Bliss Read Free Page A

relief—and not from his scotch-breath fumes.
    â€œI just missed you,” she said. “We didn’t have sex the night before you left.”
    â€œI know.”
    â€œAll week, I’ve been worried you’re bored with me.”
    â€œNever.”
    She snuggled closer to him, and put her hand on his muscular chest, right on top of his heart. Her fingers fanned to touch as much skin as possible. The sheet over his junk lifted.
    Ignoring his flammable breath, Demi snuggled closer, and dipped her hand under the sheet. He saw what she was doing and shifted away from her, but not before her fingers grazed him.
    It felt strange, gummy, not like normal skin. She started to pull the sheet away to get a look.
    â€œNo!” he said, holding it up.
    They had a tug-of-war with the sheet. Demi was sober, and she had a better grip to start, so she had the advantage. She yanked it away, exposing James below the waist.
    Demi screamed, “ Why the hell are you wearing a condom? ” His dick was dressed, like a little man in a pale blue slicker. They used them in their earliest days, but they got tested and she went on the pill. “You motherfucker,” Demi blasted, and launched herself out of the bedroom.
    Her clothes. She needed her clothes, and then she had to get the hell out of there. Not only was he a liar and a cheater, he tried to turn it around, and made her feel like a thick-skulled, jealous nag. She had almost apologized!
    Demi’s knees buckled as she ran into the living room. She tried to keep calm. Her clothes and bag were in the kitchen. She threw off the robe and scooped up her dress. As she was pulling it over her head, James stumbled through the kitchen door, his blue penis bobbing like it had a life of its own.
    â€œGet out of my way,” she said.
    â€œWe need to talk,” he said.
    She struggled to get on her jacket. One of the sleeves was turned inside out. Legs shaking, she could barely step into her shoes.
    â€œListen to me,” he said. “You have every right to be upset. But it’s not my fault. When I get fucked up, the drugs take over. I’m not responsible for my actions. And, believe me, Svetland is no innocent girl. She was all over me the whole flight.”
    Rage ripped the roof off Demi’s head. The bloody veal shanks were relaxing on the counter in front of her. She grabbed one in each hand, getting a firm grip with a thumb in each bone ring. Nostrils flaring, she said, “Move!” He backpedaled into the living room, hands up, eyes on her, dick bobbing. She thought, That would make a great GIF for Insta.
    Double fisting the veal steaks, Demi slapped him across his face with the meat. Unsteady on his feet, James went sprawling on his back in front of the TV. Demi advanced toward him on the floor and, with a blast of adrenaline-fueled fury, slapped his junk with the shanks. He rolled onto his side protectively. “Stop it, Christ!” he yelled, cycling his legs to get away.
    Demi dropped the shanks and lunged back into the kitchen for her purse, quickly rinsed her hands in the sink, emptied out the catchall drawer cash stash, and banged out of the apartment. She pounded the elevator button, and said, “Come on, come on!” This didn’t make it come any faster.
    *   *   *
    The twenty-minute drive to her office was dicey since she was practically blind from crying. Fortunately, her boss at the tiny marketing operation had gone home, and she was alone. The first thing she did was delete the Find My iPhone app from her phone, block James’s number, and delete his contact info. Then she used her desktop to call Sophia in Toronto via Skype. When her friend’s beautiful face filled the computer screen, Demi wailed.
    â€œWhat’s wrong? Are you okay?” asked Sophia.
    Pretty fucking far from okay. “James and I broke up.”
    There was a gasp off-screen.
    Sophia said, “Leandra’s