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With a hint of stubbornness, she replied, "You kissed me back."
"Which I will certainly not apologize for, Amelia."
She shook her head, freeing herself from my grasp. She raised her hands and then let them drop as if it was pointless anyway. "I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry."
"No," I cautioned her. "Don't feel guilty. Use me, Amelia—however you want. This isn't an offer; it's an order. And if you're going to follow any command from me, choose this one."
Not once in my life had I ever approved of being used by anyone for anything. I had never willingly played the doormat for a woman after her boyfriend cheated on her. Those were usually the kinds of games I steered clear of for so many reasons.
But in Amelia's case, I was ready to take whatever she was willing to give me, even if it was just so she could recover from the man who had hurt her.
I’m not sure where this sudden change was coming from. This woman made me forget everything: principles, rules, more than half a century of life experience, and the worst part was that I knew exactly why. It didn't even seem unexplainable.
"Gray…" Amelia closed her eyes. Did my statement torment her that much? She exhaled heavily before her gaze locked onto mine again.
Her slightly flushed cheeks, her seductive mouth where I could still see the kiss… I would have done it again in a heartbeat, but I was determined to make sure it was reciprocated.
"Is your offer from earlier still on the table? The one you never really put into words."
I nodded slowly, fully aware that I was digging my own grave, and pointed at her phone. "Now, do me a favor and answer it already."
That gave me time to process the last few minutes and persuade my body that this was not going to end with Amelia straddling me, even as good as that sounded.
Amelia finally tore herself away from me as soon as she pressed the phone to her ear. Still, I could hear the female voice on the other end.
"I know I promised you updates, but… yeah, he was there. With a blonde. Right. That means I'm officially single now. No…Manon. Just listen to me for a second."
Silence suddenly prevailed on the other end.
"No, I'm not moving in with you because I've just decided to leave town for a while. I can't stand it here anymore, and before I do anything else, I'd like to get my life back in… order. Gray has offered?—"
At that moment, I saw the realization on her face, and it hit me too. She had made a mistake.
"Who the hell is Gray?" The other woman's voice suddenly became shrill.
"If you calm down… yes, welcome to the middle of my sentence, M. If you relax, I'll tell you everything."
As Amelia clearly squirmed under the crossfire of her—presumably—best friend, I reached for her phone and pressed it against my ear.
"I'm Gray."
Silence.
More silence.
Meanwhile, Amelia looked at me with wide eyes.
"Nice to meet you, Manon. If you're worried that Amelia might become the victim of a serial killer, I can assure you that I don’t even kill bugs."
"You can claim a lot. Why don't you turn on the camera, show me your face and your ID, and wait until I've spoken with my friend before you take her somewhere? And while we're at it—where are you taking her? I want the exact location."
Amelia had heard every word, of course, so she grabbed her phone again and turned on the video function. She positioned herself so that she was standing with her back to my chest.
Manon's face was zoomed in on the screen as she stared up from the display, mostly atme, if I read her slightly parted lips correctly.
"Why didn't you tell me you know guys who need a license for their looks, A?"
A nervous sound escaped Amelia. "Do you realize that Gray can hear you?"
