Page 54 of Hate You Up Close

If anyone has a problem with it, they can suck my dick.

Especially Roxanne.

“What are you thinking about?” Roxanne says from across the table, pulling me from my thoughts.

The way your scarlet lips are wrapped around that straw, I think to myself.What I would give to have those same lips wrapped around my cock.

I clear my throat, pushing away the fantasy of Roxanne on her knees for me.

“I was just thinking about how interesting it is that you lived in so many places,” I recover before taking a bite of my omelet.

Great save, Elliot.I give myself an imaginary pat on the back.

“Yeah,” she scoffs. “It’s definitely been interesting, to say the least.”

“Which place has been your favorite?”

“Probably Hawai’i,” she responds without thought. Her lips tilt up in a small smile as she recalls the memory.

“My dad was stationed in Oahu. We were there for five years, so it’s one of the few places that did feel like home.”

“Hawai’i,” I say, arching a brow. “Damn, that must have been a cool place to live.”

“It was,” she nods. “The beach was my playground. I think it was Dad’s favorite too.”

A beat of silence passes as a wave of grief washes over her face. Thankfully, she turns the conversation back to me before I can put my foot in my mouth. I’ve always been awkward when it comes to sentimental conversations.

“What about you?” she asks. “You must really love living in Dallas.”

“I guess,” I sigh. “I mean, I grew up here, so it gets old sometimes. There are still days when I wish I had moved away after college. You know, tried something new. I’m not gonna lie, I’m kind of envious of your life. I feel like it would have been badass to travel like that as a kid.”

“Isn’t it funny how life works?” she chuckles, shaking her head.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve always wanted a stable life, to be born and raised in one city. But almost everyone I meet says the same thing as you, that they’re jealous of how much I traveled at such a young age.”

“I guess what they say is true. The grass is always greener on the other side, huh?” I laugh.

“Exactly,” she chuckles. “It’s human nature to never truly be satisfied. When you finally get what you want, it’s never enough. Bottom line is that we always want what we can’t have.”

She’s right, you can’t always have what you want.

Because right now, I want the raven-haired girl staring back at me with eyes like emeralds. I want her so fucking much, and if I really think about it, I’ve wanted her since the day she stepped into my office.

But that first interaction was based solely on her looks. Now that she’s shared bits and pieces of her heart with me, I’m a dead man. I fear that I’m fighting a losing battle.

Roxanne Taylor might actually be the death of me.

THIRTEEN

Roxy

It’s been two weeks since Elliot took me to breakfast and following then, he’s been surprisingly…pleasant. Heasksme to do things instead of barking orders, doesn’t question where I go when I leave my desk, and sometimes, he even smiles as he passes by.

Let’s not talk about how much his smile affects me.

For the time being, I’ve halted my job search for two reasons. One: I wasn't getting any callbacks. And two: It feels like things have started to take a turn for the better.