Page 16 of Savage in the Sweets
She’s trying to make this awkward. It’s Lacy, and I’m on her turf. She knows I have to play by her rules lest I lose the progress I made with the school board yesterday.
In an entirely different situation, in another dimension, I wouldn’t mind letting her make the rules. She seems like a bossy woman that could put me in my place, which is not something that intimidates me or makes me feel emasculated. I’d gladly give over control to the right woman.
If only that woman looked as good as Lacy Savage does in a bikini top and barely-there shorts.
I force myself to stare back into her eyes because the very real possibility exists that they’d wander inappropriately if I don’t.
A part of me wants her to catch me staring at her. I like to call that part of me The Psychopath.
“Well, Mr. Tracksuit?” She pushes the plate even closer, just a hair away.
I smirk at her nickname for me. “No, but thank you anyway.”
She dips a finger in the frosting and licks it off slowly, knowing exactly what she’s doing. “Fine, but you’re missing out.”
Fuck…the last thing I need is to pop a boner at a children’s party, which is actually quite hard with the netting stitched into my swim trunks.
Lacy likes to play dirty.
I’m pretty sure my reaction is exactly what she intended. Acting salacious in front of a group of children at a birthday party seems right up her alley.
I definitely did the school a favor by bringing her character to light.
All frustration I have dissipates when I see Michael enjoying the company of his friends.
He gets a normal life because of me. I can’t let him down.
I nod to allow a scoop of vanilla ice cream to be plopped onto his plate, deciding to relax my rules more because I’m going all-in on crazy.
As the children finish, I help collect the plates from one side of the table as Lacy collects from the other, meeting at the end to throw away the trash.
“You know, Mr. Tracksuit, you’d benefit from having something sweet in your life.” She waggles her brow in a sultry way that suggests it’s not candy she’s talking about.
I keep my stoic expression and say, “Some of the deadliest poisons are sweet and come from beautiful flowers.”
Her jaw gapes open. “Are you for real? You act like I’m some cartoonish villain, twirling my mustache.”
“Oh, I’m sorry…did you think I was talking about you?”
Clearly, I was, but I rather like seeing her embarrassed.
Before she responds, Michael approaches her, a distressed look on his face.
Lacy squats so that she’s eye-level with him. I decide I like this quality about her, that she seems to have genuine warmth to the children she’s getting hooked on her Savage Sweets.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” she says kindly.
“I’m real sorry about what I said earlier,” Michael whispers. “I never meant that I was going to kill April.”
Oh, no…
Lacy’s face contorts in confusion, and Stephanie, who was passing by, stops in her tracks.
“Thank you for apologizing,” I say to Michael. “Let’s get ready to swim now.”
“Hold up,” Lacy says, then returns her attention to Michael. “What did you mean by that?”
Stephanie crosses her arms over her chest, glaring daggers at me.
