Page 21 of Burning Obsession

Sitting up, I place my hands on the corner of the desk and push my chair back. Once I stand, I reach my hands above my head and stretch. A ten minute call ended up turning into two and a half damn hours.

I’m fucking drained. I make my way to the kitchen and open the refrigerator, and take an Alani off the shelf. It’s my new favorite flavor, Cosmic Stardust. No time is wasted popping the lid and taking the first glorious sip of grape goodness.

“Okay, back to work.” Drink in hand, I head back to my office, also known as what was the spare bedroom. I have some new receipts I need to enter from one of my clients so that their records are up to date.

While I love being my own boss, I miss being around people. One day, when I’m making more money, I plan to move to an actual building and hire some employees. My dream is to sit back and make the money while others do the work.

I’m thirty minutes into entering receipts and have a good steady rhythm going when I hear my phone ding again.

A quick glance at the screen tells me it’s a message. Just not the one I want. It’s my sister, Nellie.

I smile despite myself and pick it up.

Nellie: Hey what are you doing this weekend?

I stare at the message. Hopefully going on a date. But she doesn’t know that. She doesn’t even know I met someone.

I type back.

Me: I met someone. So hopefully a date.

Her response comes almost immediately.

Nellie: ARE YOU BUSY?????

I barely have time to read it before my phone starts ringing. It’s her. Of course she doesn’t want to hear an update of my life through messages.

I answer.

“What?!” She squeals into the line before I can even say hello. “Tell me everything.”

I lean back in my chair.

“First, hello to you, Nellie. Second, only if you take your voice down like five hundred octaves.”

“Fine, I can’t help it that I’m excited that my brother has finally met someone. It’s about time you forgot about him and moved on. So, start talking.”

“I'm at work,” I tell her.

“I don't care. Besides, you fucking work from home, so who’s going to turn you in? And, you’re your own damn boss. Now start spilling, or I’m jumping in my car and driving to you.”

“You’re ten hours away. It’ll take a while,” I remind her. Because I know for a fact she’d be here.

“Then I’ll fly.”

All I can do is laugh. I love my sister more than life itself. She’s my Irish twin. Eleven months apart. And she never forgets to remind me she’s older.

“Was he hot?” She doesn’t skip a beat and asks.

I bite back a laugh.

“Fine, yes, he was hot. Gorgeous.”

“How hot?”

“I don't know. Hot.”

“That is not a measurement. On a scale of ‘puppy dog to bend me over the table and fucking ravage me until I scream his name coming for the hundredth time hot’, how hot was he?”