Page 16 of Dirty

“Oh. Wow. Hey, how’s it going?”

I pressed my tongue against the roof of my mouth and felt guilty for even noticing her good looks.

“I’m Good.” I pushed myself from the couch and stood. “How are you doing?”

She grinned a shallow grin. “I’m good. Really good.”

Her eyes shot to the bottle of wine, and then to her mother. “I’ll grab a glass.”

“You’ve got a week to go,” Lucy said, although it didn’t sound like she meant it.

“Five days,” Alexandra said on her way to the kitchen. “I’ve earned it.”

Lucy looked at me.

I shrugged. “I started drinking when I was twelve.”

“One glass,” Lucy hollered. She reached for the bottle and her face washed over with a confused look. “Oh, wow, that’s all that’s left.”

Alexandra walked in with a wine glass and her eyes met mine. She smiled and then went to the end of the couch and extended her hand. After Lucy poured what remained of the wine into the glass, Alexandra sat down in the chair and crossed her legs.

Lucy was seated next to me, on my right. To my left, Alexandra sat in the chair. For a moment, I fumbled with my wine glass, void of any thoughts of Lucy, and incapable of keeping my eyes off Alexandra.

After a long stare, I felt guilty. But, she was stunningly beautiful, and was difficult not to gawk at her. Her boobs weren’t as big as her mother’s and she wasn’t as tall, but she was far more beautiful. So much so that I couldn’t seem to pry my eyes from her.

Then, when I began to feel like a guilty pervert, I tore my eyes away and gazed down at the floor.

“Someone say something,” Lucy said. “How was your class?”

“It was good.”

“Did you learn anything?”

Interested in her response, I looked up.

Alexandra took a sip of wine, and then nodded. “They teach us how to recognize patterns in our behavior, and make adjustments before we go off the deep end. It’s pretty interesting.”

Anger shot through me. I knew there was nothing more that I could do to, but it aggravated me to no end that she had to figure out a way to cope with what had happened. The inconsiderate pigs that abducted her were going to be a part of her life for as long as she lived. From their graves I was sure they’d continue to haunt her.

“I’m glad you’re going,” Lucy said.

Alexandra took a sip of wine and shrugged. “Me, too.”

Her eyes fell to her lap.

For the entire time she looked down, I studied her, trying to find fault in in the lines of her face. I came up with nothing. As she looked up, I shifted my eyes to the doorway.

I felt awkward.

Out of place.

Confused.

“Well,” Lucy said. “We’re out of wine.”

Thank God.

Her hand slapped against my inner thigh. “Should we go get some?”