Page 50 of On a Fault Line

So I silently vow to savor each day I have with Penny like it’s my last.

Reaching for my phone, I send her a text.

Collins: I’m sorry for being in a mood today. It isn’t you. It’s me.

Grabbing her phone, Penny drops it on the ground and then nearly falls out of her chair to retrieve it. I watch as she struggles to type in her unlock screen password, and when she finally gets it entered, she appears to forget what she was doing and just shuts off her phone entirely.

By the way she’s throwing back margaritas after already having a dizzy spell, Penny’s making it clear I should show her she needs discipline and boundaries.

Is she trying to make me go crazy? It’s not like I can make a scene right here at the table and cut her off without drawing suspicion. Surely she understands the effect her defiance has on my self-control.

Sliding out her tongue, Penny rims the glass, gathering salt onto it.

“You’ve had enough,” I whisper into her ear, causing her to shiver.

She picks up her cactus glass higher, sloshing liquid out of the top. “Here, here, here,” she slurs proudly. “I’ve got a cheers so perk up those ears.”

The girls raise their glasses, looking at Penny for her to continue, while I silently brace myself for the next set of words that will pour from those fuckable lips.

“Did you forget the lyrics?” Angie giggles, only causing Claire to laugh.

At least I know one of them isn’t drunk.

Dammit.

How does this even happen on my watch? Today has been a complete shit show, and it’s barely halfway over.

Was I so distracted by Penny’s presence alone to not cut off this source of fun? This is sloppy work on my part. In the past, I’d just slip the bartender or waiter money and they made everything weaker.

Penny clears her throat, takes another sip, and then raises her glass above her head, shaking a few crystals of salt into her hair. How can someone acting so tipsy be so fucking adorable? She makes me want to spank her raw but then cuddle her at the same time.

While this is all fun in the safety net of my bodyguard services, I worry about what trouble Penny would get into without me at her side. She has completely infiltrated my life. If only she knew just how much control she has over me.

“To friendship, tacos, orgasms, saying what you mean, and doing whatever the fuck you want!”

“Here, here!” Claire chants, while dipping a chip into the guacamole and gnawing on it. “I’m always down for orgasms.”

“Are you now?” a masculine voice booms behind us.

“Nic?” she squeaks, almost knocking the table over as she spins around. “You come to check up on me?”

“I came to get my woman.”

Her eyes light up with mischief. “You know I’m always down for some role-playing and exploring this caveman kink.”

Penny covers her ears. “Ew. Seriously, you two!”

A few seconds later, Graham appears, making Angie pout her bottom lip out.

“Game over.”

“Or it’s just starting,” he says with an edge to his voice.

“Say goodbye to the margaritas. They were fun while they lasted.”

Graham bends to give her a kiss and whisper something into her ear, making her laugh. “I’m taking you home, Sweetheart. Let’s go. You can test-drive some of those outfits for me.” When she looks at him with confusion, he smiles and shrugs. “The credit card statement popped up on my phone, and I assume it wasn’t just Penny and Claire spending a few grand on only themselves.”

Angie snorts. “Of course it did, stalker. Besides, you aren’t seeing any of them. You have a habit of just tearing them off me anyway. And I like these outfits!”

---