I didn’t bother with a greeting. “Please tell me you have time to come up and talk to me while I get ready. I’ve got to go walk Satan.”
“I’m already in the elevator. Bye!” He hung up and I grinned. I should’ve known he’d be dying to get the scoop on Arch’s party.
Swigging the last of my coffee, I skipped to my bathroom, in a suddenly excellent mood. Todd had his own key and would let himself in. I turned on the taps for a shower and twirled around as I put toothpaste on my toothbrush. I stripped and hopped into the shower, brushing as I went.
The bathroom door burst open. It would’ve scared the pants off of me, except I was already naked. My best friend sighed dramatically. “You’re going to make me sit in here and talk to you while you take a six-hundred degree shower, aren’t you?” I couldn’t see him, but I knew he rolled his eyes to the ceiling like I’d asked him to give up his firstborn child.
“No, you can wait in my bedroom. I won’t be long, I shaved yesterday.” I peeked my head out from behind the shower curtain. “But I have so much to tell you.” I sighed and decided to tease him. “I have a date.” I shut the curtain again. “Go wait in my bedroom.”
“Dear sweet baby Buddha, I know you don’t expect me to wait out there now.” The sound of the toilet lid crashing down made me laugh. “I want the entire story. Now.”
As I showered, I walked him through the details of the party. By the time I got out, I’d only made it through our video game playing.
A half wall separated the shower area from the rest of my bathroom. It was my favorite part of the room. I was able to get out, dry off, and still maintain a modicum of modesty.
I didn’t know why I bothered, though. Todd had seen me naked many times before. We’d been attached at the hip for sixteen years. I was no longer embarrassed by nudity when it came to him.
I continued my story over the wall as I dried. Donning my favorite worn out robe, I made my way to the other half of the bathroom as I told him about Gray being a guest lecturer.
To his credit, he didn’t interrupt once, even though I knew he burned to know which guy asked me out. I continued my story as I walked into my closet to dress. I didn’t come to the juicy part until I took my hair out of its towel and brushed out the tangles.
“So then, I made my exit,” I said evasively. Todd’s face turned red, and I avoided laughing at him.
He took my hairbrush from me. “Woman! Great story, tell it again.” He continued after an exaggerated eye roll. “But nowhere, not one freaking time, did you mention a date!” He twirled me around and began artfully detangling my long hair without any pain. He was a hair and makeup genius. When he finished his business degree and opened his spa, he’d be in high demand.
I stretched my neck and leaned my head back to allow him to brush from the front to the back and finally told him the rest of the story. “...and he’s supposed to text me today to set up the restaurant for the date tonight.”
Todd stopped brushing. “So you’re going on a date tonight with a gorgeous and interesting man, you’ve got Satan this morning, and how many classes today?”
“Just the one.” I took the brush and put my customary part in my hair. It would dry on my way to the shelter. “It’s at ten, then I’m done for the day.”
“Thank goodness. Text me as you’re parking here this afternoon, and I’ll meet you back up here.” He whirled out of the bedroom and I followed, ready to head out. “My only class today is at eight, so I’ll be home before you. We can play in your closet for a while.” He put on huge puppy-dog eyes and stuck out his bottom lip. “How much are you going to let me do this time?”
I scrutinized his pout. I wanted to dress nice for the date, but I still wanted to look like me. “Um, you can put my hair up again, nothing too fancy, and put on some mascara and lip gloss. Low key.” I glanced toward my closet. “And my dress depends on what restaurant he suggests.”
We made our way into my living room and I checked my phone. It was after seven, I needed to hurry. The shelter was a thirty-minute drive, and I liked to spend at least two hours there. Throwing a second cup of coffee into a travel mug, I locked the apartment and headed to the garage. Todd, on his way to his morning class, accompanied me.
“How’s Rick?” I asked. He was probably already at his office.
“Good,” Todd sighed. “He’s starting that end of year mess, you know. I’ll be on my own for several weeks.”
Rick, an accountant, spent several weeks at the end of every year making sure all the details were taken care of. It meant late nights and a dejected Todd. I did my best to distract him from missing his man.
We hugged at the car, and I set off to play with my favorite Satan-cat. My day dragged by; my evening plans weighed heavily on my mind. It was the first time I’d even considered dating since my dad died, and my lack of a guilty conscience surprised me. The highlight of my morning was deciding to adopt Satan. I zoned out in class, thinking about the sweet—meaning evil—kitty. I decided all at once I had to have him.
My class finally ended, and I raced to the shelter to pick up my new roommate. I surpassed the normal shelter waiting period due to my frequent visits there. They all knew I adored Satan and were thrilled with the match.
I approached his cage on my tippy toes. He always knew I was coming and waited at the door to his small home. I’d never before succeeded in sneaking up on him, but he wasn’t used to me coming in the middle of the day. I always came in the morning. I turned the corner as quietly as I possibly could and burst out laughing because my giant, black and white bundle of fluff waited for me at the cage door.
“Can you smell me coming, big guy? You always know!” I’d asked the other shelter workers, and they said he never budged from his napping position when they walked past his cage. I grabbed his leash and reached inside the cage to clip him on it. As soon as I opened his door, he jumped gracefully down to the ground and started down the hall.
Satan led me to the front doors. Once in the lobby, he sat patiently while I said my goodbyes to the workers. I opened the front door, and he walked straight to my car. “It must be my smell, you clever boy. How else would you know which car is mine?”
I’d already stopped off at a pet store on the way to get Satan, so my back seat was filled with the things I needed for my new friend, including a carrying cage. I picked him up and tried to put him in the cage, but he yowled angrily.
His face turned toward mine, and though he donned an expression of pure evil, suddenly he seemed to be pleading. “You don’t want to go in a cage, do you?” I asked as if he could understand me.
It was against my better judgment to leave him loose. If he got under my feet, I could wreck. But I placed him in the front passenger seat, and he curled up into a ball. I stared at him until he lifted his head and stared back. “You better stay there, Satan. Don’t you dare move.” Conceding to my demand, he laid his head down.
This damn cat can’t possibly understand me. I closed his door and walked around to the driver side. He glanced at me when I got in and then put his head on his paws. I made a crazy face at him, then focused on the road.
I kept glancing down at Satan on the drive home, but he never moved. I would’ve sworn he slept, except every time I spoke to him, he twitched his ears.
I texted Todd once I parked, then loaded my arms up with the plethora of kitty paraphernalia. “I went a little overboard,” I said to the fuzz ball as he hopped delicately from the car. I grabbed Satan’s leash, and for once, he followed me instead of leading the way.
He sniffed the elevator apprehensively. I stood inside, holding the door open with one foot, gently tugging his leash. “C’mon, dude. It won’t hurt you, I promise.” He gave me a reproachful glare and meowed pitifully. In the end, I had to give his leash a stronger tug before he would creep in.
He hunkered down with the movement of the car and bolted out when the doors opened on the fifth floor.
Todd was about to put his key
in my door as the elevator opened. He turned toward me then dropped his jaw in surprise. “What the hell is that? Is that Satan?” He burst out laughing as the massive cat pulled me toward him.
Satan ran straight for Todd, who dropped into a crouch. Instead of offering to help me with my bags and the cage, Todd, with my new cat wrapping himself around his legs, was lost in baby talk. “I’m going to pull on his leash and knock you both over. Get the door, you big softie.”
Todd grabbed Satan and hefted him up to his shoulder before reaching around me to open the door. I dumped everything on my couch. Todd shut the door and let Satan off of his leash. Satan began exploring my apartment, starting with my bedroom. I took his litter box and set it up in the laundry room beside the kitchen.
“So, dating a new guy wasn’t enough for you for one day? You decided to finally bring Satan home?” Todd rifled through the bags of toys, treats, and medicines.
“Yeah, I don’t know.” I plopped down beside him. “It occurred to me—what was I waiting on? Why couldn’t I have a cat? I’m home enough. They don’t need the twenty-four-seven maintenance a dog needs.”
Todd opened the toys and put them in the little paw-covered bin I bought. He meticulously placed all the trash in an empty bag. He couldn’t help but be neat.
I pulled out my phone and handed it to Todd so he could read the text I received in class. As soon as I walked out the classroom door I’d replied to it.
Wes: How do you feel about going to Blossoms for dinner?
Ellie: I love that restaurant. Their pasta dishes are delicious.
Wes: We’re on then. Six okay?
Ellie: Perfect. Meet me at my apartment, I have a surprise.
Todd turned to me questioningly. “What surprise?”
I arched one eyebrow at him. “The. Cat. What else? I told you he has a cat and got excited at the idea of me adopting Satan.”
“Cynthia Eleanor Asche, did you adopt this cat to impress a guy?” Todd stood and put his hands on his hips. Since I was parentless, he took it upon himself to be my guiding light in life. Sometimes it was endearing. And sometimes, like then, it was infuriating.
“No, I didn’t, Theodore Wilfred Anderson-Pate. I adopted Satan because if I could handle making a date, I could handle bringing home a new friend. It felt right.” I stuck my nose in the air and resolved to ignore him.
I was distracted by Satan stalking out of my bedroom. He sat in the doorway and yowled. Todd and I both jerked our heads toward the loud cat. “What’s your problem?” I asked the distraught feline.
At the same time, Todd said, “Poor, confused, sweet, widdle baby boy. Is hims confused? Uncle Toddy will show you where to find your potty times.”
My anger with Todd flew straight out the window. I couldn’t stay mad at a man who loved my new cat enough to speak to him so ridiculously. “Good grief, Todd,” I said around my laughter. “I’ll put his food to the kitchen. Show him that next.”
I busied myself with Satan’s food. Once Satan settled in, Todd and I headed for my closet. Blossom’s wasn’t a fancy restaurant, so I could wear casual clothes. However, since Wes would be coming straight from the office, he’d be wearing a suit. Given the Texas fall evening would be chilly at worst, we settled on dark brown linen pants. I didn’t need anything heavy. The top was a thin, baby blue sweater so I wouldn’t have to fool with a jacket. For shoes, I opted for a low-heeled slip-on.
We wasted a little time playing with Satan, then an hour before Wes was due, I allowed Todd to twist my hair up with a silver clip and apply mascara. Three coats, to be exact. “Luckily, my little palette, your skin is perfection. You don’t need makeup, never have. But, it would be fun to put it on such a flawless complexion,” he said as he applied the sheer lip gloss, all I’d let him put on my lips.
At five thirty, he kissed my cheek and wished me luck. I sat on the edge of a kitchen chair in my pressed clothes, since I didn’t want to wrinkle them. Todd found Satan and kissed him sixteen times—I counted—and told him he loved him before finally leaving.
“He already likes you more than me,” I told the fuzzy boy, who sat on my couch licking his paws.
Fifteen minutes earlier than I expected, my doorbell rang. I flicked on my security monitor to find Wes waiting. Opening the door with a flourish, I gave him an instant view of my new friend on the couch. Satan stopped licking his paw and jumped to the floor as Wes entered the room.
He turned to me as I closed the door behind him. “You adopted him!” His smile was even more heart-stopping than the one he unleashed on me the night before.
“I realized I needed him in my life. So, I went after class and got him.” Wes picked Satan up like it was no big deal he wore a two thousand dollar suit. I had to assume its cost—Todd would’ve known for sure.
Luckily for his expensive suit, I’d bought lint rollers at the pet store. He didn’t seem to care a bit as he nuzzled Satan’s soft neck. “This cat is so chill, Ellie. You picked a good one.” Satan began to head butt him, and purring sounds reached me across the room. “My Lemmy will only allow cuddles when he wants cuddles. And not a moment longer.” Wes grinned at me. “But, he’s mine, and I love him.”
I shook my head at the duo. “Okay, so now that I know you’re a crazy old cat lady at heart… you hungry?” I walked over to Wes and smooched Satan’s head. “Let’s go eat.”
Wes put the cat on the couch, and I handed him the lint roller. Long black and white fur clung to his suit jacket. “You’ll get used to de-furring yourself every time you leave the house. Lemmy’s fur is bright orange, and it shows up on everything,” he explained as he rolled the sticky sheet over himself.
“I had a cat once before,” I said, trying not to get sucked into another miserable memory of my stepmother. “She was a year old when she died. But, that’s a sad story, and this is a happy day. I have a new cat, a new team of lawyers to win my case, and a new date.” I slung my purse over my shoulder. “C’mon. I’m starving.”
We made our way to the garage. “I’m guessing Arch gave you a key code for the garage doors?” I asked.
Wes laughed. “Yeah, he got tired of running downstairs constantly to let us in. So he talked to the building manager and got us our own codes. We’re here more often than at our own houses half the time.” He led the way to his car, a big, red, Chevy truck. “Arch is the closest to work, and we worked so many long days, we’ve crashed at his place quite often.” He held the passenger door open for me.
“Thank you,” I exclaimed. “Chivalry isn’t dead, it seems.” I teased him a little. Even in the South, most men didn’t bother with opening doors.
By the time he’d appeared at my apartment door, my nerves had lessened, plus we had Satan to distract us. But as he walked around the truck to the driver’s side, I pressed my hand to my stomach to calm the reawakened butterflies.
After climbing in, he turned on the powerful truck engine. I observed the clean interior and new-car smell. “New truck?” I asked.
“Yeah, I got it last month. We’re finally at a point where we can pay ourselves. Arch bought an apartment full of new furniture, and I got a new truck. My apartment isn’t nearly as nice as this one, but I’m more of a saver.” He pointed to a black SUV. “That’s Arch’s new rig. Gray made a big purchase, too, but his is more practical.” He trailed off as he pulled out of the garage.
“What do you drive?” he asked.
“An Accord. I love it. I’ve had it since I turned sixteen. It’s time to upgrade, especially as much as I’m in the public eye, but I can’t give her up. My dad gave her to me on my sixteenth birthday.” I stared out the window, lost in the memory.
My birthday fell on a weekday that year. It was still hot in Texas at the beginning of October. Once Todd drove us home from school, we spent the afternoon beside his parent’s pool. Dad was at work all day, so I certainly didn’t want to spend the day in a house with my stepfamily.
“When’s your stepmonster going to go to the spa?�
�� Todd asked. She liked to spend weeks at a time at some fancy spa in Switzerland. It cost my dad a fortune, but he smiled indulgently at her every time she went.
I dreamed of the days she’d go. When she left, Michelle, her daughter, would go stay with her grandmother. Since my stepbrother, Mitch, left for college the year before, the house would be back to normal with me and dad living there.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t mentioned the spa in a while.
“I don’t know. Hopefully soon, so I can spend a week or two not having to hide in my room. Every time I leave the room, she finds some reason to criticize me or something to blame on me.” I put my sunglasses up on my head and pouted at Todd. “It’s getting worse. Tell me again how it’ll be soon.”
Todd pushed my sunglasses back onto my nose, and I rested my head against the lounge chair. “Ellie, doll, we’re going to have an incredible time. You get your trust fund two years from today. I get mine two months before you do. If we can, we’ll get you out of there before you’re even eighteen. We’ll get an apartment near campus, and I’ll decorate it perfectly.”
I began to imagine what an apartment decorated by Todd would look like. It wasn’t pretty. “We’ll make so many friends and have parties every weekend. And we’ll have access to our money, so nobody can tell us what to wear, what to eat, where to go, or when to be where. The monster can’t blame you for anything anymore.” It sounded heavenly.
“We’ll eat healthy foods and work out every day,” he continued, “and meet gorgeous guys getting high-level degrees to challenge our excessive intellects. Then, we’ll push them to the curb because we won’t have time for their nonsense.”
I laughed at his story. “Todd, you wouldn’t hurt anyone’s feelings. You’re too nice.”
“You don’t know. I might. We’ll be grown and svelte. We might also be mean. Hush.” He handed me the sun block. “Time to reapply. One thing we won’t have is skin cancer.” I slathered the lotion on my skin as he continued.
Falling For Them Volume 2: Reverse Harem Collection Page 37