“I’m hanging up in ten minutes, Gillian. Say whatever you have to say about your day.”

“Right...” I let out a breath. “I hate my family. Every single one of them. I literally cringe when they call me, and I wish I’d been born to anyone else, anyone else with the semblance of a soul.” I heard the soft sound of TV conversations in his background and continued. “They only call me when they want to feel better about themselves, when they want to remind me that I could’ve done something more with my life. And I hate that I wasted my first few years in New York trying to accomplish something in spite of them, all to end up being the same disappointment they first marked me to be...” I stopped right there, remembering all my hopeful blog posts from years ago, how they came to a sudden, necessary end.

“Are you finished now?” Jake asked.

“Yes. You can hang up now. I actually feel somewhat better. Thank you for listening.”

“You’re welcome,” he said. “I wasn’t going to hang up, though.”

“Were you going to give me some advice?”

“You don’t need advice,” he said. “I think you’re well aware that some families are simply poison and there’s nothing you can do about it. Although, I think you’re being slightly overdramatic and you don’t really hate them. I don’t think you have any idea what true hatred of someone could mean.”

“You got all that from that story? Would you like me to tell you another one?”

“No...” His voice was a demanding whisper. “I’d rather hear the story about why you didn’t show up to fuck me, why you think I’m going to continue to put up with that shit.”

“I was upset with you...I was trying to teach you a lesson.”

“Was the lesson how to piss me off? How to leave my cock hard and waiting for pussy I never got?”

“No...” I felt my cheeks reddening. “I was just angry with you.”

“Then you ‘just’ really should’ve showed up.” His voice was low. “I waited for you for an hour because I though you were playing games like before. I was looking forward to burying my face in your pussy, tasting your clit with my tongue.”

I was silent, but my fingers were tracing the hem of my soaked panties.

“You can’t decide to randomly break our rules when you want to—especially not when it gets between me having you.”

“You say that as if you really like me.”

“I really like your pussy,” he said. “But seeing as though I have yet to experience your mouth around my cock, that may be subject to change in the future.”

I bit my lip as he breathed heavily over the line, as he sounded even angrier.

“You’re not going to say shit about fucking up my entire weekend for the second week in a row?” he asked. “Making it so I have to wait another full week for you?”

“I won’t stand you up again...”

“I’m aware,” he said. “Because I’m going to make sure that thought never crosses your mind again when I see you. I don’t care how dripping wet your pussy gets or how loudly you scream when you beg me to let you come because I won’t show you any mercy whatsoever, and I won’t hold back like I normally do.”

“Jake, I said I was—”

“I don’t give a fuck what you said.” He was speaking slowly. “I don’t care how mad with me you are again. You can ride my cock until you’re not mad anymore, and I can tongue your pussy until you can’t think anymore.”

“Jake...”

“I’ll be seeing you in Atlanta next Tuesday, correct?”

“Correct...” My clit swelled beneath my fingertips.

“Good. Glad we could have this conversation.”

I nodded as if he could actually see me.

“Oh, and Gillian?”

“Yes?’

“This counts as a late night phone call.”

“Okay. And?”

“Don’t let it happen again.”

GATE B17

JAKE

New York (JFK)

She can’t follow rules for shit...

“Are you there, Jake?” Gillian asked me on the phone, a full week and a half later. “Are you still there?”

“Unfortunately.”

“Then what did I just say?”

Why am I still on the phone with this woman? “You said your brother seems to be acting like a bride-zilla and his girlfriend isn’t even aware of his plan to propose yet.” I paused. “And then, you said you realized that it’s nine o’clock at night, you’ve been talking to me for over an hour, and you need to let me return to my life where late-night phone calls don’t exist.”

She laughed her infectious laughter. “I think you like my late night phone calls.”

“I don’t.”

“Then stop picking up the phone.”

“Stop calling me five times in a row.”

She laughed again, and then continued talking as if she hadn’t heard me say that we’d been on the phone for over an hour. For the tenth night in a row she’d decided that “no late phone calls” meant call me anyway, and as much as I wanted to hang up and tell her that I didn’t want to hear about her life outside of the bedroom, I couldn’t do it. For one, the sound of her light and sultry voice—even though she rambled and asked one too many questions, was somewhat calming for my fraying nerves. For two, she was the only woman who could intrigue and enrage me all at once—the only woman who could literally piss me off one second and have me laughing at her the next.

“And that was it,” she said, finally done talking. “Thank you for listening to me again.”

“I didn’t have much of a choice.”

“You could make things even with me, if it makes you feel better.”

“Make things even? How so?”

“Well, I’ve bombarded you with my family drama for the past few days—”

“Past ten days.” I corrected her.

“Okay, okay.” Her laughter came again. “Past ten days. You could tell me something about your family.”

“I don’t have a family.”

“Everyone has a family, Jake. But you know, I bet I could fill in some of the blanks of yours myself, actually.”

I rolled my eyes, but instead of ending this call like I should’ve, I let my intrigue get the best of me. “Try me.”

“Well, you said you were from Missouri on the first night we met and unfortunately back in New York so...I’m willing to bet the ‘unfortunate’ part means either: A) Your family also lives in New York. B) You left your family in Missouri and New York is the only place they won’t come bother you, or C) You’re attempting to repair an estranged relationship with your New York family but it’s harder than what you expected. Which one is it?”

“D. None of the above.”

“Well, it was worth a try.” There was a smile in her voice. “Can I guess again?”

“You can do whatever you like. I’m about to hang up.”

“Wait,” she said. “I only have one more question.”