"Mmm hmm." I nodded with a mouth full of peri peri chicken. I swallowed, and said, "He was an incredibly good kisser. I wanted more, but the alarm broke it up, and then when he drove me home it didn't feel right, you know?"
"No, I do not know," Liz said as she picked at the cucumber salad. "If I want to have sex, I have sex. I don't have this weird guilt thing going on. Where does that even come from?"
"Probably the church," I mumbled as I put another forkful of chicken in my mouth.
"Ah, I see, that's why I have no guilt." She grinned. "No church doctrine to cloud my upbringing."
"It wasn't all bad, Liz," I said, feeling both guilty and ashamed. I hated this mix of feelings and had fought it my entire adult life. I always felt like I was fighting a battle against corruption and freedom to make my own choices, and I never felt like I won, even when I made good decisions. "It's just that..."
"Just that you wanted to take him upstairs, strip him naked, and have your way with him, and you let the guilt take hold and drive him away?" she asked in her blunt way. "Look, there's nothing wrong with making healthy choices, Alex. I'm not saying you should hop in bed with every guy who crosses your path. In fact, don't do that. It's not healthy, but you are an adult female with a sex drive, and occasionally you're going to meet men who seem like they would be good at taking care of your needs. Don't shy away from those guys."
"You make it sound so easy," I said as I picked up a sweet potato fry and popped it in my mouth. "It's not always so clear cut. Plus, I don't want a guy I like to think I'm easy."
"Oh, please, give me a break," she said, rolling her eyes. "I'm sick and tired of that double standard that says that men always want sex and women are just waiting for Mr. Right. That's bullshit, and you know it. This is the twenty-first century; we're allowed to have sex when and where we want to so long as it's safe, sane, and consensual."
"Where do you learn these things, Liz?" I laughed. "It's like you've been studying sex and writing lectures."
"Maybe I have been," she said, grinning as she finished the food on her plate and gave me a mischievous grin. "I want ice cream. Let's go get some!"
We stopped at Jenny's for scoops of the infamous salted caramel ice cream, and Liz gave me her lecture of responsible sexual behavior. She had some good points, and by the time she had finished, I was fairly sure that I'd convinced myself that sex with Cam Connor was a stellar idea.
"Oh shit," Liz said as we were finishing up our treats. "Here comes the human wrecking ball and her two chains."
"Well, fancy seeing you two here," Violet said with a smile that told me she wasn't at all glad to see either of us. As usual, she was impeccably dressed and not a hair was out of place. "I would have thought you'd be at the library studying given your performance on the last test, Baker."
"Yeah, well, I believe in taking my chances rather than jamming my nose up the professor's ass to ensure my grade," Liz shot back. Violet and her friends gasped before frowning disapprovingly. I wondered if they practiced the expressions so that they could do it in unison.
"I don't have to brown nose, Baker," Violet sniffed. "I received a good education, unlike some people."
"Yes, Violet, we're all very aware of the fact that your daddy has more money than God and can buy you the best of everything," Liz said, licking her spoon obscenely, sending a shock wave through the small group yet again. "It's really too bad he couldn't invest some of that money in a personality or a soul for you."
"You're a terrible person," Jessica Watkins hissed as she grabbed Violet's arm and tried to pull her away from the table.
"No, I'm really not," Liz said. "It's you three who are terrible. You are petty, mean, and small little girls who bully everyone. You just don't like me because I'm not intimidated by you. Go on, now, shoo. We're done here."
Violet, Jessica, and Lydia all shot nasty looks at Liz before turning back toward the counter.
"You think that was a good idea?" I asked as I raised an eyebrow and tipped my head questioningly.
"Screw them," Liz said, waving a hand in the girls' general direction. "I'm tired of their bullying tactics and I'm sick of everyone cowing to them. I'll take my chances."
Billionaire on Fire Volume 2
Chapter Eleven
Cam
"Engine One, Truck One, Ambulance Fifty-Five, apartment fire on Jackson and Halsted. Residents trapped on the upper floors."
"Let's go, guys!" Mike yelled as he raced to the truck and swung himself up in the driver's seat. Danny and I were in next as the guys raced for the truck knowing we'd need the ladder. We hit the street, and Mike cranked up the siren as we sped toward our next call.
I was quiet on the ride as I thought about what Victor had said up in the bunkroom and wondered if he really did have something connecting me to CSC. I tried to come up with an explanation for it in case he did, but all of my ideas fell flat. There was no way to explain to the guys I worked with that I
had more money than all of them combined, and it would be even harder to explain why I'd hidden it from them for so long. The best option would be to keep the business undercover and not have me connected to it in any way. I needed to talk to Leo as soon as possible.
We arrived at the call and found the entire building engulfed in flames as residents screamed from the upper floors that they had no way out.
"Raise the ladder!" Chief Riley yelled at the guys from the truck. "Newsome, Connor, get the hose ready to go in. Kelly, you're lead!"