“Jules –” Indy said my name, her grin had gone uncertain.
“I need his number,” I announced.
“What?” Roxie asked.
“Give me his cell number!” I shouted. “Who’s got his number?”
Everyone started pulling out their phones.
“I have his number,” Indy told me.
“I don’t have his number,” Daisy said, but she was still digging through her purse as if she could help.
“I wish I had his number,” Tod put in.
“Here it is,” Indy said and recited the number.
I punched it in then walked out of the room, down the hall and saw the blue room’s blind was closed. I went to the yellow room, it was free so I walked in, shut the blinds, closed the door and put my back to it. Then I hit the green button.
It rang, once.
“Yeah?”
“Vance?”
“You called me, Princess, who else would it be?” he asked, his amused voice was silk.
“We have to stop seeing each other,” I told him.
Silence.
I waited. Then I waited some more.
My emotional Rottweiler had torn free of his chains and he was barking, snarling, drooling, jumping around and ready to attack.
When he still didn’t say anything, I called, “Vance?”
“Why?” he asked.
“What?”
“Why?” he repeated, this time there was impatience in his tone.
“This isn’t going to work,” I said, as if that was an explanation.
“Why?” he obviously realized it wasn’t an explanation.
Because I like you a lot. Because you’re beautiful and strong and make me feel things I can’t allow myself to feel. Because you listen to me in the moonlight like every word I say forms a drop of nectar. Because you’ve lived a shit life and come out the other side to be someone amazing. Because now you live a dangerous life with a scar on your back to prove it and I can’t afford to lose anyone else that means something to me, I thought.
“I can’t explain it,” I said.
“Try.” His voice was beyond impatience now, it was short and clipped.
“Okay then, I’m not going to explain it because I don’t have to. It just isn’t going to work.”
More silence and I could actually feel the anger coming through the phone.
Then he said, “You’re mine tonight.”