Page 6 of Sass Me Again

Emily’s eyes flew open as she felt a warm body pressed against her. Panic raced through her mind, her breath stuck in her throat. Memories from the night before flooded her mind. Images of their intimacy slowly trickled through her sight. His lips on her, his hard naked body flexing all of his fabulous muscles above her. She felt the heat pooling in her nether regions once more. Damn, how Ian turned her on. But then again, he always had. No matter how many years had passed, he was the one person who had been a constant in her thoughts—her mind. She had tried time and again to push him from her brain, to ignore his very existence, but it had never worked. Not once. The thought of being with him was always there. Even though she’d wished it otherwise many times.

She thought about slipping out of bed, finding her clothes, and heading home, but that was impossible. Ian had given her a ride to his place, and unless she felt like a twelve-mile trek to start the day off, she was stuck—exactly where she didn’t want to be.

“Crap, crap, crap!” she thought, needing to find a way out of there.

Gently shifting her body weight, Emily carefully crept out of bed. Grabbing her clothes and purse, she quickly made her way to the bathroom. She fired off a text to Jenn asking her to pick her up pronto. She really wanted to be out of there before Ian woke up. The last thing they needed was an awkward conversation about what had gone down between them the night before.

Within minutes, she was standing at the end of Ian’s driveway. A feeling of relief washed over her as she saw Jenn’s car slowing to a stop. Emily quickly jumped in and slammed the door. Throwing on her seatbelt, she let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

Jenn gave her that knowing look, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to not talk about what had happened.

“Are you going to spill it, or do I have to drag it out of you?”

Emily pursed her lips as a heavy blush crept over her face. She had never been one to kiss and tell. She had to give Jenn something, or Jenn would likely pull over and kick her ass out of the car. Well, she probably wouldn’t do that, but after the leg workout Emily had the night before, she sure as shit didn’t feel like walking anywhere other than back to her own bed once she was home.

“You have to at least tell me something! I’m dying here!” Jenn said, turning her head to repeat her famous expectant look.

“Hey! Keep your eyes on the road.” The last thing Emily wanted was to get killed on the way home from the best sex of her life.

“Fine, then start talking. And please don’t tell me you pulled a coyote ugly.”

It was Emily’s turn to stare at Jenn. “A what?” she asked, seriously confused. She had no idea what coyote ugly meant.

“Christ! Are you serious? Did you never see that movie? I thought everyone had.” Jenn shrugged.

“What movie?”

“Coyote Ugly. Geez, he really did fuck your brains out, didn’t he?” Jenn laughed.

Emily ignored the brash comment. “No, I haven’t seen it. Never heard of it, either.”

“Apparently. Anyway, when someone sneaks out after a one-night stand, they joke about how they’d rather chew their own arm off than wake the person they’d had sex with.”

“Yeah, I’ve got nothing. And no, that’s not why I snuck out. You and I both know Ian isn’t ugly. Not at all. I just didn’t want the awkwardness that would surely have happened had I decided to stay there. Then, I forgot that I left my car at the restaurant. So, I called you. Sorry, but I couldn’t think of anyone else to ask for a ride. I probably should have just called an Uber. At least I wouldn’t have to detail every event that led up to my walk of shame.” Jenn was her best friend and she loved her to death, but damn the woman was nosy as fuck, especially when it came to Emily’s love life or lack thereof.

“I don’t need every stinking detail, and you have no reason to be ashamed of spending the night with Ian. It’s perfectly normal to scratch that itch and who better to do it with than someone you already know? Someone you know you’re perfectly safe with. It’s not like you were picking up some stranger at the bar and going back to his place where no one knew who you were with or where you were.”

“True, but still. You know all the reasons why I shouldn’t be with Ian. So, yeah. The shame exists, whether I want it to or not.”

“Yeah, well, your reasons are stupid as fuck. You’re a grown-ass woman. Your parents should not be telling you whom you can and can’t sleep with—let alone date. It’s ridiculous, and you know it. Sadly, you won’t stand up to them and tell them what or whom you want.”

“I know. I get it. I do. You’re unhappy about my decision, but I have my reasons. You’re just going to have to accept them and move on.” Emily was tired of having the same conversation over and over again. Everyone was always on her ass. Her friends because they thought her parents controlled her. Her parents because they didn’t like her friends. It was never-ending.

It was getting to the point that she really just wanted to tell all of them to take a flying fucking leap!

“I’m sorry. I just want what’s best for you. I want you to live your life the way you want to,” Jenn explained.

“I know. That’s what everyone seems to want.”

“What do you want?” Jenn asked. “We’ve known each other our whole lives. Yet, you always put everyone else’s needs above your own. I’ve seen you do it over and over again. I want you to start putting you first.”

“I know. I just don’t think I’m built that way.” Emily had tried numerous times to put herself first. Every time she did, she was called selfish. The guilt would gnaw at her until she eventually gave in. It just wasn’t worth the hassle.

“Maybe you should start small—like baby steps or something. Try telling someone, and by someone, I mean your parents, sometimes. It’s just a thought. Pick something small that won’t cause a complete meltdown.”

“We’ll see,” Emily mumbled. What Jenn didn’t realize was that she had tried to tell her parents no. Many times. It was just easier to go with what her parents wanted rather than taking a stand against them. They were powerful people within the community who were used to getting their way. No one told her dad no and walked away unscathed. Ever. She didn’t want to put Ian through any of that. So she’d stayed single and been a dutiful, obedient daughter. One day, she would find someone she loved that her parents would approve of. Until then, she’d keep her head down and do what was expected of her.

“You need to go get some rest,” Jenn said as she pulled up to Emily’s apartment and dropped her off.