Off the Grid
Her satisfied moan made him laugh. He rolled onto his side and pulled out, tying off the condom, then tossed it in the small wicker wastebasket. Satiated, his body grew heavy and his lids lowered. He rolled to his side, pulling her to him. Curled together, her warm weight lulled him to sleep.
****
They made their way back downstairs in the early afternoon hours and parked on the couch.
She rested between his legs, her back against his front, as they watched a movie playing on the laptop he placed on the table beside them.
“When’s the last time you had a day like this?” she asked.
“I couldn’t even tell you.”
“Same here. I took a week off to settle my grandmother’s estate, and it was the first time I’d taken more than a day or two off in years.”
“Once I realized what I wanted to do my entire focus shifted to creating a sustainable home and lifestyle. This year I really put the finishing tweaks on that. Now I can breathe and enjoy living a life of my own making.”
“I admire you for that,” she said softly.
He honed in on her discontent. “You like what you do, don’t you?”
“I do. But I’ve been pigeon holed. I spent a lot of time believing my work would speak for itself. I put in the extra hours, reviewed the articles that were going out for errors, and consistently turned in writing of the highest caliber.”
“So what happened?”
Frowning, she looked away. He frowned. She was keeping something from him.
“Lilac.”
“I don’t want to speak ill of anyone.”
“If it’s true what does it matter?” He placed a finger under her chin and turned her face up. “Hey. I don’t do secrets.”
“It’s impossible to get ahead when your competition is making their way on their back.”
“You’re talking about Alexa, aren’t you?” The news was disheartening. Not because she was sleeping with Peter, but the why.
“Yes, I’m sorry. I know she’s your friend.”
“I used to think so.” Friends don’t deal with you only when you were a convenience to them. He’d been a tool she used like so many before him. It was time to face that fact. It didn’t bother him when he had his arms wrapped around Lilac. “Is that how you got this job? He wanted to keep her away from me?”
“It’s possible, but he never came out and said it. I went into his office and demanded he give me better pay, reports, and a raise or I’d walk.”
“And he offered you this story?”
“He said it was a trial run to see how I worked under pressure and on my feet because I had three days to prepare for this. I honestly think he expected me to chicken out. He had no clue about my background.”
“Yeah you’re pretty much the ideal candidate for life off the grid. You have a great basic knowledge and you don’t mind learning or getting your hands dirty.” He mulled over the words as he spoke them. She was a reporter looking to advance who happened to seem perfect for him. Was she in on the swap? His mind clouded with paranoia.
“Are you upset?” she asked softly.
“Not at you.”
Her body tensed as they lapsed into silence. Unable to focus on the movie, he felt a seed of doubt being planted. Peter had tried to get him to do a story plenty of times. Was this really about life off the grid or the local hermit? Peter had all but stalked him as he tried to get him to sit down for an interview. He’d offered a ridiculous amount of money for an exclusive interview about his life, which Thorn had promptly turned down. His personal life wasn’t for sale. Living off the grid, however, he’d talk about all day. Is this another clever way to get what he was looking for?
Chapter Five
Lilac