IT WAS 10:50 p.m. and still no call from Jake. Madi checked her phone repeatedly to make sure it was on. She tried not to get upset that he hadn’t called. He was probably working. She never wanted to be one of those girls who needed constant reassurance or got needy. She knew how much he loved her. She sighed as she began to feel better and relax. There was nothing to worry about. She decided to try to work on not overthinking everything.
Madi flipped up her laptop screen and opened her mail. She was skimming over the university news and glancing at the names of the funny videos her mom had sent her when an email caught her eye. The subject line said, “You need to see this!” She didn’t recognize the sender. It was obviously spam. The mouse rested over the email as Madi tried to decide whether or not to delete it. Her cell rang and she jumped. She closed the laptop and reached for her phone. It was him.
She smiled and immediately had a sense of relief after seeing his name on her home screen. “Hey, hottie.”
“You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice.”
Madi could sense something was off. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
Jake chuckled. “I just miss you, baby.”
Madi stood and walked nervously around her room. “I miss you, too, but are you sure that’s all that’s bothering you?”
“You mean the fact that the girl I love is a thousand miles away isn’t enough?”
Madi sighed. “How was the concert tonight?”
“Good. I got a Denver Broncos jersey, two teddy bears and a baseball cap.”
“Nice loot.”
“How’s school?” he asked.
“Boring. Hard. Time consuming. I’m on call tonight and had three people knocking at my door. One had a fight with her boyfriend, another couldn’t get into her room, and the third was just stressed.”
Jake sighed. “I wish you’d quit that job.”
Madi’s eyes shot up. “What? Why would I do that? It pays for my room and board.”
“I’d be happy to pay your room and board. I don’t like complete strangers knocking on your door.”
“You willnotpay my way. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. And as for being an RA, I already put my job at Titans on hold after the press thing. If you remember, I live in an all-girl dorm. The only people knocking on my door are girls. Unless you’re worried I might start a sexual relationship with one of them.”
Jake laughed. “That’s hot, but no, I’m not worried. I think you can barely handle me.”
Madi smiled to herself. “Oh, I can handle you just fine.”
“Really… I seem to remember someone being too tired for round three.”
Madi giggled as she fell back on the bed. “You are insatiable. I don’t think I was tired for long, though.”
“Hmm, well, apparently my tongue and my fingers have a way of waking you up.”
“Yes, they do. You have a very talented mouth, and I’ve never questioned the ability of your fingers. Youarea world-class piano player.”
“Well, my fingers would rather play you than any piano I’ve ever seen.”
“You do know exactly what keys to press and when.”
“I would love to play you right now.” His words were slow and seductive.
Madi curled her legs up into a ball and bit her lip. “Do you have any idea how you affect me? Seriously… you’re getting me hot and bothered.”
“Are you feeling a little flushed, baby?”
“Maybe just a little,” she laughed.
“Everything else okay?” he asked.
