Page 17 of Pretend I’m Yours
The more the afternoon wore on, the easier it became to spend the money. By the time I had reached toiletries, I was spending way more on soap, shampoo, and cologne than I would ever have dreamed I would. I couldn’t help feeling like I deserved a little luxury I guess. After all, I’d spent the better portion of the last ten years scrubbing sand out of my ass with cheap commissary soap.
I took a cab back to the apartment but paid for it with my own cash. I didn’t want that petty bill showing up with the rest of what I’d bought. Hell, I wasn’t even sure how much that was.
As I rode up the elevator, I tallied up the receipts, the taste of bile in the back of my mouth when I realized I’d spent more than eight thousand dollars. By the time I’d reached the apartment, I was ready to tell Hannah that I’d take it all back in the morning and get refunds for everything, but that thought was put on hold when I walked through the door.
Hannah was sitting on one of the bar stools. Her profile was to me, one leg dangling down toward the floor, the other crossed under her. She was wearing short shorts and a thin t-shirt that left little to the imagination. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun, and she was bent over a book, a pen in her hand.
She looked up with a smile when I walked in, and my heart leapt to my throat. “I thought you’d gotten lost out there.”
“Sorry, I went a little crazy and forgot that I had to carry it all back with me,” I said.
“Looks like you were successful,” Hannah nodded toward my bags with the same smile spread across her face.
“More than successful,” I said as I pulled the card out of my pocket. “I felt so strange paying eight thousand dollars for just a few bags of clothes.”
I braced myself for her to freak out, ready with an apology and the promise to take it all back. But she merely laughed. “If you think that’s bad, you should try shopping at some of the higher end places in New York City.”
Shock and relief washed over me at the same time as I set the card on the counter in front of her. “I bet.”
“Keep this,” she said as she quickly picked it up and handed it back to me. “You never know when you might want to treat yourself to something.”
What the hell do you think I just did? I thought. But I merely smiled. “Thanks. I’m going to go unpack these things and get my room put together.”
“Okay,” she said. “Let me know if you need anything”
“Thanks,” I said again. I headed for my room, forcing myself to keep my eyes ahead of me. It was nearly impossible for me not to check her out in her outfit and how she was sitting, but I knew I couldn’t do it. The situation was beyond my wildest dreams, but I knew even within it there were limitations.
And having my way with Hannah on the kitchen counter was definitely included in those limitations.
8
Hannah
Drake thanked the man as he left us at the table, then held out the chair for me to sit down.
“Thank you,” I said with a warm smile. We had been living under our arrangement for just over a week, and I’d insisted that we make a point of going out to dinner together.
“After all,” I’d told him. “If we want people to believe that we are a married couple, we’re going to have to look the part more than just living in the same apartment.”
Drake had agreed, once again insisting I be the one to pick the venue.
“I don’t know where you like to go, and since this is all coming out of your funds, you should be the one to pick,” he’d said.
“You’re earning it,” I replied. “So really, you’re helping pay for all this too, in a way.”
Drake laughed, but it was evident to me he didn’t agree. I didn’t want to go for anything that was too lavish. So, I opted for a restaurant Brandon and I had frequented when we were together. It was a nice place, and one I enjoyed the atmosphere of. But I also knew I’d be lying to myself if I wanted to pretend that I didn’t partly hope that we’d run into Brandon.
The sooner he saw us together in public again, the sooner I’d be able to tell him to fuck off for good.
“I like the ring,” I said as Drake took a seat across from me.
“What? Oh, thank you,” he said with a smile. He had been looking around the room with the same look that he’d had the first time I’d taken him to a venue. I wanted to ask him if he was comfortable, but I didn’t want to add pressure.
