Breaking up with My Boss - Alexis Winter Page 0,24
stand up in the room as my dress falls back into place. I go to put my panties on but decide against it. I need some cool air on all these hot patches under my skirt. I leave the salon and head out to get in the Uber I’d already arranged. He drives me back across town and I notice the time on the dash. Looks like I’ll make it just in time for dinner. I didn’t make it to the shopping part of the day since everything else took so long. I guess I’ll have to go in the morning before my gym session.
I want to be mad about the gym, but the truth is, it’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. I just couldn’t afford it. Living alone meant I had to pay for everything myself: rent, food, personal necessities. There wasn’t a whole lot of wiggle room, and most of the time, I found myself broke by the time my next paycheck showed up. At least now I can save all that money I would’ve been spending. Maybe by the end of this, I’ll be able to afford a better place. Or I can stay where I’m at and live in comfort for a while. I just hope I don’t get too spoiled with all the gourmet meals and that deep bathtub.
I walk into his apartment and find him in the dining room, where I knew he’d be.
“Hey, how’d it go today?”
I take a seat beside him. “It went,” I breathe out, making my plate of grilled chicken and salad.
“Your hair looks nice,” he says, eyes drifting over my face and upper body. “Nails too.”
“Thanks.” I hold out my hand, looking at the nails. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to do anything with these damn things on.”
He chuckles. “Then why’d you get them? You could’ve just painted your real nails.”
“I know. Just wanted to try something new,” I say fanning them out and staring at them again.
“How do you like your hair?”
I shrug, indifferent. “It’s fine. It’s not the first time I’ve had highlights.” I go back to eating, not wanting to talk to him since I’m still smarting over the embarrassment he caused when he rejected me.
He sets his fork down and takes a deep breath. “So you were treated well at the spa?” It’s clear he’s reaching for something to talk about.
I push away from the table, deciding I’m not very hungry. “Everything was great. I think I’m going to go shower. I still have sticky wax all over my body.” I stand and start toward the door.
He laughs. “How was the wax? Was it as painful as you thought it’d be?”
I don’t know what comes over me, but I spin around to face him. “The wax wasn’t so bad. See?” I flip up my dress, flashing him a peek at the lightning bolt.
I watch as he processes what’s happening. His eyes fall from mine down to the storm zone. His mouth drops open and his eyes stretch wide.
“Perfect, right?” I ask, turning and walking away—leaving him shocked. I have no idea why the hell I just did that, but I can’t help the giddiness I feel as I retreat to my room to be alone. The look on his face was worth it.
I shower quickly and get out to dry. I blow-dry my hair, feeling that I have time to put in a little extra effort. Blow-drying makes it soft and it lies down perfectly, unlike what it usually does since I always just go to bed with it wet. I smother my body in a thick, heavy lotion, wanting to soothe the ache in my skin from having my hair ripped out, and I admire my lightning bolt. I think it describes me perfectly—like the storm I am. Matthew doesn’t even know what he’s gotten himself into. By the time I’m done with him, he’s going to be paying me to get out of his house.
Late Sunday morning, I wake up to find him already gone. There’s no note anywhere that I can see. I eat breakfast alone, then decide I’m not up for the gym today. I’m tired from a lack of sleep last night. Every time I fell asleep, I only dreamed of how we got too close on Friday night. As if that wasn’t enough torture, thinking I was going to get what I wanted only to have it ripped away was just another embarrassing