bubbling just below the surface.
“Fine,” I said on a sigh. He took my hand and led me to his car in the customer parking lot. There weren’t many places open in the middle of the night during the week, so we ended up at a pub a few blocks over.
“This can’t happen again,” I told him after we were settled over a platter of fish and chips. After all this time, he still insisted on sharing food whenever we were out.
“Agreed. It’s time for you to find a job somewhere you can work fully clothed.”
“That’s not what I meant. You cost me a lot of money tonight. Why were you even there?”
“I found out who the intruder was. He was one of your customers that night; told the detectives he followed you home because you wanted him to. Said you’d been flirting with him all night.” He looked away and fiddled with the salt shaker.
“What?”
“You’re going to have to eventually talk to the police.” He sighed and then looked me in the eyes. “I get that you flirt with the guys to make more money, but when I walked in there and saw you walking around in nothing but a thong and matching fuck me shoes?”
“Are you implying I’m asking for bad things to happen to me? That nearly being attacked was my fault?”
“No, it’s just…” He released a harsh breath and tugged both of his hands through his short hair. “Why do you still feel the need to work naked?”
“I told you; to make more money.”
“How would you feel if I walked around a bunch of drunken women with my junk hanging out?”
“That’s different.”
“How? How is it different?”
“You’re special. Men may want to fuck me, but women want to marry you.”
“You still don’t get it, do you?”
“Get what? That you think you own me?”
“That I’m in love with you.”
It took my brain a long moment to process his words. “You—you love me?”
“I love you, and I’m also in love with you. I can’t stand the thought of anyone else getting to see you like that.” He reached across the table and brushed a tear from my cheek “Why are you crying?”
“No one’s said that to me, and meant it, since I was eight years old.”
“Baby, I…” He trailed off, at a loss for words.
“I lov—”
“Well, if it isn’t Officer Hottie Pants!” a drunken blonde hollered as she stumbled to our table. “Are you gonna come home with me again tonight? You’ll have to ditch the whore; I don’t swing that way.”
My stomach jerked up into my throat. Go home with her again? Whore? Was I somehow visibly branded for life?
“This is not appropriate,” Carter replied. His jaw clenched, and he kept his eyes trained on her. Since the moment we met, he’d always made me the focus of his attention. Now I felt like I was on the outside looking in.
“I’m hoping to get to take an oral sobriety exam this time, if you know what I mean.”
Anger clouded my vision as I tried to stare the bitch down. She seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place her.
“Jill, go back to your table,” Carter commanded.
“That no-nonsense voice of yours is so hot,” she slurred.
I’d had it. “What the fuck is she talking about, Carter?”
Turning toward me, his eyes went wide, as if he just remembered I was there. “Give me a minute, I’ll be right back.” He stood and walked her toward the back hallway that led to the restrooms. While they crossed the room, he kept his hand on the small of her back and leaned in close to whisper in her ear.
By the time his request for “a minute” had turned into ten, I was beyond ready to leave. He finally returned, without Jill, just as I was picking up my bag.
“Baby, don’t leave.”
“Who is she? Why does she look familiar?”
He diverted his eyes to the table. “Remember the night we met? The waitress at the diner?”
“Oh my God! You fucked her? After everything you said?” Tears of rage burned my eyes.
“Of course not; you can’t possibly think I would do that.” Unlike me, he
“Fine,” I said on a sigh. He took my hand and led me to his car in the customer parking lot. There weren’t many places open in the middle of the night during the week, so we ended up at a pub a few blocks over.
“This can’t happen again,” I told him after we were settled over a platter of fish and chips. After all this time, he still insisted on sharing food whenever we were out.
“Agreed. It’s time for you to find a job somewhere you can work fully clothed.”
“That’s not what I meant. You cost me a lot of money tonight. Why were you even there?”
“I found out who the intruder was. He was one of your customers that night; told the detectives he followed you home because you wanted him to. Said you’d been flirting with him all night.” He looked away and fiddled with the salt shaker.
“What?”
“You’re going to have to eventually talk to the police.” He sighed and then looked me in the eyes. “I get that you flirt with the guys to make more money, but when I walked in there and saw you walking around in nothing but a thong and matching fuck me shoes?”
“Are you implying I’m asking for bad things to happen to me? That nearly being attacked was my fault?”
“No, it’s just…” He released a harsh breath and tugged both of his hands through his short hair. “Why do you still feel the need to work naked?”
“I told you; to make more money.”
“How would you feel if I walked around a bunch of drunken women with my junk hanging out?”
“That’s different.”
“How? How is it different?”
“You’re special. Men may want to fuck me, but women want to marry you.”
“You still don’t get it, do you?”
“Get what? That you think you own me?”
“That I’m in love with you.”
It took my brain a long moment to process his words. “You—you love me?”
“I love you, and I’m also in love with you. I can’t stand the thought of anyone else getting to see you like that.” He reached across the table and brushed a tear from my cheek “Why are you crying?”
“No one’s said that to me, and meant it, since I was eight years old.”
“Baby, I…” He trailed off, at a loss for words.
“I lov—”
“Well, if it isn’t Officer Hottie Pants!” a drunken blonde hollered as she stumbled to our table. “Are you gonna come home with me again tonight? You’ll have to ditch the whore; I don’t swing that way.”
My stomach jerked up into my throat. Go home with her again? Whore? Was I somehow visibly branded for life?
“This is not appropriate,” Carter replied. His jaw clenched, and he kept his eyes trained on her. Since the moment we met, he’d always made me the focus of his attention. Now I felt like I was on the outside looking in.
“I’m hoping to get to take an oral sobriety exam this time, if you know what I mean.”
Anger clouded my vision as I tried to stare the bitch down. She seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place her.
“Jill, go back to your table,” Carter commanded.
“That no-nonsense voice of yours is so hot,” she slurred.
I’d had it. “What the fuck is she talking about, Carter?”
Turning toward me, his eyes went wide, as if he just remembered I was there. “Give me a minute, I’ll be right back.” He stood and walked her toward the back hallway that led to the restrooms. While they crossed the room, he kept his hand on the small of her back and leaned in close to whisper in her ear.
By the time his request for “a minute” had turned into ten, I was beyond ready to leave. He finally returned, without Jill, just as I was picking up my bag.
“Baby, don’t leave.”
“Who is she? Why does she look familiar?”
He diverted his eyes to the table. “Remember the night we met? The waitress at the diner?”
“Oh my God! You fucked her? After everything you said?” Tears of rage burned my eyes.
“Of course not; you can’t possibly think I would do that.” Unlike me, he
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