Read Online Working on a Full House by Alyssa Kress - Free Book Online
Authors: Alyssa Kress
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particularly since Cherise was saying out loud what she'd been privately thinking, herself. "I chose to do it, and I'm not sorry." Really, she wasn't. Making love to Roy had been beautiful and wondrous. For a short time she'd been able to feel important to a man.
Cherise gave Valerie a stern look. "Not only could this guy have been an ax murderer, but God knows what social disease he might have given you — "
"None," Valerie returned crisply. "We used condoms."
"Nevertheless, it was stupid." Cherise shook her head. "If you went to bed with this guy, it's dollars to donuts you made up an emotional connection to justify the deed."
Valerie's mouth opened to provide yet another denial but nothing came out. She had made up an emotional connection. She'd given in to the fantasy that she was important to Roy, a femme fatale. She'd given in to the fantasy he was the man her imagination had made him out to be.
Temporarily, that is. She'd given in to the fantasy temporarily.
Cherise crossed her arms over her chest and raised one slim eyebrow. "You jumped from the frying pan into the fire, didn't you?"
"No."
Cherise sighed and uncrossed her arms to lean across the little table. "You did. You gave up your hopeless love for Peter only to fall hopelessly in love with this Mr. Yummy in Las Vegas."
Valerie's eyes widened. "Oh, no. That's not true."
"No?"
"I'm not in love. I...know it was all pretend." For heaven's sake, the guy was a complete stranger.
Cherise frowned at her.
Valerie took a deep breath. "I...allowed myself to believe the pretty things he was telling me. I let myself feel like I was beautiful. But I knew — and know — that it was only a dream, not real."
"A dream, huh?" Cherise's stern frown softened. "It was that good?"
A smile stole over Valerie's face. "Better."
One corner of Cherise's wide mouth twitched. "On a scale of one to ten...?"
"Um... " She wouldn't lie. "Twenty."
Cherise laughed out loud. Valerie laughed, too.
Still smiling, Cherise said, "Whereas Peter was only a...?" She tilted her hand back and forth.
Valerie pretended to think about it. "Five," she replied. "At the most."
Cherise slapped her hand on the table and guffawed. Valerie joined in, laughing all the harder because she, for one, knew it was actually true. Five, at the very most.
The waitress interrupted. "General Tsuo Chicken," she announced, and leaned down to place the plate in front of Valerie, who was wiping her eyes.
"And I'll take that Chow Mein Salad." Cherise snapped up a paper napkin from the holder beside the soy sauce. She used it to wipe under her eyes. "Thanks."
With an uncertain smile toward the both of them, the waitress nodded and backed away.
Valerie blotted her own tearing eyes. "God."
"You said it." Cherise plucked out another napkin. "Well, at least it was a worthwhile experience."
Valerie snorted back another outburst of laughter. "On that front, definitely."
Cherise shot her a sidelong look. "But on some other fronts?"
Valerie sighed. It didn't help that Cherise looked sincerely concerned. She'd be even more concerned if she knew how terrible Valerie felt about never seeing Roy again — even though she reminded herself, over and over, that she didn't really know him, not truly.
Slowly, she pulled her disposable chopsticks apart. "Look, I went to Las Vegas to forget about Peter, to forget about the humiliation of losing him to somebody else. To...make myself feel better." She shrugged. "Mission accomplished."
Cherise stabbed her chopsticks into her salad, meanwhile sending Valerie a penetrating look. "Do you feel better?"
"Oh, yeah." Valerie nodded emphatically. "I had a great time, Cherise. Honestly, it was one of the best times in my life. But it's also over. Finis. I understand that."
"And that's okay with you? It being over?"
Was it okay with her? An arrow slashed through her every time she recalled her last sight of Roy, the spent wolf, on the bed. But that image was part of the fantasy.
Cherise gave Valerie a stern look. "Not only could this guy have been an ax murderer, but God knows what social disease he might have given you — "
"None," Valerie returned crisply. "We used condoms."
"Nevertheless, it was stupid." Cherise shook her head. "If you went to bed with this guy, it's dollars to donuts you made up an emotional connection to justify the deed."
Valerie's mouth opened to provide yet another denial but nothing came out. She had made up an emotional connection. She'd given in to the fantasy that she was important to Roy, a femme fatale. She'd given in to the fantasy he was the man her imagination had made him out to be.
Temporarily, that is. She'd given in to the fantasy temporarily.
Cherise crossed her arms over her chest and raised one slim eyebrow. "You jumped from the frying pan into the fire, didn't you?"
"No."
Cherise sighed and uncrossed her arms to lean across the little table. "You did. You gave up your hopeless love for Peter only to fall hopelessly in love with this Mr. Yummy in Las Vegas."
Valerie's eyes widened. "Oh, no. That's not true."
"No?"
"I'm not in love. I...know it was all pretend." For heaven's sake, the guy was a complete stranger.
Cherise frowned at her.
Valerie took a deep breath. "I...allowed myself to believe the pretty things he was telling me. I let myself feel like I was beautiful. But I knew — and know — that it was only a dream, not real."
"A dream, huh?" Cherise's stern frown softened. "It was that good?"
A smile stole over Valerie's face. "Better."
One corner of Cherise's wide mouth twitched. "On a scale of one to ten...?"
"Um... " She wouldn't lie. "Twenty."
Cherise laughed out loud. Valerie laughed, too.
Still smiling, Cherise said, "Whereas Peter was only a...?" She tilted her hand back and forth.
Valerie pretended to think about it. "Five," she replied. "At the most."
Cherise slapped her hand on the table and guffawed. Valerie joined in, laughing all the harder because she, for one, knew it was actually true. Five, at the very most.
The waitress interrupted. "General Tsuo Chicken," she announced, and leaned down to place the plate in front of Valerie, who was wiping her eyes.
"And I'll take that Chow Mein Salad." Cherise snapped up a paper napkin from the holder beside the soy sauce. She used it to wipe under her eyes. "Thanks."
With an uncertain smile toward the both of them, the waitress nodded and backed away.
Valerie blotted her own tearing eyes. "God."
"You said it." Cherise plucked out another napkin. "Well, at least it was a worthwhile experience."
Valerie snorted back another outburst of laughter. "On that front, definitely."
Cherise shot her a sidelong look. "But on some other fronts?"
Valerie sighed. It didn't help that Cherise looked sincerely concerned. She'd be even more concerned if she knew how terrible Valerie felt about never seeing Roy again — even though she reminded herself, over and over, that she didn't really know him, not truly.
Slowly, she pulled her disposable chopsticks apart. "Look, I went to Las Vegas to forget about Peter, to forget about the humiliation of losing him to somebody else. To...make myself feel better." She shrugged. "Mission accomplished."
Cherise stabbed her chopsticks into her salad, meanwhile sending Valerie a penetrating look. "Do you feel better?"
"Oh, yeah." Valerie nodded emphatically. "I had a great time, Cherise. Honestly, it was one of the best times in my life. But it's also over. Finis. I understand that."
"And that's okay with you? It being over?"
Was it okay with her? An arrow slashed through her every time she recalled her last sight of Roy, the spent wolf, on the bed. But that image was part of the fantasy.
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