14. Claire
14
I thought it would suck with Lex working more weekends now that she’s an assistant manager at Hallucinogens, but it turns out the only thing that sucks is me.
That’s right, the last two weekends, I’ve been sucking on the glorious dick of Lover Boy. Or should I say, Leif.
Yep, he told me his name. Last weekend when he was buried deep inside me, fucking me into oblivion. I kept screaming, “Oh, god!” and he said, “You only need to scream my name when you feel this good, Bombshell. Say it. Leif.”
It was euphoric to scream his name, feeling how much more frantic it made him just hearing it fall from my lips.
Kinda like the way he calls me Bombshell. I don’t know why I like it so much, but it sends shivers right down to my toes every time.
“You’re happy this morning.” My steps falter in their pursuit of coffee as Lex’s words pull me out of my bubble.
“You know what? I am happy.” Nothing wrong with letting a man make me feel good and acknowledging that he can do it better than me.
Actually, it feels quite nice to take a load off and let someone look after me for once.
“Would it have anything to do with your friend who snuck out at three when I came home?” she offers with a knowing smile as she pours vanilla syrup into her coffee, the metal straw clanking against the ice blocks.
“You know I’m perfectly content by myself, but yes. A night with the Viking seems to leave me with an extra pep in my step.”
“Oh my god, do you like him?” It’s like a record screeching in my mind.
“Certainly not!” I clutch my chest in offense.
I do not like men. Not for anything more than what they can provide me.
I’m not ready to look into all the ways Leif feels different.
I clear my throat, redirecting the conversation. “If you passed him at three, what are you doing up,” I pause, looking down at my watch, “five hours later?”
She drops her eyes to her glass, and concern tickles the back of my brain as I note the dejected way her shoulders drop.
“I haven’t been sleeping well,” she says.
I haven’t seen her as much lately with the change in her work hours, but the peace that usually follows her has been noticeably absent of late.
“Thanks for setting up the coffee machine last night, by the way,” she says.
I tilt my head, wondering what the hell she’s talking about with the coffee machine, but instead focus on the first thing she said. “Everything going okay with work?”
She takes a sip of her drink, nodding. “Yeah, it’s good.”
“Dylan? How’s he doing with Jed’s?”
“He had a meeting with an investor last week, actually. He’s not telling me too many details about them, he wants to wait untilit’s more of a sure thing, but apparently I should prepare to be wowed.”
“Then what’s up, girlfriend?” I hoist myself onto the kitchen bench where she stands, still staring down into her coffee.
She blows out a breath before pinning her grey eyes on me. “It’s Caleb.”
My brows furrow as I rack my brain for the name. Am I a shit friend for not knowing who she’s talking about? “Who’s Caleb?”
“That guy I was with last month.”
“The suit you met at The Wayside?” The look she gives me is like a wounded puppy.
I instantly want to do whatever I can to fix it.
“Honey,” I sing and pull on her hand, bringing her to stand in front of me, and I wrap my bestie in a bear hug. “Talk to me. What are you overthinking in this big, beautiful brain of yours?”
She groans into my shoulder, where I’m partly suffocating her with my gentle love.
“He made me feel things,” she says, causing my brows to dip.
It was only one night. He didn’t even stay until morning. Could she really be this affected?
I have to remind myself that Lex feels deeply. It’s the reason she’s so hesitant to jump right into things. The past has not left her optimistic that things last forever, but she’s a forever kind of girl.
Not like me.
I’ll take my orgasms with a smile on my face and a slap on their arse for a job well done before sending them on their way.
Except for Leif.
But I don’t harbour any expectations that this is something more than an extended situationship, much like the ones I’ve explored previously. Although I was much more aware when I was entering one in the past. What I have with Leif feels unexpected, in every sense of the word.
“How? What things?”
Lex taps out on my arm, and I grant her air.
She takes a deep breath before meeting my eyes and shrugs. “I don’t know. It’s just never been like that with anyone else. He was so,” she furrows her brow in thought, “present. Commanding.”
“Is it possible he was just really good at sex compared to anyone else you’ve been with?”
She laughs, and I feel my heart warm knowing I can make her smile. Lex has always been a reliable source of strength for me. It feels nice knowing I can return the favour.
“He was definitely the best I’ve ever been with.” She reaches over for her coffee and takes a healthy gulp. “But it was more than that. It was like we both knew we were feeling something different. Special. It was chasing a high you didn’t know was possible.”
Goosebumps erupt on my skin at the way she describes their connection. I can’t help but compare it to the way Leif makes me feel. When we’re together, he looks so deep into my eyes, it’s like he’s seeing my soul, recognising it as the one that matches his. When we come together, our bodies move in perfect harmony, fulfilling each other’s desires with ease. It’s completely terrifying. I can feel my heart trying to escape up my throat to reject the feeling.
“Come to The Wayside with me this weekend, then.” I jump off the bench and grab a mug for my coffee. “It’s your first weekend off in a month, and we need a bestie date. Plus, I’m sure this Caleb guy will be there again.”
She shakes her head. “No. We were definitely a one-night thing. I don’t want to go there and see him flirting with someone else.”
“If you had such a great connection, how do you know he’ll be there flirting with someone else? Maybe he’s hoping to run into you as well?”
I pick my phone up off the bench where it lived all night. There’s a text from my mother and another email from my stick-in-the-mud contractor. I flick the email notification away and quickly check Mum’s message instead.
MUM: Hey, Claire Bear. Do you still have those black heels with the bows on the back? Mr Callahan is in town for the board of directors meeting and I need him to notice me. His damn sons have been a pain in my arse lately, but the man only listens properly when the scenery is worth looking at. *eye roll emoji*
I click out of the message with a shake of my head. I’ll worry about her later. I pull up Instagram and search for The Wayside’s profile. Their latest post is a picture of the bar with a caption teasing one of their themed nights this weekend.
“Hey, The Wayside has another themed night. If we find the password, we should go!”
“Find the password?”
“Yeah! On themed nights, they only grant entry through their back entrance with a password that they hide on their social media posts.” I scroll back up to the photo, inspecting every corner.
“Oh. I didn’t realise you actually had to guess those passwords.”
My eyes land on a cowboy hat at the end of the bar, sitting next to a bottle of honey. I look up to a confused Lex, a sinister smirk delighting my face.
“We are definitely going out this Saturday. But I have something else to distract you with for now.”