Page 45 of Break for Me

“So, that actually gave me more questions than anything else,” Memphis said. “First, how much talking have you done with this girl? And second, you believed her?”

“Don’t be jealous, princess. Persephone is the only woman in my life who comes before you.”

She sighed like she was finally able to breathe again.

The whole purpose of this phone call was to get me out of the raging cloud of fury that had engulfed me since Iowa. And Memphis noticeably felt better instantly just by the change of my tone and the addition of yet another attempted stupid name.

“I’m alright, Memphis,” I said.

“Are you? Because I looked out the window when you told me what she did to Seph, and I was pretty sure I could see Iowa go up in flames from here.”

“She’ll regret that.”

“You still can’t kill her, Jersey.”

I chuckled. “That’s not exactly what I had in mind.”

“You can’t fuck her again either! Jesus. What’s wrong with you? Did you manage to already forget what just happened?”

“Oh, I remember every second of it.”

“How in God’s name could you even consider sleeping with someone, twice, and then still turn around and just hand her off to whoever’s paying us for this?”

“God’s got nothing to do with this,” I said quickly.

“Jersey.”

“It’s just sex, Memphis. That’s how. It doesn’t have to mean anything.”

“You’re going to tell me that you could fuck her again and feel nothing about it?” She asked.

“That’s not at all what I’m telling you. I would absolutely feel all-consuming hate and rage.”

“Men are confusing,” she said.

“Hardly. Don’t touch my fucking car if it’s malicious in nature and don’t fuck me unless it’s malicious in nature. It’s pretty simple, really.”

“My God. Just be careful with this, Jersey. Please. Hate and love both hold hands with passion. They both make people do equally crazy things and the line between them disappears while you think you’re staring right at it.”

thirty-four

TRISTA

I didn’t even know what the inside of that bar looked like. I couldn’t see beyond the giant who was leaning on the edge of the bar by the back wall, where it was open for the bartenders to get behind the bar itself. His body took up the entire space between the bar and the wall. I stared at that man until he could feel it apparently, and I about sprinted right back out the door when his eyes landed on me. I noticed the gun attached to his hip for the first time then too.

That was probably common in Kentucky though, right?

He stood upright to look at me a little harder when I still hadn’t managed to look away from him. I couldn’t figure out if it’d be more uncomfortable to attempt to hide from him by that point, or just own how fucking awkward I was making this and go introduce myself. If he was anything like Sandy, he was a giant teddy bear and the massive display of muscle was just that, all for show. Every step that I took toward him made me regret the decision. I stopped two barstools from where he stood at the end of the bar and decided that was where I was going to stay. I couldn’t force myself closer. He was the kind of man who got women pregnant despite an IUD, and he could probably do it with a single look.

“Hi,” I managed to say once I was sitting on my chosen stool.

He nodded at me before he smirked and leaned back down to rest his elbows on the bar.

“I’m Dakota,” I tried again.

“Are you?” He asked and chuckled. “Sounds like you’re maybe not so sure of that.”

Holy fucking baritone.

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