Free Release Me by Melanie Walker

of naughty we get into. “What’s up?” I ask and catch a woman in her late twenties maybe earlier thirties eyeballing me. I give up a silent prayer that nothing interrupts this night with Tay. I am thankful for the success but I need this woman’s undivided attention tonight.
    “Well, I did some thinking after I left last night and it occurred to me that I haven’t been judging you fairly. Since the minute we started hooking up, I tended to look at the wrong things and not the right.”
    My heart was racing in excitement. This was more than I had hoped for tonight. This looked a lot like a white flag. “Well, it’s not like I am the easiest guy to understand at times.” I say knowing damn well I suck and I’ll never be good enough for Tay but I’ll still keep hoping she’ll keep me anyway. “I know I underappreciated you Tay. I know I made you second best.” I don’t tell her that sadly she will always be second in line now.
    “Try tenth best. I came last every time unless it was business.” She looks at me pointedly and it’s like I am being reprimanded. Its rubbing me wrong that for sure. I feel that sinking feeling that tells me things are going from superb to shit and fast.
    Reaching for a little joke to lighten the mood I smile and chuckle, “You always came first, even if it took me all night to get you there.”
    She doesn’t laugh, and in fact she looks almost uncomfortable and I cringe at my joke.
    “Sorry, I was trying to lighten the mood. It fizzled out pretty quick.” I felt like a tool. I was so uncomfortable and the more I looked around the restaurant the worse it got. People were looking at me with extreme interest. I couldn’t duck or hide because our table was smack dab in the center of the dining room. I shift in my seat, unease making me sweat and I watch Tayla lift her purse to the table and then she grabs her cell phone.
    “I figure until we can get back to normal that maybe we should rearrange some of the TAT interviews.” She says and she’s looking at her schedule on her smart phone.
    “Back to normal?” I ask not sure where this is headed. But I know this little control freak of mine will let me know once she reaches her point. She looks at me then and the look I get makes my skin crawl because it’s pity. “I just think we need distance. Until there is a replacement lines up and we get you guys back in the studio, that maybe it’s best to have me working closer with one of the other guys, or maybe have George sit in on meeting or do satellite?”
    Holy mother of fuck. She is looking at me with a little fear and a lot of nervous guilt. The fact she played on the fact I’d do just about anything to get her alone and on a date makes me sick to be played like a fool. “Is this a business dinner then?” I ask and sit up, no longer relaxed and content to just look at that beautiful woman across from me. No right now I was pissed off.
    “Well yes and no. I wanted to see you and get this stuff handled first and then talk to you about us.” She is so far checked out right now it’s almost comical. She just spewed that bullshit with a straight face. This is Tayla the business woman for sure. She can be a fucking snake in the grass when she needs to be.
    “Us...” I say and it is both statement and question.
    “Yeah I think the best way to avoid anyone being hurt or mislead, for the sake of both of us, our friends and most importantly TAT, that we end this thing between us and save face and our friendship.”
    She sounds genuine. She may fucking well be, but I am not buying and I am offended she’d pull this shit on me.
    “Well?” She says and it’s in that simple question that I see her trip over her well thought out speech.
    “Well…” I say and steeple my fingers in front of me and look her square in the eye. “Well I am not a business transaction. And you clearly came to do business.”
    I am trying to stay calm but I am livid and a little hurt but I’ll chew