Read Online Quirks & Kinks by Laurel Ulen Curtis - Free Book Online
Authors: Laurel Ulen Curtis
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her to a different torturous fate.
I took two final long drags before tossing my dirty habit to the ground and snuffing it with the toe of my shoe. Sunlight burned through the darkness my eyelids provided even before I opened my blue eyes.
One glance down confirmed what I already knew.
Purple and blue and positively mottled with lies and deceit, the skin of my arms told the story I was too scared to tell. The problems between Ryder and I had been more major than minor, and I’d carry the marks of his final encounter for days to come.
Larry rubbed at his forehead with the flat of his palm and glared at the resumes strewn across the table with disgust. “Nothing about this is working.” After one quick pinch of his nose, his hand jumped to his neck, trying to vanquish his anger from the back as well as the front. “ This is my ass on the line—”
“Like mine isn’t?” I cut in on a protest, pulling at the sleeves of my strategically placed sweater. Ashley’s eyes sliced to me on a hard glare.
“I’m not looking for commentary. Jesus Christ, Easie, for once, just once, stop giving me fucking heart palpitations and actually help me. You need this show’s success, and, lucky me, so do I.”
Obviously, the candidates presented so far weren’t living up to snuff. I knew he hated it, but given the circumstances of the last dismissal, Larry was giving me an actual say in who I’d be working beside day in and day out.
At least, he had been. Something told me his patience was wearing thin.
“I can’t take much more of this!”
Or maybe that something was just him. Voicing it over and over and over again. It was actually kind of starting to feel like listening to a broken record.
“What about that waiter from the other night?” Ashley ventured, breaking through our tension with a simple suggestion.
“The one at El Loco?”
She just looked at me. We both knew I knew who she was talking about. No other guy had made any kind of lasting impression, annoying or not.
“Are you fucking crazy? All that guy did was bust my balls all night.”
And shake me up enough that my organs were still settling back into place two days later.
Larry’s response was immediate. “He’s hired.”
Turning to Ashley with metaphorical murder in my eyes, mine wasn’t much slower. “Disowned. Forever. Pack your bags.”
“Technically,” she pointed out, a smirk just starting to take shape on her annoyingly pretty face, “ You live with me. My name is on the lease.” At the narrowing of my eyes, she finished, “Good try, though.”
Larry’s laugh cut straight to my ears.
Ignoring him, I told my sister the truth. “I hate that you’re the smart one.”
“I know. I’d hate to be you too.”
Somebody was pushing their luck today. Little bitch.
Good thing she was my favorite person in the world or I’d have really had to hurt her.
Hopeful faces stared at me from all around, a large group of people weary from the day and counting on me to end their pain hanging on my every word.
“Fine,” I conceded against my will. “But you’re going to ask him yourself.”
“We’ll ask him together.”
Fucking fuck. I didn’t like this. I didn’t like this one bit.
The way he’d challenged me inside had been scary. But what I hadn’t admitted was that the way he hadn’t challenged me outside—the way he handled me gently, admitting to his shortcomings so easily—had been downright terrifying.
I WAS GOING TO have to start calling my sister Assley, or Rashley . . . or something equal parts demeaning and creative.
Sneaky little thing that she was had pulled a fast one on me, promising a team effort and then bailing at the last minute.
“I’ll meet you there,” she said. “I’ll take the bus,” she said. “I have an errand to run,” she said.
Lies. Everything she said had been nothing but a giant lie until her call five minutes ago, when she’d finally told the truth. “Yeah, I’m not gonna make it,
I took two final long drags before tossing my dirty habit to the ground and snuffing it with the toe of my shoe. Sunlight burned through the darkness my eyelids provided even before I opened my blue eyes.
One glance down confirmed what I already knew.
Purple and blue and positively mottled with lies and deceit, the skin of my arms told the story I was too scared to tell. The problems between Ryder and I had been more major than minor, and I’d carry the marks of his final encounter for days to come.
Larry rubbed at his forehead with the flat of his palm and glared at the resumes strewn across the table with disgust. “Nothing about this is working.” After one quick pinch of his nose, his hand jumped to his neck, trying to vanquish his anger from the back as well as the front. “ This is my ass on the line—”
“Like mine isn’t?” I cut in on a protest, pulling at the sleeves of my strategically placed sweater. Ashley’s eyes sliced to me on a hard glare.
“I’m not looking for commentary. Jesus Christ, Easie, for once, just once, stop giving me fucking heart palpitations and actually help me. You need this show’s success, and, lucky me, so do I.”
Obviously, the candidates presented so far weren’t living up to snuff. I knew he hated it, but given the circumstances of the last dismissal, Larry was giving me an actual say in who I’d be working beside day in and day out.
At least, he had been. Something told me his patience was wearing thin.
“I can’t take much more of this!”
Or maybe that something was just him. Voicing it over and over and over again. It was actually kind of starting to feel like listening to a broken record.
“What about that waiter from the other night?” Ashley ventured, breaking through our tension with a simple suggestion.
“The one at El Loco?”
She just looked at me. We both knew I knew who she was talking about. No other guy had made any kind of lasting impression, annoying or not.
“Are you fucking crazy? All that guy did was bust my balls all night.”
And shake me up enough that my organs were still settling back into place two days later.
Larry’s response was immediate. “He’s hired.”
Turning to Ashley with metaphorical murder in my eyes, mine wasn’t much slower. “Disowned. Forever. Pack your bags.”
“Technically,” she pointed out, a smirk just starting to take shape on her annoyingly pretty face, “ You live with me. My name is on the lease.” At the narrowing of my eyes, she finished, “Good try, though.”
Larry’s laugh cut straight to my ears.
Ignoring him, I told my sister the truth. “I hate that you’re the smart one.”
“I know. I’d hate to be you too.”
Somebody was pushing their luck today. Little bitch.
Good thing she was my favorite person in the world or I’d have really had to hurt her.
Hopeful faces stared at me from all around, a large group of people weary from the day and counting on me to end their pain hanging on my every word.
“Fine,” I conceded against my will. “But you’re going to ask him yourself.”
“We’ll ask him together.”
Fucking fuck. I didn’t like this. I didn’t like this one bit.
The way he’d challenged me inside had been scary. But what I hadn’t admitted was that the way he hadn’t challenged me outside—the way he handled me gently, admitting to his shortcomings so easily—had been downright terrifying.
I WAS GOING TO have to start calling my sister Assley, or Rashley . . . or something equal parts demeaning and creative.
Sneaky little thing that she was had pulled a fast one on me, promising a team effort and then bailing at the last minute.
“I’ll meet you there,” she said. “I’ll take the bus,” she said. “I have an errand to run,” she said.
Lies. Everything she said had been nothing but a giant lie until her call five minutes ago, when she’d finally told the truth. “Yeah, I’m not gonna make it,
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