Chapter 11 No Witty Comeback
NO WITTY COMEBACK
Ember
I glanced down at my phone as it vibrated across the glass countertop.
I was deep cleaning the bakery, and it was almost time for me to close, then it was a shower, shave, and heading off for our second meet-up—the one that wasn’t supposed to happen, but I apparently couldn’t say no to when a photo of him in those grey sweats and crop top slid onto my phone.
A man in a crop top apparently did things to me. More knowledge I lacked before.
The phone call I was getting just spelled out trouble, and somehow, I knew it without even picking it up, but like the good big sister I was, or tried to be, I answered before it could go to voicemail.
“Hey Evan, what’s up?” My brother calling me only meant one of two things. Either one, he heard from Bennett and wanted to know when we could get together, or two, our other brother needed money.
“Hey sis, how’s life?” he asked. He sounded happy, which made me smile, pushing down the anxiety a bit.
While my brothers and I weren’t close, I did love them.
I wanted to have a better relationship with them, but it just hadn’t worked out like that growing up with our mother and Bennett.
It felt like I was the one spending years trying to help us all feel like a family, while she chased after our father, and the boys were just…
well, boys. I didn’t blame them, but it was what it was.
As adults, I wasn’t fully sure how to fix it.
How to move away from that, ‘listen to me because Mom is checked out’ or ‘I’ll see you later because I’m getting dropped off with Grandpa again for who knows how long’, to the role of trusting and loving big sister.
“It’s pretty good. Just working around the bakery and deep cleaning appliances.
Joyous shit over this way. I heard you scored a new job.
Do you like it? How’s it going?” I asked.
I hadn’t spoken to my mom this week. She’d called and said she couldn’t make our lunch, which was fine given my slight outburst the last time we’d crossed paths.
I was happy to go to yoga and head home.
However, I was sure she was devastated to have to cancel on that doctor guy for me.
“Oh, Mom told you about the job with Uncle Howie?” He sounded almost nervous? Which was not an emotion I typically associated with Evan.
I chuckled before answering him. “Yeah? Was it a secret?”
“No, it’s not that. I just wasn’t sure how you’d feel knowing we were back at the family ranch and all that. We all know how Mom feels about it, and I guess we just didn’t want to disappoint you too,” Evan said. I took a moment to sit with his words before I finally found what I wanted to ask.
“Why would I be disappointed? If y’all are happy, so am I, Evan. Plus, I spent a ton of time there growing up with Grandpa, so I’m happy you two are getting to explore it.”
“Oh. Well, good. That’s good. Thanks Ember.
” He cleared his throat, and I knew the reason was finally coming now that we’d gotten all of whatever that was out of the way.
“Anyhow, I called for a reason. I mean, besides just catching up and all. Um, Dad is in town for a bit, and he wants us all to have a family dinner. Ya know, catch up.”
I stared at the phone, thankful no one was here right now, and Evan had called during a slow point of the day, because I truly wasn’t sure what to say at the moment, so I just said the only thing that flowed into my brain.
“Okay?”
“Okay like you’ll come? Or okay, as in you’re acknowledging that you heard what I said?” Evan asked, clearly not getting too excited until he fully knew how I was feeling.
“Okay, as in since when am I invited to family dinners?” I shot back. The guilt clawed its way up my throat the moment the words were out. I tried to think of something to say, an apology of sorts, but only silence ensued.
I could hear him sigh through the phone. “This isn’t…you are family, Em.”
“Mom made you call me, didn’t she.” It wasn’t a question, and based on the silence that continued, he knew it wasn’t.
“Can I plead the fifth on this one?” Evan asked quietly.
I let out a groan. “Listen, I appreciate you calling Evan. I’m glad you and El are doing well with Uncle Howie. I’ve got to get back to work. We’ll chat later?”
“Yeah, of course, sis. We’ll chat later.”
We hung up, and I felt a sense of instant regret.
I hated disappointing my family, mostly my brothers.
But fuck if they truly thought I was going to sit across the table from that man and play it off as if we were one happy little family just catching up.
I genuinely wanted to punch him in the face for even putting Evan in that position.
My mother had this weird, skewed view of our childhood—one that was filled with fun family activities that I was lucky enough to be a part of. None of which were part of the truth.
I pulled out my phone and opened the text thread I’d been doing my best to ignore and not reread five hundred times today.
Scream-Pies: Hope you’re ready to get your ass kicked.
I don’t know why I was even so excited about meeting him tonight. He’d set us up in a room at Silk and Spice, and I was nervous but more excited than anything else. I didn’t know what he had planned, but I knew it would give me a chance to escape my never-ending thoughts and worries and just exist.
As amazing as the sex had been last time, that was the one thing nothing seemed to be able to top—the quiet and sense of ease being dominated by him brought me.
I valued control in every aspect, and for whatever reason, I felt okay handing a small fraction of that control over to him.
I smiled as my phone vibrated, and I looked down to see he had messaged me back.
ImVengecock: I’m ready to lick yours. Don’t know about the rest.
Scream-Pies: Surprisingly, I have no witty comeback for this one. I just want to see if you can actually eat pussy the way you seemed to act. So be ready to do that.
ImVengecock: I’ll add it to the long to-do list of ways I’ll make you come tonight. Make sure to hydrate plenty beforehand. I’d hate to have you passing out when I’m choking you half to death on my cock.
Scream-Pies: Is it time yet?
ImVengecock: Almost little flame. See you soon.
I realized before I could stop myself that I was smiling.
This fucker actually had me smiling about this entire situation.
I didn’t even know his name. I just knew he liked Batman and looked so fucking sexy in gray sweats, and he wore cropped shirts that showed off his abs and made my panties drop quicker than I thought was possible.
Fuck, I was so ready to ride him.
The drive to Silk and Spice was surprisingly not as long as I thought it would be. Living in Raven Creek, it was easy to forget how close other places could be. Oftentimes, it felt as if we were our own little world.
I mean, sure, I drove twenty minutes east once a week to see my mom and go to yoga, but Sapphire Cove was another thing entirely.
The town was mostly tourists who came to Colorado to enjoy the nature, skiing, hiking, swimming in the lakes, and so on.
Most locals didn’t have reasons to come here because we had our own little hideaways.
However, when Silk and Spice opened? It gave some of the residents reason to venture into the less-traversed terrain.
I could honestly say I wasn’t one of them—until now, of course.
I pulled into the paved parking lot of what the GPS swore was the right address.
It wasn’t as if you could look up the exclusive VIP sex club on Google Maps and expect it to pop up with reviews and photos included.
The address was on the app, and when my date set up our next…
encounter and picked the club, it provided me with a time, address, and a code to give reception.
I had no idea what he’d planned, but he said it would be a night to remember and still anonymous, but I didn’t need my mask.
I put my Jeep in park and hopped out, giving a longer look at the building in front of me.
It looked more like a warehouse than a fancy sex club—not that I had much experience with sex clubs, but still.
I expected it to be…more? Fancy? Strobe lights out front like you were showing up for the Grammy’s? Yeah, I needed to get out more.
The building was three stories, brick, with rectangular windows throughout. The door had no signage. It was just a plain silver door with a keypad next to it, and that was it. No peephole. No weird slide to the side gated hole where a big, burly man would peer through and ask for the password.
Did I just knock on it? I shifted back and forth on my feet and glanced down at my white high-top chucks, fidgeting with the small pieces of fabric hanging off my cut-off shorts.
I didn’t put a ton of thought into my outfit since I wasn’t sure it actually mattered.
I’d be naked soon anyway, right? Was he going to make me fuck him in a room full of people?
I wasn’t even sure I was opposed to the idea.
I’d rated public sex at a three, so it wasn’t far-fetched. I’d be down to try it.
Fuck me, I can’t even believe that idea flew through my head.
I forced a hard breath from my lips and strolled up to the silver door, not giving myself another opportunity to second-guess my actions.
I grabbed the handle and pulled it open.
Part of me expected it to stick in the frame, not moving an inch, and a loudspeaker to yell at me to go away, but it didn’t.
I felt my eyes widen as the door opened, not nearly as heavy as I’d prepped my body for, and I stumbled slightly.