Page 35
“Did you sleep with him?” Cedric asked, turning toward her.
“Excuse me?” Nicole stared at him.
“You heard me. Did you?”
“That is none of your damn business.”
“Once he uses you up and throws you away, don’t come crying to me. I won’t be there to pick up the pieces. Not after you let him touch you.”
For one stunned second, the words only hurt. Then they pissed her off.
“Pull over.” Nicole reached for the seat belt buckle.
“What?”
She pressed the release, and the strap snapped back toward the door. “If you don’t pull over, I’m getting out right here.”
“Nicole, put your seat belt back on.”
“No.” Grabbing her clutch from the floorboard, she popped the lock and shoved the door open.
“Are you crazy? Close the door.”
Cool night air hit her bare arms and legs as she climbed out. She slammed the door and stepped up onto the sidewalk.
“Nicole!”
The cars ahead started moving, and the driver behind Cedric laid on the horn. With her clutch tucked under her arm, she just kept walking.
Away from the car, downtown seemed even louder. Cars honked, bass thumped out of somebody’s trunk, and her heels clicked against the concrete. How the hell was she getting home? The house was clear across town, part of the drive was on the interstate, and here she was in a black slip dress and shoes that killed her feet.
The storefronts were lit, and enough people were still out that she wasn’t scared exactly. Or maybe she was too angry to be scared yet.
A couple of blocks ahead, a gas station sign glowed. There would be a pay phone, and she could call a cab. If that meant waiting in a phone booth for an hour, so be it. Anything was better than getting back into Cedric’s car.
By the next block, being mad wasn’t enough to keep it from hurting.
Not after you let him touch you.
And no matter how furious she was with Cedric, she still felt guilty. Maybe letting him hope while she made up her mind had been selfish. That didn’t give him the right to say the ugly shit he’d said in that car.
She was almost there when Cedric came back around the block and eased up beside her with the passenger window down.
“Nicole. Nicole, come on.”
She didn’t even look at him. She headed straight for the gas station sign and didn’t slow down.
“Will you get in the car? Come on. I didn’t mean it.”
“I think I’ll walk.”
“I’m not leaving you out here.”
“It’s not up to you. I’m not getting back in that car, so just go. I need to be alone right now.”
Another horn sounded behind him, then another. Cedric pulled into a no-parking space ahead, got out, and stood beside the open driver’s door.
“Baby, please. Will you just stop and talk to me?”
