Read Online Vicious by Kevin O'Brien - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kevin O'Brien
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“Something’s wrong, I can tell. You’re not even looking at me. I’ve never known you to turn down a party. At the risk of repeating myself, what’s going on?”
With a long sigh, he strode across the room and closed the bedroom door. He stood there in his undershorts for a moment, one hand on the doorknob. He looked down at the floor. “Melissa Beale,” he muttered, frowning. “I’d rather not see her.”
“Why?” she asked, half smiling. “Don’t you like Seven-Up cake?”
He kept staring at the floor, and Susan kept waiting for him to say something.
She knew Melissa from the occasional get-togethers with Walt’s college friends. Melissa was a petite, pretty redhead with a killer body. She taught yoga and had a back tattoo (Walt’s old college gang had had a pool party last summer). She also had a younger live-in boyfriend, Jason Something, with a pierced nipple. Susan had asked Walt ages ago if he and Melissa had ever had a thing in college, and he’d told her no.
“I’m trying to avoid her, because she’s been calling me and e-mailing me at the office,” Walt said, finally.
Susan sat down on the edge of the bed. “And exactly why is she doing that?”
“She and Jason broke up,” Walt explained. “She came by the office about two weeks ago—just before lunch. It was a sneak attack. She said she needed a sympathetic ear. At lunch, she got a little buzz on and asked me to drive her home. I—I wasn’t comfortable about it, because clearly she was flirting with me at the restaurant. But we’d taken her car, and I didn’t want her to get in an accident….”
“Always the Good Samaritan,” Susan murmured numbly. She didn’t like where this was going at all. This wasn’t like Walt. She kept waiting for him to burst out laughing and say it was all a joke—a very, very stupid joke. But he was still standing over by the door in his underwear, gazing down at the floor.
“I parked in front of her place over in Wallingford, and she invited me in to wait for a cab.” Walt finally looked at her. “But I said no thanks. I gave her the car keys and I was just about to climb out of the car, and that’s when she kissed me.”
“On the lips?”
He nodded glumly.
“Did you kiss her back?”
“For only about five seconds,” he whispered. “Then I pulled away and got out of the car.”
Dazed, Susan stared at him. “But you kissed her back,” she murmured.
“I’m sorry, honey.” He shook his head. “I told her I was happily married and very much in love with you, and that this wasn’t ever going to happen again. Then I tried to make some kind of joke, because it was just so damn awkward, and I got the hell out of there….”
He kept saying he wasn’t interested in Melissa. He didn’t mean to kiss her back, it “just sort of happened.” He was sorry he didn’t tell her about it, but he didn’t want to upset her over something that meant nothing to him. But the trouble was Melissa had called him at the office the next day to apologize. Then she’d wanted to buy him lunch just to show how sorry she was. He’d given her a polite “No thanks, not a good idea.” But Melissa wasn’t giving up that easily. She was on a campaign. And that was why he didn’t want to go to the damn Fourth of July party.
Susan sat there in a stupor, growing angrier and angrier. She still couldn’t believe he’d kissed that woman back—and for five seconds. It probably went on longer than that, but he didn’t want to admit it. If they hadn’t been invited to this party, would he have ever bothered telling her any of this?
She finally got to her feet. “I need to get out of here, I need to be alone,” she said in a low voice. “You can serve up the kids their dinner. Make up any excuse you want for where I’ve gone. I promised Michael I’d help with his math homework. So you’ll need to do it now. I’m not sure when I’m coming back—”
“Wait, Sue, please,” he said, moving
With a long sigh, he strode across the room and closed the bedroom door. He stood there in his undershorts for a moment, one hand on the doorknob. He looked down at the floor. “Melissa Beale,” he muttered, frowning. “I’d rather not see her.”
“Why?” she asked, half smiling. “Don’t you like Seven-Up cake?”
He kept staring at the floor, and Susan kept waiting for him to say something.
She knew Melissa from the occasional get-togethers with Walt’s college friends. Melissa was a petite, pretty redhead with a killer body. She taught yoga and had a back tattoo (Walt’s old college gang had had a pool party last summer). She also had a younger live-in boyfriend, Jason Something, with a pierced nipple. Susan had asked Walt ages ago if he and Melissa had ever had a thing in college, and he’d told her no.
“I’m trying to avoid her, because she’s been calling me and e-mailing me at the office,” Walt said, finally.
Susan sat down on the edge of the bed. “And exactly why is she doing that?”
“She and Jason broke up,” Walt explained. “She came by the office about two weeks ago—just before lunch. It was a sneak attack. She said she needed a sympathetic ear. At lunch, she got a little buzz on and asked me to drive her home. I—I wasn’t comfortable about it, because clearly she was flirting with me at the restaurant. But we’d taken her car, and I didn’t want her to get in an accident….”
“Always the Good Samaritan,” Susan murmured numbly. She didn’t like where this was going at all. This wasn’t like Walt. She kept waiting for him to burst out laughing and say it was all a joke—a very, very stupid joke. But he was still standing over by the door in his underwear, gazing down at the floor.
“I parked in front of her place over in Wallingford, and she invited me in to wait for a cab.” Walt finally looked at her. “But I said no thanks. I gave her the car keys and I was just about to climb out of the car, and that’s when she kissed me.”
“On the lips?”
He nodded glumly.
“Did you kiss her back?”
“For only about five seconds,” he whispered. “Then I pulled away and got out of the car.”
Dazed, Susan stared at him. “But you kissed her back,” she murmured.
“I’m sorry, honey.” He shook his head. “I told her I was happily married and very much in love with you, and that this wasn’t ever going to happen again. Then I tried to make some kind of joke, because it was just so damn awkward, and I got the hell out of there….”
He kept saying he wasn’t interested in Melissa. He didn’t mean to kiss her back, it “just sort of happened.” He was sorry he didn’t tell her about it, but he didn’t want to upset her over something that meant nothing to him. But the trouble was Melissa had called him at the office the next day to apologize. Then she’d wanted to buy him lunch just to show how sorry she was. He’d given her a polite “No thanks, not a good idea.” But Melissa wasn’t giving up that easily. She was on a campaign. And that was why he didn’t want to go to the damn Fourth of July party.
Susan sat there in a stupor, growing angrier and angrier. She still couldn’t believe he’d kissed that woman back—and for five seconds. It probably went on longer than that, but he didn’t want to admit it. If they hadn’t been invited to this party, would he have ever bothered telling her any of this?
She finally got to her feet. “I need to get out of here, I need to be alone,” she said in a low voice. “You can serve up the kids their dinner. Make up any excuse you want for where I’ve gone. I promised Michael I’d help with his math homework. So you’ll need to do it now. I’m not sure when I’m coming back—”
“Wait, Sue, please,” he said, moving
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