Chapter 2 - Divorced, but Not broken

Oh god…. It was still morning when I got up from the couch, went to the small bathroom, and just stood in the shower. This had been the worst night of my life. That rude guy that was my neighbor had actually turned up the volume. I had considered calling the cops so many times that I had fallen asleep with the phone in my hand when I had woken up by my alarm.

The bags under my eyes were huge, and I just put my hair up in a quick ponytail, still damp from the shower, but I didn’t care, it was getting warmer, and I just took up my makeup bag. Covering up the worst part of my tiredness, getting the mascara all over my left eye, and cursing when I didn’t have time to start over, I just got dressed and walked out the door. I was still looking for the keys in my hand when I saw the door opening to my left. My heart stopped when the guy was standing in the doorway, kissing a girl whispering to him, and giggling, and I just stared.

Oh my god.

I didn’t see it yesterday or when I saw him during the gathering, he was having. Still, he was just standing there casually in his briefs, like it was nothing talking to the girl, saying their goodbyes when she walked away. His eyes snapped to mine, and I just couldn’t look away, still being held hostage, when he smirked at me, stepped back, and closed the door fast, and I was left slightly dazed and confused.

He was hot.

I mean it. He was. Not a bodybuilder or anything like that. However, he had a tall, athletic body with defined muscles that made him look even better when I was still staring at his door before shaking my head, trying to snap out of it; this was ridiculous! he was an asshole, and he was attractive big deal!?

Nothing I hadn’t seen before, look at Ryan, he was the hottest guy I had ever seen when I met him and ….I didn’t want to finish when I finally found my keys and locked the door, moving quickly to the stairs, I wasn’t taking some elevator, not since I got stuck for two hours in a mall all alone when Ryan already had left me and was in the car, but he was out fucking his girlfriend, surprise.

I walked over to my crappy car and got in; it wasn’t much when I backed up and tried not to hit anyone, I was a bad driver, and I knew it. That’s why I always had Ryan drive us when we were where going places…... I stopped at the red signals and sighed, looking at my phone, and I was going to be late, fucking kid that messed up my already weird sleep. I didn’t need that shit!

I was five minutes late when I got to work, and I just tried not to get attention from the manager, who had already seen me and sure as hell was writing me up. Great, what else could go wrong on this other lovely day? He started to walk towards me when I was smiling already, hiding just how much I hated the guy that was my boss. He was the same age as me, arrogant and power-hungry. How he worked at a superstore was a mystery to me.

“Andrea, five minutes late is not the best way to start your shift. “He smirked when I nodded and leaned my head back down from his gaze. I needed this job, and Ryan had left me in debt, and as much as I wanted to tell him to go to hell, I couldn’t. I needed the money.

“I’m sorry, James, it won’t happen again, and I will work an extra five minutes after my shift ends.” He nodded like he approved and left me without saying a word more. He was probably looking for his next victim to terrorize that asshole.

I worked, not thinking about anything, having my lunch break, and just staring at my phone; the other girls were talking. I did answer when they asked me questions. Still, I think they finally got that I wasn’t as open as they wanted me to be and just left me alone; it suited me just fine when I was messaging Kayla, she was at some HR retreat her company had paid for, and I was so jealous. I wished that I could do stuff like that, but nope. Here I was, filling shelves and listening to complaints from rude customers, not that I wasn’t grateful, I mean, it wasn’t the worst job I could have, and it did help me pay the bills. It was just that my life, compared to hers, was just…. Boring.

I sighed and put my phone away, my break was over, and I walked out of the store again and over to the registers. The worst part of this job, at least for me, was customers complaining, being rude and trying to waste my time to get whatever they wanted cheaper, oh and making me call over James, that was the worst part, I really hated when he came over and just made me the bad guy, every freaking time.

I had been at the register for about thirty minutes when the old lady paid with pennies. I just had to watch her count every damn dime making me almost crazy when I just kept smiling when she was finally done fifteen minutes later. I took a deep breath and continued before nearly having a minor stroke when I saw them.

Four guys, all of them were young and attractive. The guy in the middle was laughing when they were walking over to my cue. I wanted to hurl when they didn’t seem to notice me. I prayed so hard that they wouldn’t see me, recognized me where I stood behind the register, and raised my eyebrows when three boxes of condoms were going up on my band. I just smiled like a damn robot when I checked them in, all four guys suddenly snapping their eyes on me like he just had been waiting for me to check them out.

“Looks like we're meeting again, Andrea.” I just choked from how the guy in front of me was saying my name like he was mocking me, and it still sounded like I wanted to do nothing more than stare at his handsome face, shit.

“How do you know my name?!” I sneered at his relaxed face when his whole crew started to snicker, and he just smirked more. He really was a bastard, wasn’t he?

“The nametag genius, it’s not like I looked you up and stalked you to your work. I got better things to do, even if I am just an arrogant bastard.”

I just froze up, I did, and I hated it when he smirked more like he knew just exactly how much he had affected me to the sound of his friends chuckling in the background. Just great!

“Yeah, sure…” I just stuttered when I stared at the screen instead of the hard piercing eyes that were enjoying seeing me suffer, and I knew that I needed to talk more, but I just couldn't.

“So how much?” I stared at him again. God, he really was good-looking with those blue-green eyes and dark hair over his face that was strong and hard. Oh, he was really making it hard for me when he started to frown over me, not answering when I still was holding onto the package in my hands.

“The condoms, I guess that you want some money, or should I just take them as an apology?” I blinked a few times, an apology. For what? I hadn’t done anything wrong. He was the one that was playing music all night?! I just dropped them and scowled. I knew that I was going to get shit from James for not smiling, but right now, I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to apologize for something that I didn’t do. He should be apologizing to me!

“18,30.” I just said that, not more. I couldn’t get mad, not here, not with James as my manager. He was even worse than my annoying neighbor.

“Ah, come on, Andrea, give my man a break, just give them to him, god knows he needs it, and hey, maybe if you are lucky, you and I could use some of them.” I just turned my head slowly, looking in horror at the guy I was talking to yesterday, Tom. He was good-looking, too, just like all of them. I felt sick to my stomach even thinking about sleeping with anyone, especially people ten years younger than me.

“you’re not getting some fucking freebies of me; if you want to fuck her, you get your own goddam shit!” I flinched when my neighbor was suddenly spitting out acid, and I didn’t say a word. I wasn’t fucking anyone, and I absolutely didn’t want this conversation to happen in my workplace! I didn’t know these guys, and they were talking like I invited them over one at the time like some sex maniac.

I already saw James further away and started to sweat, the line was getting longer, and he was going to pin that on me. I just knew when he started walking over, and I turned my head to the neighbor. What did they say his name was last night, John? No? Jonah!

I sighed from the relief of finally getting the name when he suddenly looked at me, and I begged him silently with my eyes just to pay and leave. I really didn’t need James on my case today more than I already had.

“what seems to be the problem here, Andrea? James was saying my name like whiplash, and I bent my neck from the slight flinch that I made. I hated him, and I didn’t even want to look at him when he looked at me more than the customers, four college guys who wanted to get their wares for free.

“Nothing is wrong. I was just paying.” I looked up at him again, Jonah. He seemed annoyed more than anything when he smacked down the cash and just walked out, taking his crew of friends with him. I just took the money, and James sighed loudly like I was just trouble and walked away from me too.

I was just about to start dialing up the next customer when I saw that he didn’t even take his damn condoms with him, for God’s sake! I walked over and put them behind the registry in case he was coming back; the minor burning in my stomach wasn’t helping when I was eyeing the doors the rest of my shift, waiting for him to come back, and I hated myself for it.

I cursed at myself, walking back to my lockers, having three packs of condoms in my pocket that I stashed quickly in my purse, feeling like this day just got worse by the minute.

James was just about to walk into the locker room when I was done, and I just stared at him, was he crazy?!

“I thought you were working overtime today, Andrea... and you’re leaving ten minutes earlier. I’m sorry…but I have to write you up.” He didn’t smile like I thought he would do when I just made a slight sniffle and nodded; sure, just write me up, more good news.

“Are you okay?” he sounded like he really cared all of a sudden when I looked up and met his eyes that were staring at me, and I didn’t like it, not now, not later.

“Yeah… I’m fine.” I cleared my throat and didn’t wait for him to answer when I started walking out to the parking lot quickly. I didn’t want more questions or intrusions, and I just wanted to get home, get under the covers on my crappy sofa and pretend that I didn’t exist for the world.

I was back when I walked up the stairs and was gunning for my home when I saw the door to the left and remembered the condoms, shit. I stared at it before just taking them out and putting the package on the floor in front of the door. I was still crouching when it opened up, and I was caught kneeling with the arrogant guy with only a foot between me and his crotch. I felt my face flaring up even before I dared to look up and see the smug smile that was going to be on his face. I just knew it.

He didn’t say a word, nor did I when I just stared at his dick, pushing against his jeans like he was getting hard seeing me on my knees before him. My mouth got dry from the thought that I would never have ever dreamed of being in this position if it weren’t for the fact that I was literally standing on my knees before him.

My cheeks were flustered; in fact, I was flustered all over. I knew he could tell when I finally lifted my face and watched the surprising hunger he was staring at me before it disappeared in a heartbeat, making me believe that maybe I was going crazy. Still, he looked like he wanted me, I didn’t understand why, but I didn’t want to say no, no matter how wrong it was.

“Get up.” He didn’t wait for me to do it myself when I yelped from the firm grip around my arm, lifting me up and making me sway the slightest from just being pulled up like I was nothing. I just stared in surprise when he still hadn’t let me go, and I didn’t ask him to.

“Thanks….” I just stuttered when he frowned again, making my heart sink, was he always so angry, or was it just me making him mad all the damn time?

“For what?!” he sneered at me now like he hadn’t at all stared at me like he was ready to pounce me thirty seconds ago, and I just shook my head like it was stupid, it was stupid!

“Thank you for not fighting me at my work; James is hard enough as it is to deal with….” I made a trying smile that he didn’t return, and my heart sank when I dropped my smile and turned around, going for my own door, when I heard a dark young voice behind me.

“You should stand up more, like you are fucking doing to me, or am I the only one getting that special treatment?” I turned around and bit my bottom lips. Why did he talk like we knew each other? We didn’t, and maybe I did just treat him like that, and I didn’t know why.

He was smiling this time, and I just stared in awe. His smile made him even more gorgeous, like he was a beacon of something that I didn’t have, confidence and security. Oh god, how I envied him for it.

“Maybe….” I just giggled when his grin became even more amused, and the small turning in my stomach made me sweaty in all the wrong places. I still looked like crap after work, and he had just fucked another girl this morning. I don’t know what the hell was happening, but this had to stop right now. he was an asshole just looking for another girl to fuck, and I didn’t blame him. He was younger, and he wanted to have fun. That’s why I was the last thing that should be on his list. I was no fun at all...

“I should go… don’t want to keep the cat waiting….” I made a small smile when he looked down at my arm like he finally got it, that he was still holding onto me. I made a small sigh of sadness when the warmth of his hand disappeared from my arm, and he looked up at my face again, giving me a sly smile as he heard me. Oh god!

“Yeah, go take care of that pussy….” I choked on his suggestive words; did he just say what I thought he said to me!? I just nodded fast, too afraid to answer with words, when I stumbled back to my door, keys shaking in my hand. I swear he was smirking, following my every move, when I finally unlocked the door and slammed it shut behind me, panting like a mad woman with my back leaned against it. What the hell happened?! I was just dropping his stuff off and ended up in one of the most turns on's I ever had in my life.

That’s it, he was dangerous, no matter how you put it, he was definitely not for me to do…anything with, I just got divorced, and I didn’t need more shit in my life right now.

Yeah. Just keep away from him; it shouldn’t be that hard, right?