“Yeah, sure. No problem.”
“Thanks.” I turn and walk away with Marco yelling after me about how I need to quit hiding my woman and keeping her a secret. If he only knew I don’t have a woman, not really. She also doesn’t know I play hockey. No way am I introducing her to my teammates and therefore, telling her I play. Things aren’t serious and likely won’t get serious. There’s no reason for her to know about my little white lie now.
***
I’m still steamed a
t Rose. She asked to work Halloween with me and then she bails! Sometimes, I hate having Rose as an employee. She doesn’t take advantage of the fact that I’m also her friend often, but she does do it here and there. Like today. She totally banked on us being friends for me to let her off the hook so she can go on her stupid date.
It was also her idea that I ask “one of my men” to hang out with me instead of asking one of my other employees to fill in for her. At first, I thought it was absolutely ridiculous to ask Zane or Brayden. That’s not what you do with a fuck buddy. But my stupid mind kept wandering to Brayden and wondering what his plans might be on Halloween night. There’s no way I’d ask Zane, especially with him being weird with me lately.
My phone vibrates with a text, and for a moment, I worry that it’s Brayden, canceling on me already.
Zane: Hey. Sorry about the other night. Come over after my game?
Deanna: Sure. Text me when you get home.
Maybe he’s out of his funk. I’ll be pissed if I get over there and he sends me away for a second time. I’d rather stay at home than be turned away by a moody man.
My mind wanders back to Halloween and Brayden while I work. I’m thinking it’s about time I push him out of his comfort zone again. How? That is the question. He likes control, so maybe I need to show him that it can be fun to let someone else take over. He might not like that at all. I won’t know until I try.
The day is long. Made longer by a basic sewing class I teach after the shop closes. I actually teach two. My grandma would be proud to see how well I’ve done, I think. It shocked the hell out of everyone that she was trusting me with her business. Just because I was reliable when I helped her here and there didn’t mean I could run a business and do it well.
There’s been hurdles, of course. I nearly lost it because of this douche I was dating, who turned out to be stealing money from the business. My mom tore me a new one when she learned of that. The entire family did. It was just one more reason why Deanna shouldn’t have control. To me, it was the perfect reason to stop dating and turn to fuck buddies only. I was in love with someone who stole from my grandmother’s lifework and the only thing she left me in the care of.
Then, there was the cheater. There was the drug dealer and car thief. I once dated an older guy, like way older, thinking he’d have to be more mature, but when he wanted me to call him daddy and start dressing like I was still in high school and in pigtails, I had to run the hell away.
I sure know how to pick ?em, don’t I? Thinking about this makes me second guess inviting Brayden to hang out. I’ve been burned one too many times, and the last person I want to be burned by is Brayden.
After work, I take a long bath to relax. My skin is pruney, but by the time I make it to Zane’s, I’m back to being plump. I knock and he opens the door, taking my hand gently with a smile.
“I’ve missed you,” he says.
It’s his own fault, but I don’t say that. I give him a smile back, which widens because he’s leading me to the bedroom. Thank goodness.
“How was your day?”
“Good. Y’all win?”
He nods. “Four to two.”
I pull my hand from his to remove my shirt and effectively put an end to the talking. Zane’s eyes immediately fall to my breasts. I giggle when he bumps into the wall, as he’s been walking down the hallway backward. “Don’t get so distracted that you hurt yourself.”
His cheeks redden a bit, only for a few seconds. It’s adorable that he gets embarrassed. Even after all this time of seeing me, he still gets a little flustered. Zane drags me into his room, sits on the bed, and pulls me between his knees. His kiss is soft, but hungry. His fingers dig into my hips.
“Come on.” He pulls me onto the bed. For a moment, I wish he was more like Brayden. I’m not in the mood for a laid-back, slow, thorough type of fucking. I don’t want to be pulled onto the bed; toss me up there, climb over me, and pin me down. Then, I feel guilty for thinking of someone else while with Zane. “You okay, Deanna?”
I realize I froze. Plastering a smile on my face, I banish all unnecessary thoughts out of my mind. “Fine. Kiss me already, Zane.”
He grins that cute boyish grin full of charm. “Anything you want.”
As I expected, he kisses me and proceeds to alternate between fucking me fast and taking his sweet time.
“Stay?” Zane asks a few minutes after we finish. Sometimes, I’ll stay longer just to fuck a few more times, but it’s been a crazy week and after all the fucking with Brayden, I’m tired.
“I should go.”
He frowns, but nods. I kiss him on the cheek before sliding out of bed.