Page 95 of Worth the Risk

Opening my eyes to the harsh light, I cover my head with my pillow.What time is it?The better question is, what day is it? I reach out my hand, feeling around on my nightstand for my phone.

Today is Sunday, and it’s ten in the morning.What happened on Saturday?I must have drank it away. I’ve been drinking nonstop since I saw Kylie Friday night. I hate to admit it, but she was even more gorgeous than she was all those years ago.

Kason had called me and invited me to meet some girl he was seeing and her friend who just arrived in town. I agreed, having no idea the girl was Sierra and the friend was Kylie. When Kason waved me over, and I saw her, it felt like the floor dropped out from under me. I had often wondered if I’d ever see her again and if I would be as attracted to her as before. The answer is yes.

She was wearing a tight blue dress with straps crossing over her bare back—which I remember kissing after a round or two of sex while she laid sated on my bed. I wanted to pick her up, throw her over my shoulder, and take her home to fuck the anger out of me.

Then I recalled why that wasn’t a good idea—she betrayed me. I felt that old familiar anger and hurt well up inside me. When I sat beside her, she still had the same coconut sweetness I remembered. I’m ashamed to admit I took in a deep inhale.

We started a verbal war, throwing grenades meant to hurt each other. When I said other women were more satisfying, I hit my target and thought I’d won. The drink in my face told me I didn’t, and her words about this Riley guy being the most important person in her world stung when they shouldn’t have.

Does she realize her boyfriend has my middle name? Does she even remember it’s my middle name?Not wanting to think about him or her, I drank. A lot.

After that, I came home and drank some more before passing out.

My phone shows I have a text from Kason and a missed call.

I open the text up.

Kason:What are you doing? We need to talk.

Better late than never. I reply.

Me:Sorry. I went to bed early. What’s up?

More like I passed out from getting drunk.

Kason:You home?

Me:Yeah.

Kason:Be there in thirty minutes.

Me:See you then.

What is so important that he needs to talk to me?I best get showered. No need to talk smelling like a brewery.

* * *

Just as I finish pouring myself a cup of coffee, I hear the knock on my door. Kason is on my approved lists of visitors, so he can come right up. I open the door before I head to the kitchen again for my much-needed caffeine. Kason follows me. “Coffee?” I ask, but I get no response.

He’s mad.

“What’s going on? Who pissed in your Cheerios?”

He shakes his head. “How could you do that to Riley and Kylie? They deserved better than that. I’ve never been more disappointed in someone than I am with you right now.”

Why in the hell would he be disappointed in me, and what the fuck does it have to do with Riley and Kylie? I don’t even know this Riley fucker.

“I’ve no fucking clue what you’re talking about. I’ve not done a fucking thing to Kylie, and I haven’t done a thing to this Riley asshole.”

“What the fuck is wrong with you? How can you call Riley an asshole? Who the fuck are you?” He throws up his hands in the air.

I have no idea why he is so mad.So what if I call him an asshole? I may not know him, but in my mind, he’s an asshole.

“Who the fuck cares what I call him? Better yet, why in the fuck do you care?”

This was not how I was expecting our conversation to go this morning.

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