Bad Girl (Alphahole Roommates 3)

She blinks affectionately at me when I rub her belly and then uses her hind leg to push my hand away. I scoop her up and move her to the couch, then quickly wipe down the counter and whip up a sandwich before going to my nook and shutting the door. I first call the blocking service I use, put in my password, then call Tori’s hotline.

“Hello?” She answers on the third ring.

“T? It’s me, A.”

“Yeah, hey, A. I’m glad you called.” She sounds winded.

“I think Japan is a good idea,” I say. “No, actually a fucking great idea.”

“Ah. Well, Japan is off the table. Shit blew up big this morning.”

My heart drops.

“In fact, you need to forget my number for now,” she adds.

“What?”

“Listen, A, gotta drop it like it’s hot. I’m gonna have to fade for a bit. I can’t help you out right now.”

I blink a couple times as this sinks in.

With all that’s gone on, I never imagined I wouldn’t have this resource to help me make moves when I needed to.

“Shit. I mean, is this because of our last conversation, because-”

“Gotta dip. But no. It just happens sometimes. Godspeed, A. Call in thirty days. If this number is no longer in service, it means I’ve had to close shop or something else equally permanent. If I can open up again, I’ll send a postcard to your PO box.”

“Wow,” I whisper, reeling.

“A?”

“Yeah?”

“Do not call my brother, either. He’ll play it off because he has that crush on you, but don’t call him. If you don’t heed my advice, I may have to have someone kick your ass. Got me?”

Threats from Tori? What? Wade has a crush on me? Huh?

“Gotcha,” I say quietly. “Stay safe.”

“You, too,” she replies, but I don’t feel any warmth in her reply.

She clicks off.

“Fuck,” I say aloud.

And then?

Then, I stare into space for a couple minutes as it penetrates.

Japan is off the table.

I’ve lost my connection for disappearing.

I’m on my own here.

Now, what do I do?

What the fuck do I do?

I guess I either need to find an alternate way to help myself disappear or I have to find a way to help myself not have to disappear.

Carly’s advice rings in my mind.

Is it dumb luck that I got involved with a guy who might have the ability to solve my problems? Or is that the universe, tempting me, dangling a carrot that it’s going to either yank away or obliterate, along with me?

I dare not believe it’s because it’s meant to be; I’m not that gullible to think a knight in inky armor is my salvation. Thinking that way is dangerous, isn’t it?

I message Stacy, who sits beside me in Carly’s old cubicle.

I went home on lunch. I wasn’t feeling well. I won’t be back today. Any emergencies, text but I’m going to lie down for a while. Can you put up my ‘gone fishing’ magnet on my cubicle?

She replies with nice words a few minutes later. I glance at them without really absorbing them, then flop onto my back, and stare at my ceiling.

I hear scratching on my bedroom door, so I let Georgie-cat in and get back into bed.

The pretty kitty climbs up onto me slowly, making extra-loud purring sounds, and curls up right on my chest, closing her eyes tight shut. The purring doesn’t stop. And it lulls me to sleep, which I need, because I’ve lain awake a lot the last two nights taking in the magic of being next to my enemy – the sleeping Jude Novak.

32

Jude

“Hey,” I clip, leaning over Ally. She’s crashed, curled into a ball with the cat curled into the same sort of ball beside her.

She sits up with a squeak and clutches at her chest, heaving out panicked gasps.

She’s looking at me with confusion. Not surprising, since I’m not hiding that I’m pissed.

“Pack up, we’re going to the sex lair. Now.” Though I call it the silly name she’s been using, there’s not a trace of humor in my voice. If I had to describe my voice, I’d say laced with warning, even lethal - because that’s how I’m feeling.

“Huh?”

She’s disoriented. Her hair is stuck up on one side of her head, plastered to the side of her face on the other side. I’d laugh if I weren’t so goddamn ticked.

The cat is looking at me with a similar expression.

Ally is wearing a hot pink business suit with a blue blouse and white tights with pink hearts on them. Her skirt has ridden up indecently and my cock wants me to take notice of that but the rest of me is too furious.

“We’re outta here – my place, and now. Throw some shit in a bag. Let’s go.” I gesture toward her closet and head for the door.

She’s not moving, so I look over my shoulder and see she’s frowning at me.