Page 116 of On A Manhunt: Complete Series

MALLORY

“How was the date?” Bridge asked.

I was at the gate waiting for my flight to Las Vegas, phone to my ear.

I’d been at work, then driving to the airport and hadn’t had a chance to catch up with her until now about her arranged date with Tom.

Plus, Bridge had been on a plane herself.

She’d texted this morning asking if my vagina had had a workout, and since my six-year-olds were coming into the classroom, all I’d responded with was a sad face emoji.

I didn’t even have time to respond to my mother’s text asking after the groceries.

No one sat on either side of me, but I glanced over my shoulder to see if anyone was in the row of seats that backed up to mine. All clear. I wasn’t having a usual conversation with my bestie where people could overhear. Who knew what we were going to say?

My college friends, Alana, Megan, and Lia, left from Boise and Seattle and were already in Vegas.

Alana, who was getting married in Mexico on New Year’s Eve, sent a photo of the three of them lounging by the hotel’s pool earlier and I’d been jealous.

I’d been lucky though and found a cheap flight that left after school was over today so I only had to take one day off.

I’d be with them by the pool tomorrow soaking up that warm sunshine.

“Not great,” I replied into my cell, remembering Tom had fled the restaurant like a sprinter off the mark.

“What’s wrong with him?” she wondered. “Bad breath? Did he order something with garlic? Bad kisser?”

“No garlic. I don’t know about the kissing. We didn’t get that far.”

I wondered how much to tell her. I certainly wasn’t going to mention the diarrhea. She had to work with the guy. As for Theo’s presence, I didn’t want to share that either because what we did in the parking lot? H.O.T. But even I couldn’t explain what that had been.

If a little finger fun was all I ever got from him, I didn’t want it to be awkward for Bridge. She was marrying into that family someday.

“He didn’t even kiss you?” she sounded insulted for me. As if the two of them had made a plan at school and he hadn’t followed through.

“No. He said goodbye to me at the restaurant.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.” With him.

“Hmm. Did he talk about the Civil War through dinner? I told him not to do that.” So they had chatted.

“No Civil War talk. Just… no connection.”

Not like I had with Theo, although half the time I wanted to whack him upside the head and half the time I wanted to climb him like a monkey.

“Mmm, yeah. That won’t work. When I get back, I’ll see if I can get anything out of Tom.”

Since they worked across the hall, I had no doubt she’d do some asking, especially if she advised him on topics to avoid in advance. He wasn’t going to say anything about the date. I was absolutely positive about that. At this point, I wanted to forget about it, too.

How could I be interested in Tom after Theo and his magic fingers? I didn’t know how long it took him to get me to come, but it wasn’t long. Like ridiculously fast. Under a minute.

Why? Because he was a filthy talker. The guy wore khakis and dress shirts and the man–when he wasn’t talking about bowel problems–was lethal.

You want people to know you’re being finger fucked in a parking lot?

I could still hear the deep timbre of his voice as he said that.

Did I? Want to get caught? No. But… no.

How would I know? I’d never been finger fucked not in a parking lot before.

Now, before getting on a plane, was not the best time to have wet panties.

“How’s it going there?” I asked, clearing my throat and squirming in the hard seat.

She was already in Boston with Mav to take down her dick professor. A perk of flying a private jet.

The bitch.

“The meeting’s tomorrow,” she said.

“Mav must be eager, in his usual calm, cool way.”

“Oh yeah. He’s been wanting to rip this guy’s balls off and shove them down his throat since that night at your brother’s bar when he learned the truth.”

I heard Mav murmuring something in the background, but I couldn’t make it out. Something like, the man’s going to wish he got his PhD in French.

I remembered that night. Theo was there. And Mav went creepily quiet and stole Bridge away.

“At a minimum, he won’t be able to get a job teaching addition to kindergartners when Mav’s done with him,” I said, eager for justice for her.

I was all for women taking care of their own shit, but there was something about a guy like Mav, all evil lumberjack, ready to rip the man’s head off for fucking with his woman.

The gate agent got on her little microphone and announced it was time to board.

Bridge laughed. “You’re all so ruthless.”

Mav grumbled again, then Bridge giggled.

Mav was at the top of the ruthless list, but I was right behind him. No one fucked with my bestie.

“I gotta go.” I stood, grabbed my purse and the gossip magazine I picked up at the small store after security. “The plane’s boarding.”

“Have fun with your friends. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.

” Which was anything in Las Vegas because she hated the place.

The people, the noise, the lights. All of it.

Me? It screamed fun. Except the fun I’d been thinking about all day had been with Theo the night before.

I wondered what might happen next. Had that been a random one-off?

He said, ‘You want sex. I’ll give it to you. ’

Would he? Or had it been a spur of the moment thing, the fooling around in the parking lot? Did he have regrets? Had I done it right?

I’d come really fast. Like ridiculously quick.

I assumed it’d be flattering to a guy, being so responsive, but it was also over faster than it took to walk across the lot.

I hadn’t really even touched him. I could’ve reciprocated.

A hand job or a BJ or something. But maybe he wanted someone skilled.

I’d have fumbled with my hands or probably gagged myself.

Gah! I was getting on a plane doubting myself. I hadn’t satisfied him, obviously. But was he satisfied by what he did?

I had no clue because we hadn’t talked more after he licked his fingers, then tucked me into my car and shut my door.

He hadn’t said goodbye, only knocked on the roof before walking off.

I didn’t even have his number. No way in hell was I getting it from Bridge either.

“I’m not that bad,” I muttered, heading for the short line, trying to put sexy thoughts of Theo out of my head. That one orgasm in the restaurant parking lot and I knew I couldn’t just fuck any guy. I had a pretty good feeling my vagina–and the rest of me–was only interested in Theo.

“Yes, you are. Don’t get married like Lindy and Dex,” she warned. “Ooh or arrested!”

Right. As if.