Page 18 of Dirty Arrangement

I sit up in surprise. “That's what I'm supposed to say.”

His fingers capture my chin, stroking my lower lip. “Alice...” He stops himself, then he reaches down to pull my dress up my body. Our little bubble becomes cold. Thomas nudges me until I'm sitting in the passenger's seat again. “It's late. I'll get you home.”

“Why? So I'm not late for work in the morning?”

He glances at me, frowning. “That's a good enough reason.”

I don't know how to respond. Feeling reprimanded, I hold my dress close and stare out the window. There's still steam on it. I wipe it away, not wanting to see the proof of what we've done.

Chapter Six

ALICE

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THREE DAYS GO BY. Idon't hear from Thomas once.

I send a number of texts, checking my phone every hour anxiously. Nothing.What did I do wrong?Our last words to each other were... uneasy. He was brutal, the same way he was that day in his basement. Was I disappointing him each time we kissed? Giving him too much, or not enough?

What else do I have left to offer him?

Trying not to dwell, I dive into my work. The cake-bomb experiment has gone swimmingly. My version is sweet, pretty, and colorful. People come and go in the shop, taking pictures of me as I work, ordering samples and sharing them.

I'm excited to launch the new dessert officially. I put up a small sign, going to sleep that night with a hopeful heart. It doesn't prepare me for the sight the next morning.

There's a line outside of Simply Sweet.

Overnight I became an instagram sensation.

Customer after customer orders cake-bombs by the dozen. I'm frantically baking new ones to keep up with the demand. “Alice!” Ms. Snip says, waving to me as she gets to the counter. “It's so busy in here!”

“I know,” I laugh. “Want your usual?”

“Oh, no.” Her eyes gleam. “I'll have a half dozen of those cake-bombs.”

“You've been coming here for years, ordering the same blueberry muffin,” I point out as I pack up the treats. “It's kind of strange to sell you something different.”

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