Promises Made, Promises Broken - SYTYCW (Bad Reputation)

Present Day (Chapter Eleven) Monday

Tucker

I lied in bed, obsessively mulling over my day.  Now that I was actually able to relax…I couldn't.  My simmering anxiety over Joey kept me awake.

The kiss he'd given to me - or taken from me, if I was being accurate - was admittedly the best I had ever had.  I'd been caught off guard.  And he'd just been knocked unconscious.  I couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like - what it would be like - to kiss him under normal circumstances.

Like without two of his girlfriends present?

I grudgingly agreed with the snarky question, not because I really wanted to, but because I couldn't think of a good argument against it.

I rubbed my fingers.  I blamed their ache on him, too, for making me so mad that I’d slammed his ticket down and hurt myself.  I was tempted to call him and let him know.  But then he’d over to come over and help me.  In a friendly way.

He’d take my throbbing hand put it to his lips.

I could practically feel his mouth closing on my knuckles, trailing down to the back of my hand and then up again.  

He'd put the tips of my fingers in between his lips, one at a time and suck. Softly at first, then with increasing intensity.

I almost gasped out loud at the turn my imagination was taking, and I flushed.  The last thing I needed was his particular brand of friendship.

And yet…I’d agreed to it.  I’d encouraged him to prove that we could be friends.  And I was left wondering how I had gone from being furious at him, to inviting him to accompany me the one place that would give away more about myself than I had ever revealed to anyone but Liandra.

Over the course of the rest of the afternoon and early evening, I'd been poked roughly in the chest twice, and yelled at eight times.

  I was so relieved to finish work that I'd barely taken the time to peel off my hideous uniform before climbing underneath the covers.

"I hate my job," I muttered. "And I hate Joey Fox."

And that was when Liandra walked in.  I opened my eyes as she tossed her keys onto the desk and her bag onto her bed.

"You're still talking about that guy?" she asked.

"Only when I don't realize anyone is listening."

"Tree trimming went poorly?"

"I'm not even going to try to explain my day to you. Let's talk about something else," I said. "How's your nephew?"

Liandra's face lit up. "Great! He learned to ride a two wheeler and lost his first tooth. They want me to come back again next week."

"You should go," I replied.

"You won't be lonely without me?" she teased.

"I'll be find. I have a new friend," I grumbled.

She raised an eyebrow and I rolled over so I wouldn't have to see the scrutiny on her face.  After a few silent moments she sighed.

"I'm going to take a shower," she announced. "And when I get back, you'd better be ready to explain. Pleasantly."

"I will," I promised, but seconds after she was gone, I was already sound asleep.

***

I knew I was dreaming because I was wearing a black bathing suit covered in metallic studs.  It was a two piece.  The bottoms were tied at the hips with string, and the top was cinched to a silvery ring between my breasts.  My real-life swimsuit was a much more conservative number that adequately covered my finer - and not so much finer - assets far better than the flashy bikini did.