Page 25 of Indecent Ventures

I bite my cheek to hold back tears. “Shit, Melissa. You know I never cry. You’ll be on my shitlist if you make that happen.”

She smiles. “It’s settled then.” She turns to the sales lady. “Celeste, we’ll take it.” She points to everything I tried on and whispers, “We’ll take everything.”

I shake my head. “You’re crazy.”

“Wouldn’t I have to be to marry your father?”

I laugh. “Fair enough. How’s Dad? I feel like he’s been extra grumpy lately. Is he on his man-period?”

She laughs. “He’s grumpy with you because youloveto push his buttons.”

I can’t help but smirk at the truth in that statement. “Admit that it’s fun. You push his buttons too.”

She gives me a devilish smile. “Sometimes it is.”

I change back into my regular clothes. We sit and sip champagne while the saleswoman packs everything Melissa bought. I can’t imagine what today cost her. I feel like I’m living in an alternate universe sometimes.

I ask her, “Are you excited about your trip?”

They’re going to the South of France for a few weeks. Dad is a photographer and has an assignment there. Melissa is going with him.

Her eyes light up. “Yes, I’m so excited. I’ve traveled more with him in the past few years than my entire life combined. I love it so much.”

“You’re fluent in French, right?”

“I am.” She’s fluent in several languages.

“It sounds amazing. I want to travel a bit more now that I’m making real money. I’ve never been abroad.”

“You’re welcome to come with us.”

“I couldn’t take that much time off work, and I lived with you two for a year. I thought it was the honeymoon phase, but it doesn’t seem to have ended. I think I’ll take a pass. Maybe I’ll go with a friend sometime soon though.”

She lets out a laugh. “Fair enough. Anytime you want to go, let me know. I’ll help make it happen.”

“Thank you.”

“Are you seeing anyone special?”

I shake my head in exasperation. “You always ask this, and the answer is always the same. I’m not looking for someone special.”

“I’ll keep asking. One day, your answer will change.”

“Never.”

CHAPTERSIX

COLLIN

Iwake up Sunday morning and am planning to head over to Reagan and Carter’s house today to work on the nursery bump-out.

I look at the other side of my bed. It’s empty. It’s been empty all week. That’s not the norm for me. Seeing Jade, touching Jade, and smelling Jade has my cock only looking in her direction. I didn’t even go out this weekend. What’s the point? No one interests me. It’s all the same shit.

I think about her running her fingers through my hair. That in and of itself was worth all the crap I take for letting my hair grow longer.

I grab my hardened dick and start pumping. I close my eyes and remember her scratching her nails down my neck. I want her to do that all over my body.

I think about when I was holding her wrists behind her back and touching her neck. She was so turned on by it. I could feel it. I could smell it.

---