Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 102394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
When I heard the driver’s side door open a few minutes later, I opened my eyes to find a somber-looking Wes.
“Juliette, I’m really sorr—”
“No. No. Don’t you dare apologize. You did me a favor. I should thank you for intervening. I don’t want anything to do with someone who operates like that. You saved me hours of my life, maybe more—time that would’ve been totally wasted.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re not mad. I sat here and debated it for a while before I went in. But I couldn’t let you sit across from that guy without giving you the opportunity to make an informed decision about it.”
I had to laugh. “I was ready to kill you when you walked in.”
He nodded. “I knew you would be. I hated those minutes where you thought I was just being an insensitive jerk who didn’t care about boundaries.” He chuckled. “I mean, I know I can come across that way sometimes, but I wouldn’t have stooped to that level for no good reason.”
“What took you so long to come back out?” I asked.
He shrugged. “I gave him a little piece of my mind before I left.”
Nice. I turned toward him. “You left the car unlocked. That’s not like you.”
His face turned red. “My head wasn’t on straight. I wanted to fucking kill that guy for disrespecting you.”
Something like a jolt of electricity shot through me. It was one thing for a man to protect me because he’d been hired to do so. But Wes looking out for me today now seemed totally different. And I wasn’t used to that.
Wes started the car, and as he pulled into traffic, I remained quiet, looking out the window. “Please just take me home,” I said after a moment.
“Are you sure? It’s a nice night and still pretty early.”
I shook my head. “I’m not in the mood to do anything.”
When he passed the exit for my house, I turned to him. “Where are you going? I said I wanted to go home…”
“Will you trust me?” he asked, glancing over. “I promise you’ll like it.”
When I noticed the signs for Venice Beach, I couldn’t help but smile. I hadn’t been there in a long time, and maybe it was just the thing to take my mind off this. Screw it. I was wearing my pretty yellow dress, and the weather was gorgeous.
After we parked, Wes came around to the passenger side before I had the chance to exit the car. He smiled as I stood. “They have the best churros here.” His eyes sparkled, almost like a child’s.
“I’m just glad you didn’t take me to West Hollywood for smoked Portuguese sausage.”
“The night is young.” He winked.
I smiled, grateful that he hadn’t let me go home and mope. Lord knows my father wasn’t one to care whether his workers were kind. But it seemed I’d gotten a good one.
Wes and I scored his beloved churros and walked around for a bit. We then stopped at a cute shop that sold blown-glass trinkets, among other things.
After a few minutes, Wes ventured to the counter to purchase something. I tried to see what he was up to, but he kept his back to me.
He held up a small gift bag as we walked out of the place. “I bought you a present.”
“Oh! I assumed you were buying something for yourself.”
He handed me the bag, with a snicker. The small box inside held a tiny pendant made of glass on a silver rope chain. My eyes widened. “You bought me a penis pendant?”
“Ah.” He laughed. “That’s what it looks like, doesn’t it?”
“It’s not a penis?”
“No, dirty girl. It’s not. It’s supposed to be a cactus.”
“A cactus does not have two balls at the base.”
“Those are not balls. Those are two other tiny cactuses growing next to the big one.”
“You expect me to believe that?” I laughed.
“I asked the owner! Because I wasn’t sure myself.”
I rubbed my thumb over the shiny glass. “Well, thank you…I think?”
“It has a deeper meaning,” he said.
“Oh? And what exactly is the deep meaning of this cactus cock here?”
“When you think back to this day when that jerkoff double-timed you, instead of focusing on that, you’ll remember it as the day I gave you this ridiculous necklace. The cactus cock will forever serve as a reminder that you deserve better, Juliette.”
My cheeks hurt from smiling. “Will you put it on me?”
“Of course.” He took it from me and opened the clasp. “Just don’t tell Vince it was from me,” he said as he wrapped it around my neck. “He’d never believe it’s a cactus.”
The warmth of Wes’s hands on my body sent a moment of heat through me. “Thanks again. That was sweet,” I said, looking down at it.
Next, we walked along the shore. I took my shoes off and held them in my hand, digging my bare toes into the sand as we went.