Playing the Game by M.Q. Barber

Author:M.Q. Barber
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lyrical Press, Inc.
Published: 2013-07-01T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

Son of a fucking bitch.

She’d known all day. The fatigue, the generalized ache, the uncomfortable tightness at her waistline. A visit to the restroom confirmed it.

Three hours before her scheduled Friday night fun, and she’d have to cancel. Her hand hesitated over her cellphone. Texting Henry was the coward’s way out, but she couldn’t make herself call.

Need to cancel tonight. Really sorry.

She tried to work, turning back to the breakdown on the Davis project. But concentration eluded her when the analgesics hadn’t kicked in yet and she was pissed about having to cancel and nervous about Henry’s reaction.

Her phone vibrated. Henry. Of course. Shit.

She’d feel like the worst sort of friend if she let his call go to voicemail.

“Hi, Henry.”

“Hello, Alice. You’ve had an emergency come up?”

“No emergency.” Hell if she’d lie, not to him. “I’m fine. I just can’t play tonight.”

That was safe enough. Any nosy coworkers would think she played on a rec league sports team or had some other nonsalacious, pedestrian pastime.

“You’ve made other plans?” He sounded no more curious than a coffee-shop barista taking her order.

“No, of course not.” She lowered her voice. “I wouldn’t do that.”

Not on a contract night. She valued their arrangement too much for that. It wasn’t like she wanted to miss tonight.

“No, I didn’t expect you would.” His tone seemed mild yet. “Must I drag the truth from you, Alice?”

She lowered her voice even further. Working in a profession surrounded by men had its downsides. She wasn’t embarrassed about being a woman, but she didn’t want to advertise her cycle at work.

“Nothing a hot bath, some painkillers and a few days won’t cure.”

“Is that your usual ritual when you’re menstruating?”

Jesus. He hadn’t even paused. His unapologetic interest shouldn’t have surprised her. The contract questions had included intrusive inquiries about her cycle and the severity of her cramps, if she had them, and whether she’d engaged in intercourse while menstruating. That answer was no, and it was going to stay no.

Her two long-term relationships had been with guys who cared nothing about what was between her legs except whether it was open for business. She hadn’t lived with them, so avoiding the subject had been easy.

“I’m at work. I can’t talk about this here.”

“Do you trust me?”

“You know I do.”

“Then arrive at your usual time and leave everything in my hands.”

* * * *

She knocked on Henry’s door promptly at seven, her mind a jumble of nervous thoughts layered atop the throbbing bonfire of pain centered below her waist and between her hips. The stress of not knowing what he had planned and never having been in this position with a bedmate weighed on her. Tension gave her a sharp backache, a line of fire to complement the blazing knot twisting up her womb. Hi, Henry, I’m on fire for you tonight. Please tell me you have a big enough hose to put it out.

She stifled a laugh. He did. He just hadn’t wanted her since that first night.

The door started to open, and she pasted a smile on her face for Jay.

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