Page 7 of Wolf
I shake my head and adjust my bulge again, feeling a tinge of regret that I can’t ever bend her over and fuck that sweetass.
It’s too bad that I only get towatch.
She’s my assignment. That means she’s offlimits.
4
Rose
My phone goes off as I grab a folded towel and step out of the shower. It’s my bestie, Trish’s personalized ringtone. Since her teaching job let out for the summer, she’s been calling more often. Her timing isn’t great today, though. My shift starts in a few hours. I still need to eat before I leave. Throwing on some clothes, I towel dry my hair and turn on the blow dryer, and I’m instantly pissed. I do this every time, thinking I should probably cut all this hair and do away with this forty-minute ritual with the damn blow dryer. I haven’t been able to bring myself to schedule an appointment with my hairdresser lately, which is why this tangle of thick red mane is all the way down past my butt. I look in the mirror, studying how it frames my face. My chest starts to ache and I take a long breath. It kind of reminds me of a picture of Mom when she wasyounger.
The phone screen lights up again, and I see Trish’s name on the screen. This time, it’s a text message, so I quickly check to see if it’s anythingurgent.
Trish: Hey girlie. When are you offnext?
I replywith,
Me: Hi. I’m free as a bird on Tuesday.Why?
Trish: Want to do dinner with me and thehubby?
Me: Oh yay, third wheel night. Can’twait.
Trish: Don’t be like that. Luke misses spending time with youtoo.
Me: Hang on. Let me phoneyou.
As I finish up drying my hair, I’m itching to tell her that as much as I enjoy them, I have a limit as to how much PDA I want to witness when I go out with my friends. Trish, Luke and I spent a lot of time together in high school, but back then, they weren’t dating. Hanging out with them now means watching the happy couple snuggle up, share inside jokes and innuendo whose meaning I’m not privy to, and overall, be a constant reminder that I’ll forever besingle.
I’m not girlfriend material. I won’t do dating or relationships. Trish says that my past prevents me from opening up to most people. She doesn’t know how true it is. She knows that I lost my parents, but I’ve spared her the mental trauma of the details. But she’s right that other than her, Luke and my Grams, I trust noone.
I feel my stomach twist up in knots in reaction. The life we have here is fragile. It’s built on a lie and I can’t afford to have the bottom drop out by letting my guard down with anyoneelse.
The phone buzzes again. Jeez, she can be persistent. It’s Trish’s reminder to make good on my promise to call her back. Putting away my hair dryer, I do just that. She answers on the firstring.
“Hey,” I greether.
“What are you doing?” sheasks.
“The hair needs tending to,” I groan. “But to answer your question, yes! I really miss you guys too,” I say sweetly. “And yes, dinner soundsgreat.”
“Awesome,” she squeals like we’re back in high school. “What are you feeling like? Italian, Japanese, orIndian?”
I can tell that she’s starting to get a little bored already and it’s only the beginning of summer break. She and Luke recently tied the knot and bought their first house together, all in the same couple of months. They have a baby on the way too. This year, they won’t be traveling like they’re used to, as the budgets are tight. That’s where I comein.
“How about Malloy’s?” I ask. It’s a quaint little bistro with a decent menu that won’t break the bank. “Can we go on Tuesday, for aroundsix?”
“Works forme.”
“Great. I’ll make a reservation. Don’t be late,” I tellher.
“We won’t. We’ve been dying to have a night out with you. Hey, How’sJeff?”
Trish used to work part-time at the Speak-Easy, the gentlemen’s club where I still work. She was pretty good. My boss, Jeff still asks about her. Stripping helped her pay for college, and didn’t affect her when it came time to apply for her grade school teaching job. That’s why I like a city this size. It’s big enough for a person to disappear into and resurface as someone else, without attracting too muchattention.
“Jeff’s good. He’s still missingyou.”
“Tell him I saidhi.”
