SWNOVELS Chapter My CEO 259
259 Hall Pass (Winona)
The morning light is way too bright, stabbing at my eyes as I pull up outside the penthouse complex. Where are my sunglasses?
Fumbling in the center console, I pull them out and slide them on.
My eyes practically breathe a sigh of relief.
I cannot navigate the underground parking lot this morning. My head's still in some weird wine and tequila fog, and my stomach's doing somersaults like I'm on a carnival ride. I rub my temples. Why did I think getting shitfaced would be okay? I give a giggle and a hiccup. But it was fun. Okay, I can do this. I try to shake off the remnants of last night, but one subject is etched into my brain. A hall pass. I can't even focus on driving and parking, let alone life decisions.
As soon as I step out of the elevator doors, Jayden's there with Abby. The noise pierces my skull like a laser. I smile. Trying to act sober I take a couple of steps into the lounge area.
I should have stayed on Lisa's sofa and called Jayden,
"Mommy, why are you wearing your sunglasses inside?" Abby asks.
"No reason, Sweetie." I slide them off and try to look normal.
Anne, who's doing some magical multitasking nearby, shoots me a look. "I'm taking them today. I have other errands to run." She pauses, giving me a sly smile. "How's Lisa feeling?" I blink. "Wait, how do you know I was with Lisa?"
Anne laughs, shaking her head. "Who else would you be with?" She hands Sarah her lunchbox and nudges Bobby towards the elevator. "Anyway, let's go kids, kisses all around." The kids all hug and kiss Jayden and I.
"Mommy! Your breath stinks!"
"Thanks for the heads up, Abby." I groan. Kids always have to hang you out to dry.
Off they go, leaving me and Jayden. I slide my sunglasses back on. "I need coffee."
"So, how is Lisa feeling? Jayden grins.
"How should I know? She was asleep." I shrug trying to be nonchalant.
"Anyway, I could have been with heaps of other people, I could have had a gang bang in the alley." I almost vomit thinking about that right now.
"Sure." Jayden gives me a weird look, "I think you had better sleep it off a little more."
J take my sunglasses back off so I can glare at him. "1 could've been doing anything." Something about his
attitude is making me pissed. "Maybe I went out clubbing."
"But you didn't, did you? You're very predictable."
+25 BONUS
I freeze, an irritated pulse thumping in my chest. "Predictable?" The word rolls around my head like nails. on a chalkboard.
I go and sit on the sofa on my way to the kitchen for coffee.
Somehow, I don't think I'll make it without a break.
Jayden watches me, amusement dancing in his eyes.
"Yeah, stable, reliable... predictable. It's what I love most about you." He says it so casually, like it's a compliment, but it feels like a pat on the head. "I'll go get you coffee."
I stand up and follow him to the kitchen. "I'm quite capable of getting my own coffee."
He stops and holds his hands up in the air. "Sorry, Miss Independence."
I cross my arms, leaning against the counter. "I'm not predictable."
"You are," Jayden says, still smiling. "And that's a good thing. I can always rely on you. I know you better than you know yourself. Hell, I know what you're gonna say before you even say it."
Oh, hell no. The wine fog morphs into pure irritation. "So, I'm just... what? Like a reliable old car or something. An old faithful pair of tennis shoes? A pullover you should have thrown out ten years ago?" Jayden chuckles, clearly not reading the room. "You're the rock, babe. It's why we work."
I feel my blood boiling. Okay blood and alcohol. "I can be fun and impulsive and... and make dangerous decisions."
Jayden laughs, louder this time, like I just told him a hilarious joke. "Dangerous decisions? You?"
He grins at me like I'm being cute. "Come on, Winona. We both know you like things planned out, under control. That's who you are. Who you've always been."
He hands me the coffee.
And that's when I snap. "I can't fucking do this."
Jayden stops laughing, his smile faltering. "Do what? I thought we were having fun."
"This, I gesture between us, my voice rising. "This whole... being apart but still together. I'm not some placeholder waiting around for you to figure out whatever the hell it is you're trying to work through." "I want you to figure out what you want. That's what this break is about."
"How many other women have you had sex with?"
Lisa is right. He has the upper hand. I need to change that and have some fun before I commit the rest of my life. I want to.
His brow furrows, eyes searching my face. "What do you mean?"
"It's not a hard question. How many in your whole life? More than just Ashlyn and me?"
He looks altogether shocked and sheepish. "A few others."
I take a deep breath, and before I can second-guess myself, I say it. "I want a hall pass this week."
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59 Hall Pass
His jaw drops and his eyes go wide.
It feels good.
"Didn't know predictable old Winona was going to say that, did you?"
+25 BONUS