Page 20 of Merciless Sinner

The thought entered my mind so suddenly it was almost painful. It hurt to breathe thinking about it.

My phone buzzed across the room on the table, and I glanced over at it with no desire to get up and retrieve it. The realization that I still wanted something I couldn’t have left me feeling adrift. I was apparently more outside my element than I had realized. But shit. What did I know about dating and healthy relationships? Bill had been my first and that had gone so wrong, it was difficult to know what was right after that.

Hence a couple of one-night stands in college and not much else since.

My phone buzzed again and I sighed, dragging my butt off the floor. She would keep sending messages until I answered. The woman was relentless like that. Just like I knew I wasn’t off the hook about Valentine’s night yet. She’d keep at it.

I scooped up my phone and unlocked the screen with my thumb.

The text notification popped up and it was from an unknown number.

Harper, I apologize for not getting in touch with you sooner. But I wanted to thank you for your amazing gift to Jeremy and I the other night. It was a Valentine’s night to remember. So much so that I’d like to see you again. Can you meet tomorrow night?

My heart stuttered. Or maybe it froze because I swear it stopped beating altogether. Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit. I frantically spun in one direction and then another. What the hell was I supposed to do?

I read it again. I couldn’t believe it. He wanted to see me again. Oh wait—did he want to see me or did they both want to see me? This was so confusing.

I’d like to see you again. Those were his exact words. Still. I sat down in the chair and tried to catch my breath. Why was my heart pounding so hard?

I needed to say something.

I typed a message back.Why?

I wanted to slap my head the minute I hit send. Why? Really? I was the epitome of cool. Zia would die of shame if she could see me now.

Maybe I shouldn’t have had that fourth beer. Yeah, I’m going to go with that and blame all of this on drunk texting. I’d forget all about it by tomorrow, right?

With every minute that passed with no response, my anxiety ratcheted another level higher. After five minutes or so I couldn’t sit here staring at my phone any longer. I grabbed the plates and Zia’s wine glass from the table and carried them over to the sink. I thought about loading the dishwasher and decided it could wait until tomorrow. I still needed that shower from earlier and then I was going to bed.

I had a big day of normal dessert bar baking and some catering work to prep for. If my mystery man—I hesitated mid step—shit, I still didn’t know his name. And how the hell had he gotten my phone number?

My phone buzzed again and I flipped it over to read.

Hmmm. I get the feeling my kitten has claws. I like it. Now I need to know more. Meet me tonight. I’ll make it worth your while.

I smiled. I just bet he would deliver on that promise. I may not be the most experienced girl on the planet, but based on the number of times he and Jeremy made me scream that night, I had complete faith in his abilities. Speaking of…

I don’t even know your name.

Three little dots immediately appeared on my screen letting me know he was typing an immediate answer. I held my breath waiting for his next words to come through.

Does it really matter?

My shoulders sagged. What the hell?

What kind of question is that? It’s common courtesy. You obviously know mine and mysteriously have my phone number. I think a name is overdue.

I tried to imagine him smiling. Or I sure hoped he was. I couldn’t tell if this conversation was going well or becoming an epic fail.

I’ll have my car pick you up at eight. Will that work for you?

A car? Fancy. Probably way too much for someone like me. I’d just spent my evening with a pie from my favorite pizza dive and a cheap six-pack of beer. I could dress up again. It’s not as if I was a backwoods heathen.

I may have come from a small town, but that didn’t mean I didn’t know how to fit in. Bill had made sure of that. Not long after our marriage I’d become his doll. He would either dress me up and parade me through his private church functions or he would remove my clothes and work tirelessly to put a baby in my belly.

Thankfully that plan had never worked. At first because I had gone to the health clinic and gotten a shot that made sure I didn’t get pregnant on accident and then later because I snuck out for updates when he was ‘out of town’, which I now knew was code for the time he spent with his other wives.

My stomach turned remembering those days. I hated that man. I wanted him to rot in jail for the rest of his life. I just didn’t want to be the one to put him there.

---