Call me back today or I’ll be dropping into the office for a face-to-face chat.
I could feel her increasing anger with each subsequent text. This was a woman who thrived on control and she’d retain it in any way she could. I needed to handle this quickly before it escalated. And thanks to Jeremy I had my own cards in my pocket I could play if I needed to.
I tapped out a quick reply.
I’ll come by after work. Around six.
Tiffany’s reply was only a few seconds later.
Perfect. I’ll make dinner. Xoxo
I didn’t bother to tell her not to, that I wouldn’t be staying for dinner. She wouldn’t listen anyway.
My phone buzzed again. Expecting another message from Tiffany, I didn’t look at it right away. When I did, my stomach dropped.
What time will you be over this evening? I downloaded the new Star Wars movie.
Shit. I had made plans with Skylar. I was supposed to spend the night, the first time I would be doing so since we had been together. I knew it was a big deal to have someone stay in her house. She was very guarded of her space and the fact she was opening it up to me was on the same level as my taking her to meet Sam and Mom.
I’m going to be late. Probably not until after eight. Is that okay?
I could see the bubble that indicated she was typing and then her response.
Of course. I’ll see you then. :-)
I swore to myself it would be the last time I lied to her. I never wanted to give her a reason to feel betrayed by me. It was time I came clean.
But first I needed to handle Tiffany Hardwell.
**
Tiffany had purchased the Carmichael house in the center of Southport. It was one of the oldest properties in the state, having been built by a steel tycoon in the late eighteen-hundreds. It had been in a dilapidated state before she bought it and by the looks of it, she had put thousands of dollars into modernizing and fixing it up. She couldn’t have chosen a more ostentatious, attention-grabbing house if she tried.
I walked up the steps of the wrap-around porch. It was freshly painted with hanging plants hanging along the curve of the railing. The elaborately carved front door was a work of art all unto itself. I twisted the old doorbell, hearing it clang inside.
The door opened a second later, almost as if Tiffany had been waiting for my arrival. “Robbie,” she cooed as her familiar perfume wafted over me, making me slightly nauseous.
She was all done up in a tight-fitting green dress that barely covered her ass. Her large tits were on proud display, practically spilling out. She was dressed to seduce. There was no denying what she expected to happen.
I looked forward to disappointing her.
“You came empty-handed. I thought I taught you better manners than that,” she scolded, closing the door behind me. “Never mind, I have more than enough here already.” She slithered past me, making sure to brush against my arm. I could smell chicken parmigiana baking. “Come inside. We can’t hang out in the entryway all night.”
She waved me through to the living room. It was decked out just as I expected it to be. While the outside of the house kept in line with the period, inside had been completely gutted and decorated with a modern sensibility. It was all clean lines and stark white walls and furniture. It reminded me a lot of the penthouse she owned when I met her. It was cold, with zero personality. Nothing like the cozy warmth of Skylar’s house with the mismatched pillows on the couch and the brightly colored tiles in the kitchen.
“I hope you’re hungry,” she sang as sashayed into the kitchen. By habit, I watched the way her hips moved. The purposeful, exaggerated swing of her ass. And I felt nothing. Not one drop of lust or attraction. Whatever I had once felt for this woman was long gone.
“I’m not here to eat, Tiffany,” I said, my voice hard.
Tiffany stopped and turned around to look at me, a cat-like grin on her face. She closed the space between us, putting a hand on my chest. “There’s my boy. Always so eager.” She went up on her tiptoes, trying to press her mouth to mine.
I gripped her upper arms and set her away from me.
“Stop it, Tiffany. You’ve never been a stupid woman, don’t start now. You know I’m not here for whatever you have in mind.” My voice was so cold it could freeze, and Tiffany responded instantly to my mood.
Her expression changed like the flip of a light switch. The smoldering seductress was gone and in her place was an angry, rejected woman.
“Then why are you here?”
“To tell you one last time to back off. Stop calling me. Stop threatening me. Stay away from Skylar. The best thing you can do is to leave town. There’s nothing for you in Southport.” I watched her, knowing I couldn't look away. I couldn’t show weakness, or she’d pounce on it. She hadn’t gotten to where she was by being dumb and her greatest talent was using people’s faults against them for her gain.