by J. S. Cooper
“I have no clue,” I said and tried to remember what he’d said. “Something complicated, though. You know how relationships are. I think they met at a wedding or something, but something happened.”
“Ooh, I wonder what?” Lacey asked eagerly and I knew she was dying for some gossip. Lacey was the only person I knew who was as excited by gossip about people she knew as she was about people she didn’t know.
“No idea,” I said. “And hey, do you think I should go through with this or not? It seems to me like you’re having doubts.”
“I don’t know,” Lacey said. “I mean, at first I was, like, yeah, bring his ass down a couple of notches. Who is he to lie to you? Jackass. But now, I’m, like, is this a case of sour grapes on your side? But then I remember that someone else hired you for this job before you’d even met him, so it’s not really sour grapes.”
“So do it or don’t do it?” I said, wanting her to tell me what to do. I just didn’t want to listen to myself anymore. I wasn’t sure if I was going through with this job for the right reasons or not. I liked Scott Taylor. He seemed fun. I knew he was sexy. However, he was my boss and he was a man I knew I shouldn’t fall for.
“Go for it,” Lacey said, her answer being the definitive decision to the matter. “I think it will be great. I think you’ll show hottie-mctottie Scott Taylor that he can’t just sleep with you, mess you around and expect everything’s going to be okay. And it’s only a week. Just remind yourself that this is a job. And on Saturday, make him feel the embarrassment you felt. Let the shame burn through him as he does the walk of shame out of his office party.”
“Yeah.” I nodded to myself with a smile. “He’s going to walk out of that room with the biggest boner and I’m going to just stand there and smile as he runs out in shame.”
“Thata girl,” Lacey said and then laughed. “Now I have to go write, but call me later tonight. We have to watch The Bachelor together.”
“Will do. Bye,” I said and hung up. I smiled again to myself as I headed home. Lacey was right. It was only a week. What could go wrong in a week? I’d have some fun with him and then I’d be out of his life. By this time next week, we will have both forgotten about each other.
Chapter S
even
I settled into my couch and turned the TV on and grabbed my phone to call Lacey so we could watch The Bachelor together. It was a pretty sad thing to do, but we loved watching trashy TV shows at the same time and talking about them as we watched. When we lived in the same city, we did it together in person, one of us going over to the other’s house and bringing ice cream and pizza as we settled in for a night of laughter and fun; but now we had to settle for FaceTime chats and whatever snacks we had in our own fridges.
“Hey, it’s me,” I said as she accepted my FaceTime request. I loved the fact that we could video chat as we watched the show without having to sit near a computer.
“Hey, you.” Lacey grinned into the phone and I could see a tub of cookies and cream ice cream next to her. I felt very jealous as I stared at the tub. All of a sudden, I wanted ice cream myself, only I wasn’t lucky enough to have any in my freezer.
“You’re eating ice cream in bed?” I raised an eyebrow at her. “Rough day?”
“Ugh.” She nodded and sighed, her long dark curly hair looking messy around her face. “Very long.”
“What happened?” I asked as I paused the TV. “Sorry I didn’t ask earlier.”
“I’m just fed up about everything.” She sighed. “My book doesn’t seem to be going anywhere and I don’t know what I’m doing with my life anymore. I don’t have a husband¸ I’m not even close to getting married. I have no boyfriend. No money. No nothing. I just feel like a loser.”
“You’re not a loser, Lacey.” I frowned into the phone and lay back, making sure to hold the phone above me so she could see my face.
“You have to say that,” she moaned as she started eating her ice cream. “You’re my best friend.”
“Yes, I’m your best friend, but I don’t have to say that,” I said. “You just have writer’s block, that’s all.” I tried to look at her face to see if she looked depressed or if she was just feeling sorry for herself. That was the only downside with being on the phone. I never really knew what Lacey was feeling if she was down and we were on the phone. She was a good actress and knew how to put a mask on her face. The only way I knew if she was really okay was if I looked into her eyes.
“Yeah, I guess.” She channeled another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth and then smiled into the phone, her brown eyes looking light and mischievous. I felt myself relaxing as I saw her goofy smile. She was okay. I knew it was irrational of me, but sometimes I got worried about Lacey. She was always so chipper, but I knew that she held a lot of insecurities and when she got low, she got really low. She was my rock and I tried my hardest to be the same for her. It was weird how close we were as friends; we’d often talked about what we would do if one of us dated a guy that the other one didn’t like. We both said our friendship came first, but we’d never been tested. I often worried that a man would break up our terrific friendship and I despaired that it was me who would be the weak one.
“What’s so funny?” I asked her suspiciously as Lacey started laughing into the phone. “What are you thinking about?” I asked her, wondering why she was looking so happy all of a sudden.
“I wonder what Scott is going to say when he finds out you’re not really his secretary and rather a sexy actress there to seduce him,” Lacey said and I wondered if she was changing the subject because she didn’t want us to focus on her during the call.
“Uhm, first of all, I’m not really an actress, or at least I’m not a working actress, and secondly, I haven’t been hired to seduce him. It’s not like I’m going to go in there and bend over his desk and say ‘take me from behind’.”
“Why not?” Lacey grinned. “It’s not like you haven’t had sex with him already.”
“I can’t believe you said that.” I shook my head at her. “You’re no longer my best friend.”
“Why not?” She continued grinning. “Because I know you too well?”
“Bitch.” I laughed and groaned. “You do know me too well and yes, a part of me is asking myself why I don’t just have some fun with him this week and to hell with it.”
“Well, why can’t you have the best of both worlds? I mean, you thought he was good in bed, right? Why don’t you have your fun with him this week and then on Saturday give him the lap dance and walk out of his life and make him feel like the biggest fool to hit the planet.”
“You mean I should play him?”
“Yup.” She nodded as she scooped more ice cream into her mouth. “Play the player.”
“That sounds like the name of a movie.” I giggled. “Or a really corny book.”
“Maybe I should write that instead of my current book.” Lacey’s eyes lit up. “I’d have a guy called Scott, who was tall, blond, and fit with bright blue eyes and he’d meet an innocent sweet girl called Elizabeth and he’d try to play her, but she would resist and then—”
“You’ve gotten one thing wrong,” I said, cutting her off. I jumped off of the couch and walked to the kitchen to see what junk food I had. Watching her eating her ice cream was making me hungry.
“Oh?” She frowned.
“There’s no way Elizabeth would resist.” I laughed. “Not if he’s tall and blond, and sexy and rich and fit.”
“She’s a good girl,” Lacey said. “All the girls in romance books are good girls, that’s why the men want them so badly.”
“Maybe that’s what I’m doing wrong?” I said as I opened my fridge. “I’m a bad girl and I’m getting the bad guys.”
“You said Scott was good in bed. So not a completely bad guy,” Lacey said and I rolled my eyes.
“He was hot as hell in bed—he was better than good—but that doesn’t mean he’s a good guy. Or that I’m a good girl. I acted slutty and I got a
jackass.”
“Nothing wrong with slutty,” Lacey said and I frowned into the phone.
“Wrong response; this is when you’re supposed to tell me that I’m not a slut.”
“Oh, yeah, my bad. You’re not a slut.”
“That sounds very reassuring.” I shook my head and laughed. “I’m almost as bad as the girls on The Bachelor.”
“Hey, not all of them are sluts. Some of them are sweet.”
“Which ones?” I asked with a grin.
“Uhm...” Lacey paused and I could tell she was thinking.
“Hey, I’m getting a call,” I said as my phone beeped. “Oh damn, it’s Scott,” I said as I looked at the screen.
“Ooh, Mr. Bad boy himself. Answer it and hurry back and tell me what he wanted,” she said eagerly and I watched as she jumped off of her bed. “I’m going to get some wine, while I wait,” she explained as she walked through her parents’ corridor.
“Okay, hold on,” I said and took a deep breath as my heart raced. “Hello, this is Elizabeth speaking,” I said, acting nonchalant.
“Where are you?” Scott’s voice was annoyed as I answered the phone.
“Sorry, what?” I asked, confused. What had happened to ‘hello’ and the other niceties?
“Where are you, Elizabeth?” Scott’s voice was a monotone and I frowned into the phone. What was he talking about? And with such an attitude, as well.
“Watching TV on my couch,” I said and sat up. “Why?”
“Isn’t there somewhere else you’re supposed to be right now?”
“Uhm, in bed?” I asked, confused.
“Didn’t you read the work contract?” Scott asked again, his tone suddenly amused.
“What did I miss?” I said curiously and then my jaw dropped as I thought about what could have been a part of the contract. “You’re not saying that sleeping with you is part of the job, are you?”
“Would that be so bad?” he asked, his tone teasing. “I thought that would be a perk.”
“Not really,” I said, my tone dismissive as my heart raced. Was he being serious?
“Well, it’s a good thing I’m not asking that of you, then, isn’t it?”
“So why are you calling me?”
“You were supposed to come over tonight for some dictation.”
“Dick-tation?” I screeched, my heart thudding and then I realized I’d heard him wrong. “Oh, sorry, you mean dictation.”
“Yes, Elizabeth. Dictation. Which is one of your job duties. And as your contract said, you’re required to work some nights as well, at my home office.”
“I, uh, must have missed that.” I bit my lower lip and looked at the TV. I really didn’t want to miss The Bachelor as I knew that tonight’s episode was supposed to be juicy from the previews and the show was about to start. “Do you want me to come over now?” I offered, but it was clear from my tone that it was a half-hearted offer.
“No, it’s fine,” he said with a huff, as if he were doing me a favor. “However, I do expect you to come over tomorrow.”
“After work?”
“That’s what I said, Elizabeth,” he said, snapping at me. “Do you have a problem understanding English?”
“That’s not exactly what you said.” I growled into the phone. “You’re an asshole,” I said. “Do you have a problem understanding that?”
“That’s not an appropriate way to speak to your boss, especially seeing as today was your first day.”
“Yes, sir, no, sir, three bags full, sir,” I said under my breath and he laughed. “What can I do for you, sir? Let me know and I’ll get to it right away.”
“You’re learning,” he said. “I’m glad we’re not going to have any issues. Remember you’re the one that didn’t want to discuss what happened this past weekend,” he said softly. “I don’t expect you to take out your girl issues on me.”
“Say what?” My voice was loud. “What girl issues?”
“You know.” He sighed. “The games that you girls play when you don’t get your way. I know all about them. I have a sister that is the queen of miscommunication and immaturity.”
“Are you calling me immature?”
“No,” he said, his tone amused again. “I’m just saying if you have that girly immature bone in your body, don’t try and use it on me. I’m immune, after having grown up with Liv and Alice.”
“I couldn’t care less about playing any sort of games with you, Scott Taylor,” I said, incensed at his comments; he was so darn rude. “I don’t even know Liv and Alice in person and I don’t appreciate you comparing me to them.”
“Aw, you don’t like playing games?” he said, his voice husky.
“Nope,” I said stiffly.
“Not even in the bedroom?” he said, his voice lowering. “Not even in my bed?”
“Whatever,” I said, my stomach tingling with excitement as my brain wanted to scream, Hell yeah, I want to play games with you in the bedroom.
“Would you be saying ‘whatever’ if I told you I have this board game called ‘Do It or Kiss It’?”
“Do It or Kiss It?” I said, curiosity making me ask more.
“You have to do what’s on the card or kiss the body part that you choose from a bag.”
“Oh, okay?”
“So yeah, you could go from taking your bra off to sucking my cock.”
“Scott,” I said, my voice more shocked than it should have been as both tasks sounded pretty good right about then and I’d done both things with him already, “this is not appropriate.”
“Am I making you blush?” he said, his tone low again as if he were trying to seduce me. “Or maybe not? I don’t remember you blushing when I fucked you this past weekend.”
“Really? ‘Fucked’ is the word you’re going to use? Not ‘made love’ or ‘had sex’, but ‘fucked’? Typical man.”
“I would say typical feminist, but I don’t think you are one.”
“Is there anything else I can do for you tonight, sir?” I said, changing the subject. I knew he was trying to rile me up and I wasn’t going to let him do that to me.
“Call me sir again,” he said. “And wear no panties to work tomorrow.”
“You’re so inappropriate,” I said again as I debated in my mind the virtues of going panty-less to work, just to turn him on. I wanted to slap myself for even considering it.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Eliza.”
“Goodbye, Scott.”
“Good night,” he said and then he hung up. I immediately face-timed Lacey again and squealed as she answered.
“What happened?” She frowned as she stared at me. “You had me on hold forever. I had to hang up.”
“Scott called me,” I said and stared into the phone.
“I know, you told me that when you put me on hold.” The corners of her mouth turned up. “What did he have to say?”
“He wanted me to come over tonight,” I said excitedly, though I wasn’t sure why I was so giddy. “He said it was for work stuff, but then he started talking about sex and stuff so I’m sure he was hoping for more.”
“What sex stuff?”
“Sex games, girl.”
“Sex games.” Lacey’s brown eyes looked into the phone with an excited and shocked expression. “What games? Oh shit, is he into kinky stuff?”
“I think he was talking about a board game, but who knows?” I said and laughed, my mind immediately wondering how kinky Scott was and how kinky I would be, given the opportunity.
“Sure, he has a board game.” She laughed. “That’s what they all say. He totally wants you to go over there and suck on his balls.”
“Lacey, you’re gross.”
“No, I’m just honest.” She laughed. “I bet he wants you to suck on—”
“Lacey,” I groaned. “Please do not continue with what you were going to say.”
“Why not?” She giggled. “It’s good for me to talk out my ideas for when I write my book, Play the Player.
”
“I thought you were joking about that.”
“I was, at first,” she said. “But now… now I’m thinking that I’m going to write it.”
“I thought you were writing a literary masterpiece, that was going to go on to win a Pulitzer and a Nobel Peace Prize?”
“Yeah, but maybe what I really need to write is a good-old sexy book.” She giggled. “And make some money and move out of my parents’ house and move and live with you.”
“I’m totally down for that.” I grinned. “And that is a book I would want to read. It would be great.”
“Hmm,” she said. “Do you really think so?” Her voice was soft and I knew then that she wasn’t just joking around. She was being 100% serious. And I have to admit that a part of me was excited as hell.
“I really think so.” I nodded. “You could even self-publish it. You don’t have to get an agent or anything. My friend Betsy-Sue—well, an online friend I met in a wanna-be actress forum—told me that her best friend is an author as well and that she self-publishes books and, girl, she made five thousand dollars last month.”
“Five thousand dollars?” Lacey squealed. “Okay, sign me up.”
“But what about your other book? Your magnum opus?”
“I can write it later. You know I love romance and, honestly, after coming up with my ‘play the player’ title, I’ve been writing down some notes and stuff.”
“Oh, really?” I smiled into the phone, suddenly happy and a bit curious as to when she’d made the notes. She’d only just told me about the idea in the first place. “Then yes, you can tell me ideas you have as you’re writing the book, even those that include descriptions of sucking.”
“And fucking?” She giggled.
“Don’t use the term fucking. It’s so unromantic.” I frowned. “I just said that to Scott as well.”
“You talked to him about fucking?” she said, her eyes wide and I wondered how she was going to write a filthy book if she was so shocked at everyday talk.
“Yes, he talked to me about it. I told him I preferred the term ‘making love’ or ‘having sex’. Well, I kinda told him that.”