CHAPTER FOUR
Clint
Two days pass after the get-together at Harris’s place and it’s kind of hard on me. Although before the party, I possess a pretty damned strong resolve not to get involved in a relationship at the current time because I have to get my business processes transitioned so I can work remotely from this town and still accomplish all I want to accomplish, now I don’t have the resolve I ought to.
The party reminds me of what it is like to have a little girl. Sure, that creates a great deal of wistfulness but there is a lot more than that involved.
Well, there’s just one thing more than that involved.
Billie.
Billie is involved now.
In what universe does the girl I’m lucky enough to enjoy for a wonderful night that leaves me desperate for more turn out to be a little girl? In what universe is she not only a little girl but also a little girl who shows up at the first DDlg gathering I attend?
This is so wonderful.
Or maybe it’s so screwed up.
Hell, it’s hard to tell because there’s definitely a connection between the two of us. In fact, it’s the connection between the two of us that scares us both. Just like me, she has a full plate. What I wouldn’t give to magically move a year or so forward in time so we both can just give each other a shot without worrying about risking everything else we’ve got going on!
These thoughts fill my mind while I’m just hanging out in the little studio apartment above my parents’ garage. I don’t live here. I live in the main house. I guess it’s above my garage now since my parents retired and live in Alaska so they can be close to my sister and my nieces, their grandkids. I’m just clearing away stuff stored here so I can make use of the little apartment, either rent it out or turn it into an office. Okay, that’s not true. I’m not clearing away stuff. I’m supposed to be clearing away stuff. Instead, I’m just hanging out and thinking about Billie.
A thought hits me and I dial her number without thinking.
“Clint?” she answers.
She recognized my number. She actually saved it on her phone when I texted it to her. “Uh, hi.”
“Hi.”
“Sorry,” I say. “I just was thinking. What if the lots you want to buy are sold before you have the down payment?”
I can almost see the smile on her face. She’s glad she has the answer. “I have them under option. They can’t sell for another six months. I can also extend the option for six more months if I have to.”
“Wow,” I say. “That was really smart.” I mean it genuinely. It is smart.
“Is that really why you called?”
I feel my cheeks grow hot with embarrassment. “I’m… well, in my business, I… Yeah, I mean, it’s why I called.”
She laughs and says, “Mr. West, are you calling to make sure my business plans don’t fail?”
I chuckle and say, “Yeah, that’s me. Mr. Helpful.”
She laughs again and says, “I’ll tell you what, Mr. Helpful. I’ll email you the numbers and you can look them over while I work. My shift doesn’t end until one, but if you’re really concerned, I can stop by after and you can tell me if I’m missing anything.”
“Sounds great!” I say with so much enthusiasm that my cheeks grow hot again.
She giggles and says, “Okay, I’ll see you later, Clint.”
I spend the rest of the day restless. I plan to nap before she arrives so I’m not tired when she gets here but I’m too anxious to sleep, so instead, I tidy up the place, work out, and shower.
I waffle between hopeful enthusiasm and debilitating worry. I want this girl and part of me is eager to throw caution to the wind and try for a relationship while another part of me is terrified that I’m moving things too fast and I’m going to put both of us in a position neither of us is ready for.
Another part of me just wants to fuck her again. That’s the part of me I’d normally ignore or at least make subordinate to the desire for a relationship but today it’s the part I try to focus on.
Casual sex is fine. Casual sex is good. We both agree we like screwing each other and we both agree we’re not ready for a relationship, so let’s shut our emotions off and let our bodies take over. Why not?