38. Byron
38
BYRON
S weat was trickling down my back, like I’d been baptized in some ungodly combination of tension and heat.
This one hour chatting with Meg was sheer, intoxicating bliss, mixed with pure agony, and not to mention, nerve-wracking as all hell. But somehow in the crazy haze of it all, I had managed to pull it off.
One thing I couldn’t predict was that we would hit it off so instantly.
So, this was Meg when there was no baggage to drag our connection down. And this was a relationship that could work in real life if there wasn’t all the other bullshit muddying the waters.
Of course, guilt gnawed at me, twisting my gut because I’d just lied to Meg. Sure, it wasn’t a life-altering lie, but it was a lie nonetheless.
It was also the very reason why I didn’t let this chat venture into sexting, even if it took every ounce of self-control not to give in and let things take us where we both wanted to go.
Imagine if Meg had to find out she was sexting me instead of the person she thought I was online. That crossed a line I wasn’t sure anyone could come back from.
If my chats with her were to continue, my biggest priority now was to not let this connection spiral into something I couldn’t control.
What mattered, though, was that Meg and I were now talking. She was everything I’d imagined, sharp, witty, and endlessly funny. A delightful cocktail of brains and charm, and my God, sexy beyond belief.
Now there was a distinct ache nestled deep inside me that only her presence could soothe. I needed to get her back to Belmont Manor. And if BB was the one who had to convince her to do that, so be it.
And there was something else. I wasn’t just wrestling with guilt, I was also jealous. Of myself . Yes, you heard correctly. I was jealous of me .
I wanted to experience Meg as Byron, not as this BB fool who almost charmed the panties off her while all I could do was stand by and watch.
I was jealous of the guy who had effortlessly slipped into Meg’s life and wrestled his way into her world, because I was feeling every single spark that ignited between them, and there was nothing I could do.
Obviously, I was as hard as a rock, sitting here with this willful erection that had me gnashing my damn teeth for half the day, and which this chat did nothing to relieve.
Now I sat here daydreaming about a pretend-connection while rereading the chat, again and again. Thinking of things I could have said, but didn’t.
You’d expect that with the pile of work I had in front of me, I’d have more important things to do. But just as I finally returned to the new merger and acquisition deal, my phone dinged with a text.
It could only be one person.
This was very dangerous.
Meg: I just want to say that you managed to make a not-so-good day into a very good one. Thank you for that, BB. No need to text back. G’night.
My insides were a battlefield. Every fiber of my being screamed that this was wrong, that this entire lie was an injustice to Meg. What I thought would be just a fun way to connect and get to know her better, had somehow evolved into something I didn’t want to stop.
What I should do is put an end to this right now. I should delete her number like it never existed, and lock the phone back in the safe, as far out of reach as humanly possible.
I was about to do that, I swear, when there was another ding.
Meg: Or text back. I promise not to lead you astray.
Oh, I was going straight to Hell because there was no way I wasn’t texting back.
BB: That’s a relief. Leading me astray is the last thing I’d want you to do.
Meg: Not to worry, I took care of business. And if you could be less witty and charming, I’d be more inclined to chat without making the angels blush.
Heat gathered at the base of my spine, and everything below my belt started to throb.
BB: When you say you took care of business…
Meg: You know, ménage à moi…
I stared at the phone, and it hit me…this was a test. The kind that would decide whether I passed or failed at being a halfway decent human being. Sure, sexting was fun, but with Meg, and under these circumstances, it just didn’t feel right. It felt unethical.
Meg: (fingers tapping) Please take your time getting back to me, I have all night.
BB: It tends to be difficult to type when my brain feels like it’s going to explode. My apologies.
Meg: And he still manages to sound like a gentleman. Most men would have gone straight to talking dirty. Not you. I think that’s why I like you so much.
BB: Do you now?
Meg: I do . And hey, if your wit and charm make me hot, I’ll just quietly take care of it and not bother you with the details of what I do and how.
BB : Again… Do you hear yourself?
Meg: It’s a little eerie how comfortable I feel around you. Do you feel it too, or is it just me?
BB: It’s not just you.
Meg: I have a ton of work to catch up on. But before I go, why don’t we do three questions each?
BB: Okay, I’ll play. You go first.
Meg: Favorite Food.
BB: Italian
Meg: Shut up, mine too.
BB: My turn. Favorite alcoholic beverage?
Meg: Moscow Mule with good vodka and real ginger beer, which is impossible to find. Yours?
BB: Belvedere 10 neat, or Macallan Old Fashioned.
Meg: Geez. Expensive tastes. But ok. You do you. Favorite music.
BB: Depends on the mood. I can go hard rock, and switch to Chopin in the same hour. But I have a soft spot for classic rock. Yours.
Meg: Interesting. Classic rock. But I’ve been known to NEVER listen to Chopin.
BB: Difficult to laugh and type.
Meg: I feel your pain. Okay, so nighty night. It’s been fun. Again.
BB: Wait!
Meg: Whoa, did you just use an exclamation point to call me back?
BB: I have one more question.
Meg: I’d like to keep some mystery alive. But okay, shoot.
BB: How many times have you been in love?
Meg: Easy now. That’s a serious question at this dark hour. Why?
BB: Just curious. Never mind.
Meg: You give up easily.
BB: I’ll worm the number out of you at some point.
Meg: Will you now? There’s no number to worm out, BB. It’s zero. I’ve never been in love. I’ve had crushes but nothing close to love.
BB: Okay then. Night Meg.
Meg: Hang on a damn minute. Throwing that question right back at you, sonny.
BB: Same here. Never been in love.
Meg: K then. G’night, Quasi.
BB: Night Meg. Sweet dreams.