Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 73930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73930 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
When she nods, I head toward the bar in the back of the room. I’m just going to have a water, but Kelly’s drink is mixed. While I’m waiting for it, I decide on a whim to text Garrett.
Me: At Club Red. Thinking of you. Wished I had your frequent-visitor punch card when I came in.
His response comes in less than thirty seconds: I’ve been upgraded to VIP status now.
Me: It’s strange to be here without you.
Garrett: You should have told me you were going. I could have joined you.
Me: It’s against the rules.
I want him to tell me he doesn’t care about the company’s rules anymore, and that he misses me, and wants to be with me, but what exactly am I wishing for? That Garrett loses his job? Or that we start an affair, sneak around, and keep it a secret from everyone?
Sure, that would be a lot of fun at first — a lot of fun — but it would be dangerous, and probably frustrating and irritating after a while, and I might just end up exactly where I am now, sad and lonely, and maybe jobless on top of it all.
I collect Kelly’s drink and my water, and when I get back to the table, there’s one more message from Garrett that simply says: Enjoy the show.
All of Trevor’s and Adrian’s performances are the same as when I last saw them, but that’s not to say that they’re boring. I’m hanging on their every hip thrust along with the rest of the crowd, wanting them to go all the way when they tease a full frontal reveal, even though, possessively, I don’t want all of the other women here to see what I’ve seen.
When the show ends, I hang back. I’m eager to see them, but I also find myself wanting to delay the moment, because it occurs to me that this may be the last time I ever see them. After their training, their work could take them anywhere in the state. Odds of me running into them will be low, and they won’t be here dancing anymore.
The two of them are next to each other in the photo area. Adrian sees me first, when Kelly and I are about three people away in line. The smile he gives me simultaneously triggers warm and fuzzy feelings, while also making my chest hurt.
When I reach him, he wraps me in a hug. “Autumn. I didn’t know you were here.”
“Thought I’d better see you before you leave town,” I say.
“I’m so glad you came. How’ve you been?”
I give him the same lies I told Duke and tried to tell Brittany, only I aim to make them sound more convincing, adding some enthusiasm when I say, “I’ve been good. How are you?”
“Excited to start my career,” he tells me before leaning close to add, “and to end this one.”
I grin back at him as he casts a derisive look down at the tight neon blue briefs he’s wearing, but all I can think about is how his breath felt against my ear, and how it reminds me of that night we slept together in my bed. I never knew yearning was such a physical feeling as well as an emotional one.
“You remember Kelly?” I ask, once again remembering that she’s with me.
“Of course,” he says, shaking her hand. “Would the two of you like a picture?”
“How about if I get a picture of you two together?” she asks, holding out her hand to take my phone.
While she’s lining up the shot, and Adrian is putting his arm around me and pulling me in against his bare chest, Trevor comes up. “Autumn! How are you doing?” He reaches for me and gives me a big bear hug as soon as I step away from Adrian. More bare chest. Another scent that conjures memories from thin air.
The two of them hold me between them, Trevor’s arm around my waist and Adrian’s over my shoulder, and it takes enormous effort to smile. Why does this hurt so badly?
“It’s great to see you,” Trevor says, keeping his arm around me even after Kelly is done snapping pictures.
“You too. Both of you. I heard you’re leaving soon?”
“Raleigh, here we come,” Trevor says.
“I’m so excited for you both!” It’s true. Deep inside, I’m happy that they’re following their dreams; I just wish their dreams weren’t taking them so far away.
“How’ve you been?” Trevor asks, releasing his hold on me to step back, but immediately taking my hand, keeping us connected. “What’s new?”
“Oh, not too much. Nothing, really —”
Trevor’s looking over my shoulder. “Shoot, the line is still growing. We’d better get everyone moving through here. Can you come for a drink with us? We should be done in about half an hour, if you can wait.”