Page 53 of Heart of Stone

“You misunderstood me. You cut me off before I could explain. Please, just give me five minutes,” he begged.

I was getting whiplash from the back and forth. The poor guy was practically begging. They needed to be alone to talk this out. After the night that I just had, I was in no state of mind to be playing referee if it came down to it.

“Ally, we can finish this later. You and Jeremy go ahead.”

“No. I want to finish our conversation,” Allyson said fervently.

“And we will tomorrow. You two have stuff to work out. I’m tired anyways and I have to work in the morning.”

Allyson looked torn, eyes shifting between Jeremy and me. I placed my hand on her arm for reassurance.

“Alright, Krys. We’ll catch up tomorrow,” she finally conceded. She leaned over to give me a quick peck on the cheek. “Go get some sleep.”

“Night,” I said to her, then gave a nod to Jeremy who returned it in kind.

As I headed towards my bedroom, I gave into a big yawn. It wasn’t just a line that I fed Allyson and Jeremy as an excuse to give them time alone – I really was tired. Since meeting Alexander Stone, my nights had been full of nothing but restless sleep.

I climbed into bed, meandering over what I should do about tomorrow night. Normally, I would have run screaming in the opposite direction from a man like Alexander, and wouldn’t even consider exploring that avenue of danger.

Yet, he had laid the world at my feet – a job offer that I had been desperately waiting for and an ending to this burning need to be with him. And when his lips touched mine, my insides seemed to turn into melting wax, taking any thought or reasoning away from me. He didn’t know it, but he held some sort of power over me, and that terrified me.

I thought about Allyson’s outlook on life. Sometimes I wished that I could be more like her. She was so carefree, jumping from one guy to the next, living in the moment. I could have resented her insouciant way of life, but I didn’t. I loved her too much. Her unattached lifestyle suited her and she was happy.

Her way of looking at things was probably right. I should just go for it and have a little fun. I had been alone for a long time. Maybe a quick romp in the sack would be good for me. I would have to remember remain detached of course. I wasn’t looking to be struck by one of Cupid’s arrows. It was just sex, not some life long commitment. As long as I remembered that, it shouldn’t be too difficult.

I didn’t need or want anything more, and neither did he.

****

The following day began with the usual boring routine. I went to work, fulfilled the duties at my oh-so-monotonous job, and hit the gym.

However, over the course of my unexciting afternoon, I contemplated the events of the previous evening. For the first time, I was actually thankful for the mindless tasks that my current job offered. That, combined with the willingness of a red punching bag to accept the brunt of my frustrations, I was allowed time to think.

Stripped down to nothing but a pair of yoga shorts and a sports bra, I went to town on the bag, seeking its cathartic release with every blow.

Allyson’s words echoed in the back of my mind.

“Let yourself have a little fun…”

I spun around and struck the bag with a forceful backfist.

I recalled the conversation I had with Alexander over dinner.

“I will fuck you eventually, Krystina…”

I turned again and landed a powerful roundhouse kick.

I could still see the flash of desire in his eyes when I left him. I could still feel the heat of his fervently intense gaze.

I inflicted another punch onto the cylindrical leather bag.

My lips tingled every time I remembered the sensation of his mouth on mine, and my body ached for him. But most importantly, I remembered how good it was to simply feelsomethingagain.

Forty-five minutes later, I was covered in sweat. I delivered a final blow to the heavy bag, and reached a monumental decision. I was going to listen to Allyson’s advice and move forward with Alexander. Whether it was just sex, just the job, or both. It didn’t matter. My mind was made up. It was time I stop being afraid of the future and allow it to simply happen.

I grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat off my face and neck, collected my belongings, and headed for home.

And that’s when my day finally began to get more interesting.

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