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I hear my own voice, talking without my permission. “I’ll pick you up. I only work from seven to noon tomorrow. I can text you when I’m off.” Do I sound desperate and pathetic? What if she doesn’t want to? “But if—”
She blesses my ears with a laugh, tossing her hair. “I’d love to, Farm Boy. It’s a friend date.”
The song is still playing, and I tune into the lyrics about an angel with broken wings. Am I crazy for getting close to her? I know what my family would say, and my whole life, I’ve lived like they wanted me to. I’ve never had a reason to deviate from it. Now, I’m wondering if we’ve had it wrong all along. Is Harley the promiscuous woman who’s going to lead me down a path of destruction? I’ve been warned about the “woman of the night” since before I was old enough to understand what it meant. She certainly appeals to my base instincts, and I want her in ways I’ve rarely thought about until now. My brain is fogged up with her skin and her smell.
The music stops, and I suddenly need to get some air. She’s too alluring in my arms. It causes me to lose my train of thought, wanting what I shouldn’t.
Releasing her is difficult, but my arms finally obey. She takes a step back, a question in her eyes.
“I need to…find Dan.”
The hurt in her eyes stabs me in the chest.
“Okay…” She slowly pivots and walks away from me.
I stumble in the other direction, searching for the men’s room. The stick figure on the door leads me in. I step to the sink, splashing my face with cool water. She makes my skin feel like it fits too tight.
Looking into the mirror, I see another guy step in after me. He’s about my height with longer hair. His shirt is bright pink. Standing up straighter, I grab a paper towel to dry my face.
“I get it, man. She breaks me out in a sweat too. You should see her bend over to get you a beer at Billy’s.” His tone is lewd, and he steps up to look at himself in the mirror.
My muscles tense. He sees her at work?
“Yeah, she’s one of those that’s good for serving drinks and bending over,” he answers, almost like he heard my thought. “I’ve been wearing her down for a while, but the dance was a smooth move. I forget girls love that shit.” He laughs, running a hand through his long hair.
I still haven’t said anything. What I really want is to shove my clenched fist through his nasal passage for talking about her like she isn’t a human being. I toss my paper towel in the trash, intending to walk away before I end up in jail tonight. My parents would love that.
He grabs my arm as I start to walk out. I look down at his hand on me, and he withdraws it. He holds his hands up in front of his chest.
“Hey, man, no need to get pissy. Just letting you know I’ve already laid a claim to that ass. She’ll need a few days to recover from me, but then she’s all yours. You seem like the type to deal well with the…hurt feelings.” His face is smug as he struts out the door.
Minutes crawl as my blood pressure eventually returns to its normal range and my breathing doesn’t sound like I’ve been sprinting. Slowly walking out the door, I’m determined to find Harley and ask her if she really is going to…be with that jerk. Does she know he intends to discard her? Is she okay with it? Is it a habit of hers to go through guys quickly?
Do I have any right to even begin asking her these questions?
My seething anger dies down as I catch a glimpse of Harley talking to Kenna’s blonde friend near the back wall. There’s a chance she doesn’t even like him, but doubt crowds my mind. He was a good-looking guy, and he clearly has more experience. For a moment, I’m overwhelmed with my lack of knowledge on dating and women. I know my parents love me, but the reality of my inexperience is crushing me. I feel like I’ve been deprived of the chance to make my own mistakes and learn when people are being honest or not.
My deliberate steps slow to a halt as I see the pink-shirt guy walk up to say something to her. They talk for a few agonizing seconds before the other girl walks away. He’s laughing, but her face is turned away, so I can’t see what her response is. He catches my eyes watching them from across the room. Reaching down, his hand grabs a handful of her backside, underneath her dress.
I’m frozen in place. My gut reaction is to run toward them and throw him against the wall, my hand against his throat. My fist would reach around and fulfill my earlier fantasies of forcing his nasal bone further into his skull.
But she doesn’t move. His hand stays under her dress, revealing the tattoos at the back of her thighs. My heart sinks as I realize how stupid I am. Shame and embarrassment roll over me, sending color up my chest and neck. She’s wanted to be friends all along, and I’m the idiot, assuming there might be a chance we could have more than that. She wants a guy who actually knows how to be charming and has the guts to kiss a woman.
I turn away, unable to keep watching. Dan has walked up beside me, observing the scene against the wall.
“You ready to go, brother?” He claps a hand on my shoulder, concern in his eyes, lips pursed.
I nod, slowly walking out with him. The sick feeling in my gut is what I get for making assumptions.
11
Harley
My breath is coming in gasps, the thrum of my heart the only sound. The fear in my veins is ice-cold. Memories flash through my mind—of prying hands as I lie flat on a red leather chair, my bare skin sticking to the seat, and the sound of buzzing. Suddenly, my nightmare has come back to life.
“You gotta quit holding out on me, sweetheart. This hard-to-get game is driving me crazy for you. Come over tonight.” Kyle’s suggestive, grating tone wrenches me back to the present.
His hand on my ass suddenly registers, and I shove him off. My lungs are compressed, oxygen barely seeping in.
