AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Fucking hell! It’s about time! This calls for shots!” Hannah stood up and waved down our waitress.
I sat back in surprise. “What?”
Hannah and Jenna shared a look that meant they had been talking about me. “You owe me twenty bucks, bitch.” Hannah held out her hand and Jenna slapped the money in her hand with a grumble.
“You bet that I would sleep with Jeremy? Why?” I asked incredulously.
Jenna laughed. “Because you’ve been lusting after him for years. And we both knew it was only a matter of time now that you were working together. I only thought you’d hold out for longer.”
Hannah winked at me. “Thanks for slutting it up sooner rather than later, L. You just earned me my drinkin’ money.”
“I have not been lusting after him for years! Who are you kidding? I’ve hated him!” I argued.
Jenna and Hannah both laughed at me. “Hated my ass. That was your very prolonged foreplay. You’ve been wanting a slice of that hot man meat since you met him.”
“He sleeps with everyone! Why would I lust after someone like that?” I protested, realizing how stupid I sounded.
And of course, Hannah called me on it. “Yet you’re boinking him.”
They were both looking at me. What did they want me to say?
“Okay, yes, I’m boinking him. But it’s just sex. We both agreed.”
“Sure, you did,” Hannah laughed, picking up her shot and knocking it back.
“We did!”
“Then why did you look so green when mentioning him sleeping around? Look at you! You’re going to break your teeth you’re clenching them so hard!” Hannah grabbed my chin and gave my face a squeeze.
“So, I don’t like the idea of him being with other women. That’s normal—”
“When you’ve got feelings for someone,” Jenna filled in.
I glared at her. The Judas.
“Enough. Clearly, our girl isn’t ready to admit she likes the jackass, so let her live awhile longer in her world of make-believe. Now I’m depressed because of the two of you are getting the real thing and I only have my battery-operated boyfriend. Let’s get drunk and find me some hot man meat!” Hannah shouted and we hooted along with her.
I was glad to have finally told someone. I hated secrets. Even if kept for the right reasons.
Besides, Hannah and Jenna were wrong. I didn’t like Jackass—I mean, Jeremy.
That was crazy talk.
Right?
Chapter 12
Lena
Six weeks went by and I was officially burning the candle at both ends. My workload was bordering on the insane. Adam was piling more and more on my plate and being the team player that I was, I never complained.
But I was reaching my limits.
I knew being a first-year associate was tough, but I hadn’t accounted for how tough it would be.
Top that with too many late nights boffing my other boss and I was dangerously close to collapse.
Jeremy had come over late last night after meeting some friends at a bar in Pittsburg. I hadn’t expected him and had chosen an early bedtime instead of a Friday night out with friends. When my doorbell rang at one in the morning to reveal a very drunk Jeremy, I almost closed the door and went back to bed.
But I was too far gone to do that.
So of course, I let him in and spent the next four hours being naked with him.
I was supposed to get up early on Saturday to meet my parents for brunch. I had been putting off seeing them for weeks and I knew Mom was at the point where she’d come over if I hadn’t agreed to meet them. My mother was more adept at finding out my secrets than I’d like her to be. We were super close, so it was hard to hide anything from her I hated doing so. But there was no way to tell her about Jeremy. She’d never understood that sex didn’t mean a relationship. And I could never ask her to keep it from Adam. I didn’t want to put her in that position. So instead I was avoiding her. It was easier than looking her in the eye and pretending nothing was going on.
Because the more time I spent with Jeremy, spending the night with him, watching TV with him—he was now a Buffy addict—it felt like there was something to tell.
The alarm on my phone went off at 8:00 in the morning. I had only been asleep for three hours. I fumbled to turn it off. My brain felt fuzzy and the moment I sat up, my stomach rolled. I barely made it to the bathroom before I threw up.
After I emptied my stomach, I brushed my teeth and stared at my reflection in the mirror. I looked like death. I was pale, with dark circles under my eyes. My hair was lank and there was a gross sheen to my skin. Jesus, I was a mess. My stomach lurched again, and I waited to see if it would pass. After a few minutes, things settled, so I figured it was safe to get in the shower.
