Addison kept me up late last night, determined to make the most of our one night together. I thought after we had both had so many orgasms that we lost count, she would collapse next to me and sleep in my bed, but she didn’t. Instead, at three a.m., she got dressed and walked back to the main house.
I hope my disappointment wasn’t too obvious. If it was, she never said anything.
Just thinking about last night has my well-used pussy perking up, ready for round seven hundred. If I didn’t have chores to do, I might put my vibrator to good use, but I’m already running behind.
I quickly shower and dress, twisting my hair into braidsso it’s away from my face. Grabbing a protein bar, I head out the front door, intending to gather the eggs.
“Well, looks like you’re alive,” Oakley says from the bench swing on my porch, startling me. Josiah sits next to her, relishing in the attention he’s getting. He gives me a side eye look that seems a lot like judgment.
“Good grief, Oakley, you scared the daylights outta me. What are you doing here?”
She stands, and Josiah jumps down and scampers off now that no one’s giving him pets. “Your mom was worried when you didn’t bring the eggs this morning, so I offered to come check on you.”
“Oh, that’s kind of you.”
“Mhmm.” Oakley’s hazel eyes narrow on me. “You know, it’s strange. Addison came in late last night—or should I say early this mornin’? And she slept later than she usually does, too. What do you think she was up to?”
I try to keep my face neutral. To not give away that Addison was here, wringing every ounce of pleasure she could from my body while I did the same to her. I almost shiver as the memories come racing through my mind. I must not be successful at hiding it because Oakley’s face splits into a knowing grin.
“Iknewthere was something going on between you two. Tell meeverything!”
One night, and then we’d go back to being professional. That was the promise we made, and telling Oakley feels like going against that. I don’t want Addison to be upset with me.
“Nothing is going on between us. I don’t know where Addison was last night. She dropped me off and then left.”
The lies flow easily but taste like rotten milk on my tongue. I like Oakley, and I hope to build a friendship with her, but lying isn’t the way to build a good foundation. I can’t exactly tell her, though.
“Then why were you both sleeping in?” she asks.
I shrug. “It’s been a long week. Everyone’s been workin’ overtime to get ready for Mr. Dupont and his team, so it makes sense that we’d need a little extra sleep.”
“Riiiight. I’m sure there was nothing else going on. Idefinitelyhaven’t seen you two looking at each other with hearts in your eyes when you think no one’s watching. Not to mention you’ve been getting cozy since your trip to the city. AndI noticed both of you came back from the same area of the bar last night.”
Addison’s been looking at me? I thought the pining was a one-way street. I figured last night she was bored or needed a good fucking. I mean, I was already thinking about getting laid. I never thought it would be Addison, but I’m not complaining. Last night will live in my memory for a very long time.
But I still can’t let Oakley know that something happened. Deny, deny, deny.
“I don’t know what you’re seeing, but you’ve got it all wrong. We’re just coworkers. Everything else is just a coincidence.”
“That’s too many coincidences, but fine. I’ll drop it for now.”
My shoulders relax, even though I’m sure she’ll be asking about it again in a week.
Good thing there’ll be nothing to tell.
The next evening, after dinner, I’m helping Mama wash the dishes when her phone starts ringing.
“Oh dear. Briar’s callin’ me. Second time in a week. I hope she’s okay. You okay to finish up here?”
“Yeah, Mama. Go. Tell her to come home for a change.”
Mama takes the call and heads to her room to talk to my sister, and the familiar anxiety I get every few months bubbles up in my stomach. It is strange that Briar’s called twice this week. Sheusually only calls once a month, if we’re lucky. She’s busy with her job in Las Vegas, and I think she forgets that we exist.
I worry about her being all alone in such a big city. As far as Mama and Daddy know, she’s got a good group of friends she goes out with, but she never dates. I know from my visit that she dates, but she doesn’t want to settle down. She has a two-date rule and refuses to tie herself down before she’s thirty. She’s coming up close to that deadline, since she’ll be twenty-eight in October.
She’s a grown woman and can make her own choices, but I worry about her well-being. I don’t think she’d do anything super reckless; I don’t think she’s fully taking care of herself either.
Thinking about Briar in Las Vegas automatically takes my brain to Addison. She was acting like nothing had changed between us. She sat next to me and asked me a few questions about my week as if we weren’t on the same damn ranch all day, every day. I don’t know why it’s bothering me so much since we agreed this is how it would be.
