Page 27 of The Lover

When Jake said I had destroyed him, he was telling the truth. So I had power now. Power in this relationship to ask for what I wanted. What I wanted was simple.

How I got it, was not.

“When can you start?”

I thought about it. “Now?”

“You’re hired. Five dollars an hour and tips. Although I have to say the tips aren’t all that.”

Not when you spilled coffee in their laps, no.

I stood up and she handed me an apron I put it on and got to work.

* * *

It was justafter nine at night when I let myself into my room. I was dead tired, having worked until closing. Ranching wasn’t a walk in the park, but Bernie had me work the full eight-hour shift, and eight hours on my feet the entire time was no joke.

I fell on to the bed and thought about just kicking off my shoes and falling asleep, but I smelled a little from the effort I exuded today and I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep. I sat up, making the effort to get undressed and showered, when I felt my cell phone vibrating.

Oh that’s right. It was Sunday.

I pulled the phone out of the back pocket of my jeans and smiled.

I answered. “Hey, Jake.”

“Hey, is everything okay? You didn’t call.”

No I didn’t. Every Sunday for weeksIcalledhim.Never once, not that whole time, had he called me first.

That was not balance.

“I’m fine. The time just got away from me.”

“Oh. Okay. I was afraid… after my trip…”

“That you fucked my brains out so hard I forgot to call you?”

He laughed.

“I’m not china, Jake. Not something that you have to worry about breaking.”

At least not physically. Emotionally, he’d been breaking me for years now.

“I know that. I… I realized I was probably rougher with you than I should have been.”

“Guess I’m like her then, because I really like you… rough.”

“Her who?”

I smiled again because I could tell his voice had deepened.

“You know. TheFifty Shadeschick who likes to get her ass slapped around. We might need to look into toys. Whips and cuffs and that sort of thing. But maybe this time you could not open them in public.”

“Ellie,” he growled.

“Just an idea. Think about it, Jake. Hey, I’m super tired. I was going to grab a shower and go to bed.”

“Oh.”