Page 211 of His To Erase
My laugh comes out a little too fast, and too shaky. “Jesus.”
Sarah just smirks. “What? I’m not blind. The man looks delicious in leather. I bet if you said the wrong thing during sex, he’d punish you and somehow make it your idea.”
I snort into my glass. “That’s not inaccurate.”
“Please tell me he’s mean.”
“He’s awful.”
“Ugh, thank God.”
I grin, but it slips too easily. “He’s… intense. And dangerous. He watches me like I’m either his last meal or a threat to be neutralized. Sometimes both. And he’s way too good at knowing when I’m about to lie.”
Sarah hums. “Sounds feral.”
“He is.”
“But?” she prods.
I sigh, dragging my nail along the rim of my glass. “But I think I trust him more than I trust Frank.”
Sarah blinks. “And yet... you flew out with Frank.”
“Yeah,” I murmur. “I know.”
She doesn’t say I told you so. She just leans her arm into mine, silent and solid in the way only she can be.
“Are you done with him?” she asks softly.
“I think I’ve been done,” I sigh. “I just… didn’t want to believe it. He makes everything sound so damn reasonable. Like I’m the one who forgot what I said and I’m always two steps behind a conversation I never agreed to.”
“Yeah,” she says. “That’s called manipulation, babe.”
Before I can reply, some guy stumbles up to the bar, waving a ten-dollar bill like it’s a VIP pass and shouting over the music, “Can I get two Jäger?—”
Sarah doesn’t even break eye contact. “I’m catching up with my best friend, Devin,” she says calmly, like she’s explaining something to a small child. “You see that? You see the talking that’s happening?” She gestures between us like she’s conducting a ceremony. “That’s sacred. That’s girl code in action. You’re on very thin fucking ice, my guy.”
Devin falters and slowly lowers the bill. “Oh. Uh. Okay.”
She narrows her eyes. “Do I look like a woman who’s about to pour you Jäger, or do I look like a woman who’s five seconds away from banning you from this bar forever?”
Devin backs away like she just threatened to key his soul. “It’s cool. I’ll come back later.”
“You do that,” she says sweetly, turning back to me. “Anyway, where were we? Right, murder crush. Has veins in his neck like Greek columns. What’s that like?”
I stare at her, blinking. “Jesus.”
“What?” She shrugs. “You don’t interrupt girl talk about murder crushes. It's the law. I’ll get it tattooed if I have to.”
“You’re insane.”
“Unmedicated,” she corrects. “And thriving.”
I laugh into my drink. “You threatened a man over Jäger.”
“I did. And I’d do it again.” She smirks. “Also, Jäger? In this economy?”
I shake my head. “God, I missed you.”
