Page 100 of False Promises

The voicemail kicked in.

“Stop avoiding my calls. What’s wrong with you? You should be ashamed of yourself, Carter Hills. I’m here missing you, while you’re doing God knows what with God knows who. Probably some skank. That’s not the way to treat your queen. And. I. Am. Your. Queen. No one else. Better get your ass back here. And quick.”

I killed the call with my finger, shaking with so much wrath, even my breathing hastened.

I blew out some air and dropped to the couch.

Then it hit me. Carter wouldn’t return my calls if I wasn’t gentler. The guy had a weak personality. And too many emotions. Didn’t his father tell him to suck it up when he was a kid? Guess not. Oh yes, he was the black sheep. The unloved offspring. Yeah, I had to tread carefully.

My back was ramrod straight and my chin high when I dialed him again. This time, I used my most innocent voice. The one he had trouble resisting in the past. “Hey baby, it’s me. I didn’t mean to go all angry on you before. It’s just”—time for some Oscar-worthy acting—“I miss you so much. I’m going crazy here. The last time we were together, we fought, and it’s been keeping me up most nights since then. I really miss you. This place is so empty when you’re not around. I can’t wait to feel your arms around me again. It’s been too long. Maybe I could come to visit you. And we could make up. I’m pretty good at rocking your world. Please call me back. I long to hear the sound of your voice. It makes my days better. I bet you’ve got some designer items for me from New York, and I can’t wait to see what they are. You know how much I love it when you gift me those. They put sunshine in my life. It's like my birthday all over again. Please be quick. I’m wet just at the idea of having you back home. Our home. Our little love nest. Call me when you have a minute. Better yet, surprise me in bed. Naked. I love you.”

There. No way could Carter resist me now. If this didn’t make him come running back to me, then I had no idea what would. Saying I’m sorry would be my last attempt before I had to fake an accident or something to compel him. Yes, it was about time Carter Hills returned home.

Two days later, Carter hadn’t called me back, so I decided to take the matter into my own hands. Sitting on the guest chair in a prime-time celebrity talk show, I wiped the forced tears with my fingertips. After I leaked information to the press about Carter vanishing in thin air after his appearance in That Talent, I received multiple offers to voice my side of the story.

Putting my most distressed face on, I blinked back the fake sheen in my eyes and answered the interviewer’s questions. “Yes, Carter Hills has gone to a sex rehab center.” Crocodile tears. A little breakdown. A tissue to tap my eyes. “I-I’m sorry. The last few weeks have been hard on us. On me.”

Inside, I high-fived myself. If this wasn’t enough to bring my man back, then I would be at my wit’s end. After all, I had learned to do what it took years ago.

* * *

My parents had always told me I knew what I wanted, even as a baby. If I saw something I liked, I’d do anything to get it. No matter the price. And what I might have to do to get it. Or the consequences.

And today, at sixteen, what I wanted was Jerry, my mom’s boyfriend. Over six-foot tall, with broad shoulders and a dark five o’clock shadow.

He wasn’t one of those creepy trailer park boyfriends. No, Jerry was hot, successful, and funny. For a forty-six-year-old man. Even his laughter woke up an army of butterflies in my belly.

Tonight, with Mom working late, I finally had a chance to make my move.

Operation Seduction—or OS as I called it—was on.

I’d been waiting for over six months for this moment, planning everything in my head.

My fingers itched to dial Meghan, my ex-best friend, but after I made out with her boyfriend under the bleachers last year and she caught us—oops—she refused to talk to me ever again.

I shrugged. Her loss.

I didn’t unzip his pants. He did it. And I didn’t push his dick into my mouth. He did. Of his own will. Well, after I begged him to. Stupid men and their sex drives.

Meghan shouldn’t blame me; I did her a favor. I exposed her cheating boyfriend. Instead of pushing me away, she should’ve thrown me a party. A thank-you bash. Whatever. It didn’t matter. Dimitri asked me out once Meghan dropped his sorry ass. He meant nothing to me. I got what I wanted. And he got what he deserved for being an easy prey. Humiliation.

Now I had my sights on another male specimen. A real man this time. Not a stupid high school kid who came in under two minutes. This time I aimed for the real deal.

I’d heard Mom and Jerry going at it, more times than I could remember. And I might even have spied on them once or twice—oops again—to see what he liked. He wouldn’t push me away if I fulfilled all his fantasies and blew his mind… amongst other things. The idea of seducing him made me smile.

Sure, Jerry would play hard to get. But I never backed off.

Goal-oriented, remember?

“Hey, Savannah, dinner is ready,” Jerry announced from the kitchen down the hall. The whiff of chicken parmigiana filled my nose. He had many talents, and cooking was one of them. I fixed my makeup, refreshed the red killer on my lips, fluffed my straightened brown hair, and stared at my reflection once more. Everything had to be perfect.

Showtime.

I swayed my hips as I made my way to the kitchen, dressed in a cheerleading skirt so short that it left nothing to the imagination and a cropped white tank top over a red push-up bra.

I used my most sultry voice, and licking a bright pink lollipop, I sat on the countertop, my legs spread and my back straight. “I’m starving, Jerry. Are you hungry too?”

He discarded the oven mitts and pivoted on his heels.