Page 19 of Burn It Down

“I’ll make reservations at Marietti’s.”And hopefully find my appetite before we go.

“Oh, IloveMarietti’s!” Cora exclaims.

I grab her clasped hands and kiss her knuckles. “I know. Have a good lunch with Whitney. Do tell the delightful demon I said hello.” I chuckle as Cora shakes her head.

“She’s not that bad.”

Whitney is trouble with a capital T. She’s already unapologetically caused a scandal by sleeping with her family’spool boy. Not afraid of clichés, she didn’t hide it at all. I give her shit, but truthfully, I respect the hell out of her for not only owning up to it, but for making sure everyone knew it was her that pursuedhimso he didn’t lose his job… or his other clients.Sadly, Whitney is another young debutante who won’t get much say in her future although I pity her father if he attempts to arrange her marriage like mine and Cora’s.

“I know, but teasing her is so much fun. Feel free to splurge at lunch. If you ladies need a ride home, I’ll send the car for you.”

Cora kisses my cheek.

“Thank you. What time should I be ready tonight?”

“I’ll pick you up at six-fifteen.”

I hit the gym after work, grab a quick shower, and I’m shrugging into my sport coat when I get a text.

My heart damn near falls out of my ass when I see Dylan’s name.

Dylan 5:56pm

Still on for Saturday drop off? Just trying to plan the order of these jobs.

Ihaveto find a way to connect with him outside of the shop. Eventually, I’m going to run out of cars that need work…although at this point, I’m not above buying a total piece of shit that basically needs to be rebuilt just so I can see him.

The outlet he provides for me to remember who I am is too enticing and despite my guilt and the occasional rationalthought about how dangerous this is, I’m not ready to give it up just yet.

And whileactuallybuying a heap of junk might give my current feelings away, it’s funny how I’m starting to care less about that.

Jacob 5:57pm

Yes. But I don’t have to be first.

Dylan 5:57pm

Do you have a particular brand of clutch you want me to find? Obviously factory if I can, but that shit’s hard to come by any more.

Jacob 6:00pm

No preference.

I trust your judgment.

I want to keep texting Dylan all night. I want to know what he’s doing. Where he is. Who he’s with. Things I have no right to know about the man I manipulated into meeting me. But I’m out of time.

I owe this date to Cora.

And yet, I can’t help myself. I fire off one more text and silence my ringer before grabbing my keys and heading out the door.

Jacob 6:02pm

Any more trouble at the shop?

I feel the buzz of his incoming text simultaneously in my pocket and in my cock. Knowing I have something to look forward to when I get back home tonight sends my mind into overdrive.

With my mind reeling, I pull up outside Cora’s house at six-fifteen sharp. She lives in the guesthouse behind her parent’s mansion and why wouldn’t she? It’s fully furnished with top-of-the-line everything, the yard maintenance is taken care of, she has her own garage as well as her own driveway. And best of all, she doesn’t have to pay rent or utility bills. It’s a smart choice. Especially considering one day soon she’ll move in with me which means there’s no house to worry about selling.

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