Mack Daddy(20)



Her eyes were starting to water. “Great. You just made me cry.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

“You’re not supposed to say things like that. You’re supposed to be an *, Mack Morrison.”

“Oh, yeah. Thanks for reminding me.” I wiped her tears with my thumb. “Maybe you’re rubbing off on me.”

“That was the deal when we first met, wasn’t it? I’d rub my * on you?”

Fuck. Why did she have to say that? The image that it conjured up made my dick twitch.

I looked away and pondered what the f*ck I was doing, letting myself fall for her when I had a girlfriend I wasn’t planning on breaking up with. I couldn’t have it both ways.

Frankie was taking her first load of laundry out of the dryer and stopped to bury her nose in a towel. “When I was younger, I would wait for my mother to throw the warm laundry on the bed. I’d jump in the pile and sometimes fall asleep in it.”

I’d love to fall asleep with you tonight, bury my nose in your chest, bury my dick in your—.

There came another inappropriate fleeting thought.

I felt like such a f*cking scumbag lately. But how was I supposed to stop my innermost thoughts? It was impossible to control where my mind went when it came to Frankie. Unlike her OCD, these thoughts were based in reality. I told myself that I just needed to accept that these feelings would be there and that it was okay to have them as long as I didn’t act on them.

Frankie lifted a black shirt from her pile. “What do you think of this with some dark jeans for Friday night?”

“What’s Friday night?”

“I thought Moses said he told you.”

“Told me what?”

“He and I are going on a double date.”

Thinking she was making a joke about dating Moses, I said, “I hate to break it to you, but I’m pretty sure Moses is not interested in vagina.”

“He’s not my date. You know the guy he’s seeing?”

“Yeah, Brad or something?”

“Yes. Well, apparently, he has a brother who’s straight. He’s coming along to meet me.”

My stomach sank.

I swallowed. “Where are you guys going?”

“Not sure.”

My heart felt like it was pounding through my chest. I hadn’t realized how bad I had it for Frankie until that moment. I didn’t even know what to say, because I was afraid my jealousy would be obvious.

“I thought you were allergic to people.”

“Honestly, I’m not really looking forward to it, but I really need to start forcing myself. I haven’t been with anyone in a long time, and the longer I wait, the harder it’s going to be to get back in the game.”

“Do you even know what he looks like?”

“Nope.”

“It’s a blind date?”

“Yup.”

“When you say you haven’t ‘been with someone,’ you mean gone out on a date or had sex?” I cringed at the thought of her letting some guy take advantage of her.

“Both. I miss both.”

Hearing her say that she was essentially longing to be f*cked made me ache.

Unsure of what to say, I asked, “When is this date taking place?”

“I already said…Friday.”

I’d lost my ability to think straight. She had already told me it was Friday.

“I’ll get to meet him, then.”

She looked alarmed. “You’re not going to D.C.?”

“Not this weekend, no.”

“Great.”

“Are you nervous that I’m gonna be here or something?”

“Kind of, yeah. You’re very intimidating.”

“Good. He should be very worried if he plans on messing with you.”

She was quiet for a while then surprised me when she suddenly changed the subject and asked, “Does Torrie know about me?”

“What do you mean?” I asked, only to buy myself some time. It truly amazed me that she hadn’t inquired about that sooner.

“Does she know you have a female roommate and that we’re friends?”

In hesitation, I bit my bottom lip. “Not exactly. She knows I have a second roommate named Frankie. She kind of assumed you were a guy. And I sort of…never corrected her.”

“Are you kidding?”

“No.”

“So, it would upset her if she knew you lived with a girl?”

“Upset isn’t the right word. It’s more like…she’d blow her lid.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell me that my being here could be a problem for you? I would’ve looked for another place.”

“It’s not a problem. I love having you here.”

“Yeah, but when she finds out, she’s gonna be pissed.” She stared off in thought. “Is that why you always go there, and she never comes here?”

“No. She never used to come here even before you moved in. She’s not crazy about flying, only does it when she absolutely has to. It would take too long for her to get here by train. So, I just go there. Makes it easier.”

“Can’t you just explain to her that she has nothing to worry about and that I’m here because Moses took me in? From the pictures I’ve seen of her, I don’t think she’d be threatened by me.”

Penelope Ward's Books