Rewired (The Progress Series) Read Free Page A

took a long, deep inhale. “No.”
    He chuckled and brought his hand to her cheek. “Still don’t have a plan yet, I take it? Are you sure you don’t want to see it again?”
    She gave a tight smile. “Er, let’s just go to the park. You can smoke there. After you help me get my car back here. It’s still parked at the clubhouse.”
    He shot a sideways smile and grabbed a sweatshirt, following her to the door.
    *
    After retrieving her car, they dropped off his Honda in the apartment parking lot.
    Simultaneously, Jesse and Charlie grabbed their sunglasses and slid them on. The majority of the previous night’s snowfall had melted in the April sun and the car was heating fast.
    “It’s probably going to be really wet at the park. Did you want to go somewhere else?” asked Jess, feeling stifled.
    Charlie set down her phone. “Um, sure,” she replied, distracted. “But, I don’t think you can smoke anywhere else.” She began digging in her purse beside her and Jess caught a glimpse of her white cotton bra underneath her T-shirt, pinching together her cleavage. He shifted uncomfortably and turned his head toward the window.
    “Take your next right. We’ll go shoot some pool. It’s Sunday, right? I know a guy.”
     
    With only one store occupying the several units available in the strip mall, he pointed to a shop with the word TOBACCO in red neon lights above the door. “They have a pool table here in a separate room, specifically for, ahem, smokers .”
    She looked at Jess out of the corner of her eye, peering through her sunglasses. “Of course they do,” she said, pulling her car into an empty space.
    The large store held thousands of different cigarettes, tobacco, hookahs, and pipes. A room with glass walls sat in the back of the store. The worn green felt atop the pool table had seen better days, and there were ashtrays and matches on each side of a wooden bench.
    Jesse jerked a nod to the man behind the counter and another toward the smoking room. The man nodded and gave them a smile. “’Sup?” he asked, and went back to taking inventory.
    Jesse pulled open the glass door. “Ladies first,” he said, bowing for her to walk over the threshold.
    “Wow. Such a gentleman.” She curtseyed and giggled her way through the doorway. Setting her purse down on the bench, Charlie turned back toward Jess. He was already packing marijuana into a pipe that looked like a cigarette.
    “A little eager, are we?” She raised her brow.
    You have no idea.
    Taking the first drag of the pipe, he took in a long breath and held it. He smiled just as he was exhaling.
    “Wanna play?” he asked, gesturing to the pool table.
    She grinned. “Sure.”
    Charlie took out the triangle and racked up, alternating stripes and solids with the black 8 ball in the center.
    Jesse tugged on his lip to cover his smirk. Oh shit, she’s played before.
    “I see you know what you’re doing,” he said, grabbing two cues from the rack.
    She laughed. “In my old bedroom at my parents’ house we used to have a game room. Well, before I claimed it as my bedroom anyway. We had a pool table, foosball, and darts. I haven’t played pool in years. But yeah, I know what I’m doing.”
    He winked and handed her some chalk and a cue. “Let’s see what you got.”
    “Challenge accepted.” She winked back and began chalking the tip. “Wanna break?
    “No.” I’d much rather take in the view from here. “Go ahead.”
    “Okay.”
    Charlie aligned herself at the head of the table, just two feet directly in front of Jesse. Concentrating on the white cue ball, she focused her attention on the fifteen huddled balls in front of her. After gathering her auburn hair into a ponytail, she bent over slowly with her legs slightly spread.
    Sweet Jesus. Look at that ass. She’s gotta know what she’s doing to me.
    “Ahem.” Charlie cleared her throat, concealing a smile. “Your turn.” He hadn’t noticed that she had already broken the balls,