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There was no previous fucking check. She was expecting my girl to just go away. Probably because she was non-confrontational.
“Thank you. Have a great day,” I said exaggeratedly. “Watch out for dark alleys, though.” I gave her a severe look.
Gianna grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door. “Goodbye, Carolynn. Take care Georgina. Jesse, come on.”
“Stay in touch!” Georgina called. “I’ll add you on Facebook. And if you need a reference, use me!”
There were a handful of people still mulling around in the hallway, getting a show. There were smiles all around. They ate it up.
She got a couple hugs. Some well wishes. Some requests to come back and visit sometime from some of the residents. And then we were out of there.
On our way to my truck, my girl looked at me and said, “I shoulda asked for a letter of recommendation. She would’ve said anything I wanted to get you out of there.”
I gave her a serious look. “You had friends there, you know.”
“I didn’t realize, but yeah, I guess I did. Thanks, baby,” she kissed me.
“My pleasure, hostage. But, you’re buying me dinner on the way home.”
She laughed.
When we were in my truck, she said, “Actually, Jesse. After buying dinner, I think I wanna give the rest to Delia. It’s almost half of the cremation bill. I really don’t feel right about her paying for it, especially after all that’s gone on the last few weeks with Aunt Francie, how they all kicked in to help and she just… took advantage. You know?”
“I already paid Delia. I didn’t want you worrying about that debt, knew you’d fret after finding out the club helped for free when Francie didn’t need it. So I sent Delia the money this morning.”
Gigi blinked in surprise.
“I’ve got your back. Sometime, maybe you’ll have mine.”
She threw her arms around me. “After all the crap, all the nonsense, I didn’t ever think I’d luck out like this. I’m like… the worst girlfriend in the world to you these last weeks and you’re still this awesome to me.”
“Buy me a steak dinner, grab a box of Fruit Roll Ups to give me some of that epic head tonight, and that’ll be a start,” I said with a shrug.
“Your wish is my command, Lord Captor,” she whispered and sucked my earlobe.
“Little vixen,” I said. “You fixin’ to get fucked in this truck?”
“I wouldn’t mind that,” she whispered against my neck.
“I wouldn’t either, except it’s not a good idea to let my guard down with the shit that went down today, so you’ll get your fuckin’ when we get home.”
***
When we got into my room, I immediately worked to shed her clothing.
“Too long,” I told her between nibbles on her throat, “Way too long since I tasted you.”
“Yeah,” she breathed, dragging her fingers through my hair, then biting my earlobe.
“Didn’t like goin’ that long without you,” I said.
“I missed you,” she whispered. “So much.”
“Yeah?” I kissed her throat and then pulled her shirt over her head.
She jerked like I’d hurt her and then her face was red, and she pulled her bra off quickly, dropping it to the floor, then kicking it.
“I take that off you,” I corrected.
She gave me a wonky smile, going for my fly. I stopped her. Something was off.
“Gigi?” I asked, and grabbed her chin and made her look at me. “What?”
“Nothin’,” she said, shaking her head.
She was full of shit.
“Start talking.”
“I have better ideas.”
“Woman…”
“What?”
“Talk.”
“About?”
I sighed. She bit down on her lip, looking guilty.
“What’s the rule I gave you when we started?”
“No lies. No deceit.”
“Right. And?”
I waited. We both knew something was up.
Shame filled her face as she leaned over and lifted her bra from the floor. And then she showed me a Band-Aid that was under it.
I flinched. “You were hiding that from me?”
“I didn’t know I’d see you today. I was having a … bad time. And then when you started undressing me, I worried you’d see it and get mad and… I tried to hide it.”
Fuck. I let that penetrate for a minute while she stared up at me with big, frightened eyes.
“You wouldn’t have done it if you knew you were seeing me today?”
Her eyes dropped to the floor.
I tipped her chin, so she had to look at me. “Where’d you cut yourself? Show me.”
She lifted her arm and I saw the scabs on her inner bicep.
”That the first time you’ve hurt yourself since we talked about it?”
A muscle jumped in her cheek. Then she opened her mouth and clamped it shut, saying nothing.
I shook my head. I guess I’d missed it.
“Outlets,” I said. “No scratchin’ scabs.”
She flinched, clearly remembering that first excuse for a bandage she gave me.
“I’ll try harder. I had a few slips.”
I pulled air into my lungs, then let it out slowly. It didn’t help.
