A Slave to Love, Broken Hearts, and Everything In Between

Chapter 2: Tortured, Part 2

"Ace! What are you doing here?" Katie asked, pleased but surprised, voice muffled by my bedroom door but still very distinctly hers. I bit down on my tongue so I wouldn't start yelling profanities. Somehow I didn't bite my tongue clean off from pure seething rage.

"Just hanging out. We made some cookies if you want, they're probably still warm," came Ace's cool reply, along with the sound of the kitchen faucet running. If I wasn't still a mess and hadn't completely lost the ability to stand, I never would have guessed what he'd just been doing. What we had just been doing. He sounded so casual, the lie flowing from his lips as easy as water, like he hadn't completely taken me apart with that mouth a few minutes ago.

Shit, shit, shit.

How in the ever loving fuck had we forgotten everyone was coming over for dinner? It had been absolutely the wrong time after all, but for the one reason neither of us had so much as considered. Goddamn it.

I leapt up from my bed, only to topple over, my legs still too weak and not at all up to that kind of effort yet. Thankfully, adrenaline had me jumping back up the second I hit the floor, though hopefully the sound of me thumping down onto it wasn't loud enough to be suspicious. My body was reeling as badly as my mind, the abrupt disconnect from him and this sudden interruption in the middle of something so intensely amazing left me in a desperately horny panic.

I spun on the spot, hands fanning my face as I tried to figure out what the fuck to do, but my legs were still shaking and I fell ungracefully onto my bed.

My bed. Where we had both just been a few seconds ago. Together.

I covered my face with my hands and tried not to scream in frustration. Pure thoughts. I had to think about something else--literally anything else--except my bed and what we'd been doing and what we would no longer be able to do.

Only it was all that was coming to mind.

I wasn't sure if I was closer to screaming or crying. Maybe a combo would be best. Really let all this unadulterated frustration out since apparently, my ideal outlet had just been rudely taken away.

"Where's Kiana?" Jill asked. Jill was here too? Was everyone here to witness the worst cockblock in history? That was the last thing I needed right now. Not to mention, how the fuck could we keep this quiet when they all had a front row seat to this shit show?

"We were doing the dishes and her shorts may have gotten a little bit splashed with water and were too wet to wear. She's just changing into something dry."

It was both hilarious and not, a bit of truth mixed in with fiction, and I could hear the amusement in his voice at his own little joke. He was absolutely going to pay for it later though. Damn him.

"He neglected to mention that he was the one who splashed me!" I called through the door, shimmying out of my soaked panties and kicking them under my bed where no one would see them and I could deal with it later. My discarded shorts joined them, just in case. No evidence.

"Why the hell would you do that?" Noah asked. At that point I gave up. Why not just invite everyone in the building into my apartment to see? I'm sure Todd from next door would enjoy it especially.

"She was being a pain in the ass," Ace replied.

"Takes one to know one," I shot back, digging through my drawers as I tried to breathe deep. I was too hot and sweaty, it was going to be suspicious, so I peeled my shirt off and used it to wipe the sweat from my brow. Took a beat to stand there and catch my breath so I hopefully wouldn't look so flushed, but my ticking clock kept me too nervous to really calm down at all. There was no winning.

When I emerged a few minutes later, with an entirely fresh and new outfit and my sweaty wild hair scraped back into a ponytail, my friends greeted me in three part chorus. At least it was just Katie, Noah, and Jill. If I had to add Leah, Mick, and Aidan, I think I might have just hidden in my room all night. Or jumped out the window. Already I was tempted to make some excuse and just leave my apartment entirely. If I could think of something, anything at all, I'd do it and run like hell, but my brain had yet to restart.