Page 22 of Only for Tonight
“Oh, now it’s enough,” she goads. “Why would you think it was a good idea to bring her to Christmas to begin with?”
“Wait.” I lean back in the chair. “What are you talking about?” I’m suddenly confused with this.
“I’m talking about Tiffany calling Mom right now, to go off about catching you fucking someone else.” The blood feels like it’s just drained from my whole body.
“She did what?” I roar out. “Tori. Get Mom, now!” I say between clenched teeth.
“Oh damn, you had no idea?” Her face fills with worry. “This is what happens when you bring a girl home who you’ve known for ten minutes for Christmas.” I see her walking through the house.
“You don’t know the whole story,” my father starts to say, and I calm down a bit, knowing my one night with Ariella is still a secret. At least for now.
“I come with the culprit,” Tori jokes, “he’s on the phone.” She turns me around as she sits next to my mother, who just shakes her head.
“Mom,” I say her name, “I’m so sorry.” I close my eyes.
“Okay, before you say you’re sorry.” My mother leans into the phone to look at me. “Did she really walk in on you in bed with someone else?” My mother looks like she’s going to be sick even saying those words. “I will say that isn’t the word she used.”
“Of course she didn’t.” Tori rolls her eyes.
I snort out, “No.” I shake my head. “Of course not.”
“Told you,” my father says, “he knows better than that.”
“Didn’t you sleep with Mom when you were married?” My sister Tori likes to bug my father about it all the time.
“We were separated,” he states between clenched teeth. “Give me that phone.” He grabs the phone from her.
“I don’t know what happened”—he holds up his hand when I’m about to talk—“but for now, we’re not meeting your girlfriends if it hasn’t been longer than six months.”
“A year,” my mother interjects, “with an intensive background check.”
“Deal,” I agree, knowing I won’t be getting involved with anyone anytime soon since my focus is my game. “I give you my word, I will not bring anyone else home unless she’s the one.”
I hear my mother groan in the background. “We should make a list,” Kiera says, “and he has to do a cross-check before he brings her home.”
“Enough,” my father tells her. “I suspect you and Tiffany are no longer an item?”
“Your suspicions would be correct,” I confirm with him.
“Well, we’ll let you go and I’ll go ahead and block her number on your mother’s phone.”
“I’m not blocking her number,” Tori declares and my father side-eyes her. “What?” she asks, shocked. “What if she has to shit-talk Jaxon?”
“You’re going to talk to her and shit-talk your brother?” my mother asks her, and I can see from her glare she isn’t happy with this.
“No, of course not, but if she’s doing it with me, she’s not doing it with anyone else, so we’re all winning.” She grabs the phone from my father. “I got you, bro,” she assures me and I can’t help but laugh.
“Thank you for all your help,” I speak into the phone and she disconnects. I look up at the ceiling and open my phone again, seeing it’s still on Ariella's name.
I start typing and don’t stop until I’ve pressed send. My heart is racing the whole time.
Me: Hey, give me a call, please.
ten
Ariella
“Tonight, you’ll call him,” I tell myself. “You will come back from lunch and text him and then tell him to call you.” I slip off the plush robe that I’ve been wearing since I got out of the shower this morning. “Or you call, make it ring twice, and then hang up.” I dig through the clothes in my suitcase before walking to the side of the bed, putting on my earrings, and then walking outside to the sitting area.
