10. Lily
10
Lily
“I think I need to try the black one again.” I glanced down at the red dress and matching heels. I didn’t have to look in the mirror to know I looked like a slut. Kat told me I looked hot, but I was pretty sure my ass was showing. My makeup was natural, the complete opposite of the red rhinestone dress.
Jacob hadn’t said where we were going. The red dress was more let's-go-clubbing, not I-have-a-six-year-old-at-the-house. I sat on the bed and rested my head in my hands. “This dating thing is hard. Maybe I should text him and call the night off.”
Kat stopped rummaging through the closet and turned toward me, shaking her head. “You just need to dust off your dating skills, and everything will fall into place. Besides, you have a free babysitter for the night and a sexy man who wants to take you out.”
I quickly glanced at my reflection in the mirror and winced. Kat pulled out a beautiful black dress from my closet, and I snatched it from her hands before she could put it away again.
The black dress fit perfectly—I no longer felt a breeze over my ass. When I stepped out of the bathroom into the master bedroom, Kat smiled as she looked me over from head to toe. She walked over to my dresser, pulled a necklace out of a box, and asked me to turn around. She clasped a heart-shaped locket around my neck. Inside was a baby picture of Tommy.
“You are going to knock him dead,” Kat said, clapping her hands. “Maybe you’ll get laid tonight. Don’t worry about what time you come home.”
Sex had always been painful, not something I was interested in. “I’m not going to sleep with him,” I replied as I replaced the red dress in the closet. “For starters, we’ve only known each other a couple weeks.”
Kat glanced at her phone and smiled. Antonio had been texting her for the past few hours. “Jacob is good-looking. I bet he knows how to make a woman scream. Who cares how long you’ve known him? I see the way you talk about him, and you like him, Lily. There is no written timetable about how long you have to date before you can sleep together. Antonio and I slept together before I knew his name back in the day.”
Jacob was extremely good-looking. At work that day, he’d worn a pair of gray slacks, a white button-down shirt, and black shoes. The pants framed his ass perfectly. When he rolled his sleeves up, I could see the edges of the tattoo on his right arm. I wanted to trace my finger along it… and along his firm muscles. “I’ve only ever slept with Greg.” I paced in front of the bed. “He always told me how bad I was at sex. What if I’m terrible?
“Greg is a douchebag and probably couldn’t find a g-spot even if it had a neon sign.” She rubbed her hand over her flat pregnant belly. “He said those things to make himself feel better. You have to change your mindset and forget everything he ever said. I know that’s not easy, but you might never move on if you keep running the things he said to you through your head.”
I’d spent so many years trying to figure out how to make it through the day that I’d never let my imagination wander to the what-ifs of the world. Kat was right. I needed to get Greg out of my head, which would have been easier if I knew he was behind bars again. My thoughts turned back to Jacob. “What happens if I sleep with him and everything goes bad? He’s my boss. I don’t want to fuck up my new start in life. I’ve more than myself to think about.”
“I understand. For years, when I thought Antonio was dead, I never could bring myself to date. Maybe my subconscious knew he was still alive and waiting for me.” Kat held up her phone. Antonio had sent a picture of the gators in their backyard with the caption Even the gators miss you. “You need a man like Antonio, and I think Jacob is.”
I spent most of my life in fear because of the person I lived with. First, it was my parents, then it was Greg. I didn’t know if I was ready to let someone in, especially someone with so much baggage. His ex-wife was a psycho, and there were no guarantees that she wouldn’t put Tommy in danger if I started to date Jacob.
My salary as an administrative assistant with NSS was more than enough for Tommy and I to find our own place. After I put a little of the money away in savings, maybe I could go to school at night and work toward my culinary degree. “I don’t need a man,” I said as I touched up my lipstick. “Tommy is enough for me. That’s not saying I’m not open to this date. I already have one crazy ex coming after me. Do I want to worry about his ex-wife too? You don’t have to answer the question. You didn’t see her today, Kat. She could’ve killed someone.”
“I have Neal looking into her as we speak. We’re taking care of the Greg situation, and Seth checked Rachele into a rehab facility. Neal also put a flag on her information at the facility. If she gets out, we will know.” Neal was a close friend from Ft. Lauderdale. He was one of the best hackers I’ve ever met. That wasn’t saying much, though, because I didn’t know any hackers until I met Kat and her friends.
“Did you find something out about Greg?”
Kat looked out the window. “You have nothing to worry about.”
“This is my life, Kat. If something changed, you need to let me know.” I crossed my arms over my chest and waited for an answer. When it didn’t look as though she was going to give me anything, I continued. “Please let me know what’s going on.”
“Don’t get mad.” Kat got off the bed and walked my way. “Greg sent a few emails to Jacob.”
“When?” I demanded. Jacob never said a word to me.
“He’s trying to protect you,” she responded, answering my unasked question while pulling me into a hug. “You have enough to worry about. Neal traced the IP. Greg’s still in Ft. Lauderdale.”
It no longer mattered that he was still in Ft. Lauderdale. He knew where I was; it was only a matter of time before he found us. I felt myself begin to shake.
“Stop panicking. Jacob hired a local company to watch you. Antonio would’ve sent someone from our company, but we’re shorthanded, which is why they were watching me, too.” Kat had figured out the detail the second she’d walked out of my apartment with Tommy and Ant. She’d understood the importance and didn’t complain too much as the bodyguard followed her around.
“I’m never going to be able to repay you guys for everything everyone is doing.”
She waved her hand in the air. “We don’t want to be paid back. You know I don’t need your money. I just want you safe. Now go enjoy your date.”
“I have a few choice words for my date. I can’t believe he didn’t tell me Greg emailed him.” Anger washed over me, but I let it go for the time being. “I know I’ve said it a hundred times, but thanks for coming out here. I’m going to be sad when you leave tomorrow,” I said as we walked to the front door. Tommy and Ant had gone swimming earlier in the day and were fast asleep. I didn’t want to wake him to say goodbye.
She arched an eyebrow.
“No, I don’t need you to stay longer. You’ve stayed long enough.”
“I’m always here for you, Lily. Call, and I’ll be on the next flight anytime you need me.”
Her words meant the world to me. Even if things didn’t work out between Jacob and me, Kat would always be there for me. Friends. The word almost felt foreign in my mind. Growing up, I barely knew anyone outside of my parents’ church. “Thank you.”
“Now go get laid.” She laughed as she pushed me out the door.
My heels clicked as I walked down the hall to the elevator. I felt excited to see Jacob, but we would need to discuss him keeping secrets that affected me. I didn’t have to wait long for the elevator to reach my floor, and the ride down was smooth. It swooshed open, and I stepped out. I caught my breath every time I walked through the common area of the building. The design was sleek and clean. George, who always gave Tommy a lollipop when we walked by, sat behind the desk, reading his newspaper.
I waved as I walked by. The older gentleman waved back. When I opened the doors, Houston's humid May air hit me. I was used to that kind of weather from living in Florida, but it didn’t change the fact that after five minutes outside, I wanted to take another shower.
My phone pinged in my purse as I walked down the sidewalk to where Henry normally parked to pick me up. When I reached the spot, I reached in my purse and grabbed my phone. It was a text from Jacob, letting me know he was running a few minutes behind.
My fingers hovered over the screen. I was concentrating on writing my reply and not to my surroundings. The city and danger around me escaped my mind as I tried to come up with a witty response.
I dropped my phone to the ground and heard the sound of the screen shattering when someone came up behind me and grabbed me around the throat. Life went into slow motion. I used to let Greg do what he wanted because if I fought back, I would get hit harder.
I knew I was in trouble when a second man showed up. He stomped my phone and ripped my purse out of my hands. I tried to claw at the hand wrapped around my throat as the assailant dragged me backward. One of my shoes fell off.
I kicked my foot back, trying to hit the person behind me. With his hands wrapped so tightly around my neck, the world was fading in and out, but my kick landed.
“The bitch kicked me!”
The other man walked over. He had a black ski mask on. He stretched his arm back before he punched me in the ribs. “Stop fighting, bitch. We just want to have some fun.” I screamed in pain, but nothing came out as he tightened his grip around my wrist.
“She’s causing more work than we were paid for. I think I saw an alley down the street—let’s have fun with the bitch.”
They started to pull me down the sidewalk. For a busy city, no one was on the streets. I could feel my wet tears streaming down my face. My foot skidded across the sidewalk. I couldn’t let them get me into an alley. I kicked back with all my might and hit the man in the balls.
His grip loosened enough that I was able to get away. I sprinted toward the front doors of the building as fast as I could, the rocks on the ground digging into my feet. My vision was still hazy from having some man’s hands wrapped around my neck.
I heard the sound of the two men behind me. Just as I reached for the door, one of them gripped my hair and yanked me back. I lost my balance and fell backward. I couldn’t brace myself, and my head hit the sidewalk. The last thing I remember is one of the men saying, “Dude, let's get out of here. Her head’s bleeding.”