Part 6 (1/2)
He shrugged. ”Maybe.” Something in the way he said that one word made her think that all wasn't well.
”Are you still close to your parents?”
”That's the funny thing. After I dumped Serita, my relations.h.i.+p with my parents deteriorated. They acted as though everything was hunky-dory, but I grew to resent them to the point that I cut myself off. I realized that as long as they supported me, they could make the same threat when I did something else that didn't meet their approval. Now we only ever communicate on holidays, if that.”
”That's so sad. I'm not that particularly close to my mother either, but she's still my mom and I love her.”
”I love my parents too, but I just don't like them very much. Sometimes I wonder what might have been.”
”Isn't that a little futile? The damage is done, and the best you can do is learn from the past.”
He nodded, and then a smile appeared. ”You know, I've really enjoyed this conversation with you.”
”I enjoyed it too. We have to do it again sometime.”
His smile widened. ”Over dinner?”
Chast.i.ty laughed. ”You never give up, do you?”
”I haven't even gotten started, my dear, but don't worry, I won't persist. I can take no for an answer. A word of friendly advice though, be careful with Sebastian. He's my friend, but he doesn't have the best track record with women.”
Chast.i.ty smiled. ”Oh, I'm not the one who'll need to be careful.”
Chapter Seven.
”Oh, my goodness! I can't believe you did that, girl!” Dallas screamed, falling back on the couch, her body shuddering with laughter.
”Yes, I did, and to be honest, I can hardly believe it myself. You have no idea how hard it was for me to walk away like he didn't have the same affect on me as I obviously did on him.” Chast.i.ty tried hard not to remember the way his hands felt on her skin, the way his mouth slid against hers, or the thrust of his fingers in her p.u.s.s.y.
Sebastian's hard body pressed so deliciously against hers was all she could think about since it had happened earlier in the day. He kept giving her smoldering looks whenever he walked by her desk for the rest of the day. The tension could be cut with a knife.
Dallas squeezed her hand. ”I'm so proud of you, girlfriend. Wait until we tell the guys. They'll be thrilled too.”
”Yes, the plan seems to be going well. I didn't think I had it in me, but just when I find myself falling under his spell again, I think about what he said.”
”That's the spirit. You should get a digital camera and take a picture of his facial expression when you drop the bomb on him.”
Chast.i.ty shrugged. ”And then what? Post it over the internet? No, I don't want to humiliate him to that level. As much as he's hurt me, I could never be that malevolent.”
”Yet he humiliated and used you.”
”He didn't realize I was listening.”
”Why are you starting to make excuses for him? You're not chickening out, are you?”
”Of course not.” Something still nagged her about this entire thing. It was true that he'd used her, but did Sebastian really deserve this?
Dallas pursed her lips, not looking quite convinced. ”You don't sound very enthusiastic.”
”I am.”
”Are you really? Don't punk out on the plan now. You have to show this b.a.s.t.a.r.d not to toy with you again.”
”I'm not backing out. I just...well, what happens if he does start having feelings for me? What if I don't have it in me to hurt him?”
Dallas crossed her arms, a shrewd look entering her dark eyes. ”Is that all that's on your mind? There's something you're not telling me.”
With a sigh, Chast.i.ty decided to unload completely. ”I'm not sure if I can do this and not let my feelings get in the way.”
”You can't be serious. After what that turkey said about you, you're still harboring feelings for him?”
”Feelings aren't like a faucet. You can't just turn them on and off, just like that. Anyway, I didn't say I had feelings for him, just that I'm not sure if I can go through with this and not get hurt. The incident in the bathroom today shook me up more than I would have liked it to.”
”But then that means you have to keep reminding yourself of what a rat he is. Don't let yourself get caught up. Sure, he may be able to touch you in the right places and do things your body hasn't experienced before, but keep in mind that it's just physical and nothing more.”
”But how? I'm not experienced in this like you.”
”It sounds like you were doing fine to me. Is this what's really running through your mind or are you just trying to find a reason to back out?”
”I'm not trying to back out; I'm just trying to weigh all the pros and cons.”
”Well, you can't end this now. I won't let you,” Dallas said stubbornly.
Chast.i.ty hopped off the couch, placing hands on ample hips. ”You won't let me?”
”You're d.a.m.n right. Me and the boys put a lot of work in to give you this new look.”
”Is my look what this is all about? Do you think if I halt this crusade of revenge my makeover would have been in vain? Never mind that I feel good about myself, and for the first time I don't feel like your ugly friend.”
Dallas's jaw dropped. To say she looked stunned would have been an understatement. ”You're not serious, are you?”
”Do I need to spell it out for you?”
”Obviously you do, because I can't believe what I'm hearing.”
Chast.i.ty began to pace her living room floor. It seemed like she'd been making a lot of confessions lately. Her feelings about how she viewed herself in relation to her best friend were something she'd bottled up for a long time. She wasn't sure how to explain herself.
Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she walked over to the couch and took Dallas's hand in hers. ”You know I love you like a sister, right?”
”Of course I do, and I love you too, girl. You've got to know that,” Dallas said earnestly.
Chast.i.ty nodded. ”Even though there's probably no one else I care about more, I've been jealous of you since we were kids. At times, I hated myself for feeling so petty, but I couldn't help it.”
Dallas's eyes widened, the look of utter disbelief forming her lips into an ”O”, a range of emotions flickering in her liquid brown eyes. ”Jealous of me? But why?”
”Do you really have to ask? You're gorgeous, confident and men drool when they see you. Whenever the two of us would go out, I felt like the invisible woman.”