couldn’t have been good. Noelle and I didn’t need to get caught up in it. I laughed when I pictured Warren in some random corner of the casino hiding, but when I voiced that, Noelle scowled.
For a second, I felt bad for my boy. All this going on with these two girls wasn’t a good look for him. “He’s not a bad guy.”
“I never said he was.” Noelle sounded conversational, not defensive, when she continued, “And Teresa isn’t crazy.”
The nature of the conversation was absolutely fucking lame. I didn’t want to talk about our friends, but I was too happy with how easy our words flowed to complain.
“I never said she was.” I bumped her shoulder, smiling. Warren was the one who thought her girl was psychotic even though he had no room to talk. I didn’t have an opinion of her either way, but I didn’t want Noelle to get defensive, either. I didn’t need anything petty causing more problems or friction between us.
“So, what kind of work do you do?”
We continued, but I almost stopped to glance at her. I’d never met anyone who could jump in and out of a conversation like her.
“What kind of work do I do with what?”
“Upstairs. You said you were working. Is it OK to ask? Or is it some ancient Chinese secret?”
Her random comment made me smile, but I caught her cringe, look away, and mumble something under her breath.
“Well, it’s nowhere near exciting as an ancient Chinese secret.” I bumped her shoulder again. What I wanted to do was hold her hand, show her a little affection to calm her, but I stuffed my hands in my pockets. Things were going good. No need to push it and remind her we should be fucking with each other. We had all weekend for that.
“I’m an accountant. I’ve been at this job for two years, though.” I wanted to leave it at that. I was too embarrassed to admit how my dad pulled some strings to get me my job. Working where I did and making my salary was unheard of this early in my career.
Noelle wasn’t the type to let things go. She lifted an eyebrow.
So I continued, “Since I’m new, I have to work as much as I can to prove myself to everyone.”
Noelle stopped dead in her tracks. It unnerved me in a way and pissed off the couple who’d been behind us. They mumbled something as they passed, but we ignored them.
“What?” I looked over my shoulder and then at her. She was grilling me with this hard stare. “What?”
“You went to school, right? And graduated?”
I nodded but pursed my lips. Where was she going with this?
“Then next time someone questions you, makes you feel like you have to prove something to them, you show them your degree and nothing else. Don’t work yourself into the ground for anyone. Not your parents or your bosses. Nobody. Because when the time comes, they’ll have no problem replacing you and shitting on everything you’ve worked for.”
I felt and heard the emotions and passion from her tirade, which clearly had nothing to do with me and everything to do with her.
Her eyes were unblinking, her jaw tense, and her nostrils flared. She was a bull, and in this scenario I was both the china shop she debated demolishing, and the matador who goaded her. Taking a step forward, I reached toward her shoulders. Noelle was quick to sidestep me and start walking again.
Someone walked by with a hotdog the size of my arm. The smell distracted us long enough for my stomach to growl.
“I think I’m hungry.” Noelle blurted it out in such a happy voice I had to blink. She needed to get ahold of these mood swings. “And what that girl was eating.” She moaned. Her hand gripped my upper arm and stayed there as she spoke. “I could really, really go for a fat, juicy sausage.”
My heart dropped, but my dick twitched. Whatever tense moment we were about to have was dead, and the bouncing back and forth—the ricocheting—was back on.
That was OK. I was more than capable of keeping up.
“This is so good.” I took an
For a second, I felt bad for my boy. All this going on with these two girls wasn’t a good look for him. “He’s not a bad guy.”
“I never said he was.” Noelle sounded conversational, not defensive, when she continued, “And Teresa isn’t crazy.”
The nature of the conversation was absolutely fucking lame. I didn’t want to talk about our friends, but I was too happy with how easy our words flowed to complain.
“I never said she was.” I bumped her shoulder, smiling. Warren was the one who thought her girl was psychotic even though he had no room to talk. I didn’t have an opinion of her either way, but I didn’t want Noelle to get defensive, either. I didn’t need anything petty causing more problems or friction between us.
“So, what kind of work do you do?”
We continued, but I almost stopped to glance at her. I’d never met anyone who could jump in and out of a conversation like her.
“What kind of work do I do with what?”
“Upstairs. You said you were working. Is it OK to ask? Or is it some ancient Chinese secret?”
Her random comment made me smile, but I caught her cringe, look away, and mumble something under her breath.
“Well, it’s nowhere near exciting as an ancient Chinese secret.” I bumped her shoulder again. What I wanted to do was hold her hand, show her a little affection to calm her, but I stuffed my hands in my pockets. Things were going good. No need to push it and remind her we should be fucking with each other. We had all weekend for that.
“I’m an accountant. I’ve been at this job for two years, though.” I wanted to leave it at that. I was too embarrassed to admit how my dad pulled some strings to get me my job. Working where I did and making my salary was unheard of this early in my career.
Noelle wasn’t the type to let things go. She lifted an eyebrow.
So I continued, “Since I’m new, I have to work as much as I can to prove myself to everyone.”
Noelle stopped dead in her tracks. It unnerved me in a way and pissed off the couple who’d been behind us. They mumbled something as they passed, but we ignored them.
“What?” I looked over my shoulder and then at her. She was grilling me with this hard stare. “What?”
“You went to school, right? And graduated?”
I nodded but pursed my lips. Where was she going with this?
“Then next time someone questions you, makes you feel like you have to prove something to them, you show them your degree and nothing else. Don’t work yourself into the ground for anyone. Not your parents or your bosses. Nobody. Because when the time comes, they’ll have no problem replacing you and shitting on everything you’ve worked for.”
I felt and heard the emotions and passion from her tirade, which clearly had nothing to do with me and everything to do with her.
Her eyes were unblinking, her jaw tense, and her nostrils flared. She was a bull, and in this scenario I was both the china shop she debated demolishing, and the matador who goaded her. Taking a step forward, I reached toward her shoulders. Noelle was quick to sidestep me and start walking again.
Someone walked by with a hotdog the size of my arm. The smell distracted us long enough for my stomach to growl.
“I think I’m hungry.” Noelle blurted it out in such a happy voice I had to blink. She needed to get ahold of these mood swings. “And what that girl was eating.” She moaned. Her hand gripped my upper arm and stayed there as she spoke. “I could really, really go for a fat, juicy sausage.”
My heart dropped, but my dick twitched. Whatever tense moment we were about to have was dead, and the bouncing back and forth—the ricocheting—was back on.
That was OK. I was more than capable of keeping up.
“This is so good.” I took an
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