Page 16 of Edging Obsession

“Because you never said anything, Miles.” Tears dangle on her lashes. “You kissed me goodbye, and I only received quick responses from you.”

“I don’t do mushy shit, and you know it. The tour is hectic.” I give her calf a light squeeze to get her attention. “Why did you lose your job?”

She angles her head toward me and rests her cheek on her knees. “My boss didn’t like the article.”

“And the online attacks? What were they about?”

She picks at the sheets as she talks. “Us. How I’m not good enough for you? How I should kill myself. All kinds of nasty things.” Her finger runs along the stitching, tears continuing to flow. “We never talked about us. No calls. Quick text answers.” Jules looks at me. “You left without even telling me where we stand. Whether we’re in a relationship. And then when I tried to talk to you, it came off…dismissive.”

“From the start, we had a connection and fucked all the time. What else did you think this was?”

Her quivering lips spit out, “A good time for you while I was around.”

My jaw clenches from this talk of feelings, so I look away. “I spent all my time with you, Jules. Of course, we were more than a good time.”

Jules shakes her head and lets out a rushed sigh. “You’re a horrible communicator.” She sits forward, pushing her finger into her chest. “I didn’t know we were together. You forgot to tell me.”

“Jules.” I exhale hard and run my hand down my face. “You know how I feel about you.”

She glances at the window, her voice cracking on every word. “When it comes to sex, yes, but the rest of me…”

This conversation regarding emotions bothers me, so I change the subject. “About your job. He fired you over the article?”

A torrential downpour of sobs wracks her body, causing quakes and quick inhales. She buries her face in her hands.

“What, Jules?”

With her face still buried, she tells me about what she did to her boss. How he blackmailed her into a blowjob because she was afraid of losing her job. I walk to the far wall and drop my head down. She fucking gave someone a blowjob! My fists clench at my sides. A tidal wave of anger ripples through me and I turn to punch the wall. I leave the room, her sobs growing in volume, and I tell Hendrick to stay outside her room as I head outside of the hospital. Curses spew from me, redness floods my skin, and I throw punches in the air. Andreas comes over to me, but I growl at him.

Images flash of her lips wrapped around her boss’ dick. Him coming in her mouth. Tears seeping out of her eyes as she stares up at him. What the fuck is wrong with her? Why? Why would she even consider it? We’ve been fucking for weeks, and she does this? My feet keep moving down the sidewalk, screaming out and talking to myself. I can’t even count how many times I buried my dick inside her mouth and pussy. Fuck!

“Miles!” Hendrick catches up to me.

I spin to face him. “I told you to stay outside her room.”

“Andreas is standing guard. Talk to me.”

My arms punch downward. I roll my shoulders back and swear up a storm before relaying everything to him. Hendrick is a childhood friend. One of the few people I trust with my life.

He clears his throat. “That’s shitty man.” Hands on his waist, he turns toward the street and says, “Let’s get you somewhere before anyone notices who you are.”

We lock the doors of the tinted SUV and sit staring out the windshield. He lets me stew in my misery for a while.

“You know, before they sent her up to the psyche floor, I heard the doctor mention bipolar.”

My face turns to him in disgust. “Does having bipolar make you suck guys’ dicks?”

Hendrick looks out the windshield when he responds, “She has appeared pretty beaten over the past weeks.”

“You making excuses for her? Do you like her?”

“No! I’m trying to give you a picture of how it’s been while you were gone. What she did is shitty, but maybe it’s more complicated than it appears.”

I glance out my side window, thinking about what he said. Hendrick is always up front, and out of most people I know, he’s logical. Not hotheaded. He knows my past, and how easily I don’t give into temptation. Hendrick sees how Jules affects me. If Jules does have mental health issues, maybe it plays a role in what she did. But fuck, a blowjob? My head shakes at the thought.

My little treasure, tainted by some fucking asshole who blackmailed her. I didn’t even hear her tell the entire story. Blood was pumping so hard in my ears it prevented anything else from registering. I heard boss, blowjob, and the fury swept through.

Without saying a word, I open the car door and return to her room. From down the hall, I hear her crying, begging to be left alone. As I get closer, the doctor, a nurse, and her parents are arguing outside the door.

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