Chapter 7
Chapter
Seven
brONWYN
Ididn’t sleep at all last night.
Not a single fucking minute.
Instead, I spent most of the night staring at my ceiling, wondering how my life got to be such a mess. And to make matters worse, my mind kept wandering to Gio.
He drives me insane, but for some reason I can’t get him out of my head.
He’s so bossy and always has to have the last word.
He’s too attractive for his own good and that’s part of the problem.
How is it possible to hate someone yet at the same time I want to ride him into the sunset?
I really think one good rodeo would get him out of my system.
At least that’s what I keep telling myself.
It doesn’t stop my hand from reaching into my nightstand drawer where all my toys are.
I dig around until I find the purple licking rose.
I drag the waistband of my pajama pants down my legs, taking my panties with it until I can let my knees fall to the side as I hit the power button.
The toy comes to life, the soft buzzing sound echoing throughout my apartment.
I bring it between my legs as I imagine Gio’s large hands on my body, the rough feeling of his skin sending shivers down my spine as he caresses every inch.
My breath hitches as the cool silicone touches my clit, and my head tips back as I imagine Gio’s tongue devouring me like he hasn’t eaten in days.
I grow wetter as I tip my hips, giving him a better angle.
I hit the button, increasing the speed and vibration of the tongue.
A moan leaves my lips as I continue to picture Gio assaulting my pussy.
It isn’t long before the familiar tingle starts at the base of my spine.
I arch my back as the orgasm hits me full force, my walls spasming an empty chamber, making the longing for Gio’s cock even worse.
I lie there on my bed with my chest heaving up and down. “God, this fucking sucks.”
Leaning over, I put my toy away in the nightstand before pulling my pajama bottoms back up, wishing I had a reason to leave them off, but alas, the only reason there aren’t cobwebs down there is because of my drawer.
I lie there hoping the orgasm would lull me to sleep, but of course it didn’t. Why would anything in my life go the way I want it to? I lay there until I decided I couldn’t think another second about it and turned on my gaming system to escape my fucked-up reality.
I would give a lot to be able to be a dark elf in real life and have my necromancer abilities transferred. The damage I would cause to all those who have wronged me would solve all of my problems, including the one I’m in now.
It isn’t long before I’m logged in and lost in a quest.
mrfafo asked to join your quest.
I smile to myself as I accept.
I was hoping he would come online eventually.
“You’re up late. Can’t sleep?” His voice sounds through my headset.
I’ve never met him in person, but we met in one of the major cities in my game.
I was walking past, listening to the usual gossip about who is online cheating, as I do from time to time, when he followed me to a quest. We tag-teamed it, and well, the rest was history.
That was about a year ago now, but I feel like I’ve known him for my entire life.
It’s kind of weird to be close with someone who you’ve never met in person and don’t know their real name. He told me it’s Wiz, but I have a very hard time believing his mom gave him that name. I haven’t pried, and he hasn’t divulged. I’d trust him with my life, though.
I sigh into the microphone. “Nope. It’s been a fucking day.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” Wiz asks.
I snort.
Do I want to talk about it? He’s probably the only person I can talk to about this and it won’t come back to bite me in the ass.
So, hell yeah I do before my mind eats me alive.
“Long story short, my dad is in debt to someone who I assume isn’t a good person, and I had to lend him money. Now I’m short on rent and it’s going to be late. But my landlord gave me an extension, so that’s helping a little.”
I follow behind him into a cave, drawing my sword in case anything along the cave walls decides to come alive and try to take us out zombie-style.
Wiz makes a noise in his throat. “Damn. There’s some shady ass people in the world.
You know what he’s involved in?” I swing my sword, pressing down on the button more aggressively than I normally would, stabbing a skeleton who came to life in the chest before it got Wiz.
“Thanks for that. I didn’t see him come up behind me. Fucking bastards.”
“No problem. It’s what I’m here for. As far as what he’s involved in, he wouldn’t tell me. I do know he likes to gamble.”
Wiz kills the guys ahead of us, leaving us alone in a stone room to figure out how to get out. There’s always a puzzle somewhere that opens a secret door.
“Shit, for real?” he asks.
“Yeah.”
I hate that my dad’s stuff still bothers me as a grown adult. No matter how hard you try, some stuff never leaves you.
“Sorry about it, babe.”
“It’s not your fault. Let’s finish this quest.”
I spent the next few hours playing online with Wiz. He didn’t ask about my dad again, and I didn’t offer up anything more. It felt nice to tune out the outside world and get lost in my fantasy world. What I wouldn’t give to live in it right now.
My life likes to do this funny thing where it never allows me to enjoy the wins, no matter how big or small, for very long.
Something always happens that sets me back, and this time…
I don’t think I would have been able to recover without the hush money I’m getting.
I know the strings that come along with the money will catch up with me eventually, but well, one problem at a time.
By the time I sign off for the night, the sun is rising.
“This is going to be such a long day,” I groan as I lean back on the couch and rub my temples. I can already feel a low-grade migraine starting. That always pairs well when you work in customer service.
I could try to get a few hours of sleep before I need to be up to open the store, but I have a feeling that’s just going to make my migraine worse.
I need food.
The kind that I don’t have to make.
After showering and putting on a light layer of makeup to attempt to conceal the sleep-deprived bags under my eyes, I grab my bag and head out the door.
I tuck an earbud into each ear on my walk to The Drip.
Hello Operator by The White Stripes sounds in my ear, immediately getting me out of my head and my mind back in its wandering state.
The best way to dissociate from your life when video games aren’t an option is to think of a scenario or scene and plant yourself in it as if that’s your real life and not the one you’re currently living.
Some might call me a dreamer, while others call me a fucking weirdo.
I think it’s an innovative way of handling things.
Once inside The Drip, I order my usual cold brew and a breakfast sandwich before finding a table in the corner to hide at while I wait for my order to be delivered.
I people-watch through the window, zoning out as I watch the world pass by.
“Is this seat taken?” A smooth, deep voice startles me from my thoughts and pulls my attention away from the street. Before I can answer, his hand is already pulling out the seat across from me.
I look at him, a little shocked at how forward he’s being and assuming I would say yes.
“What if I told you I’m waiting for my boyfriend to join me?” I ask as I take the earbud out and meet his gaze for the first time, and my breath catches in my throat.
His eyes are a deep brown, but not the kind you get lost in like Gio’s. No, these are the kind you know trouble follows.
“If a man calls himself a man at all, he wouldn’t leave a beautiful woman like yourself alone. Especially when she has that look on her face,” he says as he takes a seat, settling in.
“What kind of look?” I ask as I tilt my head, confused.
“The kind that looks like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.”
My head moves back as I study him, doing everything I can not to show how his words affected me.
Who is this guy?
“I don’t have the weight of the world on my shoulders,” I mutter, looking anywhere but at him now. I feel as if he’s stripped me and now I’m splayed wide open for everyone to watch, and I hate it.
Where is my order?
I look around the coffee shop, hoping to see my order on its way to me or to focus on anything but him.
“I would beg to differ, but that’s an argument for another day,” he retorts.
His chair creaks, drawing my attention back to him.
He’s now relaxed back with his arms crossed, staring at me with an easy smirk covering his lips.
He’s dressed in a tailored suit, much like one Gio would wear, except this one doesn’t hold a candle to his.
His hair is slicked with gel into a side part with a swoosh like all the models you see do.
On paper, he looks like a normal guy. There’s something about him I can’t shake, though.
Call it a woman’s intuition or whatever you want, but pair those eyes with that smirk and it feels like he knows something that I don’t.
Which is crazy because I’ve never laid eyes on this man before in my entire life.
“Have—”
“Cold brew with a splash of almond milk and a turkey bacon breakfast sandwich?” the girl cuts me off as she asks for confirmation before she sets it down at my table.
“Yes, thank you.” I force a smile to hide the discomfort I’m feeling as she sets it down in front of me.
“Anything else I can grab for you?” The worker looks between us.
I shake my head. Her eyes linger on the man across from me as she retreats.
“You were saying?” the man across from me presses as soon as she is out of earshot.
I put the straw in my mouth and take a large sip of my coffee as I study him. Nope, I’ve definitely never seen this man before. “I was asking if I’ve met you before,” I finally say.