A whore.
A nobody.
Easy pussy.
He stares me down, but I don’t break. It will be better for us both. Hades will never agree to my being Cupid’s old lady. It would set a bad precedent for the other whores. “I’m outta here.”
“Don’t forget your boots.” I pick them up and toss them out the door following his departure.
He snarls at me and bites his knuckle after one hits him in the back of the head. It takes every ounce of control I have not to laugh as he curses and picks them up off the floor.
Chapter Six
—Cupid
Fuck my life. I grab my boots up off the floor and make my way downstairs. I don’t know who lit her tampon string on fire but Goddamn. If I wanted to deal with that bullshit, I wouldn’t have filed for a divorce from Mandy. She was a whole other level of fucked up and crazy. Thinking about her makes my head hurt.
I get on my bike and head home. I don’t remember the last time I slept in my real bed at my house. MaryAnn and her sweet pussy have had me too wrapped up in her. I have bigger shit to worry about like making sure we pull this deal with fucking Tiny off without the BRRMC sniffing up our assholes. Hades’ has a debt to pay and I intend on seeing that the transaction goes smoothly.
When I pull up to my house the grass is overgrown, and my mail is hanging out the box. Mandy always took care of this shit. The porch light is either off or blown the bulb. I use the flashlight on my phone, so I can see to get in. A cobweb covers the front door glass. I get inside and go to flip on the light, but it won’t come on. Shit. I forgot to pay the bill. I’ll take care of it tomorrow.
I kick off my boots and lay my cut over the back of the couch. My cell phone dies taking my light with it. I stumble my way down the hallway to my bedroom and go to swan dive in the middle of my bed when half of my body hits something hard and an ear-piercing scream reverberates through the house. I jump up and shout, “Who the fuck are you? Why are you in my house?”
I hear the woman cough. “It’s me dumb dick, your wife. Remember me?”
“Mandy?”
“Yeah. You nearly scared the piss outta me.”
“The fuck you doing here? You’re lucky I didn’t shoot your ass for trespassing. Fuck.” I start pacing the length of the bed.
“I’ve come home, baby. For you.” Her confession leaves me feeling shocked and skeptical. Bitch has been gone for months.
“Sure you did. What is it this time? Need money? Need a place to stay?” I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose as a tension headache starts pounding at the back of my eyes.
“I missed you.”
“You mean you missed my money.”
“Ry…you know we’re good together.”
“Only thing I know is I’m tired and horny. You can have the bed. I’ll come back in the morning and we can talk.”
“Don’t be stupid. Stay. It’ll be like old times.” Her hands find mine and pull me down on the bed. The moment our mouths touch I know it’s a mistake, but I never claimed to be the smartest man. Mandy’s kiss is familiar and nothing more. There is no deep longing between us. Only loneliness and the desire to get off. Two bodies moving together in the dark. Heavy breaths but empty hearts.
Regret fills me the next morning as I wear my shame like a fucking patch on my cut. I pull on a pair of jeans from the closet and pray last night was a dream. A Goddamned nightmare.
She’s sitting in the kitchen with two plastic coffee cups. “Black, just how you like it.”
I nod not wanting to have this conversation. I was hoping that it was a fucked up dream but here she sits. Her hair is darker than I remember. Her smile though it hasn’t changed nor have her liar’s eyes.
She twists her cup around in her hands not meeting my gaze. “I know I am probably the last person you expected to see again.”
“You got that right.” I take a sip and enjoy the warmth as it coats my throat. “Last night shouldn’t have happened.”
“I want you to know that I’m sorry I got scared and ran off. This lifestyle. Your late nights. It worried me. I couldn’t do it. The not knowing where you were. Who you were with. If that day would be the day you didn’t come home. I miss you, Ryan. I miss our home. Our life.”
“Get out,” I spit at her.