Page 64 of Beauty Beneath the Sorrow
Lina
The Poppyhas become our go-to spot for girls’ night outs. It’s a Friday night, and the restaurant is buzzing like it usually is. I pinch myself through the dense crowds of people waiting for a table and those standing around the bar. I practiced conversation starters in the mirror while getting ready this evening. It felt weird since these women are my closest friends, but I needed to rehearse ways of avoiding spilling everything that happened between Carter and me.
I’m probably fooling myself. Bailey, Avery, and Piper will see right through me. I’m not ready to tell them yet. I’m still not prepared to admit to myself what’s going on. It’s thrilling but confusing. I haven’t been able to get him off my mind since Seattle.
Last night, I woke up from a deep sleep, turned the fuck on. A fever dream so intense I pulled my vibrator from the first drawer of my nightstand. I played with myself to fantasies of Carter. The way his dark features light up when he sees me, the way his body heat reaches into my core. How he moves so sensually but with a gentle authority.Goddamnit.I came twice that night from mental images of him. That’s how feral I am for that man.
Was it a fluke thing?I think to myself, heading to the back of the restaurant where the patio is located. We were giving in to our urges and having some fun, right? A lot of fucking fun—but harmless fun, right? A shiver moves down my spine.
I haven’t texted him. I’m not quite sure what to do at this point. As if he somehow was reading my mind, my phone buzzes in the back pocket of my jeans.
Carter: Hey, baby.
I click my tongue. I really don’t like it when he calls mebaby.
Me: Hi, Captain Hernandez. What can I do for you?
Carter: I can’t stop thinking about the way you scrunch your nose when you’re about to come.
I blush.Fucking Carter—making my pussy throb through a simple text.
Me: Oh yeah? I’m glad you had your fun.
Carter: From the way your pussy came all over my tongue after breakfast that morning, you seem to have had a lot of fun yourself.
Me: Looking for a compliment on your ability to service me?
Carter: No. But I’ll take oneanyway.
I can still feel the sensation of his large, ripped body on top of me. And suddenly, I’m questioning leaving girls’ night to satisfy my craving for him. One that I’ve been dying to have again for almost a week.
Me: I smelled you all over me even after I showered. I’d say you did an excellent fucking job.
Carter: I knew it. Feel like taking a run?
I read the message, but I decide to respond later and slip my phone into the back pocket of my jeans. I can’t let a little fling get in the way of my girlfriends.
“Hey, babes!” I call out as soon as I approach the table. We all exchange brief hugs before taking our seats.
“You look beautiful tonight.” Bailey cups my face. “You have this sexy glow about you.”
It’s impossible to hide anything from them. I laugh and shoo her away. “I got a good night’s sleep last night, that’s all.”
Piper takes the chair next to me and waves a hand in front of my face. “Yeah, you have this energy about you.”
I click my tongue and glance over to Avery for help. “Don’t look at me. You totally look like you finally got laid.”
Bailey’s eyebrows raise. “Is your dry spell over?”
“That’s what it is!” Piper exclaims.
I yank my shirt back and forth, feeling flushed. This is going to be more complicated than I thought it would be. “I’m starving. Can we order before you three begin interrogating me?”
After we order some appetizers and drinks, I take the opportunity to distract them before they turn on me again.
Pinching the stem of my dirty martini, I take a sip.That feels good going down.“So, how’s everything going?”
We work together and keep up with as much of our lives as we can, but girls’ nights like this are where we spill all the tea, and, at times, they can become a little unhinged. It’s fabulous.
