Chapter 10
TEN
SAVANNAH
This Christmas
Manhattan, New York
Later that night, I toss the twentieth pair of socks into my suitcase and wonder if that will be enough to stay warm in Colorado’s cold weather.
Not even close. I pick up five more and stuff them into the side pockets.
“So, what did you think about my gift this year?” Georgia smiles at me via FaceTime.
“It was warm and soft as always,” I say. “Thank you for another one. What’s the origin story behind it?”
“Warm and soft?” She raises her eyebrow.
“Yeah.” I nod. “Warm and soft.”
“Why the hell would you think that?”
“Because you know I always appreciate your sweater. I don’t typically wear it until after the holidays but—”
“I didn’t get you a freakin’ sweater, Savannah.” She cuts me off. “I got you something so much better this year. Go grab it and open it.”
I swallow, not wanting to admit that whatever it is, it’s re-gifted material now. “I’ll have to open it when I get home,” I say. “It’s in a bag I took to the office.”
“Well, make sure to pour a glass of wine and run a hot bath to prepare for it.”
“You made me bath salts?” I shudder at the thought. The last time she sent me some, I had a rash for weeks.
The mischievous look on her face makes me tilt my head to the side. “What exactly did you get me?”
“Something that you can use to get out all the frustration you feel about your boss. I mean, technically, I wanted to get it for you months ago, for the lonely nights courtesy of all the exes who shall not be named, but the newest one is on my shit list now.”
“My boss should still be on there, too.”
“Oh, he is. He’ll always be there.” She laughs. “I got you a vibrator!”
“A what?”
“The Womanizer Pro,” she says. “It’s a top of the line one that everyone talks about. Press that against your clit, turn it on, and it will make you orgasm in seconds. Trust me.”
OH. MY. GOD. My stomach drops to the floor and I grip the edge of my bed—certain that this isn’t happening.
“I packed it with the best lube—” She’s still talking. “And I got you a card that I penned all by myself. It’s nothing like the impersonal cards I always pick up at the last minute. I was thoughtful this time.”
“Please tell me you’re joking right now…”
“Of course, I’m not.” She smiles. “You’re as thrilled as I am! I can see it in your eyes. I’ve heard good things about the updated settings.” She continues babbling, waxing poetic about the numerous orgasmic features.
“What did your note say?” I can barely hear my own voice.
“You can’t possibly think that I remember every word verbatim.” She shrugs. “Why are you looking so devastated about this? I did exactly what you wanted me to do this year. I was creative!”
“I know, I just—I thought I could rely on the predictability of your gift this time.”
“I’m not following.” She scratches her head. “Why did you want a sweater again?”
“Because I just re-gifted your present to my boss.” I mentally rewind the way he looked at me at the party. The way he strolled over to me with raw want and need in his eyes.
Our conversation about meeting in his condo has a whole new meaning now.
“I was planning to have you for hours.”
Georgia’s mouth is hanging wide open, and neither of us speaks for a while.
“Maybe he didn’t open it yet,” she says. “I’m sure you still have time to switch it out with something else tomorrow, right?”
I shake my head. “I saw him open it.”
“Are you sure he unwrapped it all the way? And I mean, hey, who’s to say that he knows what a Womanizer is?”
“He knows exactly what it is,” I say, then I narrow my eyes at her. “What the hell did you write on that note?”
Her eyes widen and she picks up a sheet of paper, crumpling it between her fingers. “You’re breaking up now, Savannah,” she says. “I can’t hear you as well.”
“I can fucking see you, Georgia!”
“Oh, right.” She smiles sheepishly, and then she ends the call—disappearing from my screen.
I call her again, refusing to let her get away without telling me what she wrote.
There’s no way in hell that I’m meeting Garrett at his condo tonight. There’s no way I’m answering his phone calls or his texts, and I’m not flying with him to the office party either.
I have to find a way out of this. For real this time.