Page 8 of Desperate Haste
“Fuck,”I grunt, rhythmically moving my hips back and forth against of her. The bar closes at ten on Thursdays and Lily, as I discovered her name was, never left. Three hours of flirting and multiple innuendos later, she was in my bed getting the good time she came in looking for.
“Please,” she gasps underneath me, digging her nails into my arms. I continue to give her what she wants, causing her to gasp and cry out in pleasure. The more she digs her nails into the soft flesh of my wrists, the further along I know she is getting. After sleeping with enough women, I’ve come to know that when a woman says ‘please’ they really mean ‘don’t stop what you’re doing because it’s working.’ That’s the biggest thing men don’t understand: they hear their lady say ‘please’ or ‘don’t stop’ and they take that to mean ‘do something else.’ Fatal mistake.
“That’s a good girl, come for me,” I demand, but when I say the words my brain flashes to the last time I said them.
To Ophelia.
On the night of Hank and Bailey’s wedding.
Suddenly there, I feel my dick get harder and my heart race speed up.
“I feel you getting harder,” Lily coos from under me. If only she knew that it isn’t because of her. I keep my focus on that night and remember how good she felt around me. How turned on I got when she called me ‘good boy’ and how sexy I found her confidence. The way she owned the room even though we were the only ones in it. “God, Malcolm, yes!”
“Oph—” I start to say and catch myself before the remainder of her name slips out.
“Ohh,” Lily parrots, thinking I was moaning instead of almost accidentally saying another woman’s name.
I feel Lily start to come undone even though my mind is focused on that of another woman. Continuing to move in and out of her, I bring her to her finish and follow closely behind. As she lays next to me, catching her breath and smiling, I can’t stop the panicked feeling in my gut. Not once has what just happened ever happened to me before. The thought of another woman seeping in and taking control of my thoughts as if they belong to her. She had made me finish without even being in the room and the worst part is—I think I liked it. Ilikedthe thought of her in my bed and having her be there on more than just one occasion. Maybe as more than just a casual hookup.
What the fuck is happening to me?
6
OPHELIA
“Ophie!” my best friend shouts the nickname in my direction as I click down the old slate sidewalks wearing a new pair of Prada slingbacks. They are a deep red color that matches the red pantsuit I picked out to wear to work today. I much prefer to call them ‘powersuits’ because that’s what they do—they make me feel powerful. And the bold red hues of my outfit bouncing off the muted colors of downtown Charleston, catching the attention of everyone enjoying the warm September day make me feel even more powerful.
“Oh, I missed you so mu—” I hold up a finger to stop my friend from gushing as I’m trying to talk Dale off the ledge. I’d cleared my Friday to meet Bailey for lunch so we could talk about her honeymoon but someone in our social media department has fucked up a daily post for a major client and now we’re playing damage control.
“Okay, just tell her to delete the post across all channels, double check the copy and post it again. These days hardly anyone even notices and if it was up for less than five minutes like you’re saying, then it’s a slim chance in hell the brand even saw it.” I look at Bailey who’s standing at a bistro table outside the cafe we’re meeting at and mouth ‘I’m so sorry’before rolling my eyes at my phone.
“Dale, Dale, Dale,” I snap since he’s continuing to run his mouth. “It’s fine, breathe, pop a goddamn Xanax, and just repost it. I’m with Bailey so I have to go.Yes, I will tell her congratulations for you. Okay, goodbye.”
Finally off the phone, I let out a sigh and drop my shoulders before wrapping an arm around her. “Hello, my beautiful bride, how does it feel to be married?”
She laughs and we both take a seat at the table. Having been friends for years now, she knows my coffee order by heart and has already ordered it for me. “It’s amazing. I love being Hank’s wife.” She smiles wide and tucks a stray piece of hair behind her ear.
“Did you like Peru? How was climbing a mountain?” I take a sip of my drink and glance at my friend, internally laughing at the thought of climbing a mountain myself. My Valentino’s and Dior’s would never stand a chance.
“Oh my gosh, it was incredible. The sights, the scenery, thepeople. It was seriously magical,” my best friend gushes from across the table. “I have pictures I can show you next time I come over.”
When Hank proposed to her back in March, he also bought a place downtown and asked her to move in with him. After having her live with me for the last two years, her suddenly not being around anymore was an adjustment to say the least. She’d moved out back in the spring, and I was only just starting to get used to coming home to an empty condo as the seasons transitioned to fall. It’s not like she lives far from what was once our shared condo, but when someone who used to live across the living room now lives across town, you notice.
“I can’t wait to see them.” I smile at her and we both turn our heads when a waitress approaches our table. Once we order and the server leaves, she turns to look at me again.
“So, what’s been going on with you?” She raises a hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight cutting across the top of the steeple of the church behind us.
“Oh, nothing really. Work has been busy. Dale has been driving me crazy, but I love him so I deal. It’s been pretty same old, same old.” Behind her hand I can see her narrow her eyes at me.
“Hhmm,same old, same oldyou say.” She presses her lips together and gently nods her head. Something about her tone makes me think she doesn’t believe me.
“What?” I can normally read between the lines with Bailey but I have no idea what she’s being so flighty about.
She studies me for a second and switches her hand to continue to shield her eyes from the sunlight. “Is something going on between you and Malcolm?”Oh.
“Malcolm? Hank’s friend?” I ask, nervously picking up my drink and looking around for a server I’m hoping will save me from this conversation.
“Yes,his best friend.” She switches her hand again, her arm tiring out from being held above her head. Finally over the sun blinding her, she scooches her chair to be next to mine in the shade.
