15 - Joanna

15

Joanna

We quickly left the bathroom, giggling as one of the waiters in the room gave us a healthy amount of side-eye. Our drinks were still at the bar, so we finished them and paid the tab.

"It's always satisfying making a guy come that quickly," I said as we walked toward the Metra station together.

"Staring at you all night was basically foreplay," Theo said. "You could've breathed on my dick without touching it and I still would've come in less than a minute. I was going to go home and jack off tonight, but that was way better."

"Still jealous about the kiss with Landon?" I asked.

"Landon who?"

Laughing at that, my hand bumped into his. Our fingers joined automatically, lacing together as if we'd been holding hands for years. It lasted a few seconds, and then Theo let go and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Just in case someone happens to see us," he explained. "I don't want your cover to get blown and lose that job."

"Right," I said, although right then I didn't give a single fuck about the job application.

"Are you going to tell Landon about us?" Theo asked.

"Hell no," I replied. "He'll probably use that as an excuse to not give me the job. Honestly, after the wedding tomorrow, I probably won't ever see or talk to Landon again."

Saying that out loud made me strangely sad. Despite his demanding nature, we had been sharing this secret together. It was tough not to feel some kind of attachment to him. On top of that, we had shared two very-much-real-and-not-fake kisses. Being turned on from the kiss tonight was part of the reason I dragged Theo into the bathroom.

It doesn't matter, I told myself. Two kisses doesn't make for a relationship. He blackmailed me, for heaven's sake! I don't want to see him again.

But the memory of the kiss made something stir inside of me.

"That's probably for the best," Theo agreed. "The fewer people who know, the better."

"Right, just the two of us." I paused. "And Austin."

"Shit. I forgot about him." Theo glanced sideways at me. "You seemed to have put him in his place, though."

"I hope so. We'll find out tomorrow."

We walked another block in satisfied silence.

"Listen, Joanna. I really like you. I know we have some long-term incompatibilities, but as a counterpoint: who cares? All I know is that I want to see you again. And again after that."

"I feel the same way," I said. It was like Theo was reading my thoughts out loud to me. "I just have one question."

"Shoot."

"Why won't you tell the Cozart family that you're a dentist? I can understand downplaying your career on Bumble, but these are people you've known for years. Don't you want them to know what you do for a living?"

I was expecting him to brush it off again. He'd already made it clear that he didn't want to talk about it. But hell, I had to ask one final time. Nowadays, everyone bragged about everything they did. That's all social media was: people showing off their hobbies, careers, and lives.

"I was kind of a party animal in college," Theo began.

Oh shit. He was actually going to tell me.

"I didn't care about grades. I failed a few classes. My GPA was always hovering around the line that would lead to academic suspension. I couldn't afford a plane ticket home to see my family, so I went home with Bradyn for most holidays. They loved me because I was a goofball. I didn't take anything seriously, but I was fun to be around. It pretty much became my identity.

"I graduated, but just barely. I didn't get to walk at graduation with Bradyn and the rest of our class because I had to stay an extra semester to finish my degree. Staying back was eye-opening for me. It made me realize that I needed to take life seriously. So I buckled down and figured out the path I wanted to take in life. I was living off-campus with the Cozarts while finishing my degree, and I told them that I wanted to become a dentist."

Theo's laugh was bitter. "They thought I was joking. They didn't take me seriously. In retrospect, I can't blame them—it was kind of a ridiculous thing for me to say. But they laughed, and that stung. Like, really stung."

"They laughed at you? Oh, Theo…"

"Honestly, it was probably the best thing for me. I wanted to prove them wrong. So I spent the next year studying for the Dental Admission Test. I aced it. Turns out, I'm pretty smart when I actually apply myself. My GPA was awful, but my high score on the DAT and a few recommendation letters helped me get into dental school. By then I was living on my own, and Bradyn was off working for his dad's company. When I saw them again a few years later, after I had earned my DDS, I didn't really feel like telling them about it. I didn't want to make it a whole big thing. I lied and told them I was doing odd jobs here and there, like construction. They believed it because that's all they ever expected of me."

I pulled Theo to a stop in front of the Metra station. "That's awful! I can't believe you haven't told them after all this time."

He flashed a wry smile. "It's fine. They're good people, they really are. They just only remember the old me. It's actually kind of nice. My parents ride my ass about my career, always grilling me about how many patients I have, how much I earn, if I'm planning on expanding my practice now that my mentor has retired. But when I'm around the Cozarts? Their expectations of me are super low. They're impressed when I show up wearing a button-down shirt. It's relaxing. And when I nail my Best Man speech tomorrow, they'll act like I won an Oscar."

"Is your speech really that good?"

"You'd better believe it. I've been practicing in front of the mirror and everything."

"I can't wait to hear it." I glanced at the Metra schedule board. "My train leaves in two minutes. I'd better go."

"Lucky. I have to wait ten minutes for mine." He looked both ways, then reached out and squeezed my hand. "It was good to see you tonight."

"You mean it was good to get a blowjob from me tonight?"

"That too. But just seeing you was nice. I'm glad I didn't have to wait two weeks." He looked like he wanted to say more, and I leaned closer. I liked hearing him talk, especially when he was pouring his soul out to me. I didn't want the night to end.

Then he glanced at the schedule again, and squeezed my hand. "Goodnight, Joanna."

I hurried to my train, a big smile on my face.

*

The wedding ceremony was at five o'clock on Saturday. Since Landon was a groomsman, he needed to arrive early, but I didn't have to be there until three. That meant I had all morning to relax.

I slept in, waking up when my body decided to rather than my alarm. I sipped my coffee while doing the Wordle. I got it in three guesses, a good omen for the day. The sun was shining, so I was thinking about relaxing at my apartment pool until noon. Then I'd grab a sandwich at the deli next door and start the routine of getting ready. After that I would crush my assignment at the wedding, get that job at DefTec, and sail off into the sunset of professional fulfillment.

Yeah. That sounded nice.

Then I got a knock on my door.

"Package for Joanna Pullen," the delivery guy said.

"I wasn't expecting anything," I muttered while signing for the package.

"It came from across town. I'm a local courier." He handed me the package. "Have a nice day."

Who was sending me something from across town? Danicka had mentioned letting me borrow some of her jewelry for the wedding, but I didn't think she would pay so much for it to be delivered to me.

It wasn't jewelry inside the package, though. It was a black and red Chicago Blackhawks jersey carefully wrapped in plastic. I removed the wrapping and held it up: the name on the back said Bedard, with his signature written below it in thick black ink.

And even better than the autograph: there was a smear of blood across the front. It was the game jersey that Theo had gotten from Bedard!

Me : I just received the most amazing thing from a courier!

Theo : I was going to wait until next week, but I decided not to wait. Especially after the blowjob you gave me last night.

Me : I could give you a hundred blowjobs and it wouldn't come close to repaying you for this!

Theo : :-)

Me : When are you heading to the wedding?

Theo : I'm meeting the other groomsmen at noon.

Me : Perfect. You have three hours to come to my apartment and fuck my brains out.

Theo : What are we going to do with the remaining two hours and fifty-eight minutes?

Me : I know you're joking, but I don't care how long you last. I just know I need that dick buried in my pussy, not in my throat.

Theo : This reaction is NOT what I intended when I sent you the jersey.

Me : I'm wetter than a Zamboni machine right now. Get your sexy Teddy Bear ass on the Metra and hurry down here.

Theo : I can get there quicker if I take an Uber.

Me : Good answer. Would you be offended if I make you wear the jersey while we're doing it?

Theo : You hockey fans really are nuts, LOL.

I started replying with a nuts pun, but then I got a call from Landon's mom.

"Hey Danicka! Excited about the big day?" I asked.

"Joanna, thank God you picked up," she said hurriedly. "We need a favor from you."

"Sure, what do you need?"

"Are you certain? Marisa doesn't want to impose on you."

"Of course!" I insisted. What could the favor be? Picking up flowers or other wedding supplies for the wedding? Giving someone else a ride to the ceremony? Maybe Marisa just needed a bottle of tequila to help calm her nerves, although I was sure the country club where they were getting married had that.

There was a scratching noise as Danicka handed the phone over. "Liz has the flu!" Marisa wailed into the phone.

"Oh no!" I hopped up from the couch. The Maid of Honor getting sick was definitely an emergency. "What can I do? Does she need Gatorade? Or some medicine to settle her stomach? I can get whatever you need and bring it."

Marisa was sobbing too hard to get any other words out, so Danicka took the phone again. "We need you to step up, Joanna."

"Okay? What does that mean, specifically?"

"We need you to take Liz's place."