Page 19 of You Belong With Me

The sun is setting as I walk out the front door, so I jump on my bike one last time and start heading home. On the drive, I consider what would happen if Alana reported me for sexual harassment. I consider calling the company lawyer but decide to wait and see what happens.

13

Chapter Thirteen

Alana

“Excuse me. Could we please get two menus? We tried using the QR code, but nothing is coming up.” A young brunette woman who has been sitting at the rail arguing with her nerdy boyfriend for fifteen minutes stops me while I’m leaning over the sink washing my hands.

I’ve been working through the last five hours of my shift on autopilot. It’s a struggle to remember a single conversation I’ve had, and I’ve fucked up and poured the wrong beer at least four times. I grab two menus and hand them to the couple. She smiles and thanks me.

Miraculously, I’ve held composure for as long as I have after the shit Andreas pulled into the office earlier. I really can’t decide if I’m furious or turned on. Well, I guess that isn’t entirely true. My poor clit has been overly sensitive and swollen ever since the first spank landed. But I also know I should be fucking furious. I should call the cops. Thirty million questions bounce inside my head, but the two that pop up the most are: What am I supposed to do now? Is this common behavior for Andreas?

I need to do some recon and figure out who he is in his day-to-day life.

He left soon after I ran from the office. I heard Jim saying something about a phone call that signaled an emergency somewhere. Could it have been Stacy finally permitting him to make her come? Is Stacy a bartender from one of his other stores? Yuck.

My brain fog doesn’t improve throughout the rest of my shift. The next thing I know, I’m walking out the back door to take the two bags of trash to the dumpster. The first thing I see as my feet pass the threshold are bright headlights shining right into my eyes. It’s really weird because nobody ever parks back here. I wonder if some teenagers are feeling each other up in their car and forgot to turn their lights off. I can hear the car idling, but I can’t make out any details other than that. As I get closer to the dumpster, the car inches its way forward toward where I’m standing.

I pick up my speed and launch the two trash bags up and over the side with a loud bang. It’s dark, so I can’t see the make and model of the car even though it’s no less than six feet away from me. I feel a little creeped out, so I back away, not wanting to turn my back in case someone jumps out. When I sense I’m getting closer to the door, I turn on my heel and haul ass. I hear the car’s tires peel out as soon as I yank the door open. When I turn around, I see the car is black. Unfortunately, it’s too dark for me to see much else. That was weird as fuck.

I jog through the store to the office to tell my assistant general manager, Hal, about what just happened, and he tells me not to worry. There are always people driving through the back lot, and they probably just didn’t expect to see someone outside this late at night. I still can’t help the weird feeling I have in my stomach, so I ask Hal to walk me to my car. The employee parking spaces are in front of the building, all the way on the opposite side of the lot. God forbid employees take up the precious guests’ parking spots. Hal agrees, so I run to the bar to grab my purse and my phone. I press the side button on my phone and see that I have eighty-seven unread text messages: twenty in a work group chat and the rest are from CHC.

Great, I bet I’m missing crucial shit-talking.

Hal and I make our way out the front door. A black car is circling the parking lot, so I point it out to him.

He says, “You know, it’s probably just an unmarked police car patrolling the area to make sure kids aren’t hiding out in the parking lot smoking pot.”

I laugh because I know I’m being paranoid, and he’s probably right. I thank him for walking me to my car, flopping down behind the steering wheel. Thank God, my car starts up right away, and I begin the fifteen-minute drive home. I glance in the rearview mirror and notice a car riding my ass. I turn my blinker on and get over into the right lane, hoping they’ll pass me. Instead, they also veer into the right lane. My foot presses down on the brake and turns off the cruise control.

Out loud, I say, “Listen, fucker, I’m gonna drive a mile an hour slower every minute you tail me.” I almost hope it’s a cop. There’s nothing more satisfying than being pulled over for suspected drunk driving and blowing a zero on a breathalyzer.

The speed limit is forty-five miles per hour, and I’ve lowered my speed down to thirty miles per hour. After a few minutes, the car behind me seems to get fed up with my granny driving and whips their car into the passing lane. They floor it and fly around me, leaving my car behind. This has honestly been the weirdest and longest day of my entire life. Thankfully, the most-likely-a-cop that finally lost interest in me temporarily distracted me from what happened with Andreas in the office earlier.

Now that I’m alone in my car, my mind can’t help but relive it. All the confusion, shame, and excitement I felt earlier rush back to the surface as I ponder what the fuck I’m supposed to do. I don’t even know if I should mention it to CHC. More than anything, I’m not ready to talk about it out loud and admit that I love the way he treated me. So, until I know whether I’m going to report Andreas, I decide to keep it to myself.

Greta turns and slides into my parking spot in front of my apartment. I grab my bag and head inside. I go through the motions of washing my face and changing into my favorite silky pajamas. I grab a strawberry Uncrustable from my fridge and curl up in bed with my latest trashy romance novel. Hopefully, after losing myself in someone else’s sordid sexcapades, I can sleep and gain some clarity in my own life.

The words on the page blur together, and I have to reread the same paragraph three times before I toss the book onto the floor next to my bed. Groaning loudly, I put my hands over my face. I’ve never felt so conflicted over something before. I’m angry with Andreas for assuming it was okay for him to put me in a sexual situation because I drunkenly texted him.

That being said, it was the most exhilarating situation of my life, and I can’t stop thinking about it. His tall, muscular frame towering over me. The way his eyes sparkled when I watched him suck on his fingers. I can almost feel his warm hands sliding down my body. His perfect lips caressing mine, so soft. I slip into a fantasy land of what could have happened if he hadn’t sent me from the office.

My breath catches in my throat as I imagine us undressing one another, exploring every inch of each other’s bodies until we’re both lost in pleasure. His powerful hands gripping my hips as he thrusts deep inside me while our sweat-slicked bodies cling together in a passionate embrace. A wave of heat rushes through my veins that leaves me panting and desperate for more. I take a deep breath and try to focus on reality again, but all I can see is Andreas’ face etched into my mind.

My fingers delicately trail along my flesh as I drift away into a blissful state of relaxation, imagining it’s Andreas’ hands that explore my body. When my hand slips beneath my panties, I’m dripping at the thought. I slide two fingers through the warm moisture and bring them to my clit. The sensation is intoxicating, and I feel a familiar pressure growing inside me.

I spread my legs and imagine Andreas on top of me, his weight pushing me into the mattress. His hips thrust deep inside me, filling me with every inch of his perfect cock until I scream in pleasure.

I rub my clit in slow circles, imaging his lips on my neck as he whispers, “Come for me, baby.”

My entire body shakes as I slowly push my fingers inside, filling myself with the pleasure only I can create for myself. The feeling builds until I can’t take it any longer. I speed up my movements and feel my fingers rub against my clit and my G-spot simultaneously, sending me over the edge. I cry out and collapse onto my bed as my entire body shakes violently, wracked with ecstasy.

I lay panting, unable to move, the only noise the sound of my heart pounding in my ears. I close my eyes and lay still, spent from the orgasm and embarrassed to have imagined being with Andreas like that.

14

Chapter Fourteen

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