Not Broken: The Happily Ever After(89)

“Red or white?” Dorian asked when we walked into the house together.

I shifted Shawn in my arms. “You pick. I’m gonna go put him down.”

Once Shawn was in bed, I headed to my room to kick off my shoes and drop off my purse. I grabbed my phone, firing off a text to Mal to see how his dinner went and to let him know I wasn’t coming over. We’d not made any plans either way, but I still wanted to let him know.

Dorian handed me a glass when I got back down stairs. She’d picked one of the Merlots. I’d just taken a drink when my phone went off. I started coughing, choking on the wine, as I stared at my phone wide-eyed.

“You okay over there?”

I nodded, still trying to catch my breath as I continued to stare at my phone in shock.

Sure you won’t change your mind?

And below that message, a picture of his very large, very erect penis.

“Do I even want to know what you’re looking at over there?”

“Um, it’s just Mal. I’d, um, I’d told him I wasn’t coming over.” I took another drink, still staring at the picture on my phone trying to think of a response. Does one respond when you receive a dick pic?

“Uh huh. And that’s why you look like a tomato by the face and grinning like the Cheshire Cat?”

I took a gulp of wine and pressed the button to make my screen go black. “It was nothing. Just Mal being...flirty.”

“Right.”

I sat my glass down and picked up my phone. I started to unlock it but froze, unsure of how to even respond to that. I couldn’t believe he’d sent it. My first ever dick pic. Why was I thinking of it like some milestone to scratch off my bucket list?

“Calida, are you listening?”

“Huh? Oh, sorry.”

“Just respond to whatever inappropriate thing he said already. Although, you both are a little old to be sexting.”

I laughed. “Did you just say ‘sexting?’”

“What? You think I’m too old to know all the lingo? The rat bastard and his whore did it all the time. It’s how I caught him.”

“Oh. Well, I don’t sext. Or at least I haven’t.”

I fired off a quick reply: Tempting. So very tempting, but Shawn’s already in bed.

Not quite fun or flirty, but I couldn’t encourage him. Not with Dorian sitting on the other couch watching me. Encouraging him could easily lead me further down the rabbit hole.

My phone went off again: Got it. Just say the word and I’ll head over there. Remember I’m your DoD. Followed with a wink emoji.

DoD? What the hell did that mean. Oh...right. Dick on Demand.

I laughed quietly to myself as I fired off another text: How about I just call you later and talk dirty or something? With the blowing kiss emoji.

His comeback was instant: Holding you to it.

“You done yet, or am I supposed to sit here and watch you sext all night?”

I rolled my eyes at her. There’s the self-centered sister I knew all too well.

“You told me to respond.”

She waved me off before refilling her glass. I got up to get a bottle of water.

“Since I’m moving out soon, I suppose I should thank you.”

I curled back up on the couch. “For?”

“Letting me stay here, why else?”

“What else was I supposed to do when you so graciously invited yourself to live here?”

“A simple ‘you’re welcome’ would do. Admit it, you’re going to miss me when I move. You can’t really enjoy being in this big, empty house all by yourself.”

“I managed just fine before you moved in. I think I’ll be okay.”

I looked around the room, shivering as a chill passed over me. My beautiful prison. My beautiful, self-imposed prison. This place wasn’t the same, but I wasn’t about to tell her that. I’m sure she’d make it all about her when that couldn’t be farthest from the truth. The veil of denial had been removed. No longer could I lie to myself about anything. Including this place. These walls held more bad than good.

It was close to midnight before Dorian headed off to bed. I checked in on Shawn before heading to my room. I debated on calling Mal, but since I’d already bailed on him once, I didn’t want to do it again. As the phone started to ring, I worried he’d be sleep.

“‘ello?”

The groggy sound to his voice let me know he had been. My thoughts immediately pictured his chiseled body lying in his king-sized bed—naked. I smiled at the image.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to wake you.”

He let out a low groan. “Hell, I don’t even remember nodding off. I was watching TV. This couch, man, told you it’s too comfy.”

Not naked but probably still shirtless. That picture worked just as well as the other.

“I’ll let you go. I just wanted to call because I said I would.”

“Oh no. You said you’d call and talk dirty. Not getting out of that.”

“I said no such thing.”

“I have proof, woman. In writing. Now, lay it on me, baby.”

“I can’t just start talking dirty. I don’t even know how,” I said with a nervous laugh. “And I can’t believe you sent me that picture.”

“There’s a first time for everything.”