Page 31 of Use Me
There was an extra pep in my step as I strolled into the studio the following day. I would say it was because I got laid, but when I was with Bridgette, our sex life wasn’t bad at all. I’d told Ashtyn that my sex life with Bridgette was awesome, and in the beginning, ithadbeen amazing, but that died down over the two years. Was that how relationships worked? I’d had plenty of girlfriends over the last thirty-three years of my life, and I always thought my sex life was awesome. There was no way I could be bored while I drove into a woman, but being with Ashtyn was different.
“Someone’s happy this morning.” Kenny leaned against my desk, his arms crossed. Jett and Clark looked up and agreed with a nod each.
“Looking forward to taking all of y’alls money on Friday.”
“Yeah, we’ll see about that.” I expected Kenny to walk off and get to work, but he didn’t. Instead, he said, “But seriously. You and Ashtyn see each other last night?”
I leaned back in my chair. “Why are you so hung up on my relationship with Ashtyn?”
Kenny shrugged. “I actually like the girl you’re finally dating, and I’m hoping she has a single friend or two.”
“Or three,” Clark said in agreement. Jett nodded and took a sip of his coffee.
I chuckled without sound. “First off, we’re not dating. Secondly, I have no idea if she has single friends.” The three women Ashtyn was with at Judy’s on Saturday all had wedding rings on.
“Well, find out.”
“I know you need my help getting laid—”
“Fuck you!”
All of us laughed. “I don’t even know when I’m seeing her again. We aren’t dating, and have no future plans to see each other.”
Of course, I was going to try and rectify that situation, but I knew I needed to play it slow. We both weren’t looking for a relationship, and I didn’t want to come off as the guy who was using her for sex, even though I’d told her to use me. That was what I wanted the night we met, but now I genuinely liked everything there was about Ashtyn Valor. On some level, I wanted to get to know her better. I wanted to be that person she called when she needed to forget, and I wanted her to be that person when I did too.
Especially since Bridgette wasn’t leaving me alone.
Each day of work, we’d start with a meeting to discuss the upcoming broadcasts and assign each reporter to a story or stories to cover. While they were in the field, the news anchors usually did promo videos for their upcoming broadcast that night, followed by a lunch/dinner before getting ready to go on air. I didn’t miss being in the field, especially in the dead of winter, but there was one story I was hoping to cover.
“Are you sure you want to go back into the field again?” Leonard, my boss and the news director, asked.
I nodded, a smile spread across my face as we sat around the newsroom table for our daily meeting. “Yes.”
“Who wouldn’t want to cover the floating island?” Mitch asked sarcastically. “I’m jealous Ashtyn mentioned it first.”
“Yep, I call dibs.” I laughed. While we were a successful station and we had news reporters that covered the stories in the field, there had been exceptions. This was one that I hoped would get me out of the newsroom to actually report the news instead of only reading it. However, it wasn’t even close to being open yet. We still had to get through winter, but I saw a blog post this morning that they were making progress and I wanted to claim the story first. I wanted to get in contact with them and schedule a pre-launch interview, hoping I’d get to use the entire island for the day.
“All right. You got it.” Leonard nodded and wrote on his legal pad. “Anything else?” Everyone looked at each other as we shook our heads. “See you back here at nine.”
After my promo videos, I was craving a pumpkin spice latte and wanted it before we had to go live. “Hey. Want to go to Starbucks with me?” I asked Abby as I walked up to her desk.
“Can you bring it back? I’m waiting for a call back on a story I want us to break tonight.”
“Sure.” I smiled. “What do you want?”
“Grande pumpkin spice latte, please.”
“Got it.” She tried to give me money, but I waved her off. “My treat.”
After shrugging on my coat, I left to walk down the block to the nearest Starbucks. The sun had just set, and even though it was dusk, I could make outhiscar sitting at the light. I didn’t need to look in the window. I just knew. I knew by the feeling in my chest that the red Mustang idling two cars ahead was Corey. The closer I got, the more I prayed that the light would turn green.
But, of course, it didn’t.
My heart started to beat faster, and my pace started to slow as I walked by the car. I tried with all my might to not turn my head and look, but of course, I turned my head, this time praying that he wouldn’t turn to look at me.
No such luck.
Our gazes locked, my feet faltered, and my breath caught. I didn’t stop, though. Instead, I turned my head quickly as though he was just another person in a car. Was this how my life would be now? I either needed to move or move on. That was why whatever I had with Rhys was good. I saved him from his ex, and he could save me from mine.
