4
BRIAR
My body is still buzzing.A day later, mopping down the grimy counter at the truck stop, I’mstill buzzing.Every time I move, I feel it. The ghost of pressure, heat, a pulse from where his mouth was. I nearly drop my rag.
Just thinking about him pulls my mind away from what I’m doing. He’s not even here, yet he’s the ultimate distraction. I’ve touched myself before, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. What Gareth gave me was the whole shebang. And he woke something up inside of me.
I still can’t believe it happened either. It’s like a dream. A fantasy I didn’t even know I had, and it came true.
My toes are burning, stuffed into a pair of shoes that are a size too small. I’m dying for something to eat too, and the rice cakes I brought from home just aren’t cutting it.
“Hey, can I get a warm-up over here!” The gruff voice shakes me out of my reminiscing. It’s Ross, a regular, who always toes the rudeness line. He’s a dick but not quite enough of a dick that he gets thrown out by Tony, the owner.
Normally, he doesn’t annoy me that much. But tonight, he’s hitting on my mom. And she seems to be falling for it. I try notto watch as she fawns all over his filthy arms, sweat-stained T-shirt, and denim vest. I just refill his coffee and walk away.
Behavior like this is probably why I don’t know who my father is. I’ve learned to deal with it over the years, but the thought of Ross coming back to the trailer tonight makes me sick to my stomach.
Thankfully, just as I’m about to lose myself in the horror of those thoughts, Sarah bursts through the door, waving a yellow daisy in her hand.
“Y’all serve cheeseburgers in here?” she calls out, striding up to the bar with that confidence I always envy. I’m smirking as she perches on a stool and hands me the flower. “Because I could use somemeat!”
“That’s what I’m talking about—”
“Shut up, Ross,” she snaps. I have to turn away to hide my laughter, and I quickly go to the soda machine and fill her a glass of Sprite.
I trade it to her for the flower, which she slips into the breast pocket of my apron. She’s always bringing me silly little gifts, ever since we were kids. I have an entire drawer at home dedicated to them.
We’ve always been polar opposites, which is one of the reasons I think we get along so well. I’m quiet, she’s loud. I’m an introvert, she’s an extrovert. Men are a foreign species to me, while Sarah makes her living off them. She works as a receptionist at an art gallery during the day but strips at night and makes a fortune.
I can’t even imagine having the guts to do what she does. Just being in the interrogation room with Gareth, knowing there could have been men on the other side watching us, had my heart racing.
Then again, there was something hot about it…the idea of them watching, wishing they were him, when in reality, onlyhecould have a taste of me.
“Hello?” Sarah snaps her fingers in front of my face. I realize I’ve been off somewhere in a stupor, dreaming of Gareth and everything he did to me. “Earth to Briar? Anybody home?”
“S–sorry,” I stammer. “How’s it going?”
“How’s it going?” she laughs. “I’m the one who should be askingyouthat. So who is he?”
“Who is who?”
I’m playing dumb, but she sees right through me and shakes her head. “No, no. I know that look. You met somebody.”
“Shhh!” I exclaim as my mom starts to glance over. “Can you keep your voice down for five seconds?”
Sarah laughs, pops her straw from its paper, and slips it into her Sprite. “Spill.”
Honestly, I don’t even know where to begin. I’ve never had a boyfriend before, and I’m supposed to tell her about how I got turned on by the cop who pulled be over, cuffed me, and then went down on me at the police station?
And that Iloved it?
It’s not that I want to hide it from her. She’s my best-friend. I just honestly don’t know how to even start the conversation.
“HELLO!?”Another snap in my face. “You’re spacing out again.”
“Sorry.”
“And you’re blushing.”
