In the Mix (30 page)

I lean into her ear. “I said no. You are not going to run because something is hard for you to face. That is
your
best friend over there and
your
sister. They both need
your
support. I understand that you are feeling some things right now and want to be left alone to feel them. I agree; you need that. But for right now, you need to push that aside and be here for them. You got me?” I grab her chin gently with my thumb and forefinger to bring her eyes to mine.

“Yes,” she simply says then nods.

“Good girl.” I kiss her lips.

“I’m going to have to fuck the shit out of you later to work through this, just so you know.”

“Whatever it takes to help you cope, beautiful.” I bite my smile back.

“Go ahead and clean-up with the guys. I know you got a hard on the moment Daddy mentioned cleaning,” she teases me.

“I don’t know how I’m going to walk, balancing this thing.” I kiss her quickly before grabbing some plates. She heads back over to the girls but steals a glance at me. I give her a wink.

Mitch told me after dinner that once it was time to leave, the actual event of leaving wouldn’t occur for another hour. I didn’t understand what he was really talking about until everyone started to announce their departure and it indeed, did not occur for another hour. I don’t even understand why everyone was standing around. They were just reiterating the plans for the next dinner over and over again. “They linger, it’s like a disorder or something.” Mitch leaned into my ear.

“This is fucking nuts, bro. I was ready to leave at eight.” I looked at my watch again. Finally, I had taken charge by grabbing CiCi’s hand and just yelling our goodbyes to them as we left.

Safe and sound now, in my car, I can’t wait to get her home to help her fulfill her coping plan. But first, I have to nip something in the bud before it eats me alive. “What am I to you?” I glance over as I make a right turn off of her parent’s street and onto the main road.

“Jesus Christ, Kyle. Don’t fucking start.” She sighs and looks out her window.

“Are you going to see other guys while I’m in Spain?” Just as I finish the question, we hit a downpour. I flick my windshield wipers on but it’s no use. I pull over and put my hazards on.

“Are you going to see other women over there?” she asks quietly while looking down to her lap.

“What other women? You’re the only one I’ve been able to
see
for months now. Nobody compares to you, Ceese.

“You were
seeing
giggles. What was up with her hair, too? I kept hearing the theme song to Buck Rogers.” She laughs.

“The year was 1987 . . .” we both say in unison.
Holy shit.
I can’t believe she knows the opening.

“I kept calling her Twiki.” I laugh. “Anyways, she was nothing and you know that. I was trying to forget about you.” I grab her hand.

“How’d that work out for you?”

“It didn’t and I’m glad.”

“Let’s play fact or fiction.” She taps my hand.

“Um . . . ok.”

“I’ll go first and you tell me if it’s fact or fiction.”

“Go ahead.”

“I love the color purple.”

“Fact.”

“Yes. How did you know?” She smiles.

“You have it everywhere.” I chuck her chin. “My turn?”

“Yes.”

“I graduated college a year early.”

“Fact!”

“Fiction. I could have but I added a ton of classes I didn’t need for my degree.”

“Why?”

“Because I wanted to learn about those subjects.”

“Nerd,” she teases. “I’ve never had sex in a car before.”

“Fiction.” I scoff.

“Fact.” She pokes at my chest.

“Well, that’s just un-American.”

“Want to change that for me, Kyle?” She begins to unbutton the front of her dress. Slowly she reveals her breasts to me. I lean forward and cup her right one. “Well?”

I sweep her lips with mine. “The rain is letting up, beautiful. Let’s just go home.” I pull her dress back up.

“Seriously?” she asks in disbelief.

“Yes.” I situate myself back in the driver side and signal to get back on the road. “Ceese . . .” I try to get her attention. She stays quiet. “When I start, I’m not gonna want to stop. That’s why.”

“Oh.”

I reach my hand out for hers and feel her soft fingers lace with mine. “What were all of the girls handing you tonight?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I walked by the room you girls were in and I saw them all handing you a check. Why?”

She clears her throat. “That’s none of your business.”

“Can we just sit down and go over your stuff tonight?” This is so frustrating. I wish she would just let me help.

“I have it figured out, Kyle. You need to stop. Just slow the fuck down.” She lets go of my hand and grabs her phone.

“What are you doing?”

“Checking my phone.”

“I’m trying to talk to you and you’re checking your phone? Why?”

“Kyle, what do you want?” She turns her whole body my way.

“Just you.”

“Then stop. You’re crowding me with your need to swoop in and fix everything. I can figure this out. I already have a plan. Can you just have a little confidence in me?” she pleads.

Damn. She’s right.

“Sorry. When you are comfortable enough, will you at least share your ideas with me? I’d like to hear them.” I turn the wipers off. My street doesn’t even look like it got one drop.

“When I’m comfortable, Kyle, yes.” She throws her phone back in her bag as I pull into my driveway.

“Can I just give you my final two cents on this?” I ask, turning the car off.

“What?”

“What if you do indeed have a fantastic idea but I have just the thing to tweak it to make it better? Or, what if I come up with an idea that you hadn’t thought of? This is hard for me, Ceese. I’m a closer. That takes a good amount of research to do it well. I’m really good at research. I don’t ever think I’ve missed an angle. You’re looking at this as your boyfriend trying to come in and save the day. And, yes, that is partly true but you need to remember that I am a business man with my head in the game at all times. My company does so well because I help Mitch stay at least two steps ahead of the other guys. I just want you to stop and think about that, Ceese. This isn’t just what it feels like; I actually know what the fuck I’m doing,” I finish.

“That was more than two cents,” she laughs. “Kyle, I will think about what you said. You do have a valid point but I like to figure shit out myself. If I can’t figure it out, I will come to you, okay?” She lays the side of her head against the seat as she stares at me.

“Okay.” I palm her cheek and plant several kisses on her lips. “Ready to go in?”

“Does Pinocchio have a wooden dick?”

I roll my eyes and let out a small laugh. “C’mon, sweet cheeks.” I open my door.

“Ugh! Don’t call me that,” she complains as she climbs out of her side.

“No?” I chuckle.

“No.” She looks over her shoulder at me as she walks up to the door.

“Alright. But you know, it would be nice to hear an endearment from you.”

“What are you talking about? I have an endearment that I use for you all time.”

“
Dipshit
really doesn’t fall under that category.” I reach past her and unlock the door.

“It does in my book. That name is reserved for the special people in my life.” She walks in ahead of me.

Falling . . .

I’m going to keep my cool.

I’m going to keep my cool.

I don’t think I’m going to be able to keep my cool. I stare at the clock. I have a half an hour until she gets here. Since the day I met her, I have never once been angry with Lindsay. I’m fuming. Yet, I can’t be or, at least, I can’t project that rage at her. Kyle told me this morning what he discovered that she was doing. God, her intentions were so sweet but this is not how you do things. She invaded my privacy and she needs to understand that while her intentions were great, she really can’t do stuff like this. The biggest problem? I am the one who has to correct her on this. Me!

Fuck my life.

What did she do? She took some of my bills and tried to make payments on them. Of course, I didn’t notice because I have every bill five times. For some reason, these companies think by simply sending you another bill, stating the same exact thing, that you will magically be able to pull money out of your ass. I haven’t shit green since I was a baby. Look, I get it—I really do. She’s just trying to be a good friend and at the same time, she’s making sure I don’t let her go completely. But, man . . . going through my personal shit? That’s not okay; it just isn’t.

“Bark Avenue,” I answer the phone. God only knows how long it was ringing.

“Hey, beautiful,” Kyle’s sexy voice greets me. I may be willing to admit that my anger and anxiety have just climbed down about ten notches.

“Hey, yourself,” I sigh as I sit down and play mindlessly with the phone cord.

“Do you find Mondays a good day to be open for business?”

Is he fucking kidding me, right now?

“If a certain somebody doesn’t cut out his shit, I’m going to be closed for business this Monday—know what I’m sayin’?”

“How are you doing?” Smart man, changing the subject like that.

“Freaking out.” I tap my pencil continuously onto the appointment book.

“Just try to remain calm. Remember where it’s coming from. Then . . .” his voice gets lower, “remember how you woke up on the right side of the bed this morning.” I can hear his smile and mine easily matches it. Kyle introduced me to the alarm clock at his house this morning—his tongue. I woke up, coming all over his face; it was beautiful. Honestly, best fucking way to wake up—
ever!
Kyle told me to expect that wake-up call every morning with him. So, if you see me, on any random day, looking like I had my Wheaties, you’ll know I spent the night with Kyle. Also, I think I may patent that idea.

Pussy-licking alarm clock.

Fucking gold, right?

“Oh, I remember,” I say flirtatiously.

“Mmm,” he moans and I get a flash flood warning in my panties. “Yeah, I’ll be right there,” he calls out to someone. “I’ve got a meeting I need to get to, sweetness,” he says.

“You’re just trying them all out there, aren’t ya?” I laugh.

“Ugh! Can I call you after lunch?” he asks.

“Sure. Are you going straight to your meeting after hanging up?”

“Yes, why?”

“I just want to tell you something really quick.”

“Go ahead.”

“There’s just one thing I want you to think about while you’re in your meeting.”

“What’s that?”

“My pussy. You’ve made it so sore that every time I sit, I can feel you thrusting inside of me. I’ve been here ten minutes, Kyle. I’ve purposely sat twenty times. Have a good meeting,
babe.
” As I go to hang the phone up, I hear him say, “Jesus Christ, Ceese!” Ahh . . . that ought to make his meeting a little
harder
for him.

A moment later and my phone lights up with a text from him.

YOU ARE FUCKING EVIL!