Page 59 of Caught A Vibe

If I could fly to everyone’s house individually and show them how to use it… No, I still wouldn’t do that. But everything up to that line is fair game. How can I take this feedback and adjust my plan so that I can still succeed?

When my stomach growls its displeasure, I look up to see if it’s time to go.Shit.It’s almost nine! Where did those hours go? I hope Dash isn’t too upset that I missed dinner. I fire off a text to Nic requesting to be added to the calls tomorrow before shoving the contents of my desk back into the tote bag I’m using to cart everything back and forth.

Time to go eat my boyfriend for dinner, or eat with him. Either way, win-win.

Dash

Iget off the phone with Penny and order the pizza quickly so I can feed her immediately, and then get on to the funsies, as she calls them. I’ve got something to celebrate, and I don’t want to waste a minute.

Today I got another article approved, and the check hit my bank account. This article outlines the back-to-work protocols. Penny was incredibly helpful as I peppered her with questions. She deserves to share in the reward for a job well done.

I look around the apartment, pondering where to set up the food, and grimace. The kitchen table is small and currently covered with my laptop, papers, and the sourdough starter that’s ready to escape its bowl again. I swear I used half of it today in my breadmaking fiasco, but it’s already filled the bowl again. It’s worse than a goldfish.

The end table is hosting the small collection of houseplants I bought for a different article. I think the snake plant has the greatest likelihood of survival. It’s definitely the Katniss of the crew. The rest are already wilting from neglect, but the snake plant is reaching for the sun. I take a glass of stale water from the collection on the coffee table and reward its persistence.

The array of other dishes still there attest to the fact that my work has made the table unusable for days. And the kitchen counters are a disaster from my earlier attempts at sourdough art. Pizza wasn’t the first option, but it is the only option. On the plus side, with all the windows open I aired out the apartment. I don’t think it smells like smoke anymore.

Time to dig in. I dash around the house, picking up my hoodie from the couch before setting it down in the chair to free my hands for the coffee mugs and dishes. Taking them into the kitchen and setting them in the sink to soak, I brush an armful of flour and dough scraps into the garbage can. Half of it hits the floor, so I go broom hunting. When I see the notebook Penny’s left on the counter, I decide to put it on the bed on my way to the hall closet for the broom.

Once I hit the bedroom, my plan unravels. Callie objects to my tossing the notebook on her perch, even though it lands feet from her, and I must appease her pique with pets and reassurances. I sit down next to her on the bed and she claims my lap as hers. My game controller is right there, plugged in on my side of the bed and now fully charged. The idea strikes to celebrate with a quick round of a new game. We relocate to the couch and settle in.

The company reached out directly to me for this review, so my editor hadn’t been able to hand it off to someone else. It’s been weeks since I’ve gotten my hands on a fresh game.Just a few minutes to get a taste for it… I’ll be done with level one before Penny even gets home.

I load the game and begin exploring the fictional world. Rich graphics pull me in deep, and the clever quest keeps me there. Whoever designed this really put in the work to make the game beautiful and engaging. I am delighted.

Until Penny steps into my field of vision, blocking the screen. Then I am panicked.

“Hey,” she says.

“Hi! Oh my God, hi! I didn’t hear you come in.” Callie leaps from my lap with a yowl of protest and I follow to my feet and look around, chagrined at the mess I still see everywhere. A glance at my watch says it’s been over three hours since I called her. How did I lose so much time?Fuck!I start running around snatching things from surfaces and putting them down on other surfaces, making absolutely zero net change in the messiness balance sheet. The apartment is still a disaster, and Penny is holding a pizza box with a bag balanced on top and looking at me like I’ve lost my marbles.

“Oh, you picked up takeout? I ordered in.”

“Yeah, this was sitting on the mat out front. I guess you didn’t hear the delivery guy.”

I take the food from her, palming the bottom of the box, now ice-cold. I really played through a doorbell? It wouldn’t be the first time, but it’s been years. She deserves better than this.

“Crap, it’s gone cold.” I head for the microwave, setting the cardboard on top of the floury stove.

“It’s okay. We can just reheat it after,” Penny says, grinning and prowling toward me.

“After what?” I’m still so worried about the pizza and feeding her and losing the thread on the cleaning I was planning to do that I’m still spinning when she corrals me against the stove with her arms.

“After dessert.”

“What’s for dessert?”

Penny

Dash looks so cute when he’s confused. I step into his personal space. My breasts press against his chest, and I skate my hands back over his hips to grip his ass.

“You are.”

His answering grin melts me. The raw panic recedes from his eyes and he wraps his arms around me. He catches on quick, I’ll give him that. I love that he did the same thing for me with a phone call. We get each other. I want to thank him for calming me down earlier, and I don’t want to wait any longer.

“Oh really? What if I want you for dessert?” he asks.

“I’d say you’ll have to wait. I called dibs.” I drop to my knees on the kitchen floor and go to work on his jeans, unbuttoning and tugging them down to his knees. “Do you know how horny I got just thinking about coming home to you? And then you have the audacity to look all sexy and intense, wearingglasses, when I walk through the door?”

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