7. Wren
7
WREN
“You’re a fucking asshole, Stefan!” I shout at the man standing before me. I have never met a more arrogant, egotistical, self-righteous douchehole in my life.
The peace of our first night together was a fluke. A one-off. A blip in the time-space continuum because ever since, Stefan has had me angrier than I’ve ever been before.
This morning after my run along the beach, I came home to find some bimbo blowing him goodbye by the front door. What ever happened to a nice wave and a peck on the cheek?
For three weeks now, it’s been a revolving door of women and bar fights. I swear he’s been with a different girl every night, and I’m learning so many new sexual positions.
“And you’re a fucking bitch,” he snaps. His breathing is hurried, and if this were a cartoon, flames and steam would be coming from him by the bucketload.
“Did you just call me a bitch?” I know I should let it slide since I called him an asshole first, but it’s the truth … he’s an infuriating asshole.
“If the bitch shoe fits,” he throws back, and then he shocks the ever-loving shit out of me when he slams me into the wall beside the stairs. My mouth opens in shock, and he takes the opportunity to push his tongue into my mouth. I know I should push him away or knee him in the balls, but I find myself kissing him back because the man can kiss. Holy shit can he kiss.
Draping my arms over his shoulders, I pull him into me and kiss him with everything I have but as quickly as the kiss started, it stops. He steps back from me, breathing deeply. Silently we stare at one another, and then without a word, he turns away from me and heads upstairs, taking them two at a time. He marches across the landing and into his room, slamming the door behind him.
The click of the lock echoes around the house, and I slide down the wall, my legs giving way after the best kiss of my life. How do I keep finding myself in situations like this? I never should have agreed to this move. Stefan is ruining my life … and my stress levels.
My phone rings, and in a stupor, I stand up and grab it off the counter where I threw it earlier. “Hello,” I say without looking to see who’s calling.
“Wren, you okay?”
The sound of Jaxson’s voice snaps me out of the daze I was in. “Umm, yeah, I just got back from a run.”
“Ohhh, lady of leisure, are we?”
“No,” I snap into the phone. “I needed to go for a run and clear my head before I murder our client.”
“Things are going well then?”
“You and I both know they are not going well.”
“Yeah, I just saw the latest from the lovely Margaret.”
“Fucking Margaret.” I sneer. “That woman is vile. If anyone deserves to get bitten by fire ants, it’s her.”
“That’s harsh,” he declares.
“It’s deserved. I would like to state that after getting Stefan’s side of the story, this one has been blown way out of proportion.”
“You defending him now? Has hell frozen over?”
“Hardy har har, Jaxson. You know I wouldn’t unless there was proof.”
“And what proof do you have?”
“Stefan was not in that bar because he was here, fucking three chicks on the living room sofa. I walked in mid-gang bang.”
“Photos or it didn’t happen,” Jaxson teases.
“No one needs photographic evidence of that … I’m still trying to bleach my eyes.”
He laughs. “I bet that was a sight to see.”
“Please,” I scoff, rolling my eyes, thankful this isn’t a FaceTime call. “You're such a man.”
“Yes, yes, I am.” We both chuckle at that. Jaxson is definitely all man, and if he weren’t my boss, I could definitely see myself with someone like him, but in saying that, he’s too metrosexual for me. I prefer them rugged and manly … like Stefan. I quickly shake off that thought and focus back on the call with Jaxson. “But it's good to know that Margaret is off her rocker this time around.” He pauses. “Should we issue a statement of refusal? Demand a retraction?”
“Ummm… in this instance, I think silence is the best course of action. If we defend it, he will look guilty, and demanding a retraction doesn’t feel right in this instance.”
“I trust your judgment, Wren, and can I say, you’re doing an amazing job. This is the first time Doucheman has been in the news since you moved out there.”
“What can I say? I'm amazing at my job.” There’s a McMassive smile on my face right now because Jaxson is right, I am good at my job and there’s proof to back it up. My minor blip in my last role hasn’t affected me one bit.
“Modest would be a word that comes to mind,” Jaxson teases.
“It's only modest when it isn't true, and in this case, it’s true.”
He chuckles. “Alrighty then. I’ll leave you to it, and keep me posted on any new developments or issues that come about. Seriously, Wren, thank you for doing this. It was a lot to ask, but you really are a lifesaver and this is off to a great start.”
Hearing this praise from Jaxson is a massive kick in the guts. Yes, I’m doing a great job, but I just made out with my client when I vowed never to do it again, but it’s a kiss I cannot stop replaying.
Holy kiss, Batman.
My lips are still tingling from it, and it pisses me off because why does a douche like him have to kiss like that? It will never happen again, and if it does, I will kick him in the nuts so hard, they'll come out his nose.
Jaxson and I say our goodbyes, and I head upstairs to shower. Once I’ve washed off my run, I head into my makeshift office in the corner of my room and go over the details for the meet-and-greet Tania has set up with a local peewee hockey team, but I can’t focus on the task at hand. All I can focus on is that kiss. It can never happen again, but at the same time, a part of me wants more. There was a softness to it that is so not Stefan, but I can’t get involved with a client again. I just can’t.