Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 99921 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99921 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Still dangling him in the air, I used him for a bicep curl, bringing his face nice and close to mine, and motioned to the track below. “Are you giving me back Josie’s money, or am I tossing you over this railing?”
“I don’t even have it all! I had to pay my bookie.”
“I’ll take whatever’s left.”
“But I got a sure thing!”
“Trust me, the only sure thing you have is me breaking a few bones if that cash isn’t in my hands in the next ten seconds. I’m not fucking around, Ray. You got me?”
I waited until he nodded before setting him back on his feet. He dug into his dingy pants pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. When he handed it over, he huffed and turned to leave, but I put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. “Not so fast. Give me what’s in the other pocket.”
“I don’t have anything in the other pocket.”
“Then inside-out it and show me lint. Otherwise, I’m going to do it for you, and getting that close to your junk is only going to piss me off.”
Ray mumbled something I couldn’t make out, but he reached into his other pocket and pulled out a second, smaller wad of cash.
I took it and gave him a little push. “Now go the fuck home. And if I find out you ever ask Josie for so much as a ride, we won’t be having a gentleman’s conversation like we just did. You’ll be swallowing all your teeth before you even get a look at who did the punching.”
CHAPTER 21
* * *
Therapy
Josie
I hit the Join button at 5:59. It might’ve been the first time I’d looked forward to my therapy session. My head had been spinning all day, after the amazing weekend I’d spent with Fox, and I thought it might be nice to talk through what I was feeling with someone.
Cynthia joined right on time with a smile. “Hi, Josie.”
I adjusted my laptop screen so she could see my whole face over Zoom. “Hi. How are you?”
“I’m good.”
“Your hair looks nice. Did you do something different?”
“No, I just blew it out for a change.”
“Are you going somewhere special tonight?”
I didn’t have any plans, but a certain grumpy neighbor had texted and asked if he could stop by later. “Not really. Well, umm…I guess someone’s coming over.”
Even fourteen-hundred miles away and talking over the Internet, my therapist could read me. She smiled. “Do you want to talk about whoever is coming over?”
I let out an anxious breath. “I actually do.”
“I’m going to guess it’s a male guest?”
I nodded. “My neighbor Fox.”
“Oh. You’ve mentioned him before. When you first got down there, I think. He’s the one who gave you a hard time about doing the construction yourself, right?”
I nibbled on my bottom lip. I’d forgotten I’d brought him up during one of my previous sessions. “Yes. He did give me a hard time. But he’s also helped me a lot. That’s sort of Fox’s MO, a giant contradiction. But the house wouldn’t be in half as good a shape without everything he’s done.”
“That’s great. Helpful neighbors are worth their weight in gold.” She paused. “Is there anything else you want to tell me about him?”
My mind immediately fired off lots of things…
He’s great in bed.
His dick is scary huge.
We didn’t get out of bed the entire weekend.
But instead I went with something more conservative.
“We’ve been spending time together. Intimate time, I mean.”
Cynthia kept her face neutral. “Okay. And how do you feel about that? Do you think you’re ready for a relationship?”
I shook my head. “Oh, it’s not a relationship. It’s just…sex.”
“That type of relationship definitely has its perks. Of course, it also has its pitfalls.”
“I’ve only experienced the perks so far.” I couldn’t help but crack a smile. “Lots of perks, actually.”
My therapist smiled. “I’m glad to hear that. But tell me why it’s a sex-only arrangement and not the beginning of something more. Is that your doing?”
“I’m not even sure, to be honest. I think we both have a lot of baggage and want to keep it simple. He took me on a date to a fancy restaurant because he thought that’s what I would expect. Then when I mentioned his dead fiancée during dinner, he disappeared to the bathroom. When he came back, he tried to tell me our going out was a bad idea because he couldn’t give me what I needed. That’s when I suggested we take the food home and just have sex.”
“Oh my. His fiancée died?”
I nodded. “I’m not even sure how. The only thing I know is her first name was Evie. He definitely shuts down at the mention of her, even casually.”
“And this arrangement is what you really want? Sometimes relationships like this can get sticky. Even when two people go into it with the same mindset, things can change. Despite the best of intentions, one of you could develop feelings while the other doesn’t.”