Page 51 of Tease
“No, of course not. It was under my shirt.”
Brittney leans her body toward me, and whatever she was about to say gets cut off by the waiter.
“Hey, ladies, ya ready for another round? Or are ya wanting your regular drinks now?”
Yes, we arethosetypes ofregulars… Smiling up at Nick, I say, sweetly, “I’ll take my usual bottle of beer, please.”
“And I’ll take my usual too.” Brittney blows him a kiss as he walks by. Nick winks at her, heading back to the bar to fill our order.
“So, is this really a bad thing though, Kailey? You never got rid of his necklace. Fuck, I mean, you wear it every day. Do you think maybe this is fate aligning you guys back together?”
With my pulse racing, a lone tear trails the side of my face. “I ruined us, Brittney. I couldn’t get over all of it back then. Hell, I still randomly think about that asshole of a brother of his and what I could’ve done differently,” my bottom lip starts to tremble, “or how Beth could still be here with us.”
Britt places a hand on each of my shoulders and shakes me. “But he licked your neck! Obviously, he still wants you!”
“No, I think he was just taunting me. Reminding me of how my body reacts to him. I doubt he’s even thought about me in the past five years, and this is only because he spotted me at the fights.”
Going through her small purse, Britt hands me a couple of tissues. “What? I knew we’d need them for this conversation. I got you babe, always. I love you. And we’ll get through this, okay? If you don’t want to talk to Jared, then don’t. But I’d be a liar if I told you that I didn’t notice the way you two looked at each other.”
“Oh, is that so? How could he miss me, with two bimbos at his side?!” Quietly, our drinks are placed in front of us; Nick must know by our voices that it’s a serious conversation. Closing my eyes, I savor a big swig of my bottled beer.
“Kailey, I’m your best friend. Now be honest, do you miss him?”
Puffing out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding, I confess, “I think I’ll always miss him. I truly loved him with my whole heart and soul. But it doesn’t change everything that happened that night.”
Brittney slowly nods her head, her thumb coming up to wipe away a tear from my cheek.
Forcefully, my hands rub across my cheeks, making sure there are no more tears. “Besides, we decided that I should give Mattie a real chance, right?”
Brittney holds her finger out to me while she finishes the rest of her drink. “Wow, okay… Uhm… But is that what you wantnow? Maybe hanging out with Jared would be good for you both.”
I push myself away from the table and lean back against my chair. “No. Nope. I think that would be a terrible idea. He doesn’t even miss me. Sure, he licked my neck and called me Dimples… But when I mentioned to him that everything was left in the past, heagreed.” I nod to myself. “It’s for the best. I mean, I doubt I’ll even run into him that often, right?”
She scrunches up her nose before responding. “Possibly? I don’t know, girl, but if you really wanna give Mattie a chance, then I agree. No regrets, right?! Let’s set up a double date for this coming weekend?” A sad smile cascades across Brittney’s face.
I raise my hand up high enough to grab Nick’s attention and point toward both our empty glasses. He acknowledges me by nodding and starts to get us another round. “Yeah, let’s do it. Whatcha got in mind?”
CHAPTER 39
KC
This past week, anytime the door at work would chime to alarm me that a new customer had just walked in, my body would tense up, afraid it would be Jared, just flaunting himself in front of me. Thank goodness that’s not been the case. I haven’t seen him there since Sunday. Now, it’s already Friday—officially double date night. Britt went through her closet earlier and picked out a long gold, backless satin dress for me. This dress is extremely beautiful, a skin-tight fit, assuring that I need to go pantiless. Can’t have panty lines taking away from the elegant look.
Brittney flings my bedroom door open, the impact causing it to hit the wall. Her hands cover her ears from the noise. “Oops! Sorry, love! I’m just so excited for tonight!” My fingertips finish closing the top drawer of my jewelry case, where the heart pendant is now hidden away in a box. Turning toward her, my hands are clammy as I ring them out, realizing this will be the first outing without it as an anchor. Brittney’s face fills with concern when her eyes make contact with mine. Bluish-grey eyes trail from my face down to my neck line, and her eyebrow raises when she realizes what’s missing. Her big smile is radiant as shecontinues to walk toward me. Pointing to where the pendant’s chain usually lies, she tells me, “I’m proud of you.”
Slightly shaking my head at her, I admit, “It’s stupid that I feel weird without it on me.” Sucking on my bottom lip, I add, “But I meant what I said. I need to give Mattie a real shot, right? How could I possibly do that while wearing a gift from another man?” I turn away from her, heading back to my vanity.
My thick black hair, that still has a slight purple tint, is tied in a ponytail with big loose curls, trailing down the left side of my neck. I’m almost ready to head out, wearing long, dangly gold earrings, black eyeliner, mascara, and a peach lip gloss. While I’m brushing the tan blush onto my cheeks, my nipples perk up from a sensation.
Brittney’s fingertip brushes down my bare back. “You look beautiful. And I’m jealous how you never have to wear a bra with this type of dress.” I twist at the waist to face her, looking down at my breasts when I ask, “Should I put on nipple covers to hide my piercings?”
Her stare zones in on my nipples and the unmistakable outline of the barbell piercings. “Whew! They are sexy and definitely noticeable in that dress.” Her hands immediately go up to her breasts, palming each one. “Maybe I should get mine done. Whatcha think?!”
While giggling, I grab her by the shoulders. “Your boobs are fucking beautiful,” I raise my shoulder, “but if you wanted them and could handle the pain, I’d be the one to take you and hold your hand.”
Brittney claps her hands while shimmying her body. “Alright, deal. I’ll think about it. Do you want the covers, or nah? I think it’s totally up to you and what you’re feeling for tonight.” Her feet make a beeline for my closet, already knowing where the covers are located. Checking myself out in the mirror, the piercings areundeniably standing out. Puffing out a breath, I ask, “Where’d you say we’re going again?”
Her body pops out from the closet, covers in hand. “I didn’t. Skyler said it’s a surprise. Some new fancy restaurant that just opened. But I did tell him that we wanted to go to the movies afterwards.”
