I refuse to let myself linger on those words, on the look in his eyes when he said it.
The hickey is something I’m going to get shit for all day, I know it. All eyes will be on it because it’s so there. And today is way too hot for a turtleneck. And even with a turtleneck, it’d be at least partly visible because it starts not far below my earlobe.
Gonna be a great day. Memories haunting me of all the dirty-sexy things I did on the weekend not to mention the memories of the dirty-not-sexy thing I saw in the supply closet with my CEO and his assistant getting it on, then him collapsing with his junk out due to a heart episode.
“Tell me everything, leave nothing out,” Carly says as she starts the car.
“Saturday night, I paid my debt and then I spent yesterday with him in order to keep him busy so he wouldn’t have time to dig into me. I spent the day at his mother’s house playing Monopoly, dyeing his special needs’ aunt’s hair pink so we can be twins, making Yorkshire pudding, and stuffing my face acting like life is grand and Jude’s my new beau. And then we came back to my place, took a bath together, and we fooled around, both last night and this morning. Despite my telling him Saturday night would be the very last time he’d get it from me. I’ve had sex with him four times, I think, since I last saw you.”
“Whoa. And was it a hardship to pay your debt?” she asks, smirking.
“So hard,” I deadpan. “No, wait. Five if you count the extra blowjob I gave him for no good reason at all other than that I wanted that cock in my mouth.”
Carly laughs, starting the car, then she sobers, “So, what about Japan? Please tell me you’ve come to your senses and decided to let Jude help you with your problems so that you can stay here and be my bestie forever.”
“Japan is on the down-low. Please tell me you haven’t said anything.”
“Do not go to Japan, Ally. I’ve been thinking a lot about this. Get in front of this now and get safe from the bad guys you’re hiding from. Tell Jude everything and let him handle it. This sort of thing is in his wheelhouse. It is his wheelhouse.”
“I’m not so sure.”
“Oh, I am.”
“Carly, really: the bad guys I’m hiding from are worse than the typical cheating spouse, cat burglar or-”
“Aiden told me Jude has been recruited by law enforcement more than once in tactical situations involving undercover stuff, homeland security, even abductions. He was training to be a cop, decided to go another route and got special elite-type training. His name is really getting around and he’s told Aiden he’s ready to go from three part-time freelance employees to one full time and a fourth one part-time because his business is booming that much. And the bad guys haven’t found you yet, so if you get in front of it by telling Jude everything… you can-”
“Going to Japan is getting in front of it so I’m outta here before they catch up with me and then nobody I care about gets hurt.”
“Like Jude, you mean?”
“Like… anybody I care about.”
“What’s the Japan plan? What’s there? Do you know someone?”
“I have a contact who can get me fake ID and a job.”
“I think you should stop running and tell Jude the truth. You can’t run forever.”
“And maybe if I pull that trigger it’ll be like shining a spotlight on myself. Maybe someone gets hurt. Or everyone.”
“So, you’re just gonna give up your life and run away? Over and over? Never let yourself be happy?”
I shrug. “I don’t know, Car. I’m flying by the seat of my pants every single day since all this started. I don’t know what to do, what not to do, all I know is that if I keep moving there’s a chance they won’t find me and won’t hurt you guys or my mom.”
“And in the meantime, you’re gonna keep getting boned by him hoping he’s so busy doing that, he doesn’t learn more of your secrets?”
“All he has so far is my real name,” I say.
I think so, anyway.
“Which is?”
“Carly, please.”
She huffs. We’re at a stoplight. “Don’t even know my best friend’s name.”
“I’m Ally. That’s who I am now, and it’s a variation of the name I was born with. I never used it until here, but it is, so you do know my name.”
“Whatever.”
“Carly, you have to keep everything I said between us. You didn’t tell Aiden or anyone else anything else that I said the other night, did you? Will Adele keep quiet with what she knows, too?”
She shakes her head. “Adele is like Fort Knox. Not to worry. And Aiden asked, but I told him you told me a little, but wanted it kept quiet. He tried to make me play twenty questions to get the gist of the truth, but I distracted him with sex. Yesterday, he tried to bring it up again, but there was other drama to contend with, so we only spoke briefly. And then he said not to worry about breaking your confidence, he doesn’t need me to do that because Jude will figure it all out anyway.”