CARLI
The day that I’ve come to call Vibrogate, has been synonymous with jokes around the office cooler, as it were.
Me.
Getting off.
On my own.
And being seen by my employees half naked in ecstasy? Yeah, that went over really well with Kato.
He was bringing in my two-thirty appointment, a Mr. Muzuki, or who I like to call Mr. Miyagi. Wax on, wax off, dude. Learn the golden rule. Live by the hot wax, it’ll do wonders. He has to be the hairiest Japanese man I’ve met yet.
Ever heard of the movie the 40-Year-Old Virgin? Well, consider him the 60-year-old virgin, and you have the picture.
After redressing myself, and cleaning up my apparel, I was told how they thought that someone was attacking me. Nope, I was attacking me. And it was lovely, until the Gorilla virgin showed up.
It’s been two more weeks of drastically boring meetings, awful conversations about who’s running what trade, and what shipment was hacked, before I feel like throwing up every twenty minutes.
No, really. I feel like throwing up every twenty minutes. I’d had a horrible night’s sleep, and my sisters were thankfully carted off to some mountain retreat for the weekend so they weren’t around to harass me. Mainly, it was because everyone thought I had a flu bug. Best part of that? I’ve been left alone.
Pulling out my phone, I dial Circe who picks up on the third ring.
“What the fuck took you so long!”
“Well hello to you too, Circe.”
“Dammit, woman. I’ve been out of my mind worried about you. You didn’t call or write after you landed. I haven’t had a single drunk text, and not one dick pic. What the F!” And there’s my consummate good girl who can’t say the word fuck.
“Circe, I’m fine. Well, other than this flu bug that I seem to have caught that no one else did. How’s the racer?”
“He’s fine. Yes, I’m talking about you.” With scuttling on the other end, I know she’s wrestling the phone from Wyatt. “No. You can’t talk to her, she’s my friend. Eat your Jell-O.”
“Are you going to talk to me now that I’ve called from halfway around the world or what?”
“Sorry, Carli. Or should I say, Kaori?”
Fuck. “Damn, Crown can’t keep his mouth shut.”
“You’re right, but wrong, Crown. Wyatt told me after Jamieson and him had an extensive conversation about you and him.”
“So he spilled the beans, just not to you. Still the same thing, Circe.”
“Yeah, well, I threatened his Jell-O supply, so I guess it was my female persuasion techniques that made it happen.” Pausing, I hear them arguing about Jell-O again. Jesus Christ, enough with the fucking Jell-O! “So how’s Osaka? Things quiet or what?”
“Yeah, meetings. Loads of boring, annoying, disenchanting and dry meetings. It’s pretty here, though. You’d love that.”
“Yeah. I’d love it more if we were there together checking it out and you weren’t a kidnap victim.”
“You and me both. I miss LA.”
“Yeah.” Changing gears, her voice turns sweet and sugary. “Have you talked to him?”
She’s fishing, using my own tactics against me. I’m so proud of my little Circe. All grown up.
I’m trying to avoid it. Him. All of him. “Who?” The memory of him has caused me enough trouble in the past few weeks. Like I need to talk to him. Like I need more wet dreams that are unfulfilling and dull in comparison.
“Of course I mean Jamieson.”
“You didn’t mean my gay / straight boss Chris? ’Cause no, I called you first. You’re more important than that male hooker.”
“Wrong male slut, Carli. I meant the other one. Have you called him? Or was I the lucky contestant to get first chance at Jeopardy?”
“Funny. Your humor hasn’t increased any. And your tact has definitely decreased. I see the directness of your racer is wearing on your ability to bite your tongue.” With more wrestling on the line, and pouting shouts, I have the feeling Circe finally lost.
“Oh, she bites her tongue plenty. She bites other things—”
I yell into the phone, cutting him off. “Oh! That’s enough, Casper Crown! Don’t give me a visual of you two.” Crossing my arm over my head to close out the light, I’m trying to remove the idea of my friend biting any part of Wyatt, ever-loving sexy Casper Crown. Since meeting Circe, his Siren, Wyatt’s become lighter, and joking is a part of that. His brother, on the other hand, is the dark, serious brute.
It’s bad enough mine has been put on the back burner. I can’t be thinking about her sex life. And Jamieson has the starring role in my singlehanded ministrations.
“Did you call Jamieson, Carli?” Wyatt laughs into the receiver. “Have you been video fucking at least?”
“No. Sorry, Cas. I don’t mean to wreck your vision of a double wedding, but Jamieson and I had a fling, nothing more.” Liar. I haven’t quit thinking about him.
In my defense, I haven’t had anyone else to envision. His deep, throaty voice, body built for sin, and my vivid imagination of what else we could have gotten up to if Kato hadn’t shown up, keeps me busy.
“Circe misses you. You should come home. You’d see the progress she’s made. I’m hoping we’re out of here in a week or so.” You can hear the happiness in his voice, but there’s still the other shoe to drop. With Wyatt and his bipolar condition, there’s always the other shoe. Circe helps to regulate him, his moods, and reminding him that the drugs are necessary, but there’s always a chance for a fall.
“Wyatt, that’s great,” I tell him.
“Yeah. I’m itchin’ to get out of here. I need to touch metal. I’m going stir crazy now that I can walk again.”
Reaching over, grabbing my drink, I take a huge gulp of the cool liquid. The only thing I’ve kept down are crackers and soda water to quench the thirst.
Against my better judgement, without overthinking it, I ask the question I probably shouldn’t. “So, um…how is he?”
Silence.
“Hello? Earth to Casper.”
“Why don’t you call him and find out?” If I was on FaceTime, I don’t think his smile would fit in the screen.
“Why don’t you tell me before I send ninjas to invade your room while you sleep? You’ll wake with pink hair, bright blue fingernails, and a tutu, Crown. There will be pictures. I’m still vindictive from afar, remember that.”
As he laughs, my stomach grumbles. Lifting off the couch quickly, I know the outcome if I don’t. I’ll spew across my living room.
Holding the phone at a distance, I push the door to the bathroom wide. “Wyatt, can you hang on a second?”
Setting the phone on mute, I throw up in the porcelain bowl, emptying out nothing of substance. Once I’m done, I release the mute button and apologize. “Sorry. This is awful. I didn’t want to do it in your ear. I hope I hit the button fast enough so you didn’t get a firsthand experience.”
“How about I put Circe back on. It sounds like you’re kind of busy.” As I wait for him to pass me back to Circe, I rise from the floor and wash up.
“Carli? You okay? How long have you been sick? Maybe you should get checked out by a doctor. They have clinics there, right?”
Waving off her concern, I traipse back to the couch, feeling lighter, but worse. “I don’t need to go to the doctor for something as simple as this. You don’t go to the doctor about the flu. You go when you need a checkup, stupid gyno appointments, and when you need your prescriptions refilled. It’s like going for a split nail, for Pete’s sake.”
“Fine, but do me a favor. If it lasts more than a few days, go get checked.”
It’s already been a few days. Actually, it’s been a few weeks, off and on, but I figured it was the food arguing every time I tried to take something else other than crackers in. “Yes, Mom. I promise.”
“Well, Wyatt and I are supposed to have physio appointments soon, so I better go. Don’t be a stranger, Carli. Don’t leave me wondering if you’re okay, got it?”
“Oh, pulling out the big guns, huh? The ‘I worry about you’ clause.” Rolling my eyes at her is lost on a phone call, so I just answer. “I promise not to leave you worrying.”
“Good.” I don’t need to look to know that Circe is crying. “Love you, Car. And I miss you so much. Don’t be gone so long again, okay?”
With tears threatening my eyes, I answer her back. “I promise, love. No more kidnappings. I’ll do my best to call you every week.”
“Love you.”
“Love you, too.” Hanging up the line, I push the tears away.
I won’t let my missing her get to me.
I won’t let it…
Dammit. Now I’m crying.