AllFreeNovel
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That seems like years ago, not two months.
She wears tight jeans I want to peel off her skin, and she even paired them with black high heels I want her to leave on later. Even her ugly Christmas sweater she wore to be ironic isn’t entirely unsexy. It’s a simple red and green with Santa right over her breast. The sweater gives her a sexy librarian vibe and suggests she’d sit on more than Santa’s lap. Maybe we’ll play that later tonight.
I’m in the mood to celebrate with her and celebrate in general. I’ve always loved Christmas, and I’ve enjoyed her constant Christmas music and decorating the past couple of weeks. We went to get a Christmas tree from a farm thirty minutes away, tied it to the top of her car, and trimmed it in the apartment. It’s surreal to have dirty sex with someone one moment and then carry a Christmas tree up three flights of stairs with them.
“Want another drink?” I ask, running my hand down her back. Her coworkers, mostly older librarians, sigh a little and stare with open mouths as I touch Savannah.
“I’ll get this round,” she replies. She stands on her tiptoes and kisses the tip of my chin. “You’ve bought all night. This is my event, so you need to let me take care of you a little.”
She moves toward the bar, and I grab her hand, pulling her back to give her a real kiss. We don’t use tongue since this is a work event, but our mouths move against each other for a few seconds before she pulls away and gives her coworkers a sheepish look over my shoulder.
“If you’re going to the bar, mind if I step out back and have a cigarette? I just want one. Parties always stress me out.”
She shakes her head. I know she hates my smoking, but we both give and take. I pat my pants pocket to make sure I have my pack of gum with me, and she knows I do my best to blow it away from my clothes.
“I may be a long time,” she says, eyeing the packed bar. “You could probably have two by the time I get a drink.”
“I’ll hurry.”
I watch her squeeze herself into the crowd at the bar, and I take off toward the back of the joint, passing the bathrooms and a small alcove with an old condom machine from the last century. There’s a back door with alley access, and people have gone out back all night. Either there’s heavy drug activity back there or that’s the smoking place.
I open the metal door to the outside and breathe in the cold air. It’s not too cold for December, and the usual winter snow hasn’t started yet. Hell, it’s almost camping weather, and I pull out a cigarette and light it, watching my breath and the smoke mingle in the air.
“Well, look who it is,” a female voice says behind me. The door slams as the person steps out of the bar, but cold ice is already moving up my back.
I know that voice.
I turn slowly, like a guilty murderer turns at the part of the movie where he’s caught. Thankfully, I don’t fully humiliate myself in front of 2017 by putting my hands up. “Uh, hi.”
“Meredith,” she drawls slowly. “Did you forget my name?”
That’s it. Meredith. I take a look up and down her body and mentally note she looks the same. Her hair is still red, but it’s shorter. Too bad. I liked that hair against my chest when I woke up in the morning.
She was my first cuff contract, and I remember her fondly as the one that gave me most of the contract terminology I use in the current form.
“How are you?” I ask. Stay cool. Will she cause an incident with Savannah? “Long time.”
She scoffs, and it’s a mean sound with no warmth. “Yeah, I’m sure you’ve been sitting around and wondering how I’m doing.”
“What are you up to now? Married? Kids? You always seemed the kid type.”
She scowls. “Actually, after you broke my heart, it took me several years just to work up the balls to get on Tinder. Thanks for that, asshole.”
“Uh, good. Well, it was nice seeing you,” I say, flicking my half-finished cigarette into the alley, violently exhaling the smoke out my nose, and starting toward the door.
She blocks my path and puts her arm up over the frame. My eyes glance at the door handle and hope someone comes out the door. The handle would slam right into her lower back, and I could duck by and get out of the line of fire. Would Savannah be willing to leave if I made it sound like I’m not feeling well?
“Where are you going? Let’s catch up, buddy.”
I step back. “Sure. Good. Let’s catch up. Um…well, I’m doing oil changes and state inspections and still like to camp. We went camping a few times in the nice weather, right?”
“You don’t even remember? Do we all just blend together in your mind?”
Yes, but I don’t answer. I know better. “What are you doing now?”
“Do you even remember what I did back then?”
I stuff my hands in my pockets and sigh. “Listen, Meredith, it sounds like you have a problem with how things were left with us, and I’m sorry you were hurt, but that was the agreement. I’m not exactly long-term relationship material. Look at me, for fuck’s sake.”
