Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
~WILLA~
S hine bright like a diamond…
I’m singing. Loudly.
Shine bright like a diamond…
And dancing with Jenna, Hannah, and Nina. Dancing my ass off at a bar called Lacey’s, where the DJ is playing all of our favorite songs. Alcohol is already moving happily through my veins, and my friends are smiling.
Screw Max and his moodiness. All a girl needs are her friends and some martinis.
“Wooooo!” Jenna is a woo girl. Always has been, especially when she’s a bit inebriated.
The song ends, and we sashay our way back to our table. It’s in the corner, as far from the music as possible so we can chat.
“How can you wear those shoes and dance?” Hannah asks as I sit next to her.
“I’m used to them now,” I reply, glancing down at my four-inch heels. “By the time I get home, my feet will be killing me.”
“Liquor helps to cover the pain,” Nina reminds us and holds her drink out for all of us to clink. “By the way, you always look so adorable, Willa. Do you have that outfit in your store?”
“Every single piece of it,” I confirm with a wink.
“I’ll be in tomorrow,” Nina says. “I need some wintery things. I have to adjust to this cold climate now that I’m an official resident of Cunningham Falls.”
“Welcome home, by the way,” Jenna tells Nina with a big smile. “I’m so happy you decided to move here permanently.”
Nina is Christian’s sister and publicist.
“It makes sense,” she says with a shrug. “Christian is here more than he’s in California these days, and I like it here.”
“I’m glad,” I add, also toasting her with my Cosmo.
“I was thinking of starting a business here,” Nina confides. “I know all about being a personal assistant to the wealthy, and I think there could be a need for that here.”
“More and more as we have more wealthy people moving in,” Hannah agrees, nodding. “Heck, I think professionals who aren’t necessarily wealthy but still need help could use those services.”
“I’m talking about things like personal chefs, holiday decorating, errand running, in-home spas, floral services, shopping, small event planning, and more. I have a couple of friends in L.A. who run a similar company there, and they’re ready to branch out.”
“You’re hired.”
We turn in unison to find our friend, Grace, standing at the table.
“Sorry I’m late, guys. The baby made a huge mess, and I had to clean it up and get her settled again with Jacob.”
Grace is another dear friend of ours, and the wife of Jacob Berkley. He owns the Blacktail Ski Resort and many other businesses in town, including the bar where we’re currently having girls’ night.
“How are you feeling?” I ask. Grace just had a baby a couple of weeks ago. “I’m surprised you wanted to come out tonight.”
“I needed to get out of the house,” she says with a sigh. “I’m feeling good. But no liquor for me tonight. I’m breastfeeding.”
“I’ll have hers,” Nina offers, making us laugh.
“I’ll hire you to do all of those things,” Grace adds as she sheds her coat and asks the server for an iced tea. “I can’t get caught up from having the baby. I love her, but man, she’s a lot of work.”
“It never ends,” I agree with a nod.
“Jacob is working a lot of hours with it still being ski season, and having a service like that would be a lifesaver. So, when you’re up and running, let me know. I’ll keep you busy.”
“My first customer,” Nina says excitedly and reaches out to give Grace a high-five.
Grace misses, of course. She’s the most un graceful person we know.
“Are you going to quit working for Christian?” I ask Nina.
“No, I’ll always work for him, but he’s fading out of the limelight more and more. He’s happy to make his movies, work the press, then go back to being private with Jenna. There aren’t any scandals to handle, and I think I’d like to branch out a bit. Besides, the girls coming from L.A. can totally run things if I’m not available.”
“Well, congratulations,” Jenna says, holding her glass out to Nina. “And thank the good Lord for no scandals.”
“You’re not kidding,” Nina says with a laugh. “Now, I need to catch up on Willa. What’s up with you and Max?”
“Wait.” Grace turns to me with wide eyes. “What the hell? Why haven’t I heard about this before?”
“Because you just had a baby and you’ve been a hermit,” I remind her.
“Well, shit,” she grumbles. “Start from the beginning and use all the dirty words.”
“I really like you,” Nina says to Grace, making her laugh.
I quickly recount the past few weeks, seeing more of Max, all the way through to the other day at his house when he told me that he was leaving.
“He didn’t say anything about leaving to me,” Jenna says with a frown. “What the hell got up his ass?”
“I don’t know.” I finish my drink, then flag down the server for another. “It was weird. Why are men so difficult? They always say we’re the confusing ones, but we’re easy.”
“All we need is chocolate, a nice bubble bath, and no bullshit,” Hannah says with a nod. “Not hard.”
“Yes. Exactly.”
“Have you heard from him since he left?” Grace asks.
“A couple of texts, but I’ve left him alone. If he has some shit to figure out, let him figure it out. I’m too old and too damn busy to chase after him.”
“Atta girl,” Jenna says.
“When does he come home?” Hannah asks.
“No idea.”
“Okay, that’s bullshit,” Nina says, shaking her head. “If you’re in a relationship with someone, you don’t pull that crap. It’s just inconsiderate.”
“The whole thing is weird,” I insist. “It’s like, one day, everything was normal and fine, and he couldn’t keep his hands off me. And then the next, he was distant and had to suddenly leave town for work.”
“He got scared,” Grace says simply, grabbing all of our attention. “Something spooked him, and he ran away.”
“But what? I told him he could talk to me.”
“Again, men are stubborn and ridiculous,” Jenna says. “Especially Max. He’ll talk about it when he’s ready, but don’t let him blow you off. You don’t deserve that.”
“Yeah.” My head is spinning from my third drink. It’s nice. “You’re right. He doesn’t get to ignore me. In fact, I’m gonna text him now.”
“Oh, Lord, no.” Hannah yanks my phone out of my hand. “No drunk texting. You’ll just be embarrassed in the morning.”
“She’s right,” Jenna says. “But call him tomorrow and tell him off. Do it when you’re with me, on speakerphone because I want to hear it.”
I giggle. “I wonder if very many people ever give him a piece of their mind?”
“Aside from Brad and me, probably not,” Jenna says and sips her margarita.
“Well, you can add my name to the list.” I hold out my hand for my phone. “I won’t call him drunk.”
Probably not.
He hurt my feelings and confused me, and I hate that. So, when Jenna suggested we come out tonight, I jumped at it.
“I love this song!” Hannah jumps up and grabs Jenna’s hand. “Come on, you guys.”
“I’ll stay here with Grace,” Nina says, shaking her head. “You go cut a rug.”
“Order another round of drinks.” I grin as I scoot out of the booth. “And maybe some food to soak them up.”
I’m not falling-down drunk.
I’m stumble-around-and-giggle drunk.
There’s a difference.
My house is quiet and empty. Mom and Ken took Alex and the puppy to their place for the night. Grace just dropped me off, and I’m not sleepy in the least.
I want to talk.
I want to fuck.
I giggle and shuffle out of my shoes, then pad into the kitchen and look for a snack.
I have Ruffles. Those sound amazing.
I crack open the bag and walk into the living room to plop onto the couch and dig in.
And then, with chips stuffed into my mouth, I dial Max’s number.
“Hey, Wills.”
“Mshhke”
“Uh, what’s that?”
I chew and swallow.
“You made a mistake, buddy.”
“How’s that?”
I picture him leaning back in a chair behind a desk with his white dress shirt unbuttoned. He’s got his feet up on the desktop, and a leggy blonde is standing behind him, rubbing her grabby hands over his chest the way they do in movies.
“First of all, tell the blonde to get her hands off of you.”
Silence.
See? I knew it.
“Do you have a fever?” he asks at last.
“No, I’m just not stupid,” I reply, my words slurring only a little. “And, second, I went out with the girls tonight, and we danced and drank a lot. Alex is gone, and I’m home alone. You could have gotten laid, pal.”
“Really.”
“Oh, yeah. Because when I’ve been drinking, I get horny. And I would rock your damn world. But, no, you’re in Seattle with a blond bimbo who’s touching your chest, and that pisses me off.”
“There’s no blonde. Bimbo or otherwise.”
“Sure.”
“Is that why you think I left town?”
“I dunno.” I frown and feel tears threaten. “You just left. And in the movies, there’s a blond bimbo with her hands on you.”
“You had a lot to drink.”
“Lot of good it did me,” I pout and stuff another chip into my mouth. “No interruptions, and I don’t even get to have sex.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“Yeah. I shouldn’t have called you. It was stupid.”
“You should always call me. Whenever you want.”
“I’m confused,” I whisper. “And you hurt my feelings. You don’t get sex. I’ll go find my vibrator.”
I hang up and stumble into the bedroom, pull the box from the top shelf of my closet, and find the toy, but by the time I get ready for bed and climb in, I’m tired, so I put it back in the box.
And my girls’ night out fun is washed away by missing Max.
Suddenly, my front door opens and closes, and I spring up in the bed, immediately sober.
“I have a gun!” I shout, wishing fervently that I really had a gun.
“Don’t shoot.”
Max walks into my bedroom, shocking the hell out of me.
“I could have killed you!”
He circles the bed, not afraid in the least.
“Where’s your gun?”
“Well, I don’t actually have one.”
He grins, and it hits me right in the gut.
“Why are you so handsome?” I ask, but he doesn’t answer, he just watches me. “No, really. That wasn’t rhetorical.”
“I missed you,” he says and shoves his hands into his pockets. “And I want to climb in that bed with you, but I don’t know if I’m welcome.”
“Is there really a blond bimbo?”
He narrows his eyes and clenches his jaw, and I have my answer.
“No.”
I fold the covers back. “Then you’re welcome.”
He’s not in a suit, or even in a white button-down. He’s in a grey Henley and jeans, and he peels them both off quickly, making my mouth water.
We have so much to talk about, but my mind is cloudy, and he’s sexy, and I want him. I’ve missed him, too.
“How many men do I have to kill?”
“No one actually broke in,” I remind him, but he laughs and shakes his head as he climbs into the bed with me.
“No, how many men hit on you tonight?”
“None.” I drag my hands down his back and sigh in delight when I cup his ass. “I don’t give off a come-hit-on-me vibe.”
“What kind of vibe do you give off?”
“It’s more of an I’m with my friends, and if you hit on me, I’ll laugh at you, vibe.”
“I can live with that,” Max says and buries his face in my neck, kissing me as his hands roam over my skin, seemingly everywhere at once.
“I thought you were gone.”
“I came home a few hours ago.” He kisses my cheek. “I couldn’t stay away any longer.”
“Good.” I lift my legs as he settles between them, and his hard cock nestles against my wet heat. “Because you belong here.”
“ Right here,” he agrees as he slides back and forth, making me crazy. “And I won’t be leaving again unless you’re with me.”
“Okay.” I arch my back, desperate to have him in me. “Max, I need?—”
“What do you need, baby?”
“You to slip inside me.”
He smiles against my lips, rears back, and slowly pushes his way inside until he’s buried to the hilt.
“Like that?”
“Yeah.” I’m panting now, gripping his shoulders with all my might. I can feel the edge just out of my reach. “Move.”
“Bossy, aren’t you?”
“Needy,” I correct him and arch my back again. He complies, moving in and out, slowly at first, then picking up the pace. Each time his pubic bone meets my clit, he gives it a little extra push, and I swear to God my eyes cross.
“Jesus Christ, you feel good,” he mutters. He’s moving feverishly now, chasing his own orgasm, and I can’t control myself anymore. My hips buck, and I cry out as the orgasm washes over me. Max follows, groaning against my neck.
“Wow,” I whisper, dragging my fingertips up and down his spine. He’s a little sweaty, but I don’t mind. I like feeling him on top of me. “That was fun and unexpected.”
“I was going to call you just before you called me,” he mutters, still catching his breath. “And then you surprised me. Kind of pissed me off, assuming I had another woman with me.”
“I was drunk, and my feelings were hurt.” I shrug a shoulder and watch as he rolls off me, taking me with him. He tucks me against his side. “And, a girl will overthink everything, especially possible reasons why the guy she’s with suddenly gets a hair up his ass to flee town.”
“I didn’t flee,” he counters and slaps my ass. “Now, get some sleep. We’ll talk about it in the morning.”
I yawn. I want to disagree, to insist that we talk it out tonight. But I am tired, and my eyes are heavy. I want to have this conversation when I have a clear head, and I’m not in a sexual haze of desire.
Tomorrow is definitely the right time to talk it out, and we will. Before my mom brings Alex home. I’ll text her in the morning and ask her to keep him until the afternoon.
It feels good to be here with Max. Safe. Like my world is back on its axis again.
I guess Hannah was wrong. I definitely do not regret drunk-calling Max tonight. No, it turned out just fine for me.
I stretch against him, kiss his shoulder, and tangle my leg with his.
“Are you too warm?” I ask.
“No, I’m warm for the first time in days. Don’t go.”
I kiss his shoulder again and burrow deeper. “I’m not going anywhere.”