"No. For a while. Maybe forever."
He stood up, his face white. Jesus, how did I not notice how melodramatic the guy was? I felt like shaking him and screaming 'it's just a cock!'
"Wait outside ladies."
"Bye Rez."
"Take care of yourselves."
"We will."
The girls smiled at me and tottered out on their high heels. I knew them both. We'd worked and partied together. Nice girls. And smarter than the way George was treating them.
Like they were window dressing.
Lexi would never stand for that.
Not for a second.
I grinned as George paced back and forth, working into a frenzy. He went on and on about how fast the industry moved. About how I would lose my star power if I stepped away. About how hard it would be to get it back.
Sales of my dildo line would plummet.
I was dooming him to the poor house. Or worse. It was almost as if he felt like he owned me. Or at least the part of me that made him millions over the years.
Fuck that. It was my cock. And no one was ever going to tell me where to stick it again.
I just laid back and ignored him. I didn't care about a damn thing he said. For the first time in a long time, I felt like a weight was lifted from my shoulders.
It took another fifteen minutes for George to run out of steam. Finally he left, a shell of a man.
But that's what he'd always been. A shell. And he'd been using me for way too long.
It was time for a change.
Lexi
I kicked up the volume on my headphones as I ran. My feet pounded the sidewalks as I ran through the shabby suburban neighborhood we lived in. Most of LA was going up in value. But all the way out here? Not so much.
It was safe. But that was it.
Nobody took pride in their houses. The landscaping was laughable. There weren't any parks in walking distance. It was an hour to the beach. I didn't have any nostalgia about growing up here.
I would leave in a heartbeat if we could afford it.
Maybe someday...
If I made head nurse.
I tried to clear my mind, let the thoughts slide away. I used to run a few times a week. It had been a while. But it had been an easy few days at work and an easy few days at home with Char. Everything was calm for once. So I jumped at the chance for some me time.
Trouble was, I was having trouble keeping my thoughts off of one certain person...
BEEP
Speak of the devil. He was like clock work. I sighed, turning up the volume again.
BEEP
Two texts. Any second now there would be a third.
BEEP
There it was. At least he was consistent. He'd been texting me at least once a day since the last time I saw him. I snorted. The scene at the hospital. That had been a real shit show.
It had been a week since Trent got released. Or should I call him Rez. I sighed deeply, locking my phone without reading the text.
I wouldn't see him again. I wouldn't respond. I couldn't. Even if I did miss him. Which I did. I missed him a whole hell of a lot.
It was crazy, but true.
I picked up my pace, forcing myself to run faster. As if I could outrun my feelings. My stupid, traitorous feelings.
I had no doubt whatsoever that Trent was having a good old time with his 'friends.'
Meanwhile I was stuck here, unable to scrub him from my mind. He was there when I woke up. He snuck into my thoughts at the worst possible moment.
Hell who was I kidding? He was there almost constantly.
Driving to work, I'd be thinking about him. Moments of quiet between rounds, I'd be thinking about him. Making dinner for Char, I would still be thinking about him.
And God help me when I went to bed. Each and every night I would toss and turn for hours thinking about Trent. And I wouldn't just think about him.
I would feel him.
I slowed to a walk. Fuck. I was in trouble. I had no idea how I was going to get over Trent. And it was clear, I had to.
Maybe I should go out with someone else. Even Dr. Richardson. Let someone else kiss me. Touch me. Fuck my brains out.
Maybe that was the only way to erase him.
And I had to erase him.
I wasn't the type for casual sex, no matter how mind blowing it might be. And he wasn't the sort to date. Never mind fall in love.
I had a terrible feeling I'd been on the brink of the 'L' word since I'd met him.
His easy smile and his bedroom eyes.
And his... well that was nice, but it didn't have much to do with what I liked about him. That part of him was a little bit intimidating to be honest. More than a little. A lot.
The worst part was how much he made me laugh. I'd been laughing non-stop since I met him. Well, until now.
To hell with it.
I would just go out with the next guy who asked me. I didn't have to do anything. But it was worth a shot.
Of course, that's as long as nothing else disastrous happened.
I shook my head, turning to run back towards home.
For the first time in a while, I felt like everything might be okay.
Or at least, not entirely terrible.
I laughed.
How's that for lowered expectations?
Chapter Twelve Trent