11
I woke earlier than usual after a restless sleep, but my mind was finally made up. Leaning over to grab my phone from beside my bed, I stared at the time. It was far too early to message anyone, so I threw it back down and wondered what I could do to waste some time.I decided to indulge myself in a long bath, pampering myself as much as I knew how to. I soaked in the lemon-scented bubbles, with a blue, gloopy mask on my face, and mentally tried to compose the perfect message to send later. It slowly became the opposite of relaxing.Why am I so bad at this?An hour later, sitting in a towel, I finished blow-drying my hair as my inky blank toenails dried. I wasn’t sure when I had last painted them, but it felt like a good way to use up a little more time. The fact that multitasking came so naturally to me didn’t help though, I was done even sooner than I had expected. I tossed my hairdryer onto the bed and huffed at my reflection. Minimal makeup was painted onto my face, and my eyebrows were freshly plucked into the dramatic arch that I favoured. My red hair sat in bouncy, smooth curls, carefully shaped the way a hairdresser had taught me six years ago.
Shelly had been so nice to me when I was a scruffy-looking sixteen-year-old who had awkwardly shuffled into her salon without a single clue about hair maintenance. Or anything beauty-related for that matter.
I had spent every day since my mom had died hanging out with boys. If I wasn’t with my brother, I was mixing with the scrappiest young thugs Westeroak had to offer. Jase hadn’t minded that we’d ended up in that crowd, he just saw them as more people to look out for and protect me, just as he always did.I had been too ashamed to ask for help back then. For years I hadn’t cared about being seen as feminine, I had gone from a young girl who innocently clung to a battered stuffed bunny, to a moody teen who lived in jeans and baggy tees. But I had finally reached the point where I craved a female’s attention, and guidance. I needed someone to help me. We had no other family, and my mom hadn’t had any friends to take us under her wing. So Shelly had spent a week with me, and it had been long enough to teach me everything I wanted to know. Shelly had given me a weapon that at the time I never expected I’d need. It may be frowned upon to use my looks to my advantage, but it was the one thing I had that none of my Brothers did. Nowadays, I’ll drop in to see Shelly from time to time, but I never felt the need to ask for more from her.I pulled on an emerald, satin blouse and a black pencil skirt, then grabbed my phone again. I opened up the message thread between myself and my personal trainer, and began to type.
‘Hey’ I paused, staring at the screen.Just do it.I took in a deep breath and continued to type.
MalloryHey, how are you? I don’t suppose that drink offer is still on the table?
I hovered over the send button, then released a long breath and tapped, quickly launching my phone onto my bed before I could think about what I had just done.I paced my room impatiently, regret swirling in my stomach, making me feel nauseous. What if he didn’t reply? What if he said no? I’d have to see him for our session after work, I couldn’t exactly cancel. He would know why, and it”d just be awkward.It’ll be awkward if you go or not, dumbass. Deciding to try dating, and to try it with Toby, had continued to be a battle in my mind all through the night. Eden’s words echoed in my head over and over. I knew that she was right. I valued her help, but there had been one thing that she couldn’t have helped me with, even if I’d asked.Keeping him safe.But I remembered how simple she had made everything sound, and I realised that maybe it could be as simple as keeping him away from The Brotherhood, just like Cooper did with Samantha. Also, I doubted one date would put him in any danger. Lorenzo might get a bit mad at me if he caught wind of it. Not that he would have any right, if he wanted more from me, he would have to make that crystal clear. But that would all be on me, if anyone would get hurt, it would be me. And I could take it.I raked my fingers through my hair and resisted the urge to play with my earrings—no more signs of weakness, even in the privacy of my small apartment. A buzzing noise grabbed my attention, and I dove onto my bed to find my phone, kicking my legs like an infatuated teenager.
TobiasHey you. I’m good, how are you? Hmm, maybe, what’s in it for me?
I smirked as I read over the message and quickly replied.
MalloryI’m alright. You’d get the joy of my company, obviously.
I hoped that it was a good response, I wasn’t bad at flirting, usually. It had never been a challenge for me, but this felt different. I actually felt nervous, and weirdly those nerves excited me. His reply came through as quickly as I had sent mine.
TobiasErm, nah, I’m good. It’s hard enough putting up with you for three hours a week in the gym. ;)
My heart began to sink as I started to read, but I quickly realised that he was messing with me. A huge grin covered my mouth as I typed back.
Mallory Screw you, I’m a delight.Oh well, your loss.
TobiasYou know what, I feel kind of sorry for you now. I’ll let you take me out just this once. But no funny business.
Mallory Gee thanks. You’re so sweet. And I’m sure I’ll be able to change your mind on that last part.
TobiasWe’ll see about that. You free after our session later?
I sighed happily at our little exchange and agreed to go out for a drink with him after our session. That hadn’t been so bad. The nervous feeling in my stomach settled down, now replaced with hunger.I grabbed my handbag and gym bag and headed down to the underground garage of my building. I hopped into my car and headed towards my office, deciding to stop to grab myself breakfast on the way. It was only when I arrived at work that I realised that I hadn’t bought a change of clothes with me, well, nothing date appropriate.Shit.