Page 9 of The Right Woman

In fact, most of the weekend, I thought more about that daddy’s dick than anything. And I’m not much of one to consider men. Especially not growly, alphaholes who think I should get on my knees for them just for having a cock. He can’t control me.

Applying a smooth layer of purple lipstick, I tug on a long, orange cardigan over my painted, wide, flared jeans. Freckles curls on his back in his sunny spot on the windowsill, ignoring my morning routine in favor of sleeping in. After filling his dishes, I smirk and say goodbye, but he just ignores me. Spotting my collection of hats on the rack, I decide at the last minute to throw on a checkered beret and head out the door.

With the crisp fall air, everything seems new. College kids are walking downtown toward campus for their early classes and the stores are opening their doors. The smells of warm sunshine and wet leaves give the aroma of a fresh start. I love this time of year.

Bopping into the Rainy Day bookstore, I can’t help but smile at the new autumn coffee menu, including pumpkin spice lattes. Maggie’s long brown ponytail whips around as she makes espressos and steams up milk for the customers in line. Her gaze lifts to catch me, and she holds up an empty paper cup, pointing to the chalk drawing of a pumpkin on the sign. I nod and give her a broad smile, which she doesn’t return.

Fine. So I burned her Steve Maddens after the last time she left them at my place, saying we were over. But then she let me finger her in the back of The Warehouse. I thought we were back on by now.

When I get to the counter, I let my lashes flutter a bit and lean over to get a pretend peek at the pastries. “Mm, these look good.”

Her lips are firm as she snaps out, “I’m making you a latte, and that’s all I can do for you today, Piper.”

A little laugh bubbles up from my chest. “Come on! Are you still mad about those platform sneakers? They were ugly as fuck anyway. Don’t be that way.”

She rolls her eyes and turns around to make my drink.

“Maggie.”

Ignoring me, she continues to steam the milk and even turns up the steam.

But I just increase my volume. “Maggie!”

“Come on, lady. You’re holding up the line.”

“Hurry up!”

A couple of people behind me grumble complaints. Turning around, I open my mouth to tell them all to shut up, but the absolute tower of a man standing behind me makes me lose my breath. His face is contorted with so much anger that I trip backwards into the cash register. With a snarl on his lip, his cavernous brown eyes stare me down with disgust. I can’t formwords to snap back at him, but I want to. The curse about it is…he’s insanely attractive.

He wasn’t the one to say something, but he looks like he’s about to. “Hold your fucking horses,” I say, but instead of making it sound cute, it’s like a hesitating whisper of anxiety.

“Here. I’ll put it on your tab, but Bob wants you to pay it by the end of this month or no more free coffees, Piper.” Maggie gets my attention back to her, and I flash her a flush-cheeked smile.

When I’m about to ask her out again, Bob pops his head through the metal swinging door to the kitchen and yells, “I mean it, Piper!”

Swallowing my annoyance, I walk away with my coffee, but not without keeping someone’s attention. The giant continues to give me the evil eye as I skirt away from the crowd, who look relieved that I’m leaving. My stomach twists in a knot when I see my mother and sister sitting in a booth by the door. Practically squatting behind the planters that divide the ordering line from the dining area, I try to duck and walk by without them seeing.

“Piper, darling? What in the world are you doing?” My mother’s high-pitched, irritated voice calls me out.

Everyone at the back of the line turns around to gape at me. Shaking my shoulders back, I straighten up and divert my steps toward them. “Oh, I didn’t see you there. Hi.”

With a heavy sigh, my sister rolls her eyes while sipping her coffee mug. She’s always careful not to damage her perfect makeup, a mannerism she learned from our mother. Both look like news anchors in their ridiculous navy pant suits, with nearly identical blonde hair styled into perfect waves around their faces.

I slide into a seat across from their booth as they both give me looks of utter disappointment. Maeve squints her eyes at my mouth, then sneers. “Purple lipstick? Ugh…” I give her a nastylook back. She ignores me and turns to our mother. “Anyway, like I was saying,Omegaare voting on bids this weekend, so I can’t make it. And Sean and I are celebrating our three-month anniversary, if all goes well.” My sister taps her pink-polished fingernails on the table.

“How is boring Sean?”

She tosses her shiny locks over a shoulder and sits up straighter, keeping her unamused expression intact. “He’s just fine. How’s your prostitution going?”

My jaw drops at her insinuation, and the heat rises in my gut as my fist curls, ready for a punch. “Even if Iweremaking money that way?—”

Slapping her long fingers between our cups of coffee, my mother narrows her eyes and lowers her voice. “You two need tostop. We are inpublic. Act like you have somemanners.” She grits out the last word of every sentence for emphasis. It’s like we’re children again any time we’re together.

Being the pink sheep of the family has its disadvantages. For one, the only thing these two care about is how thingsappear, not how they actually are. Second, they still try to force me to get along with them and attend family functions. I’d rather set their houses on fire.

Maeve’s greatest achievement in life after becomingOmega Nu Epsilon’spresident (where you find “The One”) is landing Sean Harrison. Not only is he that boring type of dimpled conventionally attractive specimen and a proud virgin, practically teaching incels on campus to cage their dicks. He’s also the son of the prominently tenured Poli-Sci professor, Mr. Harrison. And Maeve is determined to be President Sean Harrison’s first lady someday.

Worse than all that, my mother encourages this behavior. Except one thing: Maeve has recently had a weird itch to get my parents back together, claiming that divorce is a stain on ourfamily’s legacy. I’m sure that’s coming from Sean’s warped brain and Maeve’s need to please her closeted gay boyfriend.

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