“You gotta stop. Oh god…” He gripped the edge of the island, “I knew with what you did to that shot glass, you could…”
Before he finished that sentence, he picked me up and moved us over to the couch.
“Babe, I’ll be right back.”
“No, don’t. I have one in my purse…wherever that landed.”
I saw his magnificent ass walking over to the door and pick up my purse. He’s totally doing that on purpose. No man alive walks with a sway like that. As he turned around, I saw his entire manhood. From top to bottom, what mama saw, mama liked.
Owen and I were lying there, trying to catch our heavy breaths. Thank God for all those exercise classes I take with the girls. I’m almost starting to think I’m too old for the shit that I just pulled off.
“Where did you learn how to do all that? And after everything tonight, where did you get all that energy from?” Owen asked.
Lying on top of him, I played with his soft chest hair. “Maybe the recovery drink?”
Owen lifted his head and looked at me. “No way,” he said, shaking it.
I giggled. “Nah, I read Cosmo. They have some great tips in there. Some of it, I just wanted to try, and that was a super high-tech condom. It had ginkgo biloba in the lube. That, sir, totally put my orgasm over the top.”
He kissed the top of my head and played with my hair falling over my shoulders. “I don’t think I can do any more tonight. Kirsten, that was—”
I snugged deeper into his chest. “Good night, Owen. I needed that.”
Chirp, chirp. What the hell is that?
Chirp, chirp. Is that my phone?
I slowly rolled off Owen and went searching for my phone. After I found it, I saw a text from Caroline.
Caroline: I sent a cab your way. It will be there in seven minutes.
Me: What?
Caroline: Good Lord. It was a quick fix. Now, get your ass out!
Me: On it.
Just as I was reaching for my dress on the kitchen floor, I saw Owen looking over his couch.
“Skipping out already?”
I looked up in shock. “Uh…” I held my dress tight against my body. All of a sudden, I was feeling shy. “I’m, uh…”
Owen seemed to be enjoying my stuttering moment. “Kirsten, come back.” He reached out his arm toward me.
“I can’t. The girls and I are having breakfast, and they sent a cab for me. I should get dressed and head outside. The cab is probably already here.”
I slipped into my dress, and Owen put on his pants. He walked me over to the door and picked up my thong.
“Missing something?” He gave me a cute smirk.
“Keep them.” I winked before heading out the door.
He grabbed me around my waist. “Stay,” he whispered in my ear.
I turned in his arms and kissed him good-bye.
“Girl, get your skinny ass in here!” Caroline yelled when I opened the hotel room door.
“Well, well, it looks like someone is doing the walk of shame.” Sandra laughed.
I looked at the girls and stuck out my tongue. “No walk of shame here, girls—”
Meg cut me off. “That’s only because we knew what you were doing, and some of us were mentally living it out with you.”
We all busted out laughing.
“Seriously, honey, how was he? And don’t hold nothing back.” Caroline poured me a glass of champagne.
“Owen was fun. He was willing to try things, and he knew his way around.” I saluted my glass to them. “It was just what I needed.” I stretched out my legs on the couch in Caroline’s hotel suite. Yep, I think this is going to be the new me—the one who takes control and who never looks back. Watch out, kids. Kirsten Backhard is back!
“Holy crap, Caroline. We will never be able to eat this amount of food,” I said looking over to the table.
“Oh hell, who cares? That rich jackass, cheating ex of mine is paying for it anyhow!” Caroline cringed while shrugging her shoulders.
Leaning over to her, I whispered, “Do you want to talk about it?”
She gave me a cheap smile. “I’d rather know about how that high-tech condom worked.”
“Please tell me you tried it!” cried out Meg.
“Of course I tried it. I wasn’t going to let the prime piece of ass slip away.” I laughed. “I don’t know what ginkgo biloba is, but holy fucking hell, I have never in my life come that hard.”
Meg started laughing. “I know, right? I told you!”
“Where did you buy those? Not only do I want shares, but I also want to buy massive quantities,” I said.
“I was doing business in Chinatown, and I went into this dingy drugstore and bought them.”
“Next time you go, get me a few boxes,” I begged.
“Me, too!” the rest of the girls shouted and laughed.
Breakfast was just starting to wind down when we the door opened.
I looked over at Caroline. “Are you expecting someone? Oh, like, I don’t know…a stripper?”
“No…” Caroline answered. “But I should have thought of that.”
Liz walked in with a huge smile on her face.
“Oh my god! Check out that ring!” I yelled.
We all got up and rushed toward Liz to see her shiny new addition.
“Girls, it was the most beautiful proposal ever,” cried Liz.
“We want to hear all about the proposal with you at home in his T-shirt,” Sandra declared.
“Girls, I don’t even know what to say.” Liz sat at the table while Caroline grabbed her a glass of champagne. “After we left the bar, Brad had a limo waiting outside for us. Believe me, we took full advantage of all that room. I think Brad even told the driver to drive around the city two more times.”
We all started laughing.
“This morning, while lying in bed, he told me all about what made everything fall into place for him and how I was a part of each one of those steps. Then, he got down on one knee and asked for my hand in marriage.”
“What did you say back after hearing him declare his undying love?” asked Meg.
“Nothing.”
“What do you mean, nothing?” I asked.
“Well, I kinda said, ‘If you are going to be on your knees, you better make better use of them.’”
Sandra high-fived Liz. “That’s our Liz.”
“Then, I said, ‘Without any doubt, Brad, I will marry you with all my heart. I’ll be honored to call you my husband and start a family with you.’”
“Gag me,” I teased.
“Shut up, bitch.” She smiled at me, walked over, and gave me a big hug. “Thank you. Thank you for loving me enough to share me.”
“There is nothing to thank me for. He loves you, Liz, and that’s all I could ever ask of him. Well, that, and to never promote my ass to his lame friends ever again.”
“Well, girls, as much fun as this has been,” I said, getting up from the lounge chair, “I gotta take my ridden ass home. I need to soak in a nice warm bath and have a long nap.”
“Oh my god! You totally forgot to tell me about the hot bartender!” shouted Liz.
“Hell, can’t you tell by the way she’s walking?” Caroline busted out laughing.
With that, I bowed and walked out of the room with Liz following behind me.
As I opened our front door, I pouted. “I guess this means that you’ll be moving out, huh?”
“Yeah. I’m gonna miss you like crazy. This is the only part of me that doesn’t want to marry him, you know. I don’t want to leave you behind.”
“I’m not being left behind, sweetheart. You’re moving on to the next chapter of life—a chapter where I plan to walk right beside you. Just remember when you buy that big fancy house, you will always have a bedroom for me.”
“Like there wouldn’t be. Where do you think Brad will sleep when you come over?”
We both hugged and laughed, and then I started to head off to my room.
“Muff-diver?” Liz called.
I turned around. “Yeah?”
“I love you and I’m gonna miss you.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m gonna miss you, too.” I could see tears floating in Liz’s eyes. “We knew this was coming, Liz.”
“I know. It’s just—”
“Liz, stop. I’m too hungover to handle this crying shit. This is what you’re supposed to be doing. With my new job, it’s not like I’ll be here anyway. I’ll be on the road more than I’ll be at home. Just wait and see—this is a wonderful thing.”
How in the hell does my head hurt more after napping than it did when I first got up this morning? I made my way into the kitchen ordering a greasy cheese pizza and grabbed a glass out of the cupboard. As I waited for the water to get cold, I noticed a note on the counter.
K,
Thought you could use an energy drink. LOL.
Heading to Brad’s. Catch you later this week.
When you are coming home from Chicago?
Kick some ass while you are there.
Make me proud.
—L
Not only had she thought of me, hence the energy drink, but she had also managed to make fun of me. Bitch!
Just as I closed the door to the pizza delivery guy, I heard my phone chirp.
Derek: Where the hell are you?
Me: At home. Why?
Derek: Family dinner.
Me: LOL. Forgot. Sorry.
Before the message could even get to Derek, my phone started ringing, and I quickly answered it.
“Get your ass over here,” growled Derek.
“Sorry, dude. Not gonna happen. I got a greasy cheese pizza sitting in front of me.”
“How dare you leave me alone with them?”
“Actually, brother, it’s very easy to do.” I grabbed my first slice of heaven.
“Kirsten, come on!”
“Derek, I’m hungover as fuck, and I have a shitload to do before I head out to Chicago.”
“Chicago?”
“Yeah. I got the senior negotiating position,” I whispered.
“Really? That’s great!”
“Thanks, big brother.”
“I’ll be over in a few to celebrate.” I could hear muffling, “Mom, I gotta go. Kirsten needs some big brother time. She had a rough weekend. Yeah, I’ll tell her.”
“Fucker!” I seethed.
My brother laughed. “Yeah, next time, you won’t forget about family dinner.” Derek was quiet for a minute, which always made me nervous. “Kirsten—”
“Yeah?”
“Mom knows about Liz and Brad getting engaged.”
“Great,” I breathed.
“I tried to smooth things over on this end.”
“Thanks for trying, Derek. I appreciate it.”
“See you in a few.”
After I put my paper plate in the garbage, I was just grabbing a cold beer out of the fridge when I heard a knock on the door, which meant I had to grab two.
As my brother walked in, I tossed him his beer.
“Thanks.”
“No worries.” I flopped on the couch and stretched out, letting out a big belch.
“Nice, sister. Real ladylike,” Derek said as he lifted my legs, so he could also sit on the couch beside me.
“Shut up. My house.”
“So, how are ya doing with Liz’s engagement?”
“Am I that transparent?”
“Nope,” he flipped his index finger between us, “twin thing.”
“I think it’s great. Really, I do. I’m just gonna miss the shit out of her. We’ve been inseparable for such a long time. It’s gonna be lonely around here.”
Derek brought me in for a one-armed hug. “No worries. I’ll make sure that’ll never happen.”
“As much as you are a pain in my ass, I’m glad that you are my brother.”
“What do you say we watch a movie or something?”
“I can’t. I gotta pack for Chicago. I leave tomorrow morning at eight to catch my flight.”
“Do you need a ride to the airport?”
“Nah. The company is sending over a car.”
Derek got off the couch and started rummaging through my kitchen.
“Brother, what are you looking for?”
“A paper plate.”
“Why? Just eat out of the pizza box.”
“You sure?”
I looked at my brother like he had two heads. “Who are you? And what have you done to my brother?”
He tipped his head back and laughed.
“When you’re done, just put everything in the trash.”
I went into my bedroom and opened up my suitcase. There was Drew’s T-shirt from the last trip I had taken. I just stared at it, not realizing that a tear was slipping down my cheek.
“Kirsten?”
I didn’t want to face my brother and tell him the truth, so I told him another kind of truth. “I’m good. I just need an Advil. I’m a little sore from last night’s hook-up.” I turned and walked into the bathroom.
“Fuck, Kirsten, that’s gross.”
Before I knew it, my brother had me in a headlock.
“Derek, stop it!” I tried to wiggle myself away from him. “Derek, cut it out!”
“Not until you tell me why you lied.”
“I’m not lying!”
Now, my asshat brother was giving me a wet willy.
“Yuck, Derek!”
“Say it. Say, ‘I have never had sex.’ Say it.”
“Brother, I have never had sex…”
Finally, he let me out of the headlock, and I walked over to the other side of the bed.
“That I have never enjoyed.” I stuck my tongue out at him. “What? Don’t look at me like that. Why is it okay for you to have random sex and not me?”
“Because I have a penis,” he clarified.
“Well, big brother, as of three weeks ago, I now own a penis, too.”
Derek’s eyes got really big, and they instantly dropped to my crotch.
I covered it up with my hands. “Stop looking at me there! I was figuratively speaking, asshole.”
“Phew. You had me a little worried there. I thought I’d have to break my own rules and put your ass in the team locker-room to remind you that you have different body parts.”
“Well, big brother…I accept that challenge,” I replied with a huge grin.
“You would. Problem is that you are off-limits to everyone on the team and all of my friends.”
I could feel my face instantly drop as tears began forming in my eyes.
“Hey?” Derek said.
I looked up at him.
“I’m fine. My period must be coming soon.”
“On that note, I’m O-U-T!” Derek called as he walked away before shutting the front door.
Feeling exhausted, I was just about to head to bed when my phone rang.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Hi, Kirsten. This is Reid Wildburg from Wildburg Enterprise. Sorry for calling so late.”
“No worries, Reid. How are you?”
“I’m great.”
“And your beautiful wife?”
“Lovely as ever. Thank you for asking. She’ll be pleased that you think kindly of her.”
“How could I not after the beautiful gift basket she sent following our last negotiation?”
“I see my wife made you happy. Maybe it’s enough for you to consider another negotiation?”
I laughed. “Reid, is that why you are phoning? And here I thought you just liked the sound of my voice.”
Reid laughed at the other end. “You got me.”
“A shabby businessman such as yourself should not be so transparent,” I joked.
“But that is why I hired the best poker face I know.”
“Thank you, Reid. That means a lot to me.”
“I need you to oversee a shipping yard I want to invest in. The problem is that they are asking for three
million dollars more than what it is worth, and they don’t want to work around it.”
“To be honest, Reid, I accepted the senior negotiating position last week, and tomorrow will be my first day. I’m flying out to Chicago in the morning.”
“That’s great, Kirsten. It’s about time those men finally figured out what great talent you bring to the table.”
“The thing is—”
“Please. I’m begging you. Can you fit me in next week?” Reid asked.
“Let me take a look at my calendar. Just give me a second.” I pulled up my calendar on my phone and checked my schedule for the next week. “I can only spare you twenty-four hours on Wednesday.”
“Great. That’s fine. I’ll take it. Thank you so much, Kirsten. I’ll let the wife know. I’m sure she’ll plan dinner.”
“Yes, I’m looking forward to seeing you both again. Please email me everything that I need to know and work out, and I’ll call you later with a plan.”
“Kirsten, is there any way that I can sway you to come work on my team?”
“Probably not, Reid. I really like this company. If anything changes though, you’ll be the first to know.”
“We’ll see…we’ll see.” Reid challenged.
“Good night, Reid.”
“Thanks again.”
Even though I knew I shouldn’t take on any extra work with my new position, I couldn’t say no to the one person who had taken a big leap of faith on me when I’d walked in the door, fresh out of college. When everyone else had said, “No, we’d like someone with more experience,” Reid had said, “Kirsten, you take the lead.” I remembered just standing there with my mouth hanging open. I would never forget that moment for as long as I lived.
“Mom, I’m here,” I said after I walked in the door.
“Drew, is that you?” Mom called out.
Really? Who else would it be?
“Did you bring someone with you?” I could hear the hope in her voice.
The Game-Kirsten Backhard Page 3