Page 14 of Plunge into Obsession

I tugged on her apron playfully with my free hand, and we went to the back together.

Kaia and I had been friends since college.

I never finished my degree because after Lucinda went missing, I wasn’t motivated to continue, especially when it felt like I was moving on with my life without her.

Kaia had graduated.

With a degree in psychology, with honors.

But the job market was tough, and there wasn’t a lot she could do with a psychology degree that paid even half as well as our gig working here.

Kaia never said, but I thought, like me, she was directionless in life.

She was the one person I was closest to in the world, and it was the same for her.

We told each other everything; including stories about her tumultuous childhood and the stepbrother who’d left her behind after he killed her abusive dad and confessed to the police anonymously.

She had been ten at the time and hadn’t seen the man since.

Unlike me, she ran away from the system. I stayed until I grew out of it.

We were what each other had in this world.

“Wanna do a scary-movie marathon with me tomorrow?” I asked.

It was the only day we both had off at the same time. I planned on not going anywhere.

She grinned. “Why do you assume I don’t have plans?”

I let one eyebrow raise. “Do you?”

She laughed. “No.”

We were both homebodies.

I couldn’t even remember the last time I had sex with a man.

And Kaia, well, I didn’t know the reason behind it, but for as long as I had known her, I had never seen her show any attraction to anyone.

“Yes. At this point, I just want to go home and sleep. Let’s hope Ruiz will let us out on time and not hold us back for another team meeting.” Kaia rolled her eyes as she said it, and I nodded.

This job was everything to Corey.

It was one thing to love your job and want to do well in it, but it was another thing when you made it your whole life.

Corey wanted to impress Gabriel on a very unhealthy level.

He had been on our asses over every little rule ever since the strip club was opened. Things were much worse when he knew Gabriel was going to visit, which wasn’t often.

I told myself it was a good thing I didn’t see Gabriel all that often, even if it felt like my stomach dropped down to my feet in disappointment every time I came to work and he wasn’t here.

Rainey, another server, caught up to us as we moved to the bar and waited for our tables’ drinks to be made.

Miles, the bartender for the night, smiled brightly as Kaia headed toward him.

Kaia pretended she didn’t see the look he shot her.

I’d feel almost bad for him if I didn’t know his persistence was annoying her more than anything.

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