Page 9 of Anonymous Acts

When I could hear again, heavy, contented breathing in my ears assured me that Wick had reached the same phenomenal release as I had, and I let a big, exhausted smile spread over my face.

“Well… that was interesting,” I told him, dragging myself up onto the bed so that my legs had room to stretch out.

Wick chuckled. “Yeah… I guess that’s one way to put it. I hope my joining you wasn’t too much of a creep move. You sounded so—”

“No, it’s fine,” I interrupted, suddenly feeling… embarrassed? “It actually made me feel like less of a creep myself… asking you to do something like that.”

“It was more like I offered. So you shouldn’t feel any kind of way, except good. Sated. Relaxed. Do you?”

I bit my lip to hide a smile he couldn’t even see. “All of the above. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Glad I could help.”

And now here we were. I didn’t “really” know him, and he didn’t “really” know me. But he knew me better than almost anybody else.

When the phone chimed to let me know he was initiating a call, I pressed the button to answer and then put the phone to my ear.

“Who I gotta fuck up today?” Wick asked, and I laughed a little as I shook my head.

“While I appreciate the sentiment, that’s not necessary. I got myself into this particular mess. And now… I guess I have to pay the price. Ichosehim.”

“Ah.Thatmotherfucker again. Your husband.”

I grunted. “Well, I prefer not to call him that, even though everyone else does. He has a new title now anyway – baby’s father.”

There was silence on the line for a second, and then, “Wow. You’re pregnant?”

“No.”

Silence again. “Oh. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Fuck him. I should be past the point where he can even still hurt me anyway, but… whatever. Soon enough, something is going to have to give. I… I can’t live like this anymore.”

Silence.

“Are you okay?”

“I…” my breath hitched in my throat as I tried with everything I had to make my mouth form the wordyes.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to be.”

Good. Because…

“I’m not.”

After that, I couldn’t hold back. One sob broke free from my throat, and then they all came pouring out until I was snot-nosed and red-eyed, and my neck hurt.

“Talk to me, Sandy,” Wick said after a while, and I sniffled as I tried to calm myself down.

“Give me a second.”

I climbed out of bed to get a cool towel for my face, cringing at my red-rimmed eyes in the mirror. I looked exactly how I felt – a fucking wreck. I took a few seconds to clean my face and calm down before I went back to the phone, hoping Wick hadn’t hung up.

“Hello?”

“Yeah, I’m here,” he rumbled in response, and a contented sigh escaped my lips.

“Sorry about that.”

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