If the next cute and fuzzy thing wasn’t enough for that, I always had orgasms to fall back on.
Lots of fucking orgasms.
Until her body was buzzing and her head was fuzzy.
Then maybe she could let me in on what was going on.
Then, yeah, I could handle it.
But, first, a little sleep.
Then a trip to Rey’s house.
Then likely to the pet store.
And, finally, to the park to meet up with my girls.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Theo
“Theodora,” my father hissed as soon as I walked into the office where he was already hard at work.
I’d had a spiel in my head saved. I’d even sucked in my breath to start speaking as soon as I walked in.
He was just faster.
“I was in a car accident yesterday,” I told him, holding up a hand. “I’m fine,” I insisted as his gaze roamed over me, his eyes wide. Worried? I think they were worried as well. Which had no right to make my heart squeeze in my chest.
But, well, I guess that no matter what kind of bad blood there might be between the two of you, sometimes your father giving a shit gave you the warm and tinglies.
“You don’t look fine,” he said, even though I’d really tried my hand at covering up the bruises with some old makeup that, unfortunately, was not meant for the task, so I knew that I might as well go and wash it off.
“Gee, thanks,” I said, dropping his coffee on the desk beside his hand.
“Why didn’t you call me?” he asked, tone so low that I thought I’d misheard him.
“What?”
“Why didn’t you call me?” he asked. “You just… sat in a hospital all alone all night?”
“Well, for a few hours anyway. They released me in time to go to work.”
“You went to work after a car accident?” he asked, voice raising a bit, getting upset. Which made no sense.
“Yeah. I was fine. I just had a migraine.”
“For chrissakes, Theodora,” he hissed, reaching up to rake a hand through his hair. “What is the point of you being here if you can’t call me when something like this happens?”
It was the first time I’d heard anything even resembling a curse out of the man. He was usually so damn proper.
“I…” I started, shaking my head to knock my thoughts loose. “I’m not used to having anyone around to call,” I admitted.
“Your mother…” he started. “Before…”
“Mom couldn’t exactly be relied on before she died,” I said, shrugging. “I’ve been on my own for a long fucking time,” I said, surprised at how thick my voice sounded at that admission. “So I just… handle it all myself,” I told him.
“Well, you don’t have to do that anymore. You have me.”
For the time being.
And how awful would it be to start to have someone I could actually count on, someone who would come when I called, someone who gave a shit, only to lose them again.
Wouldn’t it almost be better to just… never have it?
“Okay,” he said, reaching for a notepad and one of his fancy pens. The kind you refilled the ink of, not the cheap plastic disposable kind. “What is the information for your insurance company?”
“My… insurance company?” I parroted, confused.
“To start a claim,” he clarified.
“Honestly, that car isn’t even worth the headache of going through that.”
“Okay then. I still need your insurance information.”
“Why?”
“So I can cancel your policy,” he said.
“I can—“
“Theodora,” he said, tone frustrated, like he was barely holding onto patience with me.
“Okay,” I said, walking over to show him my insurance app with all my information on it.
“What is this?” he asked after he was done, and my most recent browser window was visible.
“Bus schedules.”
“Absolutely not,” he said, rolling his eyes.
“What?”
“You’re not taking the bus.”
“I need to get around. To run errands. Go to work…”
“I have four cars in the garage. Take your pick.”
“What? No. That’s… that isn’t part of the arrangement.”
“The arrangement was just how to get you to agree to being here. You’re the one who is clinging so tightly to it, not me,” he told me, going into his top drawer to pull out an envelope filled with cash.
“What’s this?” I asked as he pushed it toward me.
“The money you’ve insisted on paying me in rent,” he said, shaking his head. “Did you really think I was going to deposit it?”
Okay, looking back, it was kind of laughable. I mean… the man had four cars. He had a multi-million dollar house.
For God’s sake, he spent more in cheese a month than I was paying him in rent.
“Take this back, and buy yourself something with it. Or your pig.”
“My… what?” I asked, eyes huge.
“Come on, now, did you really think every inch of these grounds aren’t covered with cameras? And that I didn’t see your friend smuggling in a piglet?”
“I… know I should have asked,” I said, stomach clenching hard. I detested the idea of begging. I had too much pride. But for Rosita, I was not above it. “Please don’t make me get rid of her. She’s harmless. She hasn’t caused any damage.”