The Roommate Switch: An Insta-love Standalone Romance

by Penny Wylder

  As I walk toward the kitchen, my boss flips two fingers for me to come see him.

  “Yes, Mr. Scaramuchi?”

  “You did a great job cleaning that table, Anna. Best I've seen in a long time. How about you go dump that bin, and then go clean table twelve. It needs your tender love and care.”

  “Sure,” I answer. Dumping the dishes in the kitchen sink, I take the bin with me back to table twelve. It's not my table tonight, but I'm not going to argue with him.

  I repeat the same steps as before. Remove dirty dishes, spray the table, then wipe it clean. And again, his eyes are on me. They follow my every move around the room. From table to table, patron to patron.

  “Anna,” he calls out to me from across the room. “You missed this table over here, next to me.”

  I roll my eyes to myself and do as he asks. He's watching me like a sick pervert, undressing me with his eyes as I lean over the table. He licks his lips and nods his head for me to come close.

  I walk toward him, stopping a few feet away. “Yes?”

  “Closer,” he says, slapping the chair beside him.

  “I'm fine where I am.”

  “Anna, I'm not going to bite you.” His lips curl into a thin grin. “Unless you ask me to.” He takes a long stride forward, bringing himself inches from me. “I'd be more than happy to take you in the back and bite you all over.”

  “I think—”

  He cuts me off. “You don't need to think. You're just a stupid girl. A stupid girl who doesn't know what she wants. You’ve been teasing me for days now. You bend over when you know I'm watching. You lean forward so I can see down your shirt.” He makes a slurping noise with his lips that makes me cringe. “I've got a nice bonus to you give. It's in my office. A nice, thick, hard bonus.” He grabs his crotch with his free hand as he holds the glass in the other.

  “Mr. Scaramuchi,” I say sternly.

  He raises his brows high and angles his head. “Yes?” His voice comes out somewhat smooth, crackling from years of smoking.

  “You do know this is sexual harassment, right?” I take a step back, hoping he'll stop before I fucking slug him. The bin is against my hip, my fingers holding it so tight they're white knuckled.

  I'm trying to stay calm and not let the anger I feel bubble to the surface. I really need this job. Maybe he doesn't realize that what he's doing is making me uncomfortable. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt, a thin veil of doubt with a lot of room.

  Ignorance can be a blessing, but it can also be a curse.

  If he's this ignorant that he doesn't see how he makes his staff feel, and how inappropriate his comments are, then someone needs to tell him. It's possible no one has ever stood up to him before.

  “Excuse me?” he coughs out the question, spitting some of his drink back into the glass. “Harassment? You're fucking kidding me, right?”

  “I'm not, I'm serious. You can't talk to me like this.”

  His face turns beet red, brows furrowing hard. Thick lines crease his forehead as his pupils turn to pinpricks. Giovanni clutches his glass with thick, hairy fingers, tipping back the last of his drink in one angry gulp.

  Hissing under his breath, he wipes his wrist against his lips and snaps at me. “My office, now!”

  “No,” I say.

  “What did you just say to me?”

  “I said no. Or has no one ever told you that before?”

  The room goes silent as his outburst draws attention on us. The other waitresses and waiters all stop what they’re doing, shifting their attention our way. But I don’t care. Let them look. Let them realize that this man doesn’t have the right to treat us the way he does.

  His eyes turn to slits as he glares at me with a sick smirk on his face. “I know what your problem is. You need me to teach you a lesson, don’t you? Because I can do that. I can spank you and you can call me Daddy if you’d like.”

  “You’re a fucking perverted little man.” I take a strong step closer, standing a good four inches above him. “I would never let you touch me, not even if you were the last man on earth. The problem is, I'm too damn good for a piece of shit like you.”

  I drop the bucket on the ground, and the dishes all clank together. A few of them break and I can see his eyes widen in shock. Ripping the apron off, I ball it up and throw it at him. Giovanni is standing with his mouth open.

  “You're a sad excuse for a man, and I don't need this shit. I fucking quit.”

  I storm past him, grabbing my purse out from under the bar. The room is still sitting in complete silence. It's so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Giovanni slams the glass on the ground, shattering it to bits.

  His red cheeks are now almost purple from holding his breath, and his eyes glow like fire. “No one talks to me this way! You hear me? No one!”

  “I just did. Now go fuck yourself.” I flip him the bird, lifting my chin and throwing the door open, never looking back.

  I might need this job, but I have too much self-respect to just stand there and let this asshole treat me this way. I'm better than that. I'm better than this job. And I'm better than him.

  As I walk back alone to the apartment, the adrenaline from what just happened starts to fade away, allowing my brain to function again. The realization starts to set in that I have no income.

  My bank account is basically empty. I have no skills to offer this city. I'm a small-town girl who knows horses and gardening. That's it. I don't know anything else.

  What the fuck did I just do? How am I going to pay for anything?

  Tears start to bubble over my eyes. I failed already and I just got here. I'm going to have to move back home and give up on this before my life even begins.

  I hang my head as the tears roll down my cheeks. I've never felt so horrible before in my life. Choices don't seem like choices anymore when I just screwed myself. Ever since I made the decision to do this, my mother stood behind me. She pushed me to go.

  My mother cried with happiness when I told her my idea and what I wanted to do, and now I'm not only letting myself down, but I’m also letting her down too.

  The key shakes in my hand as I try to plug it into the deadbolt. Finally, after a few missed attempts, I get the key in and force my way inside. Dash is sitting on the couch watching television and says something to me as I rush past.

  I ignore him, slamming the door to my bedroom and throwing myself on the bed. My face falls onto the pillow, and I cry. I cry harder than I have in a long time. Tears soak my pillow, drenching the cover and making it cold against my face.

  There's a knock on my door. “Anna? You all right?” Dash asks.

  I don't answer. I'm sobbing too hard to speak. My chest hurts and I can't breathe. All my dreams of living in a big city are quickly turning to dust. Crumbling right before my very eyes.

  “Anna, are you all right?” he asks again, but I still don't answer. “I'm coming in,” he says, opening the door at the same time. He walks straight in and sits on the edge of my bed, then softly touches my shoulder.

  I roll my face away from him, still crying.

  “What's wrong?”

  “Nothing,” I say, my voice hiccupping between breaths and tears.

  “Obviously that's a lie. Tell me what happened?”

  “It's nothing. Don't worry about it. I'll figure it out on my own.”

  His fingers swirl in the center of my back as he shifts on the bed. “I'm sure you will. I don't doubt you'll figure out, but that doesn't answer my question. What happened? Why are you crying?”

  I look up at him over my shoulder. My eyes swollen as I blink. “I quit my job.”

  “Okay, that's it? You hated that place anyway, so why the tears?”

  “The tears aren't just because I quit. Yes, I hated the place, and my boss was an asshole douchebag.” He nods in agreement but stays quiet just listening. “I'm crying because I quit before thinking it through. I just did it, but I should have found another job first. That would have been the s
mart thing to do.”

  “Don't worry, you'll find another job.” His tone is smooth and calming.

  “And what if I don't? What if no one else wants to hire a one trick pony? It's not like I have any skills to offer. And worst of all, I have barely any money. Rent is due in a couple weeks, plus all the other bills I have. I can’t afford to live here if I have no income.”

  “It’s not over yet. You still have time to find something else. And someone will absolutely hire you, I don’t doubt that at all. It’s too soon for you to worry this way.”

  “But it’s not just that.” I flip over so I’m facing him.

  “Then what it is? If it’s not about the job, and it’s not about the money, then what?” The look in his eyes says he’s here for me. He’s with me, he’s not just tuning me out. He cares.

  I exhale a heavy breath and wipe my eyes with my hands. Sniffling, I try to calm myself down so I can explain what the real reason is for the pain and sadness I feel.

  “I’m upset because if I fail, if I can’t do this, and I have to go back home, I’m afraid I’m going to end up like my mother. She’s never gone or done anything. She’s spent her entire life on a farm. And she regrets not seeing the world. I don’t want to live my life with regret. I don’t want to go home and hate myself for losing.”

  “I understand what you’re saying. There are things I want, too. I mean shit, I have a trip waiting for me, but I'm here because my sister needed me. I know I'll get to do the things I want one day, but for now, this is where I need to be.”

  “You're really here for her?”

  “I am, that's what you do when you're family.”

  “You shouldn't wait anymore. You should just do it. Go on your trip. If there's anything I've learned from my mom, it's not waiting for something you want. Do it, Dash.”

  “I plan on it, but this comes first. I'm here until my sister doesn't need me to be anymore.”

  I look up at him as the tears slow to a stop. “It's incredible you put your life on hold for her.”

  He shrugs his shoulder. “You choose what matters most when you need to. I'd do it all over again if she asked me to, and not think twice about it.” He lifts his hand to my face and cups my cheek. “And just so you know, I'm here for you too, if you ever need me. No questions asked.”

  “Really?”

  “Of course.”

  His eyes dart back and forth between mine. Dash licks his lips as his fingers curl around and clutch the back of my head. My heart starts to gallop like a stallion in my chest. He moves his thumb down the curve of my jaw and presses it against the vein in my neck.

  “Your pulse is beating pretty fast.”

  “That's because of you.”

  “I like that,” he says, lowering his face closer to mine. “I like being able to make your heart race.” His lips hover over mine, all while his eyes stay right on me. He grabs my hand and places it on his chest. “You feel that?” he asks.

  “Yes.”

  “That's what you do to me. You make my heart go crazy.”

  I swallow hard as his lips brush mine. He doesn't kiss me yet. He moves his mouth across mine, teasing me, tempting me, making me want him more than I could have ever imagined.

  I want him to erase the hurt I feel. I want him to help me forget the pain and sadness that's trying to live inside my soul. I want Dash to show me that life isn't always kind, but when it is, it makes you warm all over. When you can feel every inch of your being as it lets go and embraces what's standing right in front of it, that's what life wants you to remember.

  I'm ready to let go.

  He licks the shell of my ear. I exhale softly as my eyes close and my breath hitches. Goosebumps ripple down my skin as his fingertips move up my arm and across my shoulder. He's caressing my scalp with one hand, while he touches me ever so lightly with the other.

  My head rolls from one shoulder to the other, my skin bristling as a tingle runs down my spine. I love the way he touches me. I love the way he makes me forget everything else in the world with his lips.

  Dash flutters kisses across my jawline from one ear to the other, sucking my earlobe. He lets out a hot breath of air against my cheek as his fingers massage my scalp harder.

  “Mm,” I moan as he manipulates my head in his hand. It feels so damn good. The sensation spills down through my body, washing away everything else.

  I don't feel sad anymore. I don't feel worried. I don't feel anything but his hands and his lips.

  The tip of his tongue traces my bottom lip. He grabs my lip and plucks it between his teeth. I open my eyes. He smiles. His eyes are sultry, the bright blue now as deep as the ocean.

  “Let me make you forget everything. Let me take it away for you, even if it's just for a little while.”

  He's reading my mind.

  “Please,” I say, keeping my gaze fixed on his. “Make me forget everything.”

  Dash crushes his lips against mine, kissing me hard and fast. His lips are soft and fierce in the same breath. Time stops the second his mouth touches mine. There is no him or me, it's only us. Us in this room. Us on this bed. Just us.

  My senses are addictively entranced in everything that is Dash. The silkiness of his hair as my fingers drive up and through. The heat coming off his skin as he brushes his face against mine. The roughness of stubble as it prickles my cheek.

  I can't get enough. I can't get close enough. I can't breathe him in enough.

  Everything I thought I came to the city for is now a small mound next to this mountain of a man. Right now, I'm here for this, for him, for me—and what I'll never find back home. A man who isn't afraid to take what he wants. A man who isn't afraid to tell you the truth and be there to catch you when you fall. A man who understands that words can change one thing, but a kiss can change a thousand small things at once.

  My hands are under his shirt before I even notice what I'm doing. Touching his hot skin, I run my fingers up his back, then down his ribs and around over his abs. I grab the edge of his shirt and pull it over his head.

  We break our kiss for a single breath, but the second his shirt is off, his lips are right back on mine. His tongue circles mine with long rough licks. I can taste the strong, bold flavor of whiskey on his breath.

  Dash's hands crash into the pillow under my head as he lays on top of me. His lips turn hungry as he moves them down my neck, taking small bites of my flesh. I moan as my back arches with every nibble he takes.

  Electricity surges through my veins, spreading down my limbs until my fingers are numb and my toes tingle. His lips are like fire on my skin, leaving invisible marks I can feel long after his mouth is gone.

  Dash lifts my shirt and guides it over my head. With utter slowness, he runs his tongue down my neck, across the top of my breasts and down the center of my stomach. Every muscle in my body is shaking as his tongue slips across my lower belly.

  He unbuttons my shorts and tugs them down, taking my panties with them. His eyes glow as he looks at my pussy and licks his lips.

  “Fuck, that's beautiful,” he says, blowing warm air over my pussy as he speaks. The tip of his tongue flicks my clit. “You taste so damn good.” He flattens his tongue and drags it down through my folds.

  “Mm,” I moan, biting my bottom lip and pulling it into my mouth. My brain is mush as he laps my juice and licks my pussy from top to bottom.

  Every thought is quickly slapped away by the intense surge of heat that floods my body. He sucks my clit into his mouth, releasing it with a wet pop. My hands clutch the blanket, tearing and ripping as he works my pussy.

  My back arches high off the bed. Dash places his hand on my belly and pushes me back down, holding me in place. I'm close to coming, so close I slam my knees shut, crushing the sides of his skull.

  He pulls his mouth away right before I come. I look down at him with wild eyes, wondering why he stopped.

  “Uh uh,” he tsks me. “Not yet,” he says lifting up on his knees. He pulls his j
eans down, his cock bouncing free as he takes his boxers off. “I want to come with you.” Fumbling with his wallet, he takes out a condom and slips it on.

  I spread my legs open as he crawls up between them. His cock is thick and swollen, thinning the condom to a thin sheen around his length. The tip is so engorged it looks like it's going to explode out the end.

  “Take me, Dash,” I say, my voice low as a whisper. “I need you.”

  “I know you do, and I need you too.” He slowly presses his hips forward, driving his cock into my heat.

  I wrap my arms around his back as he lays himself down and pushes the last inch of his dick inside my pussy. I can feel his cock pulse as he stays still for a moment, allowing my body to adjust around him.

  It doesn't hurt this time, not like the first. This is euphoric, a feeling like nothing I've ever experienced before. My walls tighten around him as he shifts his hips, pulling his cock out to the tip, then slowly pushing back in.

  He's taking his time. Every move is precise, planned, and made to pleasure me. He isn't focusing on himself; he's focusing on me. His eyes are open, watching me as he pistons his hips.

  The tips of his fingers softly brush the outside of my face, his lips kissing me with tenderness. Nothing about this is rushed. I can feel the emotions flowing between us. Sparks fly between kisses; heavy breathing erupts between thrusts.

  Beads of sweat form across Dash's forehead as he starts to move faster, and with more power. He throws his hips forward, going so deep I can feel him in my lower belly. His lips bruise mine as he steals a moan from my mouth with a kiss.

  I can't help but feel that I was meant to meet this man. This feels too right for it to be wrong. I gave him something I've never given to another man, and now, right here as he steals me away with another night of passion, I'm giving him something else.

  A piece of my heart.

  I don't know what tomorrow will bring. I don't know where I'll be next week, or a month from a now, but I know I'll always have this. I'll have this pleasure. I'll have this feeling to look back on. And wherever we end up, a small part of my heart will belong to him.