handle. The cake is a welcome distraction, or an additional tool to tease him with.
Being a wanton sex goddess has never really been me, but the comfort I feel with Tanner makes it easy. This game would have had me running for a mile at the mere suggestion, but the red flags Tanner waves around have lost their color. They’re more gray, like a pretty silver.
I feel like I’ve had some kind of sexual awakening as I carefully tread through the rough terrain of the forest, licking the icing on the cake before taking a satisfying bite. My moans are exaggerated, louder than normal, but half an hour and two trips over fallen branches later, I’m bored.
Where the fuck is he?
The weather is beginning to turn, the wind picking up and whipping my short hair around my face. I wrap my arms around myself and shiver, the cake long-gone, and I’m considering leaving the asshole outside by himself to go and cut myself another slice.
Another thirty minutes go by and I’m done. My vagina is drier than a nun’s, I’m cold, and I’m now really hungry too, bordering on hangry after all this time unsuccessfully searching for dick.
“You can come out now, I’m not playing anymore.” I think I’m lost. How far did I walk?
The sound of a car from a nearby road catches my attention and I head in that direction. Maybe there are some signs that’ll show me where to go. Although…I don’t recall any of the signs on the way here, I wasn’t paying enough attention to my surroundings.
It’s something Tanner has been trying to drill into me, to be aware of what’s going on around me so I’m not taken off-guard.
Well…whoops?
The road is unhelpful and may as well be deserted. The car I heard is long gone.
“Tanner! This isn’t fun anymore. Where are you?” The sound of another car in the distance grabs my attention. Maybe I can flag them down for some help.
But what would I tell them?
Hi, I don’t know where my asshole friend is, but it’s a cabin somewhere, possibly around here, possibly an hour’s walk away, depending on how much of a circle I’ve walked in…
Yeah…fuck. These stupid pants didn’t have room for my cell, so I left it in the car like the clever dickhead I am, and Tanner’s promise of always having an eye on me feels like a flat-out lie.
Is he doing it again? Is this the adult version of being bullied by him?
Panic begins to overtake the confident, sexual woman I feel like I was becoming because…shit. The car in the distance is a cop, lights on the roof and everything. Has Tanner ratted me out? Is that what all this was really about?
My heart is beating faster than ever before. I can practically feel the thud against my chest bone as the cop slows down and pulls up beside me. With his hand on his holster, he eyes me up and down, a look of disgust on his face.
“Get in the back of the car.” No introduction, no pleasantries. What the fuck is this guy’s problem?
Does he know what I did?
“Am I under arrest, sir?” Maybe if I polite the pants off him, he’ll let me go.
“I said get in the back of the car.”
Okay, his tone is way off and this is beginning to feel a lot like not being arrested, but something else altogether.
“I asked whether I am under arrest, Officer.” He doesn’t deserve the sir anymore.
He snarls and I notice the twitch in his cheek before he makes a move to pull out his gun. I’m not waiting around, I’m taking my chances because this is more kinds of fucked than murdering my high school and college bully.
Screaming at the top of my lungs, I turn to run for the trees, all my hopes pinned on the man I have let in more than anyone, the man I was doubting two minutes ago, the man I hope keeps his promises.
Chapter Seventeen
