I let out a weak huff in response, instead of doing what I should have done—telling him he couldn’t say things like that. It felt pointless given minutes ago his tongue was inside my ass.
He held me for a while, his thumb rubbing soothing circles over my abdomen. When my legs found their strength again, I pulled away. Pulled on the panties that had lay discarded on the floor. Kaz helped me fix my dress, his touch soft and gentle against my skin. When our eyes met, he wore a slack expression, and I quickly looked away.
We walked out of the dance studio. I was grateful he didn’t say anything. The thought of discussing the mutual perversion that had just occurred seemed untenable. I kept my gaze to the ground, letting Kaz lead me in the right direction and taking some small comfort in his confident stride. I wondered if his head spun like mine at what had just transpired between us, or if it was normal for him to finger women at parties and move on like nothing happened.
Mason and Charlotte greeted us with excessive enthusiasm when they returned to the party minutes after us. They were wasted. I sniffed and led the way out the door. It was time to go home.
12
MOLLY
The day after the party,I went on a run for the first time since I moved to LA. There was a restless energy beneath my skin I needed to get rid of, and the black coffee I’d chugged earlier had only made it worse.
I listened to my favorite album by Dead Poet Society while I jogged down the beach. The ocean slammed into the sand and washed away old footprints seconds after they’d been left. I wished it could wash away the memory of last night with a single brutal wave.
But I was done with wishful thinking. It was time to admit to myself I was spiraling because I wasn’t over Mason and face the problem head-on. How did people get over someone? There had to be a foolproof way I simply wasn’t aware of.
One thing was certain. It couldn’t involve Kaz.
What we did last night was wrong on about a million different levels. The employee handbook might not have anything about it, but it was still frowned upon to sleep with the talent. If Trinity ever found out what I did when she was this close to her big promotion, she might just fire me to eliminate any potential risk. My history with both of the men seemed combustible enough as is, without me throwing more fuel into the mix. And finally, Kaz had a way of getting under my skin that lured thatwild thingout.
She was the one who did all those things with him. Not me. This Molly would never spy on her old friend engaged in a sexual act while getting off with his best friend.
My skin tingled with heat. I tried to ignore it. Wrong or not, last night had made me feel things I’d never experienced before. My last semi-serious boyfriend back in college hadn’t made me feel half of what Kaz did.
At home, I pulled out the secondhand juicer I’d never taken out of the box and attempted to make a green juice. Anything to occupy my mind and make me feel like I was back on track with my life. Some part of me knew a run and a homemade juice weren’t going to be enough, but hey, I had to start somewhere.
I was so absorbed with my task it took me a while to pick up on a strange noise in the background. It sounded like metal scraping on metal.
Wiping my hands off on a towel, I took a few cautious steps toward the door. The scraping got louder.
A cold sense of dread washed over me when a muted curse drifted through the door.
It sounded like Cory. Was he trying to break into my apartment? In the middle of a goddamn Sunday?
I picked up my cellphone from the coffee table and found the courage to peer through the peephole. There was no one to be seen, but Ifelthim on the other side. He must be kneeling down.
I slammed the side of my fist into the door three times. “Get the hell away, Cory! I know you’re out there.”
“Stupid bitch,” he swore and straightened up. I could see him as if he were in the same room. He leaned into the peephole. His eyes were tinged with red and madness. “I heard you coming home last night. What were you doing out so late? Whoring yourself out?”
Cold sweat trailed down the back of my neck. “Get away from the door.”
He leaned away and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “Who were you with?” he demanded, as if he had any right to know.
“You have five seconds to go back to your apartment, or I’m calling the cops.”
He huffed in frustration and changed course in the span of a second. “Okay, I’m sorry,” he said, his voice growing significantly softer. “I just want to see you, Molly. You’re so beautiful, like an angel. My angel, aren’t you? Let me see you.”
Fuck, this was beyond creepy. “I’m calling 911,” I said desperately.
I waited for him to call my bluff—there was no way I was going to subject myself to a repeat of what happened the last time I called for help—but to my relief, he shook his head and took a step toward his apartment.
When I heard the click of his lock sliding into place, I slid against the door and sank into a heap on the floor. Tears of frustration pricked the backs of my eyes. It wasn’t even past eleven am, and I was already dreading spending the rest of the day here alone.
As if on cue, my phone vibrated in my hand.
It was a message from Kaz. I gnawed on my bottom lip. Should I open it? Maybe dealing with this was better than contemplating if Cory would pay me another visit before the day was over.
