A week later, I still haven't heard from her. Yes, I have her cell on that little piece of paper Tonya gave me the day I met her tucked in my wallet, but she made it clear she didn't want to see me, so I haven't contacted her. I check my phone constantly to see if somehow I've missed her call or maybe a text, but am always disappointed."Any messages for me?" I ask for the tenth time since walking in the door today."No, Sasha. Not in the five minutes since you last asked. Who is it that you're expecting to hear from? You've been acting really strange since you last went to the mill. Has that place finally cracked you, too?" Tonya jokes, but she has no clue how close to right she actually is.I don't respond and make my way back to my office. I have a ton of showings this afternoon and need to get in gear. I can't make a living hanging out behind my desk.Just as I'm about to walk out my door to meet a client, Tonya walks in with a huge grin on her face holding a stack of paper

Brilliant, Shelby, just fucking brilliant. You pissed around waiting on Jack so he could bail on you like he always does. One of these days, you're going to get it through your head he's no good for you. As usual, you make plans based on what he tells you he's going to do, and lo and behold, at the last minute he doesn't follow through. And suddenly, you're asking yourself why the hell you've wasted two years on this douchebag.The dialogue continues in my head as I try to gather as much as I can from my apartment and load it into my car. My mind becomes more confused as the unanswered questions plague my thoughts. Having no idea how long I'll be gone makes it difficult to know what to pack. I do know I'm running out of time if the news channels are correct about when the storm will hit.The Governor of South Carolina ordered a mandatory evacuation of Charleston yesterday, and the hurricane is getting closer and closer. Each advisory shows the strength of the storm building and

Settling in my driver's seat, I make sure Mr. Kitty is comfortable next to me. When I start the car, I realize I'm sitting dangerously close to empty. The likelihood I will make it to the next exit before running out of gas is slim to none, but I pray like hell the gods are smiling on me; being stuck out here would be a nightmare. There's no one I can call, and they couldn't get to me even if there were.Traffic is moving, but it's incredibly slow. I don't think I've broken ten miles an hour in the last fifteen minutes. The one bad thing about my car is there's no gaslight, so I have to calculate the miles I can go on a tank of gas. That's fairly easy to do when you're driving on the highway or in town, but not so much when you sit idling for hours on end. When the needle is touching the E, I know I'm in desperate need of a gas station, and thus far, there's no exit in sight.Seventeen minutes later, as the car starts to sputter, I pull over on the side of the road and coast as she

He stops. "I don't want to hurt you." There's something similar to fear in his eyes."I want you to." I smile in an attempt to show him I'm not afraid of him."I haven't been with anyone in a long time. I like things really rough. If I don't keep it slow, you could end up with bruises from the neck down.""I'm willing to take that chance."Pushing up, he tries to pull away. "I'm not."Grabbing his arms, I plead with him, "Mason, look." I don't really know how to explain what I'm feeling. He mistakes my hesitation for indecision. "Listen, please. I've never attempted to put this into words, and honestly, I've never trusted anyone enough to try-so bear with me."Nodding, he lowers his body back to mine, and I notice he gently moves inside me, likely in an attempt to stay hard. I take a deep breath to clear the confusion clouding my mind.Ensuring I maintain eye contact so he can see the truth in my eyes, I start my stream of consciousness. "I'm wired differently than most p

The sound of the phone ringing startles me. Waking up in a strange place, staring at unfamiliar walls, it takes me a minute to realize where I am, and more importantly, who is lying next to me. It dawns on me it's not my phone ringing.As I nudge Mason, he opens those gorgeous, brown eyes, and I have to admit, I love being the first thing he sees. It doesn't take him any time to realize where he is, and he instantly focuses on my face, rewarding me with a grin."Your phone keeps ringing." It stops as I finish my sentence.He raises his eyebrows at me, like somehow I wasn't being honest or I was the one calling his phone. When it starts again, I raise my brows in return, and he busts out laughing as he rolls off the bed.Digging his phone out of his pocket, he answers on the fourth ring. "What's up, B?" I'm assuming that's Brian on the other end. After a series of yeahs, uh huhs, and one final all right, he says later and hangs up the phone.Turning to me, he gives me the gist