Page 38 of The Southern Thirst Trap

She takes the offered help and rises, following me into the house and to my sanctuary, the kitchen.

“How do you know what he would want if you didn’t give him all the information? We hardly know how we will react to new situations. We can’t begin to untangle anyone else’s actions.”

I pull items from the fridge and pantry so I can create Hendricks’s favorite snack board for movie watching. “I did what I thought was best.”

“You were angry, Lolo. I could feel your anger for months when you came home. And so sad. Your sadness filled this home and pushed out any hope for a better outcome than what you had settled on.” She puts a bag of popcorn into the microwave as I arrange goldfish crackers and grapes into a pattern on a wooden tray with peanut butter cups and blue M&M’s. Hendricks refuses to eat the other colors, even though they all taste like chocolate to me.

“Are you saying I should have shown up, Hendricks in my arms, and demanded he see his son? I’m pretty sure I would have been arrested and Hendricks taken from me.” My voice drops low and I feel the cold trickle of fear that has followed me around since I brought my son into this world of what the Olsen family could do to me or Hendricks.

“It seems like he’s interested now. What’s stopping you from letting him know his boy?”

“You don’t understand what kind of man Zander Olsen is,” I say in warning.

“Is he a bad man? Did he hurt you, or try to take your life away? No, he gave you a beautiful son who is so sweet and pure.”

“He’s a liar, and he only cares about himself.”

“Then why was he outside demanding to know his son? A man who only cares about himself wouldn't have shown up today. He wouldn't have made the effort to come up against you. You’re an Amazon warrior. You terrify men.”

“Hey!” I protest. She gives me a knowing look and I feel my indignation deflate.

“You’re intimidating. You’re tall and beautiful, with a sharp tongue and a fast mind. Men don't stand a chance when you decide to break them down.” She pulls the popcorn out of the microwave and empties it into a bowl before she continues in a softer tone. “That man didn’t crumble, Lolo. He took your viciousness and still asked for what he wanted. That tells me he’s thinking of something more than himself. He’s thinking of his future, and what he’s contributed to this life that will succeed him. That’s more than many single moms can ask for.”

“Great. It was easy enough to ignore when it was just Alicia, but if you’re team Zander now, what am I supposed to do?” My manager had worn me down and gotten the truth out of me, as well. She’s been fully on board with a plan to push me back into Zander’s orbit, thinking it will be good for my book sales and the possibility of a cooking show.

“Does Alicia want a son-in-law? Because I do, and you won't even introduce me to the man you’refriendly with, as you say.”

“Whoa,” I say, holding up a hand to stop her. “We’re not talking marriage here, just introducing him to Hendricks. Slow down, Mom, you’re getting way ahead of yourself.”

“I’m not getting any younger, and neither are you. Thirty this year and not married. Old maid,” she says, grabbing the snack board and the popcorn bowl before moving into the living room to sit with Hendricks.

“Cold-hearted old lady,” I murmur in affection.

I look at the bags of snacks, wrappers, and crumbs left on the island, which gets awesome natural light in the afternoons, perfect for shooting photos of my recipes for my socials and videos. Today, I could grab a photo of this for another impromptu post. I unzip my jacket and grab my phone before I can think twice. I bend over backward onto the island, lying among the snack bags and decadent treats with one arm above my head, tank top straining to keep my ample tits contained, and snap a selfie of me facing into a slant of sunshine cutting across the marble and snack debris.

I stand back up and brush crumbs off my shoulders while I check the photo, which definitely caught the intended image I’d hoped for. My ordinary brown eyes look like rich chocolate pools, my skin like burnished caramel glowing in the sunshine as golden-wrapped peanut butter cups, orange goldfish crackers, green and red grapes, and colorful M&M’s are haloed around me in a foodie dream. I open Instagram and post my latest thirst trap and caption it,feeling like a snack, who’s hungry,before posting and exiting like the sly she-devil I am.

twenty-one

The Atlanta Haute List

Bad Day For Billionaires

ZanderOlsenwasdealtquite the day, with sources revealing he showed up for a showdown at the home of former flame, Harlowe Sorenson, in broad daylight. Reports say a heated argument took place in the driveway of all places, with the two battling toe-to-toe over an unspecified topic. We happen to think there may be some contention regarding the identity of Harlowe’s baby daddy, and Zander showing up now gives us all the pretty pieces to start connecting more dots for #ZaddyGate. Does he want to stay anonymous (sorry, buddy, that’s not happening), or find a way to fit into the family now that the secret is sort of out, at least enough for us to speculate on?

How does Harlowe’s current beau, Knox Contraire, feel about this newest development? He hasn’t been linked with Harlowe since before we uncovered the bombshell for ourselves, and he’s notoriously hard to get a response from for anything other than his football games. Could this news be driving a wedge between our favorite new couple so soon? Honestly, we don't know who to pick to win in this battle of incredibly attractive, powerful men. We can’t help but lean toward an Olsen brother when one is an option, as we are huge fans of that Atlanta-based family.

Besides, there’s just something about a perpetual bachelor that makes you root for them to settle down. A ready-made family seems like a good bet to domesticate Zander and give him some stability so he can face his business demons. Wait, who are we kidding? We are team Zaddy Zander, all the way. Sorry, Knox! Remember to hit Like and Subscribe for all the Haute Gossip!

twenty-two

Harlowe

Ineedtotalkto Knox. He deserves the truth, no matter how badly I want to keep it to myself. And something tells me he has his own truths he needs to get off his chest after our last phone call.

When he rings the doorbell mid-afternoon, I’ve already worked myself into a bit of a mess, which translates to having stress-baked three completely unnecessary desserts. What I need with chocolate chip cookies, angel food cake with strawberries and fresh whipped cream, and cinnamon streusel coffee cake, I don’t know, but my hands needed something to do while I waited after texting Knox and asking him to stop by.

I’ve also taken tripod photos of myself with chocolate streaked across my cheek, licking whipped cream off my fingers and lips, holding a handful of cake while leaning on the island topless surrounded by the desserts that strategically, and just barely, covered my tits. I posted one to Instagram with a caption that readsugar and spice and everything nice, that’s what good girls are made of, but bad girls will eat you wholebefore bolting out of the app and letting Alicia deal with the engagement numbers, which have been astronomical.

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