“I wouldn’t rule that out entirely,” I answer. “Now, this is going to be the cherry on top.” I write, “Send me a text on my other phone in a few minutes saying you need me to hop a plane to make a late business meeting. Write that you need me to go to LA.”
“LA?” Jace asks.
“Yeah,” I answer. “Then, even if she figures it all out on the plane, you’ll still have plenty of time to get her shit packed and ready to move by the time she gets back.”
A smile lifts the corners of Jace’s mouth, but it fades just as quickly, “Do you really think Melissa’s going to fall for it?” he asks. “You rightly said that men are easy, but-”
“I would imagine this would be a big step for her career, being sent to the City of Angels for a late business meeting, wouldn’t it?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” he says. “I guess so.”
“Wow, you two really haven’t talked that much since your argument,” I respond.
The phone vibrates again.
“How long should I wait?” I read and immediately write back, “Ten minutes. Tell me that I’ll need to buy my own ticket or my boyfriend won’t believe me.”
I send that message, but I’m not quite done yet.
I type, “Just play along if I ask you any questions. Make up a schedule for meetings that sounds believable. He’s really been watching me.” I send that and start another, “If I tell you that I can’t or start complaining about the late notice, I’m just convincing my boyfriend it’s real. Tell me not to text you until I get there.” And finally, just to prove to Jace that the relationship between Melissa and her boss isn’t over, I write one more, “Five minutes after I accept, send a pic of your cock. Tell me how much you want to fuck me when I get there. Send it to my other phone. It has a better screen.”
I press send.
“You know something?” Jace asks.
“What’s that?”
“You are fucking evil,” he laughs.
“Yeah, you’ll probably want to stay on my good side,” I tell him. “Pro tip: I’m a sucker for shoulder massages.”
“I feel kind of bad,” Jace says.
“Why? All you’re doing is screwing the people that have been screwing you by screwing each other.”
Jace looks past me for a moment, but finally says, “I’m not quite sure I caught that.”
I laugh and ask, “Did I go too fast for you?”
“Well, you did say screwing a lot, I got that part,” he says.
“Seriously, I’ve done some killer work here. I think I’ve earned a shoulder massage.”
I don’t know if he was going to do it or not, but the phone vibrates. This time, though, it’s not Ty; it’s Melissa.
“I think you’ll want to read this one,” I tell Jace, and hand him the phone.
He reads it aloud, “Hey, I’ve got to catch a flight to LA for work. I won’t see you when you get home.” He turns off his phone and puts it in his pocket.
“Now, wait another five minutes — actually, just to make sure she’s gotten the picture, let’s make it ten — and then give her a call asking about her trip. Ask her to stay, and if she doesn’t, you’ll know where her priorities really lie,” I tell him.
“You’re sure she won’t think this is really about work?” he asks.
“She might at first,” I tell him, “but once she gets the dick in her inbox — see what I did there? — it’s going to be pretty damn clear just what she’s really being told.”
“You know,” he says, rubbing his chin, “I really should feel bad about this. After all the time we’ve spent together, after all we’ve been through, and I’m setting her up. You know what’s funny, though?”
“What?”