"I miss you," he whispered in her ear.
She wanted to believe him, but she couldn't. The burden of the untenable situation weighed on her as she trudged to the Olive and Twist.
They were about to open for the evening, and she prepped her bar station and watched as patrons trickled in. While Allie was making drinks, someone approached the bar.
"Today's specials are on the board. I'll be with you in a—Bryce," she said, almost dropping the bottle of expensive liquor she was holding. "What are you doing here?"
Bryce was there, at her bar! She was going to kill Stacy for telling him where she was.
"Well, well, well," he said with a leer. "The last time I saw you, you put a gun in my face. Glad to see you being more hospitable."
"What would you like to order?" she asked him through gritted teeth.
He looked around at the mostly empty bar then leaned in. "I'll take you bent over the bar. We can do it here or go around back."
She turned beet red. "Either order a drink or leave."
"I'll leave, but you'll be seeing more of me," he told her. "I don't like the way things ended between us. Now that I'm back from my security assignment in Nigeria, I plan to pick up right where we left off."
His hand darted out, and he pulled her in for a kiss that felt like a punch. She was too shocked to resist.
When she left for home that night, Allie looked around nervously. What if Bryce had followed her? Her spirits sank as she walked into the old building where Arnold, and now she, lived. It was so dingy and depressing.
Allie paused outside of the studio apartment. She could hear the sounds of a porn film playing through the door, and she felt tears prick her eyes.
Slumping down, she rested her head on her hands. She wanted someone to come save her. It had been months since starting her workplace affair with Carter. She had gotten nowhere. She looked online, sitting in the hallway outside of Arnold's crusty studio apartment.
Don't keep sleeping with him!advice columnists screamed at her.
Men just want easy hookups. Don't be one of them!
Break up with him!
But she didn't want to break up with Carter. Somehow, Allie still had hope that he would see that they could be good together.
"He thinks of you as a transaction," she hissed to herself. She didn't have a lot of experience with rich people, but wasn't that how they treated everyone, like something to be bought and paid for—or in her case, not paid for?
She needed to admit to herself that he was just using her. He wasn't even buying her nice presents. Even Stacy got a better deal with her sugar daddy. She needed to cut him off. But maybe he would see the error of his ways. She didn't know if she could bear to lose what little she had with Carter.
The next day, Allie tried to pretend to be in a better mood. She, Liz, and Carter left the building to go to the noodle place for lunch and talk about their project.
It was the closest she would get to a date with Carter, she thought wistfully. He and Liz looked so perfect together. Allie felt out of place in her cheap clothes.
Be grateful for what you do have,she told herself. It was hard not to feel inferior.
"Allie!" someone called.
She whirled around. There was Stacy, clopping toward her on platform stilettos.
"What are you doing here, Stacy?" Allie said, aghast.
"Carter!" Stacy squealed and threw herself in his arms.
Liz looked appalled, and Carter froze as Stacy kissed him on the mouth.
"Stacy," Allie hissed and hauled her old roommate off of Carter. "You guys go on ahead," she said.
"We’ll order for you," Carter told her and hurried off.
