Free Flesh: Part Five (The Flesh Series Book 5) by Sky Corgan

CHAPTER ONE

    “ So,
sugar lips, were you able to keep the kitten in the cattery?”
Derrick's words are full of mockery, as if he expects me to have
slipped up, which I did.
    I push my keyboard
aside and rest my head in my arms, groaning. I can't even look at
him, I'm so guilty.
    “ Well?”
He nudges my back.
    “ Can
we not talk about this?” I lift my head up and rub my face with
my hands, not caring that I'm smearing my makeup.
    All morning, I've
been a blubbering mess. You'd think that sleeping with an incredibly
hot guy would bolster my self-confidence. Not me though. I'm a
weirdo. Everything going through my mind is negative.
    Was I so
desperate that I couldn't resist Lucian? How could I not see that all
he wanted was sex? I knew this would screw me up emotionally, and yet
I did it anyway. I deserve to feel like this. Like a worthless slut.
    “ It
looks like you had a late night.”
He frowns at me.
    “ Don't
you have a job to do?” I snap, not wanting to deal with him.
    I expect Derrick to
recoil and go back to his desk, but instead, he kneels beside me, his
expression sympathetic. “Hey, Amy.” He waits until I turn
to look at him before he continues, “I'm sorry. It's honestly
none of my business. I just want to make sure you're okay. Because
you don't look okay.”
    All of my emotions
surge to the surface in a flood, and I allow him to see the tears
running down my face. My voice is a hushed whisper as I break down in
front of him. “Oh, Derrick. I'm not okay.”
    He stands and pulls
me into his arms before I have a chance to fall into a fit of
sobbing. Then he helps me to my feet and walks me to the front of the
building. It's a kindness. Already, my other co-workers are looking
at us. When you work in such a small space, everyone knows everyone's
business, and this isn't something I want everyone knowing about.
    Once we get outside,
the tears really begin to flow. Derrick holds me until the heaving
subsides, rubbing my back gently. His cologne smells expensive, and I
instantly begin to worry about crying on the designer suit he's
wearing today. As soon as I've sucked up my emotions, I pull away
from him, quickly wiping my eyes.
    “ Are you going
to tell me what happened?” he asks.
    “ I guess going
over to Lucian's house by myself and not jumping on his dick was more
of a feat than I thought,” I laugh awkwardly, thinking back to
the time when I thought it was a load of crap that Derrick didn't
trust me to be alone with Lucian.
    “ It was the
eyes, wasn't it?” He wrinkles his nose at me, trying to be
funny. Somehow, it works.
    “ Definitely
the eyes.” I nod, thinking of Lucian's ghostly pale eyes.
    “ Well.”
He takes a step away from me. “You obviously wanted to sleep
with him, or else you wouldn't have. So tell me what's really wrong?”
    “ You already
know what's wrong.” I give him a sarcastic look. “It's
everything you said. Guys like him...” I hesitate, feeling a
rush of negative thoughts rake over me, causing my heart to ache with
pain. I don't want to say what I'm about to, but I know it's true.
“Guys like him aren't interested in girls like me. Not in the
way I want them to be.” My gaze falls to Derrick's white
slip-on loafers.
    “ Oh, that's
nonsense.” He rolls his eyes. “Just because Johnny
Vampire is a hoebag doesn't mean you're not worthy of a man his
equal. Not all men are pricks, I promise you. And you're perfectly
beautiful and amazing. That asshat would be lucky to have someone
like you. He just can't see past his dick to realize it.”
    “ Johnny
Vampire?” I let out a snigger. That whole mini-speech was
filled with adorable ridiculousness. This is why I love Derrick so
much. He knows exactly how to cheer me up.
    “ He looks like
that one guy. You know, from that show?”
    “ Yeah.”
I shake my head. “That one guy. Right. But anyway, I feel
better now. I think we can go back inside.”
    Derrick grabs my arm
before I have a chance to head through