“Marcus—”
“End of conversation. Now get your dick out of your bra and find a woman to fuck for the night.” He jerks free and strides toward the eager blonde.
After exchanging a few words with her, he helps the young woman to her feet before leading her outside to the fall chill.
I sag back to my barstool. Fuck. Now what?
Is Marcus right? Am I stupidly clinging to the thrill of the past? Maybe I really do need to keep losing myself in pussy…
With a sigh, I turn to the brunette who’s still eyeing me and shift down a couple of stools, ready to strike up a conversation. The only problem? I’m convinced this will merely lead to another insignificant fuck that will still leave me feeling empty tomorrow.
* * *
Monday
Kate
“Are you sure about this?” my older sister, Mariah, asks over the phone. “You’re a long way from home…”
“Stop mommying me. You’ve already got three kids. You don’t need anyone else to worry about.”
“But new city, new job, new everything… It’s a lot of change at once. You sure you’re ready for all that?”
“Boston isn’t Phoenix, I’ll grant you.” I accelerate through a green light.
October is already far cooler than I anticipated, and in the week I’ve been settling into this city, I haven’t found a shred of good Mexican food. The amazing history here compensates for that…mostly. But it’s more. The sense of the unknown, as if I might find something new around the very next corner, excites me. Coming here was the right decision. I feel it. I’m supposed to be in Boston.
“That’s a given,” my snarky older sister says.
I grip the wheel as I head toward the office. I’ve made a couple of practice runs, so the roads aren’t unfamiliar. “That doesn’t make this city bad, just different. But working for Force Financial is—”
“Major.” She sighs. “I know. Landing this job was a coup—and better for you in the long run. I just hate that you’re so far away. I miss you so much. So does the rest of the family.”
I blink back tears. “I miss you all, too. I just needed to get away.”
“You did.” She sounds resigned. “Derrick didn’t deserve you. He was such a—”
“He was.” I have a lot of ways to describe my ex-husband—misogynist, backstabber, and insensitive ass come to mind—but I refuse to care anymore. “He’s also my past. This is a new start, sis, and I’m seizing it.”
“You always were a go-getter. I wish I had half your brains and energy.”
And I’ve always wished I had my sister’s big heart. She married one of the best guys out there and they have three amazing kids. They’re more in love than ever. When Derrick and I split, I flushed my dreams of happily ever after down the drain and vowed to focus on professional fulfillment.
“You’re doing great,” I assure her. “And you’re happy, right? I think I just need to focus on my career.”
I also need to stop wanting what my sister has. Commitment isn’t in the cards for me. Eight years with Derrick, three of them married, and I’m done with men.Sodone. I never saw myself being divorced at twenty-five, but I think the universe is telling me something. I need to listen.
“You deserve happiness, too.”
“I’ll find it—in my way.”
“You will. I have faith in you.”
Despite being over two thousand miles apart, my sister’s love radiates as strongly as if she stood beside me, like it has my entire life. I swallow back a sniffle. “Thanks. I’m driving into the lot now. Wish me luck.”
“You don’t need luck, Katie. Just be you and your first day will be great.”
“Love you.”