Page 23 of Take Two

“I’m the assistant vice president,” she says, smiling for the first time since I got here.

“Congratulations,” I tell her, not really caring.

“That’s what happens when you don’t drop out of college,” Wade throws in.

“I’m not your daughter so don’t worry about it,” I tell him. “I do okay for a college dropout. Better than you.”

“If you were my daughter, you’d have some damn manners,” Wade sneers.

“Yeah? Why don’t you come teach me some?” I taunt. I’m ready to say more, but the sad look in my mom’s eyes stops me, so I swallow any sharp words.

My phone buzzes in my purse, and when I see that it’s Charlie, I excuse myself and speed walk toward the bathroom.

“Hey,” I say when I get halfway down the hall.

“Hi, darlin’,” he says. I can practically see him smiling through the phone. “Just checkin’ to make sure you got to the restaurant okay. I thought you would have texted me.” I don’t remember the last time a man other than my dad checked in on me. I would have laughed myself silly at the thought of a man checking on me a few weeks ago, but that’s such a Charlie thing to do. If it were any other man, I’d think he was controlling, but not him.

“I managed to get here in one piece. What are you up to?” I ask.

“Just thinkin’ about how pretty you are and how good you smell.”

“And what else?” I say as I walk into the last stall in the ladies’ room.

“And that gag reflex, of course.”

“Yeah? I’m thinking about your big hands and how they would feel on me right now, Charlie.” As much as I wish I was with him in this moment, I would not bring him to this train-wreck of a family dinner. If he’s going to meet anyone in my family, it’s going to be my father.

“We’re gonna make that happen tomorrow. I wish I could see you tonight,but—”

“I know. You have family stuff.”

“Yeah, and helicopter brother won’t leave me alone. I’m hiding to talk to you. He keeps looking at me.”

“That dude has issues,” I say before thinking it through. I blame the cocktails I had. If not, I would know better than to talk poorly of his brother. “What the hell is he looking for? Next time, I’ll leave a hickey on your dick. Show him that.”

“How can I be both turned on and horrified by that statement?” he asks, and we both chuckle.

“Well, I’m going to send you some pictures. Do not open in public. Helicopter brother’s head will explode if he suspects.”

“My body’s already reactin’, he says.

“Your dick is already hard, Charlie. Say it,” I taunt. “Say ‘my dick is hard, Violet, and I want to slide it down your throat’.”

“I do, but send me the pictures, darlin’. Stop tryin’ to get me to cuss.”

We say goodbye, and I blow him a kiss through the phone. To my surprise, he does it back. I open my camera app and take a picture of my spread pussy lips. After checking to make sure it’s okay, I send it to him. Seconds later, he sends me the emoji with the exploding head. Then I get a picture from him. It’s of his hard dick with his hand wrapped around it.

Me: Now you’re sending me back to dinner with a wet pussy.

Charlie: That’s all I’ll be thinking about untilI see you.

Me: That hard dick belongs to me. Don’t take care of it yourself.

Charlie: I wouldn’t dream of it. It’s all yours. Same rule applies to you. That wet pussy’s mine.

Me: Look who’s cussin’.

Charlie: You’re a bad influence. And I said that pussy is mine.