Page 21 of Captivated

I’m not gonna lie, I’m extremely curious and terrified to hear her reasons for that hit as I wait for her to speak.

“He tested positive for Chlamydia, so I’d walk away if I were you,” she says as she takes a seat next to Misty, glaring back at me from across the table.

“Ex… excuse me?” Misty stammers, clearly just as perplexed by Piper’s actions and now her words as I am. Misty’s curly brown hair swings back and forth as her head does the same between the two of us.

“You see, woman to woman, I felt obligated to warn you. When I gave him those test results in the hospital, his dick was about two days away from rotting off,” she winces as Misty’s eyes go wide.

“Misty, that’s not...”

“Oh, stop, Cash. It’s okay,” Piper says, reaching for my hand to stroke in comfort. “The antibiotics should have kicked in by now, right?”

“Fuckin-A, Piper.”

“Do you two know each other?” Misty asks, still extremely perplexed.

“Just as a nurse and patient. Believe me, I wouldn’t touch that with a ten-foot pole,” Piper smirks and then winks at me, fucking winks! Does that mean she’s joking, or is she clearly having too much fun with this?

“Wow. Okay then. Well, Cash, sorry to cut this short, but uh, I don’t need any diseases anytime soon, so I think I’m just gonna leave,” Misty murmurs as she slides out of the other side of her bench seat and scurries away, her jean skirt riding up as she runs.

“What the fuck was that about, Piper? Now she’s going to tell everyone I have Chlamydia!” I’m fucking furious, but also turned the fuck on. This woman keeps showing me different sides to her, and this no-bullshit attitude keeps getting hotter and hotter.

“Better her thinking that than realizing she was only on a date with you because of a bet.” Piper moves to stand, but I grab her arm before she can get away.

“Who told you that?” Great. I keep striking out with this girl, adding yet another reason for her to not like me.

“Word travels fast in a small town, Cash. Plus, you and your friend weren’t so quiet in the bathroom earlier.” She glares at me now and tries to remove her arm, but I’m not ready to release her.

“Piper… fuck, I’m not… this wasn’t…” I’m at a loss for words. How do I explain this without looking like a complete ass? How can I get this girl to see that dating and having casual relationships with women is only one part of me?

And more importantly, why do I want her to see that? That’s the question that has quickly become the sole focus of my mind, and I’m having a difficult time answering it.

“Good night, Cash,” she pulls her arm away once more and then I let her go, watching her return to her friends, where the dark-haired one greets her with a high five. Fuck! She knew what she came over here to do? Now I look like even more of a jackass.

I slink back against the wooden backing of the booth, sulking and pissed about how a date with Misty ended up fucking up things even more with Piper—not that I want to date, Piper. Or do I? Is that what I’m feeling? The desire to have more with a woman than a one-night-stand?

Christ! What is going on with me?

“Oh, my God! Who is that woman so I can become her new best friend!” Clara plops down in the vacant side of the booth as Cooper slides in beside her. Drinks in hand with pleased looks on their faces, they watch for my reaction to the slap heard ‘round the bar.

“Her name is Piper, and she just…”

“Put you in your place? Smacked the shit out of you in front of everyone? Ran off Misty and saved your dick from rotting away?” Cooper chuckles while taking a sip of his beer.

“Well, yeah, I guess you could say that,” I contemplate, while still watching her across the bar. She throws her head back in laughter and I can’t help but study the lines in her neck and the smile that slides so easily across her face. But then when her head drops again, I catch her searching the room, like she’s looking for someone or something. There’s a glimpse of fear on her face, and it happened so quickly, most people would have missed it. But not me. I’m quickly becoming an expert in reading Piper, especially when she tells me she’s not jealous, but all of her actions say otherwise.

Yeah, I’ve got your number, Piper. I have a feeling you want me as badly as I want you. And you seem scared, frightened about something too. Maybe that’s why you’re so quick to push me away. You don’t want me to see what you’re hiding from.

Piper quickly stands and hugs each one of her friends goodbye, bee-lining for the door.

I should just let her leave, let her walk away and listen to that voice in my head that is telling me to let her go. But there’s this other voice, the one that’s speaking to me in a language I’ve never learned—the one that says not to let her go without some sort of explanation.

“I’ll be right back,” I say to Cooper and Clara without ever taking my eyes off of Piper, standing from the booth and strutting to the front doors, following her out into the chill of the night. The overhanging roof provides some shelter from the elements, but it’s the beginning of October and the cold is about to hit our small town.

“Piper!” I yell as I watch her legs carry her away from me, down the steps and into the parking lot. A turn of her head over her shoulders tells me she heard me, but she twists right back around and keeps walking. As the doors to the bar open behind me, the lyrics to Katy Perry’s Dark Horse echo into the night.

“So you wanna play with magic, boy you should know what you’re falling for…”

And in that moment, it hits me. I’m under Piper’s spell, and there is no going back.

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