Page 9 of Protecting Talia

“Since I started dating Trip. Some of the guys are rough around the edges, but once you get to know them, you see they are good.”

She wouldn’t reveal her theory that Zip was a cinnamon roll. He would probably be embarrassed and she didn’t want to do that. At least not behind his back. If his cheeks went red, she wanted to see.

A woman with red hair came over to the table and Ellis jumped up, giving her a hug. “Ginger, this is Talia. Ginger has been one of my best friends for years.”

Ginger didn’t blink or make a face when she turned to Talia. Either these women knew to expect the cuts and bruises, or they were great actors. The woman smiled and shook her hand, acting like her sitting in this coffee shop with her messed up face was normal. “Talia, it’s nice to meet you. I hope Ellis brings you around for girls’ night out.” Ginger’s phone buzzed and she rolled her eyes. “Sorry, Kent and the child are waiting for me in the car.”

Ellis pulled Ginger close for another hug before stepping back. “I’ll talk to you later. Bye.”

“She seems nice,” Talia said as Ellis took her seat.

Ellis chuckled. “Don’t let her fool you, she’s a snarky bitch when we’re alone but I love her.”

Wistfulness filled Talia and she might have even sighed. “That’s good.”

Ellis leaned in. “I don’t want to overstep any boundaries, but if you’re good with it, would you like to come to dinner on Friday?”

“Oh, I’m working Friday evening.”

“How about on Saturday?”

Talia nodded. “Yes. That would be good.”

“Awesome. You can meet Trip, and we can get to know each other better. I have a feeling we’re going to be friends.”

Talia smiled, but inside, her stomach clenched. What would this woman say if she knew the truth of her past? Most women didn’t want her near their men once they learned about her past sex work. She’d been thirteen when her sister forced her into the business. Her work paid their bills back then. She’d brought in all the money for food and the mortgage. She’d also sent her family on fabulous trips while she was literally working her ass off.

6

Zip finished his shower and was pulling on his pants when Trip stepped into the room. The look in Trip’s eyes made him pause. “What?”

“You don’t have to do this, but Ellis invited Talia over for dinner on Saturday.”

A part of Zip wanted to tell Trip no way, but another part wanted to find out if they could make it sooner. She hadn’t called, although Ellis had given her his number. Maybe she wasn’t interested.

“Like I said, you don’t?—”

“I’ll be there.”

Trip slowly nodded. “Only if you’re sure.”

“I can’t get her out of my mind. Maybe seeing her will allow me to forget her.”

Trip chuckled. “Once they get under your skin, it’s impossible to get them out of your mind.”

He shook his head. Hopefully, he would be able to see her and forget about her. He had three days until dinner with her, and he wasn’t sure he could wait that long. That night, he had to jack off before sleep would come. She was doing a number on him, and he liked it. When he found hookups, he never thought of them after sex ended. There might have been one or two women he wouldn’t have minded seeing again, but only to fuck, nothing more. With Talia, he wanted to get to know her and find out what made her tick. He wanted to see if they connected.

The next few days seemed to drag by. On Saturday, he was so amped up he had to go for a second run and jack off in the shower before heading to Trip’s house. He got there early and was sad that Talia wasn’t already there.

“Hey,” Trip said as he opened the door.

The house smelled like an Italian restaurant. Ellis had upped their food game. She and Vera went to great lengths to improve the quality of what they ate when they got together. They still had hotdogs and hamburgers at the park, but when they got together at someone’s house, she and Vera made excellent food that they all appreciated.

“It smells terrific.”

“Thank you,” Ellis said as she came over to give him a hug.

“It’s good to see you.”

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