Delusive by Courtney Lane

give me space. It was odd to have barely met him and have him cross my mind as much as he did. He made an impression on me which couldn’t be denied.
    Skylar frowned and shoved them toward me. “They’re for you. I told you. He’s not going to give up on you until you fuck him.”  
    Fingering the flowers, I searched for the note she must’ve found. If there was one, it was gone. “I’m not completely convinced he’s like that.”  
    She turned the key in the door to unlock it. As she propped them both open, she pointed to my face “I’ve seen so many girls have that same look, think they’re different, and then nurse their broken hearts in five months or less. You do not have a magical vagina that will turn Elias Cari into something other than a douche. No woman does.”
    Smiling while looking at the flowers, I walked inside the store with her.  
    Across the threshold, I pushed a few of the wheeled display racks closer to the front, spacing them in a perfect way to draw the eye of potential customers.
    At the counter, I brought the flowers to my nose and inhaled. Something caught my eye in the trash can underneath the counter. Pieces of a notecard were easily seen thanks to the huge air bubble that brought the bottom of the trash liner to the surface. The notecard was torn to pieces and thrown haphazardly inside the bin. It was suspicious, because we always took out the trash at closing. Only one person could’ve done it. I had the answer to what happened to the note that came with the flowers.  
    “Did you fuck Elias, Skylar?” I asked casually.
    While trying to make her way to the computer on the cashiers’ desk, she tripped over her feet.
    Walking over to the freestanding wall that ran the length of the desk, I fiddled with the control panel until I’d successfully turned on the lights and the music.  
    Turning toward her, I waited for an answer.
    “Nope.” During her quick response, she kept her eye trained to the computer screen.
    I grabbed a bottle half full of water from the ones stashed behind the counter and cut into it with the switch blade I retrieved from my purse.
    Skylar laughed. “I don’t know if I should be scared, or call you awesome.”
    “I also have pepper spray and a taser in there,” I joked.
    “It’s official; I’m scared.” She punched her employee number into the computer and slid her keycard into the RFID reader, initiating the opening of the cash drawer.  
    “Do you think you can come with me to an event for an hour next Saturday?” I asked her.
    “Depends,” she replied, counting the opening balance and ensuring the count compared to last night’s balance.
    “Elias is having something for his company at the Design Center. He invited me and I don’t want to go alone.”
    Keeping her head trained on what she was doing, her eyes shot up to me. “Elias invited you? Oh no! No! No.” She shook her head dramatically. “See, I knew it. Don’t fall for the pretty face and the ‘I’m so sensitive until I get into your panties’ act. He’s known for his hit and runs, and he doesn’t care if that hit is someone else’s wife or girlfriend. Just ask his employee Jaco.”
    “Make up your mind, woman,” I quipped. “First you wanted me to fuck him, now you want me to ignore him? He only invited me to an event. He seemed really genuine about it being a simple outing.”
    Rolling her eyes, she crossed her arms across her chest, making her breasts struggle against popping out from her low-cut strapless dress. “Next thing you know, you’re at his house and he’s in between your legs jack-rabbiting your head into the headboard.” Tsking, she wagged her finger at me. “Don’t be so easily dickmatized.”
    The longer I stared at the flowers, the deeper my frown became. “I guess you’re right. I won’t go.”
    “I changed my mind,” she said in a surprising turnaround, slamming her hand down on the desk. “Hell no. We are crashing that thing for one reason