Page 120 of Tell Me What You Want

“Hello, little girl.”

I angrily grab the earbud and put it back in. When he sees I’m not interested in talking, he sits comfortably in one of the hammocks in front of me, crosses his arms behind his head, and just stares at me.

“For your own good, stop looking at me,” I say.

“Or? Are you going to spank me?”

I sigh. If I could, I’d slap him with an open hand.

“Look, Eric, now I’m the one who doesn’t want your company. Go take a walk.”

He grins, and that pisses me off even more.

I get up and he does the same. And then, without giving it a second thought, I turn around and shove him fully clothed into the pool.

“But, Jude, what are you doing?” he complains.

Quickly, I grab my beach bag and run to the room. I go directly to the shower, and there, I see Eric’s toiletry bag. For the first time, I notice all the pill bottles. What’s that about? Before I can get close enough to read any of the labels, I hear him come into the bathroom and start to take off his wet clothes.

“All right, Jude, what’s going on?”

I don’t look at him. “Nothing that concerns you,” I say as I pass by him, annoyed.

“Everything about you concerns me, sweetness.”

Seeing him that relaxed makes me resent him so much.

“Eric, when I’m angry, it’s best just not to talk to me, OK?”

“Why?”

“Because.”

“Because what?”

“C’mon, are you dumb or what? Don’t you see that you’re pissing me off even more?”

“If you’d like, I’ll tell Frida you’re ready to clean the house from top to bottom. I know you, and when you’re really mad, you like to clean.”

I grunt. I’m not in the mood. He comes to me and leans down so we’re at the same height.

“I’m constantly apologizing to you. But it’s worth it to be with you and see your face when you forgive me.”

He tries to kiss me, but I move.

“Oh no, ‘the cobra’ again?”

That, along with the look on his face, finally gets a smile out of me.

“Yes, and unless you leave me alone, you’re going to get a slap along with ‘the cobra.’”

“Ha! I love your very Spanish character ...”

“Well, your German stubbornness is making me crazy. You’re so goddamned bullheaded!”

In an instant, he grabs me by the waist, throws me on the bed, and kisses me. The towel gets lost along the way, and now I’m naked. I try to reject his kiss, but he’s much stronger than I am, and by the time he manages to sneak his tongue into my mouth, he’s already wilted my will and my anger, and I respond eagerly.

“That’s how I like it ...,” he says. “I love how you’re so wild but get so tame when I want.”

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