Page 58 of Ink & Desire

“Yeah, I told you to fuck him. I didn’t tell you to get herpes!”

Part of me wants to immediately argue with Cass. Of course, Corbin doesn’t have herpes. Right? But then I realize that there’s really no way for me to know if he’s got STIs. And the thought hadn’t even occurred to me in the moment. It wasn’t until afterward that I considered it. But Corbin had thought about it. At least he’d thought to ask me if I was on birth control before filling me with his cum. Just the memory of that moment is enough to make me squirm in my chair. What the fuck is wrong with me? I should be wondering if I’m infected with gonorrhea, not daydreaming about the sounds Corbin made when he came inside me.

“Are you on birth control?” she asks.

I roll my eyes. “You know I am. And I picked up some Plan B this morning before work.”

“That solves one problem, but not the other one.”

I meet Cass’s gaze again to see a knowing look on her face. “I know,” I say. “It was careless and stupid. But it’s not going to happen again. And I’ll go get tested as soon as possible.”

She nods. “Good. And it wouldn’t hurt to ask him if he’s been tested recently. I’m sure as a tattoo artist, he’s probably worried about bloodborne illnesses, right? So, getting tested shouldn’t be too big of a deal.”

“I’ll ask him,” I say, even though the idea of talking to Corbin about last night isn’t something I want to do right now.

But Cass is right. It’s not something I can afford to ignore. Even if Corbin seems perfectly happy to pretend it never happened, I can’t forget it. I’ve tried not to let his behavior bother me, but the longer I spent with him at work today seeing him so completely unfazed by what happened, the more annoyed I became. And yeah, there’s at least a little bit of hurt there too. I’d like to think sex with me isn’t something someone would just prefer to forget. Especially since I can’t stop reliving every moment of it. But maybe it’s a one-sided thing. Maybe Corbin wasn’t as affected as I was. That thought bothers me more than I like, so I push it aside.

“Let’s forget about guys for right now,” I say. “What about you? What’s new in your life?”

Cass shrugs, keeping her gaze on her food rather than looking at me.

“Not much,” she says. “Boring, as usual.”

I study my best friend for a moment, noting the shift in her demeanor and the way her shoulders seem suddenly tense. I’ve known her for long enough to know when she’s not telling me something.

“What’s wrong?” I ask. “Did something happen?”

She shakes her head. “Not really. It’s just…the job isn’t quite what I thought it would be.”

“I thought you loved the museum?”

“I did,” she says. “I do. It’s not the museum that’s the problem. It’s my boss.”

I try to remember what she’s told me about her boss in the past, but I can’t recall anything negative about the man. Cass has only worked there for about 6 months. It’s a job she’d wanted for years and pined over all throughout college. When she got the offer, the two of us went out and celebrated together.

“What’s going on with your boss?” I ask.

She suddenly looks nervous, like she doesn’t want to talk about this. That has me more concerned than ever. Cass doesn’t get nervous. She’s always been outgoing and the type of person who’s not afraid to speak her mind. So, what has her so nervous now?

“What is it?” I ask, my voice soft with concern.

When Cass finally lifts her gaze to meet mine, her green eyes are sad, and there’s something else there that I can’t identify.

“He’s kind of a creep,” she says in a low voice.

I feel something clench in my gut and I lean across the table toward her. “Did something happen? Did he do something to you?”

She shakes her head, but the look on her face is pure misery. “No,” she says. “He hasn’t done anything. It’s more about the things he says. I thought he was just being flirty and I kind of played it off. But then he kept doing it. And it kept getting more overt. And last week he cornered me in one of the archive rooms.”

Anger flares through me, hot and fierce. It’s quickly followed by worry for my friend.

“Cass, what did he do? Tell me.”

She shakes her head. “Nothing. Not really. I was working in the archives and it’s quiet down there. Not a lot of people go down there because access is restricted. I was listening to music and cataloguing some stuff. Then I looked up and he was just there, in the doorway. I jumped because he scared me, and he laughed. He apologized, but then he just stood there, not saying anything. It was weird. So, I asked if he needed something. He smiled this super creepy smile and just kind of looked me up and down. Then he said something like, ‘Oh, I’ve got needs.’”

My mouth drops open. “Gross.”

“Right?” Cass agrees. “But he said it kind of low, so I pretended I couldn’t hear him. I pulled my earbud out and smiled. Said something like, ‘Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t catch that. Could you repeat it?’”

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