by Nella Tyler
“The nineties called. They want their hangout spot back!” Donovan replied.
“Listen! We have a deadline and we need to talk about this!”
“Come on, Tim. You know if you were in our position, you would be way worse,” Carly retorted.
“Yeah, we’re going easy on you.”
I rolled my eyes. I knew they were right, but I couldn’t find the spirit in me enough to laugh along with them and be amused. “This is the best I’ve got! My father doesn’t have internet at his house,” I complained.
“Does your mail come by plane?” Donovan asked and teased, in his best Southern accent. “Do y’all meet fer grub at the Quickie Mart?”
I didn’t even dignify that with an answer. Instead, I gave them a blank stare until they realized I wasn’t going to play into their game any longer.
“Okay. I’m sorry, dude. Were done.” Donovan cleared his throat, trying to sound as though he wasn’t stifling another laugh.
“Good,” I huffed. “Because we have a lot to do and only a little bit of time to do it in. Two weeks, and with the shit this program has already put us through, I’ll be surprised if it doesn’t take us every bit of that time to finish it. But, we will finish it. I promise you that.” I narrowed my eyes and hoped the crappy coffee shop Wi-Fi kept up enough with the feed to be able to show the sincerity in my expression.
“Don’t worry. Don had a breakthrough last night. I think we will finally be able to break down the firewalls enough to reconfigure the core of the program remotely,” Carly insisted, almost as though she was covering for Donovan.
This made me wonder briefly if they had slept together in my absence. However, my second thought was consumed by wonderment of, if that was the case, why the hell they’d think I’d care. Whether I was here or there, what Donovan stuck his dick in and who Carly received was none of my concern. Knowing personally the lack of talent in Carly’s attempt at receiving made me feel bad for Donovan, but that was the extent of my emotional range toward the subject.
I did think about giving them hell for my suspicions, figuring it was only fair, but quickly decided against it. I didn’t want to be personal with either one of them, especially here, in the middle of Bum-Fuck-Egypt with bored, prying eyes and listening ears around every corner.
So, instead, I focused on what actually needed to get done in the real world, away from all of this boring as hell, go sink in a mud hole because there’s nothing better to do.
“This is a big deal. If something happens with this client, it could be a domino effect and that could end up being catastrophic.”
“I told you, we’re taking care of it,” Donovan answered. “We got the schematics you sent over and we’ve been running trials. Like Carly said, I had a good breakthrough last night and I think I might actually be able to figure out how to reverse-engineer the system to create the back door we need.”
“Good. I’m glad. I’ll keep working here on my end…” I watched their faces contort with a certain degree of humor and I rolled my eyes, figuring I should say something to them before they did. “Yeah, I’ll keep doing the best I can from the year 1999 and you keep forging new frontiers in the new millennium.”
There were a few snickers that reached my headset, but my aggravation was certainly able to limit their reactions. “Is that all?” I snapped, sensing a smart-ass answer from Donovan that I simply didn’t want to hear.
“Yeah, I guess…” he replied as I watched a slightly slow, pixilated version of him raise and lower his shoulders while the audio crackled.
I decided hastily that was probably a good thing, considering the connection seemed to be breaking up. The thought that this was the result of a storm caused me to cringe. I hadn’t had to deal with crap like that since…well, since I had left here for the civilized world.
“Good,” I huffed, before deciding to soften my tone. “And thanks, both of you. I wouldn’t be able to get this done if you weren’t such dedicated workers. I am really counting on you, and you are delivering spectacularly.”
“We’ll remind you of that when it’s time to give us a raise,” Carly teased.
“Or…you know, hire full time,” Donovan added.
“Wow…look at you growing a set of balls,” I teased, looking at Donovan the best I could. “Don’t you think so, Donnie? Before I left, she would've never talked to me that way.”
“It must be the computer screen. It gives her technological courage,” he responded without missing a beat. I laughed, knowing I was getting too friendly with them, but simply so happy to be talking to people who understood me that I didn’t care.
“All right, well, it looks like I’m probably going to be here another three weeks, but I’ll keep you posted, especially if there is any change in plans.”
“Sounds good, Boss!” Donovan answered.
“I’ll keep ‘em in line,” Carly replied. Again, I thought about teasing them, but decided against it. Instead, I said goodbye and logged out of the call.
It was a lucky thing, too, because I disconnected my chat with them only a few moments before the internet crashed. I snickered, feeling lucky that I wouldn’t have to try to live that one down. It was bad enough that I was only a step above dialup out here. If they had found out the place had only sprung for the cheapest package, I would’ve never heard the end of it.
Still, with everything going on, both inside my head and around me, in the coffee shop and the civilized world, there was a thought that domineered my brain. I knew I shouldn’t be worried about it, but for whatever reason, I couldn’t get the thought of Jenna out of my head.
It still bothered me immensely that she had thrown me out of the house. I couldn’t understand why.
That had never happened to me before, and I had slept with lawyers, doctors, and even the occasional California swimsuit model. I had my pick of the litter, complete with snobbish personalities and woman-lib confidence. I had been with multiple women at a time and some of the self-proclaimed pedigrees in a state where being ugly was practically a crime. I had even been with desperate housewives, starved for affection, only moments before their husbands were supposed to be home.
Yet, not one of them had ever even tried to throw me out. There wasn’t one who had such audacity and yet, this…beautiful, real, exciting, hometown hick from North Carolina thought nothing about excusing me from her bed.
Maybe she’s dating someone…I thought, drawing a new perspective. I knew I definitely wouldn’t want to face off with an angry hillbilly, likely wielding a shotgun. However, in my experience, most women in this situation would simply wait for their husbands to come home. Revenge sex was a fairly common practice – even if the man had yet to comprehend exactly what she was seeking revenge for.
I had the thought that maybe she was different, but that thought prompted a more cynical insistence. If she was that fucking different, she wouldn’t have been with me in the first place.
I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help the needling insistence that my mind was wandering in the wrong direction. Hayden said she was single.
Where I lived, that wouldn’t mean much. He could be right when he thought it and wrong by the time the thought crossed his lips, but here, word traveled way too quick. The only reason Hayden would’ve told me false information would be if he was lying, and people around here only lied in the form of omissions. Even then, it was usually reserved for recipes, bra sizes, and dieting.
For the majority of the gossipers, the truth concerning other’s misfortunes was simply far too good to omit or lie about.
Besides, Hayden wasn’t like that. He might have loose lips when it came to idle chatter, but he was honest and loyal; probably part of the reason he didn’t want anything to do with the women in this damn town.
Therefore, I knew that having a relationship couldn’t be the problem. Yet, I refused to believe that it had anything to do with me.
Eventually, I decided that I simply had to see her again – even if it wa
s for the last time. I had to end it on my terms, or I was certain it would haunt me forever.
Chapter 18
Jenna
The next morning, I felt the sun shine in my window, warming the covers and spreading evenly over my already glowing skin.
Remembering the essence of the night before, I felt a grin pass over my features. I squeezed my eyes shut and slid my hand over the bed, searching for the warmth I had found in the heat of the night, the passion still burning through me, a lustful cinder, yearning to be reignited.
However, as my hand glided over the sheets and eventually underneath a pillow, cooled by disuse, I remembered what had happened. I didn’t regret throwing him out. In fact, I was pleased that I had. Yet, that didn’t stop the yearning for more.
Instinctively, I leaned over, drew in a deep breath, and caught a whiff of his cologne. My beam brightened as I snuggled deeper into my own pillow, reminiscing about the night before.
What a night… I felt my cheeks redden from the memory and my heart palpitate faster with the need to feel his nakedness against me once again. I closed my eyes, pulled the covers up, and in the warmth, I thought about what it was like to have Tim on top of me.
Reaching my hand down my stomach, I felt a pressure weighing in on my femininity. The memory of his muscular, tan, toned body on top of mine sent chills up my heated body and caused my loins to contract.
I yearned to feel his skin pressing against my nakedness and draw from the heat of his rippling physique, allowing him to take me, fully and completely.
I groaned, knowing I had never felt quite like that before but was discouraged at the idea that the reason was likely because he’d had a lot of practice. As much as I wished that the experience was bred from a unique form of intimacy, I knew that wasn’t likely.
Still, the memory remained and that was one thing that I refused to discredit.
Yet, the thought of how many other vaginas Tim had likely entered in order to gain the skill set for such a perfect night had doused the fire cultivating in my pelvic region. I sighed and rolled my eyes, reaffirming my decision that a one-night stand was all that would ever come of the fling. As wonderful as it was, tempting fate’s good fortune by trying to outdo perfection was a fool’s errand.
So, I got up, got dressed, and headed over to my sister’s house for another day out with the girls – the perfect remedy, I thought, for any looming doubts that might creep up.
When I arrived at Michelle’s, I barely had a moment between ringing the bell and catching Kassie in my arms. The girl must have been right by the door, since it flew open almost immediately with the four-year-old flying righty behind it.
“Aunt Jenna!” she exclaimed, as though she hadn’t seen me in weeks.
“Hi, Kassie!” I giggled, hugging her tightly and stepping into the house.
“What did I tell you about…” Michelle yelled as we stepped through the doorway, but when she saw me, she stopped. “Oh…hi, Jenna.”
Running up to me, she threw her arm around my neck in a hasty hello, before turning back to her daughter. “Kassie! What did I tell you about answering the door without knowing who it is?”
“I knew who it is, Momma…” she answered, playing with her fingers in a nervous manner.
“How is that?”
“Maybe she’s Supergirl and has x-ray vision!” I suggested in a teasing voice, trying not to start my day off with my niece getting reprimanded. I was in far too good a mood for any of that.
“Yeah!” Kassie answered. “I gots x-ray vision…” She laughed at me before looking at her mother and asking in a lower tone. “What does that mean?” The two of us laughed and she looked between us in a confused manner.
“I saw your car pull up…does that count?”
“X-ray vision means you can see through walls,” I answered.
“Ohhhh…” She giggled. “I never tried that before,” she admitted as she slid down to the ground and concentrated on the door, that was now shut behind us. I snuck around to see through the window as Kassie concentrated.
“What do you see?” Michelle prompted. “You look like you're really trying…”
“I see…I see…” She squinted and walked closer to the door. “I see a person walking a puppy…”
“Oh really?” I asked, and she looked at me hopefully.
“Was I right?”
“Believe it or not, yeah!” I answered, but as she ran towards me, I told her, “Hurry up, hurry up! You’re gonna miss them!” I giggled, making sure to explain that the person and the dog had rounded the corner before she was able to climb up to the window.
At first, her shoulders sagged and she huffed a sigh. She thought for a moment in silence before finally, she turned and replied with confidence. “I knew that! I just wanted to see if I could get there super quick.”
“Well, you might need to practice that a little,” I replied, trying to sound convincing.
“Yeah, I can’t do everything,” she admitted. “At least, not right away.”
“Come on, let’s go get some brain food in you, Supergirl,” Michelle answered, returning to the kitchen.
“That sounds good!” I answered as my stomach rumbled.
“Yeah…after last night, I didn’t think I’d hear from you for a long time,” Michelle teased, her lips curling up with suggestion.
“It was a fun night,” I replied, returning the smirk.
“Why? What did you do?” Kassie asked, her small feet shuffling hastily behind us.
“I…uh…” Before coffee and sufficient food, I was easily ensnared in the question and lost to the inability to speak the truth.
Thankfully, Michelle came to my aid. “Aunt Jenna had a friend over last night. I thought they might have stayed up late.”
“Did you eat lots of candy?” Kassie asked, her innocence gleaming through with magnificent valor.
To be that genuine again, I thought with an inward sigh.
“Yeah…as a matter of fact, Kassie, I did.”
“Did it give you a stomachache?”
“No. It was just the right amount,” I answered.
“I think Aunt Jenna needs some coffee!” Michelle insisted, pouring the cup and pushing it into my hand, trying to figure out how to stop this conversation.
“It was fun, but I think we need to eat before breakfast gets cold,” I said and decided it would be best not to say anything else until after we ate.
When Kassie was finally done, after the normal mealtime bargaining, I turned toward my sister, practically dying to tell her. “That girl…she doesn’t miss a trick.” Michelle grinned with pride. “Just like someone else I know.” Her eyes fell on me meaningfully as I laughed.
“Yeah, well, I think she might be a little smarter than I ever was.”
“That and she has an aunt who uses code words with about as much blatancy as if she told her exactly what happened.” Michelle playfully smacked my arm.
“I’m sorry, I was excited. I wanted to talk to you.” I felt my cheeks redden and burn with embarrassment.
“I’m just teasing you. So, hurry up, before she comes back! What the hell happened last night?”
“Oh God, Michelle…” I replied, shaking my head in an attempt to explain myself. “We went to dinner and talked—”
“Did you make him take you to get a cheeseburger?”
“Yeah,” I offered earnestly, “I was starving and hadn’t had time to eat even fast food in months!”
Michelle rolled her eyes. “Okay. Whatever. Fast-forward to the good part. Did your…friend go to your house?”
“Yeah. That’s where we ended up.” I grinned, deviously, “I also started the first game…”
“You?” Her eyes said far more than her words.
“Yes. But he was quick to catch up. He was…very competitive.”
“Satisfying?”
I groaned, feeling weak in the knees, simply thinking about our night together. I closed my eyes and slid my hand acros
s my forehead.
“So, are you going to go to his house next time?” Michelle asked, drawing me out of my reminisce.
I stared at her intently, with a seriousness etched deep in my expression. “No.” About this, I was adamant.
“What?” She sounded completely surprised, as if she had no idea why I wouldn’t want to see him again. “If he was so wonderful—”
I rolled my eyes, interrupting her and deciding that if she needed the explanation, I would spell it out for her.
“Well, there’s a school of thought that says a memory is better than an experience. We had a great game. To the best of my knowledge, we are both satisfied. Why would we want to screw that up?”
“Really? He was perfect, so you never want to…play a game with him again, because you feel that it won’t be as satisfying?” She narrowed her eyes. “Did you only like the game?”
“No, it’s not that,” I answered quickly. “I think I liked him…almost as much as the game, and that is the problem.”
When Michelle responded with a look of confusion, this time I was sure she wanted me to tell her more than I was revealing, but I wasn’t sure what to think.
“Sure, I like him, but I don’t want to.”
“Why? Do you think he…cheats at more than just games?”
“I think his entire life is a game,” I answered honestly. “I called him out on it at dinner and he seemed to like it, in a way.”
“Were things better after that?”
“Much better, but that still doesn’t stop me from wondering if it was just another tactic.”
Michelle shrugged. “I dunno. According to Gavin, his best friend Hayden thinks the world of him and no one can ever figure out why. When he left, everyone was mad at him, thinking he abandoned them, but Hayden said that wasn’t true…that Tim was destined for good things and that he would remember us.
“When he did make it big, we found out that Hayden was right. Tim started to give to charities and help kids from around here to follow their dreams. The only reason Hayden and his family are still here is because they want to be. I have no doubt that he would do anything for his friend. Maybe you saw the real Tim Meck last night.”