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ONE
PENNY
“This is the new boss…Penelope.”
My father’s words floated from his smug lips and hung suspended in the air between Theo and I. It was how I imagined Theo’s cartoon books. The words scrawled stationary over your head. I wanted to pluck them out of the air before he could register them. Too late. Fire blazed in his eyes, scorching me with its heat. He blinked, and then blinked again, before rising from his seat. In a restaurant, from my father, with Dex at my side, wasn’t how I wanted him to find out. How cruel of my father. Theo deserved better than this. I clenched my fists to stop myself from grabbing my father’s Gin and tonic and flinging it at his balding head. Without a word or a second glance to me, Theo walked away. Panic crept through my body as each step of his long legs took him further from me.
“Excuse me,” I said to My Mother’s Sperm Donor, turning to leave. No longer would he get the distinction of ‘Father’. A father loves, nurtures, and encourages their child. The man I left behind sitting at the table cared about one thing only. Himself.
The music blared through my ears, making my head spin. Who could eat with all this fucking noise? I could barely even hear these internal thoughts; it was so loud. The heels of my shoes clanked against the tile of the floor as I left the clamor of the Hard Rock behind. Theo made it halfway to the exit before I caught up to him. “Theo, please wait.”
He pushed open the gold framed glass door, and I followed him through. Stars lit the night sky as we stepped out onto the walkway of the Bayside Marketplace.
“What, Penelope?” He spun around with rage in his dark eyes and a mask of pure fury on his face. “Leave me alone, Boss.”
My heart sank. I never wanted to leave him alone. Ever. He was everything to me. I wanted to laugh with him, hold him, hear about his dolls and his comic books, watch the way his eyes lit up when he looked at Lucy, kiss him… just be with him. Not leave him alone. That thought terrified me. “Please, let me explain.”
He shook his head and turned from me, walking off at a hurried pace. I lifted the hem of my cotton red dress and tried to keep up. Why in the hell I let Margo talk me into wearing this tonight would remain a mystery. Running after a man on a cobblestone sidewalk in four inch heels and a tight sundress was no easy task, but damned if I wasn’t doing it.
A darkened corridor sat next to another neon lit restaurant overlooking the bay. He stopped, dropping his head to gaze at the cobblestone path. “Explain what? How you lied to me? How you’re engaged? Engaged, Penny,” he breathed.
His hurt seeped throughout my entire body. I wanted to make it all go away.
My mouth went dry as I tried to think of how to explain everything.
And then, two pathetic words slipped past my lips in a whisper, “I’m sorry.” I wanted to scream into the still night. Such useless words. Sorry would never erase the pain I saw on his face. Sorry wouldn’t take the defeated slump from his shoulders. Sorry would never be enough but was all I could give. My hands were bound and tied by My Mother’s Sperm Donor and Dex.
As slowly as possible Theo leaned against the brick wall, crossing his arms, and kicking his foot up to rest on the wall behind him. “I’m waiting.”
Squaring my shoulders, I inched closer and leaned into him. “I never meant to hurt you. It’s just my …”
“Enough. I don’t want to hear it.” He grabbed my arms with his strong hands and spun me around until the exposed skin on my back scraped against the rough surface. “Always against a wall with you, Penny.”
My body came alive as he leaned in, his mouth mere inches from mine. Those lips had been all over my body and knew every inch of me. I could almost taste his desire until he lashed out, his words like a whip striking my body. “What makes you think I want to hear about your father? Or more of your lies?” The words hissed through the air, their impact nearly buckling my knees. “Did he force you to fuck Dex?”
“What? No, please listen.” Tears flooded my eyes, threatening to spill over my lashes as I tried to explain.
He raised both hands and placed them against the wall enclosing me as he continued to brandish his weapon. “You make me sick.” Anger and hatred coiled and retracted, then struck me, the sting burning my chest. “Do you think I would ever want to touch you again after knowing Dex has touched you?”
I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the bitterness in his. “I’m sorry. I never…”
“Goodbye, Penny.” My chest heaved with desperation as he walked away.
I couldn’t let it end this way. Hell no. Not like this. I couldn’t let him leave without knowing the truth.
Pushing off the wall, I ran after him. Again, no easy task in this getup I wore. Cobblestone is nice to look at, but it’s a bitch to run on. He was worth breaking a leg on this uneven sidewalk, though.
Weaving through a mob of faceless people, I saw Theo rushing into the parking lot. He reached his car and I sped up, my calves burning from the effort.
I needed to speak to him, to make him understand. Before I knew it he pulled away, his headlights beaming in my direction. When he glanced my way, the tires screeched to a stop.
He nodded his head, silently asking me to get into his Audi. I let out a sigh of relief as I rushed to the passenger side and slid into the leather seat. He threw the car in gear and took off like a bolt of lightning.
“I don’t know what it is about you, Penny, but I can’t seem to let you go.”
“Please don’t, just drive.”
He pulled into an empty lot, put the car in park, and shifted in his seat to face me. “Talk.”
Clearing my throat, I turned to him and forced myself to look into his eyes. Those fucking eyes. When I first met Theo, I never told him how his eyes drew me to him. Eyes were my thing. His were the reason I ended up on a lifeguard station having multiple orgasms. They were full of laughter and mischievousness. The sadness in them now made me want to weep.
