Old Habits

by Tabatha Kiss

  He moves his hips as I do, massaging and grinding each other. I look to the box of condoms next to his head, easily counting the small number nestled inside.

  “We’re almost out,” I say as I lean forward to take more control.

  He exhales a heavy breath as I roll my hips. “We can take a break after this,” he suggests. “Go outside for some much-needed fresh air and stop by the market for more.”

  “Oh, that’ll be just great.” I laugh. “How long to do you think it’ll take before literally everyone is talking about Will and Jovie’s Sunday afternoon condom run?”

  “I literally don’t care.”

  My mind wanders back to that damn meeting. “I can’t believe them,” I say, fucking him faster and harder. “They had charts and everything…”

  His hips buck as I dig my nails into his pecs. “Careful…”

  “And what the fuck was up with that happiness index crap?” I ask between breaths. “Gives me the creeps.”

  “Jovie, as much as it would delight me to picture Coach Rogers’ face during sexual intercourse, I beg of you to change the subject.”

  “Sorry.” I show a mischievous grin. “So, have you told your mom we’re back together yet, or…?”

  “Okay, that’s it.”

  He lunges forward and wraps his arms around me, easily twisting us around to pin me on my back. I let out a laugh, playfully struggling to breathe as the movement knocks the wind out of me and leaves me dizzy.

  “Jovie… I have spent all night trying to distract you from the things they said about you.”

  I nod. “Yes, you have.”

  “I kind of felt like it was working.”

  “It is working…” I spread my legs as he angles his wrapped cock closer to my slit. “Trust me, it’s just that…”

  I pause as his tip finds its way inside and I moan once before catching my breath to speak again.

  “It’s just that I feel…” I search my brain for the perfect word.

  Will towers over me and moves his hips with slow, deliberate thrusts. “Horny?”

  “No…”

  “Pleasurable?”

  “No.”

  He frowns. “Wait, really?”

  “Motivated,” I say. “I feel motivated.”

  His hands crawl up my arms, guiding them above my head. “To do what?”

  I open my mouth to answer as his grind triggers a rush of heat throughout my core. “I don’t know,” I moan. “Prove them wrong, I guess.”

  Will kisses my trembling lips. “Good,” he grunts. “Sounds like a wonderful task to tackle on Monday morning. First, I’m going to need you to come on my penis, please.”

  I blink, pausing as a laugh clenches my throat. “Okay, what the hell fancy car school did you go to? Your dirty talk is way too polite now.”

  He chuckles. “Oh, sorry.” His throat clears. “Come on my cock, you slut.”

  “Nice. Better.”

  “You like me filling that tight pussy?”

  I groan for more. “Oh, yeah. Much better.”

  “I’m gonna make you scream my name.”

  I bite my lip. “Yes!”

  He kisses me, hard and fast, but quickly pulls back. “Sorry about the slut thing.”

  My thighs twitch as my tension mounts. “Stop talking now.”

  “Okay.”

  The headboard slaps the wall behind us with each quick and firm thrust, interrupting the thoughts I can’t seem to force out of my brain. I’m in Will Myers’ bed. There shouldn’t be anything else on my mind right now but the idea of sweet vengeance on the people of Clover, Kansas is just as pleasurable.

  Well… maybe not as pleasurable.

  Will pins my wrists above my head and he doesn’t let go until I’m screaming his name.

  ***

  Do you have a natural urge to make people smile?

  The Party Planning Committee of Clover, Kansas wants YOU!

  We’re looking for a few happy individuals to join our team!

  Holidays! Birthdays! Baby Showers!

  You name it! We plan it!

  I stare at the flier on the counter in front of me. The more I read it, the more it makes sense.

  I’m getting on that damn party planning committee.

  The entry bell chimes and I quickly shove the flier into the front pocket of my smock.

  “Hello!” I greet, glancing over my shoulder toward the door.

  Will walks in with Andy trailing behind him and I relax the customer-serving tension in my shoulders.

  “Hey, guys,” I say. “What are you up to today?”

  They stop at the counter and Will points a finger at Andy. “Your response?”

  Andy nods. “Reading books, eating veggies, and not mentioning Jovie.”

  “No, you don’t mention Jovie.” Will sighs. “We’ll work on it again later. Go play with the dinosaurs.”

  I laugh as the kid rushes off toward the far corner. “You’re creating quite the future politician there.”

  “Oh, he’s going places. Mark my words.”

  “So, what are you guys up to?” I ask again.

  Will takes my hand. “We just got some lunch and now we’re on our way back to the house but I thought I’d stop in here for some dessert.”

  He kisses my knuckles and grins.

  “Mmm. Just what every woman loves…” I fake a swoon. “Being compared to food.”

  “There’s that sugary sweetness I can’t get enough of.”

  I pull my hand back. “Better not stay too long. Mr. Trin’s as hardcore about the rules now than he ever was. If he catches me chatting on the clock, he’ll make me scrub the sinks again.”

  He rests his elbows on the counter. “We won’t stay long. Just wanted to see how you were doing. You left pretty quickly this morning.”

  “Well, I figured Sara would be by early to drop off the kid.” I pull the crinkled flier from my smock and lay it between us. “Also, I wanted to get here and read this a little closer.”

  His eyes drop to it and his brow slowly furrows. “The party planning committee?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You want to join the party planning committee?”

  “Yeah.”

  He snorts.

  I raise a brow. “And what’s wrong with that?”

  “Nothing.” He fights the laugh growing in his throat. “Just hard to picture, that’s all.”

  “It’s the only town committee taking on new members right now and it honestly doesn’t sound all that bad, you know?” I shrug. “Hang some balloons, cut some cake, rinse, repeat. People love parties. If I plan enough of them then, eventually, they will love me. It’s science.”

  He bites his lip. “Is it, though?”

  “Isn’t it?”

  “I don’t know. I fix cars. I’m not a scientist.”

  I roll my eyes. “Anyway, they’re apparently meeting tonight at the high school to start working on the Valentine’s Day dance and I’m going to be there to begin my slow coup into the hearts and souls of the people of Clover, Kansas.”

  “Okay, but…” he pushes the flier back to me, “you do know who the current head of the party planning committee is, right?”

  “No. Who?”

  He tilts his head, silently smirking until the answer finally lands in my brain.

  “Ugh. You’re kidding,” I whine.

  “Nope.”

  “Sara runs the party planning committee?”

  “She does.” He nods.

  “Well, shit.” I stare at the flier again. “I can at least ask, right? Worst she can say is no. Right?”

  His face screws up and he lays his palm on my brow. “That’s some uncharacteristic optimism, Jove. You feeling okay?”

  I playfully slap his hand away. “This blow is crushing. I had a plan. Now what I am supposed to do?”

  “Go ahead and ask, it’s like you said,” he says. “If she says no, I’ll talk to my mother and see if she can put a positive spin on it t
o Sara. She’s pretty good at that kind of thing.”

  “One of these days, I’m going to reach the point when the name Jovie Ross doesn’t need a positive spin.”

  “Oh, honey…” He pats my head and sighs. “You sure you don’t need to go lie down for a while?”

  I glare at him and he smirks. “Ha, ha, ha.”

  “You have a beautiful laugh,” he says. “Have I ever told you that?”

  “Go away and take Mr. President with you.”

  “Kiss me first.”

  We lean over the counter and lock lips as Mr. Trin steps out of the back office.

  “Myers, unless Marv wants to trade Barbies for spark plugs, you better stop bothering my employee,” he snaps.

  “Yes, sir,” Will says. He lays another quick kiss on my cheek before retreating from the counter. “My place tonight?” he whispers at me.

  I give him a thumbs up.

  “Andy, come on,” he says, flashing me a wink. “Time to go, buddy.”

  Will holds the door open and waits as Andy’s feet patter along the floor.

  He rounds the corner and waves at me. “Bye, Jovie!”

  I wave back. “Bye, Andy!”

  Will lingers in the doorway, staring at me like a ravenous animal before finally backing out onto the sidewalk.

  Mr. Trin glides behind the counter and stands beside me. “You know,” he says to his paperwork, “I always hoped you kids would get back together.”

  I smile. “Really?”

  “No. Go clean the bathrooms.”

  I drop the grin and walk off, taking the flier with me toward the janitorial closet.

  ***

  Honestly, stepping foot inside the high school again so quickly after that town meeting makes my stomach churn but I can’t pass up this opportunity to win over an ounce of Clover’s good graces.

  Several voices echo down the hallway from the teacher’s lounge as I step inside, laughing loudly and I resist the urge to turn and run back to Will’s safe and warm bed. It’s Sara beyond that door, after all, and the odds of her cutting me any slack are slim but, at least, I can say I tried. I can say I attempted to change their minds before getting tossed to the wolves.

  Can’t say that if I bolt.

  I stand in the doorway and look inside. My eyes instantly fall on Sara’s bright and shiny face. She’s got those Myers eyes, the same big, green ones that Will has but the two of them couldn’t be more different. Four other women sit around her including Natalie with her puffy cheeks and a casual, sloppy blonde bun on her head.

  I hesitate for a long moment before closing my fist and rapping against the frame.

  “Hey,” I say to them.

  They target me like a pack of perimeter hounds tracking blood.

  Natalie keeps her smile while the others drop into various frowns. “Oh, my gosh! Jovie!” She gasps as she hops out of her chair and rushes over to meet me. “I knew it!”

  “Knew what?” I ask.

  She tugs on my arm to yank me into the room. “You and Will, of course! The whole town is talking about it but I called it like a week ago. Right, ladies? Didn’t I so call it?”

  Sara glares at me, ignore her. “What are you doing here?”

  I slide my hand into my back pocket to pull out the flier. “I was actually interested in maybe joining the party planning committee…”

  Natalie’s mouth drops in a happy gasp as she looks toward the others.

  “No,” Sara says, cutting her off. “You can’t.”

  I expected this. Counting on a yes so quickly would have been foolish of me but I’m not going to back down yet.

  I stand a little taller. “May I ask why?”

  “We’re full,” she spits.

  “Then, why did you hang these fliers all over town?”

  She stands out of her chair and crosses her arms. “We were looking for new members but we aren’t anymore. Besides, you’re not a resident of this town so you’re not eligible to join anyway.”

  I discretely dig a nail into my palm. “I’m not a resident?”

  “No. Residents are those who have lived here for at least six consecutive months. You have not.”

  Natalie tilts her head. “But Claudia’s only been here three months…”

  Necks twist toward a black-haired girl on the left and her cheeks turn pink.

  Sara clenches her jaw at Natalie. “Claudia is engaged to Drew Warner, who is a resident, so we made an exception.”

  “We did?”

  “Jovie is not eligible to join,” she says. “She can’t be here.”

  I raise my hands in surrender. “I heard you loud and clear, Sara. Don’t need to take it out on her.”

  She seethes, subtly shaking in her shoes. “Have a good night, Jovie,” she says.

  I scan the room and their eyes drop to the floor as soon as we make eye contact. The only one who dares look at me is Natalie, who offers an apologetic smile before I turn to leave.

  I expected this.

  Still stings, though.

  Chapter 24

  Will

  Will.

  Wake up, Will.

  Dreams and reality have blended a lot in the last few days so I’m not sure if her voice is real or not. It lingers between my ears with a soft lullaby-like vibrato, luring me back to a pleasant sleep.

  “Will!”

  I jolt with the firm tap on my arm. “Hrmm?”

  “Wake up, please.”

  Jovie stands over me, clean and fully-dressed, with a steaming coffee mug between her palms. Her lips curl as I open my eyes and stare up at her.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask.

  “Nothing.”

  “Then…” I sit up, “why aren’t you naked?”

  “Because we have to go to work today.”

  “Oh.” I groan and rub my eyes. “What time it is?”

  “Just after seven. If you get up now, we can grab some breakfast before we go in.”

  My empty stomach tempts me with a growl. “Sounds good.”

  She brings the mug to her lips. “Excellent.”

  “Or…” I reach for her free hand and gently pull her down to me. “We can stay here until we absolutely have to leave and go hungry until lunch.”

  I taste the sweet coffee on her lips but she doesn’t let it last.

  “No,” she says, backing away. “We are out the door and in my car in twenty minutes.”

  “Twenty minutes?”

  “Twenty minutes.”

  She spins around and walks out without another word or explanation.

  A coldness twists through my gut as I recognize the undeniable, tell-tale signs of a Jovie scorned.

  The bright-eyed morning glow. Short, punchy sentences. A goddamn time schedule.

  “Uh-oh,” I say to myself.

  Somebody has crossed Jovie Ross.

  I suppose I should be thankful that it wasn’t me this time but I could be seen as an accessory to whatever she has in mind.

  “Jovie?” I ask, sliding out of bed.

  “Nineteen minutes!” I hear across the house.

  I follow her voice into the kitchen where she’s topping off her mug with an almost empty pot. “How many cups have you had?” I ask.

  She shrugs. “I don’t know.”

  “How long have you been up?”

  “A few hours.”

  I scan the kitchen. My laptop sits on the kitchen table but I’m at a bad angle to see what webpage she’s on. “What have you been doing?” I ask, leaning forward.

  She reaches out and closes it. “Eighteen and a half minutes, Will,” she says, smiling.

  Oh, dear God.

  “Okay.” I back out of the kitchen. “I’m just gonna take a quick shower.”

  “Make it really quick.”

  “I will…”

  Part of me wants to see where this is going. The other part wants to sneak out the bathroom window. That’s life with Jovie for you. Two extremes, both equally as enticing and terrifying
as the other.

  I get cleaned up and throw on some clothes, moving fast to keep to her schedule. By the time I’m finished, she’s already standing by the front door with her jacket draped over her arm and her car keys clenched in her fingers.

  “You’re one minute late,” she points out.

  I pause beside her. “And we’re about to add another thirty seconds onto that.”

  She inhales but I silence her with a firm kiss. I feel the tension fall from her shoulders and her lips purse to kiss me back for a few long moments.

  “Good morning,” I whisper.

  She smiles. “Good morning.”

  I open the door for her and she steps outside.

  ***

  We pass three diners before it finally sinks in that we aren’t going to breakfast.

  Wherever we’re going, it’s not in Clover. Jovie steers us north on country roads toward Leavenworth, a ten-mile journey that keeps me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Expectation, reality; both just as twisted and blended as recent dreams but there’s no reason to panic just yet.

  Jovie turns off the street and parks the car right next to the Leavenworth County courthouse.

  “Come with me,” she says, grabbing her wallet and shoving her door open.

  I run on auto-pilot, steadily increasing my stride to catch up with her by the entrance.

  Jovie opens the door for me and gestures me inside.

  I don’t move. “Hey, Jove,” I begin, “why are we going to the county courthouse for breakfast?”

  “We’re not,” she says. “I have a quick errand to run first. It’ll only take a minute.”

  “You weren’t charged with a crime, were you?”

  “Of course not.”

  “Are you contesting parking tickets?”

  “No.”

  I search her face. “Then…”

  She stares at me, her eyes creeping into narrow yet elegant slits. “After you, Will.”

  I sigh and walk inside. She follows me, instantly slipping her arm around my elbow and leading me down the hallway to the last office on the left.

  As we enter, a woman behind the counter smiles at us. “How can I help you?” she asks.

  Jovie grins back and tugs me inside. “We would like one marriage license, please.”

  My heart stops. “We what?”