Paisley tells Kai more about her life, Kai finds it even more difficult to keep his hands off her. They make out for a little while.
“Did he hit you?”
“Sometimes. If he’d been with me tonight, he wouldn’t have stopped. If I’d ever let him get that close, he’d have….”
“You don’t have to tell me this, Paisley.”
“But I do. He’s a cruel man—brutish.”
“Then why did you take up with a man like that?”
“When his daddy’s the richest man in the county, and owns the town….”
“Gotcha. You do what you’re told.”
“Not entirely. I mean, we went out, and we were gonna get married, but he never—that is, we never…. I held out on him. I told him we weren’t going to do anything until we were married. That’s what made him so angry.”
“Weren’t there other girls around? I mean, why wait for you? Not that you aren’t worth waiting for…. But if all he wanted was sex….”
“Believe me, I’ve asked myself that a million times. I’m cute and all, but I’m not that special. I don’t have money, or land, or influence. Hell, I don’t even have family! There’s only one thing I can figure.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. He wanted virgin pussy.”
Kai gulped. Quite a revealing statement. “Uhh….”
“Now I’ve shocked you. He was my only boyfriend, and we’ve dated for three years.”
“Umm…. Makes me feel even more like a dirt bag prick than I did a few minutes ago. I didn’t know you were a virgin, Paisley. I’m so sorry!”
“Am I angry?” she asked in a matter of fact tone. “Am I yelling at you? Did I threaten you with a baseball bat?”
“No….”
“Then why are you apologizing? It was great,” she admitted softly. “You made me feel wonderful and wanted and beautiful….”
“You’re all those things. And so much more…. I know we just met, but I really like you. And I’m here if you need a—a friend.”
“What if I need more than that?”
“Then what kind of man would I be if I didn’t step up and volunteer? I’m good for a towel, huh? That should be at the top of my job application.”
“What job you applying for?” her tone was teasing.
“I was thinking of applying for the position of your boyfriend. That’s if you’ll have me.”
“Your interview was successful. I suppose you could be, on a trial basis.”
“Cool. Want to go out tomorrow—just me and you?”
“You don’t think that’s a little sudden?”
“I could be subtle, and string you on some, but why be that way? I’ve got tomorrow and Wednesday off from EVAC, then I put in a couple twenty-four hour shifts. I don’t want to wait until next week to go out. I promise, I’ll behave like a gentleman.”
“Not too much of a gentleman,” Paisley murmured.
Kai let the comment slide, not sure he could keep from saying something unforgivably tacky. “What do you say? Dinner and a movie?”
“I’d like that.”
“And I’ll pick you up in the morning. Not taking no on that—I insist. No one ought to have to ride the bus—not when your place is on my way.”
“Okay,” she agreed after a moment. “I’d better let you get to sleep.”
“Ditto. Good night, Paisley.”
“Good night, Kai. Sleep well.”
“I’ll dream of you,” he admitted, then immediately regretted it.
Instead of laughing or getting angry, she sighed. “Me too….”
He hung up, holding the phone close, wondering if she was doing the same. He could smell her perfume on his shirt. The scent filled his nostrils making him light headed and giddy.
“Get a grip, Kai! She’s just a girl!”
Brad was waiting for him when he got in. The rest of the family was asleep. It was unusual for his step-father to stay up after his mother went to bed. Kai closed and locked the door behind him.
“Have a seat, son,” Brad said quietly, motioning to a chair.
Kai obediently sat, wondering what was going on.
“Your mom was telling me about Paisley. Are you aware of her background?”
“Yeah. She’s hiding from an abusive prick of an ex. She’s got a lot of baggage.”
“And then some. She’s a sweet, innocent girl.”
© 2019 Dellani Oakes
Dellani Oakes 