Page 10 of Forbidden Vows

“No. I’ve been at school all day…”

A creepy, eerie feeling rises on the back of my neck like dozens of spidery legs crawling over my skin. I stare back at him.

Keith doesn’t apologize. Ever. At least, not to me. Someone would have had to make him—the very same person who turned his face into their punching bag.

A blaze that is about to meet an inferno.

Chapter Three

Blaze

I hear my mom’s ringtone while trying to put on my wrinkled pants. After zipping up and buckling my belt as quickly as possible, I grab my phone from my pocket and stare at the screen.

“It’s my Ma,” I say to the beautiful brunette dressing next to me. “You gotta go…”Natasha?I’m not sure enough, so I say, “Honey.”

She’s pulling the strap of her dress over her shoulder. She pauses, tossing me a look. “I have to leave because your mom is on the phone?”

I gather her shoes from the floor. “Yeah.” I hand them to her. “Go. Please.”

“Can’t I at least put these on?” She takes the shoes, hanging them from the crook of her finger by their strap.

There are countless legitimate reasons for this woman to leave. Calling my mom back is just one of them.

I can’t sleep unless I’m alone.

I don’t do overnight guests.

I have to piss like a racehorse, and I get pee-shy around strangers.

Though after what we just did, she would hardly appreciate it if I called her a stranger to her face.

Despite my jet lag, it’s 5 p.m. in New York City, and it’s time for a stiff drink. I don’t want to be rude, but I also am not offering her one.

And reason number one—I don’t want her to get the wrong idea.

Grabbing her purse, I usher her to the hotel door, her shoes still dangling by the strap from her fingers. Blinking like a wide-eyed doe, she tosses over her shoulder, “Call me?”

“We’ll see.”

I laid it all out before the panties dropped. I always do. I may play the game, but I’m clear about the rules. This was a one-time thing. An exchange of orgasms. Nothing more.

One woman matters to me, but she detests me, so I keep clear boundaries with others. We’re just having fun. I kiss the beautiful woman's cheek chastely and lock the door behind her. Running a hand through my hair, I jog to the bathroom, trying to recall her name.

“What was it? Natasha?” It comes to me, and I snap my fingers with a grin. “Tash! That’s it.”

Eager to empty my bladder, I fumble with the zipper. “Shit!” The urge strikes before I can fully prepare, and I end up pissing on the material as well as the toilet seat.

Disgusted yet too lazy to change, I zip up the damp pants to call Ma and grab a drink. After that, it’s straight to the shower.

Ma doesn’t answer, so I text her to give me a ring when she can.

“Shower or drink?” I ask myself, glancing down at the drying pants. “Drink. Whiskey, first.”

I go to the corner of the room, to the bar by the window overlooking the East River and Roosevelt Island. I glance at Queens, where I visited a guy bothering Dame's friend.

It wasn’t my first assault of the day. Or my most satisfying one.

Afterward, I stopped at a fancy store on the corner to wash my hands and buy a new shirt.

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