Page 27 of Fractured Fear

What an original question. You hit that one out of the park.

“New Jersey.” His answer is straight to the point, and he doesn’t expound on it.

Crickets could be heard chirping. How do I get this man to actually talk to me? It’s like pulling teeth.

“Okay. What do you do for a living?”

“I’m a detective.”

“That’s so cool. Can you make some parking tickets disappear?”

“Not really.”

“That’s okay. I don’t even have a car.”

A deep booming laugh echoes in the space and a warmth fills my chest. I like making this man laugh. I like knowing I cracked his composed exterior.

Maybe he doesn’t need to spill his life’s story to me. I’m fine with being the one who makes him smile.

After we finish eating, we clean up and I walk Zane to the front of the gallery. The goodbye isn’t uncomfortable, and I get the feeling it isn’t a “goodbye forever,” it’s a “goodbye for now.”

My feeling is proven correct when Zane shows up the next day with gyros. The conversation is light and easy and filled with laughter.

Over the next week Zane brings me lunch almost every day. I learned that Zane grew up in foster care, is an only child like me, and knew he wanted to be a cop from a young age.

We exchanged phone numbers because he felt bad that he couldn’t make it a few times and had no way of letting me know.I reassured him that I’m a big girl who can get her own food, but he wasn’t having it.

Rio kisses me on the cheek after each lesson and Zane hugs me goodbye each time we part. They’re simple acts that friends do, so why does it feel like more?

CHAPTER 10

SPENCER

Dressed in my boss bitch getup—black heels and an ivory, silk, button up blouse tucked into fall green, wide-leg dress pants—I look over paperwork for Abstract Dreams. I applied a little more makeup than usual. When Iris saw my red lipstick, she gave me a big whistle in appreciation and hasn’t stopped dropping comments since, making me regret my decision.

I did it because I felt like it. Not at all because I had a man or two in mind while getting ready. And they definitely weren’t on my mind because I had a steamy dream about the two of them.

In the dream, one of them definitely did not say to me “wrap those pretty lips around my dick and swallow like a good girl” after which I woke up and had to finish myself off before going to the gym. That’s not my motivation at all.

I haven’t seen Zane in a few days, so lunch has been boring. Ever since he came into the studio the first time I swear I see him out of the corner of my eye sometimes, but when I look no one is there.

I’m going crazy.

“So”—Iris smacks her gum while parking her ass on the front desk right next to the papers I’m reviewing—“since you’re already all dressed up, want to go to Moonlit tonight?”

I immediately use one of my ready-made excuses. “I can’t. I have to do inventory.”

“Nice try, Hayes did that this morning. I would know. I sat and watched him,” she stares over my head dreamily, not actually looking at anything. “The muscles on that man. Ooo. Just thinking about them gets me going.” She does a little shimmy as if I don’t know what she means.

“What?!” I shout. “When did you two finally get together? I’ve been pushing for a while, and when y’all finally decide to date, you don’t even tell me? Not cool, babe.” My scolding has a little fire behind it.

“We were keeping things on the down low, but when you get good dick, you can’t keep your mouth shut.”

I slap my hands over my ears. “Ew. Ew. Ew. Never talk about Hayes like that to me again. The guy is like my little brother. I don’t want to know what my brother is like in bed.”

“Point made. But it does sound like you have a difficult decision in front of you, I can keep talking about Hayes and hisappetiteor you can agree to go to Moonlit with me and Alma tonight. It’s been over a month since we last went. Please”—she puts her hands together under her chin—“Please, please, please.”

“Ugh. Fine. As long as there is no more talk of the bedroom escapades going on between you and Hayes for the rest of the night. Promise me.”

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