“Don’t touch me, Taylor.”
She slips between the table and me, and responds with a sultry pout. She leans in closer to me. I pull away, but she just smirks. “I know that’s not what you actually want.” This time her hand brushes my leg, and I jump up so quickly I nearly knock my seat down too. She chuckles.
“Don’t touch me.” I say again through gritted teeth.
She rolls her eyes and picks up the seat Trevor knocked over, bending in a way I’m sure is meant to entice. I take another step back and away. She’s beautiful enough to make the men around us eye her practically naked form, but she’s ugly where it matters.
“Baby, your little ex is trying to get me fired for no reason.” This she says loudly, her pout obviously intended for an audience.
This conniving little bitch. This is my fault.
I lean back in toward where she sits and try to speak clearly in a way for her and the others clearly watching and listening to actually understand. “Do not call me baby. And, just so that you are aware,anyonewho knows Becky knows that she has too much integrity in her little finger to do something petty like that.” I pause to let the next part sink in. “Unprovoked. Is that what you’re doing? Are you provoking her, Taylor? Starting drama at a school?”
She sighs, and lays her hand to her very prominent cleavage. She stands, making her suddenly very close. “You know me, Carter, I would never stoop to something solow, unless it was for somethingverysatisfying for both of us.” She manages to make the entire sentence sound full of innuendo, reaching out to run her hand down my shirt. I take a step back, putting distance between us.
“I need you to leave me alone, and I need you to stop talking about me, stop sending yourself shit with my name on it, and stop, for the love of everything that is holy on this Earth,stopmessing with Becky.”I’ve been progressively backing away from her and from the table, but she’s been following me step for step until my back is against the wall near the back exit.
She leans into me again, and I hold my breath against her stink. “Make me.” She whispers it against my cheek while her hands drop down from my face to skim across my abs. I slip out of her hold, no longer trying to be careful, and knock her off balance.
I hear an “Umph” but I don’t turn back. I just turn to the convenient door and walk straight out of Joe’s. I don’t look back until I’m out of the alleyway and reach my truck.
A shudder rolls through my frame.I need to take a shower. I’m filthy. I’m disgusting.
When I hear my phone ring, my first impulse is to ignore it because it is never who I want it to be, but I take it out of my pocket just in case. Ialwayscheck just in case.
My Perfect Fiancee Calling.
I almost drop my phone. She hasn’t called since—Well, I don’t remember the last time she called. I know it was before everything fell to shit. I answer it as quickly as I can, ripping open the door to my truck and throwing myself in there for some privacy.
“Becks, hi,” is my opening because why not?
“Hey Carter, I saw you.” She says and I don’t know how to respond until she whispers something low, sadness coating her words. “You’re her Carter now.” My heart makes a painful thump in my chest.Silly, Becky. My heart is so clearly yours.
“No baby, I’m not hers. I’ve never been hers, I’ll neverbehers. I swear to you.” I stop before I talk too much. I want to hearher.
“It sure seemed like you were hers with the music and the laughing and the—the dinners.” She sniffles, the phone muffled, and I just want to be where she is. I want to hold her while she deals with the mess I made, the pain I caused.
“No, never. No matter where I was, no matter who I was with, I was still, and have always beenyours.” I hope that reassures her to some degree.
“I hope you’re not doing the flowers and chocolatay’s things with her.” Her voice slurs over the words. “You never did with me…I’m sad now.”
Don’t worry, baby. She has hers coming, and it is not in the form of chocolates or flowers.“Definitely not Becky. You’re the only one I would do that for. You need to go to bed, baby. You have work in the morning and we both know you can’t teach and be hung over.”
“Pffft, watch me, bitch.” Then she hangs up.
I laugh because she’s just so, Becky. And now, with that call, she’s finally opened the door for me. There’s my sign.
15
THE FLOWERS
BECKY
Iwake up to a pounding headache and my alarm going offobviouslyfar too early. I peel open my eyes and peek at my windows.
Still dark. Need sleep.
I roll back over, covering my head with my blankets, until logic filters in.Shit, it’s Thursday.
