Page 13 of Big Dix

I shrug her off. Only one woman on my mind right now, and she’s ignoring me for some damn reason.

“Atticus!”

Was she always so annoying?

I grind my teeth, the muscle-flexing in my jaw, and turn away from her.How could I have never realized what a brat this woman can be?Well, I did, but I excused her behavior before now. But now she’s shouting my name in front of my team as if I owe her something.

“Annie, go home if you’re bored or find some way to entertain yourself, but do not embarrass me in front of my team.” I push the words out through gritted teeth.

“Really? Okay, then. If that’s how you want to be, fine! I don’t need your bullshit, Atticus. I’m fucking famous!” Her pretty face contorts into something cruel and ugly.

She storms off, and I can’t help but roll my eyes in her wake. If I hadn’t known her and her family for my entire life, I’d never talk to her again.

But I turn my attention back to where it needs to be—on Evelyn. Fuck it. Fuck the games. Fuck the bullshit. I’m asking her out again. Technically, she didn’t turn me down the second time. She didn’t give me an answer.

Like the stalker I’m quickly becoming, I make my way to the kitchen and slide up against the bar set up beside the refrigerator—the perfect little niche to spy from. My gaze moves to Evelyn, cleaning a counter. I send out one more message and wait.

A few seconds later, her phone vibrates, and she pulls it from her pocket.

Her smile lights up my world. I watch her type her reply. My heart pounds in my chest, the air caught in my lungs. I feel confident she isBig Boo...ks4BigDixI hold my breath as I wait for her response.

I silence my phone so the notification doesn’t alert her to my presence. It vibrates in my hand, and I am sweating, my hands shaking, fucking as giddy as a kid on Christmas as I open the message that waits.

@Big Boo...ks4BigDix

OK

Holy shit! Holy shit, she’s agreed. Now, I need to get a plan together.

I type my reply. The wheels turn in my head while my fingers glide across the keyboard.

@BigDix.69

Wait for further instruction.

I glance at her and watch her open the message, then stifle my laugh at her verbal response.

“What the hell does that mean?” she asks, looking around like someone will help explain my cryptic reply.

I pocket my phone and make my way back out to the party.

NINE

Evelyn

I check my phone for the umpteenth time in an hour. I should be excited to hang out with my friends at our book club and review our latest read but I’m distracted, to say the least. Still nothing fromBigDix.69.It’s been three days.Three long-ass days where I’ve stalked his social media and left my lewdest comments yet.

I’m thirsty for his ass. Stranded in the desert, seeing mirages and shit—fucking thirsty.

“Why do you keep staring at your phone? You in a hurry to get away from us or something?”

I force my attention from said phone to Glory, who waits for my reply. Of course, her question has Jen and Christina zoned in on me now, too.

“Yeah, what’s going on with you? You’ve been super distracted at the bakery, too.”

With a loud, overly-dramatical annoyed sigh, I roll my eyes and put my phone away.

Jen is right. I am totally distracted. Every scenario I can think of for why he hasn’t responded since the night of the party has flashed through my mind. I can’t believe he hasn’t messaged me back.

---