bitch. I followed you around to protect you!”
Okay, I did not see that coming. “Protect me? That skinny little girl with the bright pink retainer wanted to protect me?” I threw my head back and laughed at the visual. Teenaged Rocky couldn’t protect me from a ladybug.
“Not physically,” she snapped in irritation. “More along the line of keeping you in line.”
I bit my lip and narrowed my eyes, trying to get a read on her. “Why are you denying it, Rocky? Your bad side is desperately trying to get out. I mean, why else do you think you kissed me?”
“Like I said, I was caught in the moment.”
“Because I always represented your rebellious nature. Think about it; once your inner self saw me, she couldn’t contain herself!” Wow, I really should have gone to college and earned a degree in bullshit. I probably could have become a politician or something.
“Inner self? When the hell did you get into all this philosophical crap?”
Then again philosophy would have been good too.
“As odd as it sounds, I feel responsible for stunting your growth. Without me, you’d have remained the seventeen-year-old I left behind.” Without the warm air from the heater, the warehouse began to cool considerably. Rocky’s perky little nipples hardened enough to poke against the thick fabric of her sweater. Resolve weakening, my eyes dropped down to admire the sight. “Well, not all parts.”
“Is there a point to this?” she asked, completely oblivious to my gawking.
“My point is I want to prove to you that you never needed me to explore your rebellious side. It was always deep inside. It was in your soul.”
“This is the weirdest after school special ever.” She let out an exasperated breath.
If I wasn’t head deep in my ‘philosophical crap’ I could have laughed. “You wanted to be friends again, right? Like old times?”
“Yeah.”
Friends…such a bad word.
“Okay then. From this moment on, we are once again Rocky and Jesse…and Stephanie. I will show you that once we hang out together, it’ll awaken that little vixen I know you have inside you. Just give me some time to figure out how to get her out of whatever cage you put her in. I’ll show you there’s a rebel there. Shit, she showed herself on N-Y-E.”
“And then you left…again,” she pointed out.
“I promise I’ll never do that again.”
Liar!
Still looking doubtful, she asked, “What does any of this have to do with Ethan?”
“Ethan?” My gaze snapped up from her chest. Really? She had to bring him up now?
“You said that now you can see why I always acted a certain way with Ethan.”
“Oh.” My mouth curled into a perfect circle. “Um, just forget about it.”
“What? Why?”
“I said forget about it.” There was no way I’d admit that I was jealous of the motherfucker. He had nothing standing in his way, but I had the whole world against me. Before she could push further, I quickly headed toward the Dungeon. Once I stepped inside and wrapped the stupid apron around my waist, I realized just how stupid I was acting. There I was, working in a store I hated, doing work I hated, and for what? To push the girl I loved away?
I really was such an idiot.
Chapter 23
Well my sense of idiocy tripled if not quadrupled within the next few days while her parents were away on a business trip. In my quest to prove my warped theory about her inner diva—as well as have some fun with her—I not only freaked her out with sex toys but practically drowned her in foam genitalia, butt plugs, and cock rings.
Rocky was furious, and I mean the ‘I-will-kill-you-while-you-sleep’ type of furious. Though my initial joke of shoving some bachelorette party favors in her face was pretty harmless and even resulted in a sale, I guess I did draw the line by booby trapping her workspace with more serious toys. The, ahem, type for professionals, if you know what I’m saying.
I knew she was ready to pounce on me from the moment I heard her scream my name over the intercom system. Truth be told, I was a bit scared and took my time walking toward the middle of the store. By the time I made it to the main register, Rocky was beet red and shaking with fury.
I gulped before asking, “Hey, boss. You wanted to see me?”
“What the hell is your problem?” she demanded.
I wish I could say what happened next was a mature, decent conversation where I was able to