Page 45 of So This Is War
“Yes, something happened.” I look her in the eyes. “I am crushing so hard on Levi Posey, and I know you know this. I know you’ve seen me fawn over the man for a long time, but being here, being next to him, seeing the way he tries to inconspicuously check me out. It’s driving me nuts. I know I can’t do anything about these feelings. It’s almost as if my dad knew I liked this man and decided to torture me by putting me in a situation where I can’t have him.”
“Even if you weren’t in this position, you wouldn’t be able to have him. Hence why you bolted that one night. You know your dad would kill you if you hooked up or went out with any of his players, so how is this any different?”
“Because . . .” I bite on the corner of my lip. “I have to be near him now. I know what his apartment smells like. I have to fold his underwear and see his collection of magnum condoms.”
“Magnum?” Sandie’s brow lifts.
“Yes.” I let out a deep sigh. “And I know I shouldn’t be talking about this, but oh my God, Sandie, his bedroom is designed for two things: sleeping and fucking. He has a four-poster bed with hooks, and in his nightstand are toys and ties, and God, just looking at it made my nipples hard. He doesn’t portray this dark, sinister man in real life. Sure, you see a part of that on the ice, but normally he’s goofing off with his friends in interviews and being a jokester. I never would have guessed that he has a secret kink. If I had to pick one of them to have a secret kink, I would have guessed Silas Taters. He gives the vibe of tying someone up and fucking them until they can’t take it anymore. Not Levi Posey.”
Sandie slowly nods. “I see and hear everything you’re saying, but I just want to make sure you understand that no matter what, you can’t do anything with him. If you want to prove your dad wrong, you need to keep to yourself, even if he does seem to let his eyes wander.”
“I know,” I say with a heavy sigh. “But I just had to tell you that because it’s been eating away at me. He’s so hot, Sandie. So freaking hot.”
She chuckles. “I know. It’s what you say every time you see him.”
“Because it’s true.” I lean back against the wall and stare up at the ceiling. “But I’m determined to prove to my dad that I can do this, that I can provide for myself and do what will make me happiest in life.”
“Good, hold on to that determination when you see Posey with his shirt off for the first time.”
I roll my head to the side to look at my friend. “Think that’ll happen?”
“Most likely. I can’t imagine it not happening. You’re going to be in and out of his apartment. I bet you’ll see more than you’re ready to see.”
I rub my hands together. “One can only hope.”
Sandie pushes at my shoulder, laughing. “You’re so freaking horny. Oh my God, Wylie.”
I chuckle. “Easy for you to say. You’re the one who’s in a happy relationship and can have sex anytime you want. I either have to do it myself or try to find someone out on the streets to do it for me.”
“Can you please not find someone on the streets? Standards, Wylie.”
“At this point, it’s been months, and I have no standards. None at all.”
Blushing, she says, “You haven’t been to that club you like to go to?”
I shake my head. “No, they raised the rates, and I just don’t have a way to pay for it. Especially not now. It’s fine. I can concentrate on my job and sharpening pencils and dividing up Skittles.”
“Ah, the joys of being an assistant.” She hops off my bed and starts pulling bedding out of my bags. “Seems odd that Posey would have you do such menial tasks. He doesn’t seem like that kind of man.”
“I thought the same thing,” I say. “Very odd. The whole rewriting of the book thing was really weird.”
Together, we make my bed with the deep green sheets I purchased as well as the emerald-green velvet comforter I found and fell in love with. I splurged just a little on some bedroom necessities, but that’s because this place is a hellhole. If I’m going to live here, I will make sure I’m comfortable. Luckily, I had some money saved from some designs I’ve done for a few small businesses, so I dipped into the pot for some serenity.
Now that I feel the comforter and see it in this space, I’m not mad at myself at all. I’m actually patting myself on the back.
“Maybe he’s secretly very particular but doesn’t show his diva tendencies in public,” Sandie says as she eyes my nightstand. “Also, am I putting this in the hallway outside?”
“Yes.” I chuckle. “And then if you want to start making the one we purchased, I will love you forever.”
“Why did I know you were going to make me build that?”
“Because you’re better at using tools than I am.”
She shakes her head but gets to work by moving the drawer-less nightstand out to the hallway. Maybe I’ll get a plant for it or something, make use of it somehow. While she builds the nightstand, I work on hanging and steaming curtains.
We went to Room In Order for organizational ideas and found great space-saving ways to store my clothes and utilize the height of the space. I think we’re going to make it work.
“So what are you going to do first? Start rewriting the book?” Sandie asks as she looks over the instructions.
