Rhys - Discipline

Stella Rhys

Copyright 2015 by Stella Rhys

Published at Smashwords

All Rights Reserved

This book is a work of fiction. Names,characters, places and incidents are either products of theauthors imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance toactual events or people, living or dead, is entirelycoincidental.

Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1

I always know when Im the last to arrive toa dinner with the Todos girls because the moment I step into therestaurant, the hostess gives me a half-grin, half-cringe. Shesbeen briefed on the penalty I face for being late which Imconsidered even if I arrive on time, as long as everyone else gotthere before me. Adriana, being hyper-punctual and a sadist,implemented this rule after too many of our reservations went towaste because our party was incomplete. The culprit is normallyLinh because shes compelled to Instagram every flower or flowyskirt on the sidewalk, but tonight, it was myself. So for the veryfirst time, I was the one forced to drink the foulest availablevodka at the bar one shot for every five-minute increment thatthe girls were kept waiting.

I was thirteen minutes late tonight butAdriana rounds up, so I was promptly greeted with three shots ofGeorgi, which Em informed me the place didnt actually carry itwas just staff party leftovers that the cute bartender hadvolunteered. Like so many others, he was charmed by our ruthlesstradition.

Bottoms up. He winked at me, watching as Istruggled to down each shot of coconut-flavored punishment. Butunderneath my heavy cringing, I felt the tingle of a thrill. Itdbeen years since Id been able to really hang out with the girlsand the shots made me feel like I was back. Out and alive again,not trapped and alone in Bens miserable, echoing penthouse.

Kay, I croaked when I was finished,taking a solid ten seconds to finish shuddering. It was only thenthat the girls began greeting me with kisses on the cheek and a fewsympathetic coos at least from Adriana and Linh, who hadnt seenme since the breakup.

You lost so much weight! Adrianaexclaimed as she pulled away from our hug. Cute Bartender andseveral patrons looked over at me despite having no prior frame ofreference. I couldnt blame them. No matter where we went,Adrianas jubilant voice always demanded attention especially atrestaurants and bars, and mostly from the male population. If itwasnt that, Ems sports banter or Linhs compulsive pixie flirtingwould do the trick. Once upon a time, I contributed to ourcollective charm. I think. But then a long-term relationshiphappened more specifically one with Ben.

Tonight, to make up for three years of doingit his way, I wore something tight, white and crocheted that hewouldve punched a wall over.

Girl, how? Adriana held her armsout in awe, still gaping at my body. She paused and then gasped.Youre depressed! she guessed jovially.

Im not depressed, Ade, I laughed, alreadytipsy as we got seated. Drunk, really. Id lost any shred oftolerance in the last few years away from the girls. It was as ifId been living in a cave. It did feel that way.

Linh studied me as she wound a lock of blackhair around her finger. But three years is forever, she said inher wispy voice. It would be normal to be depressed.

Guys, shes really not though. Theopposite, really, Em spoke up for me while reading the menu. Beingthe only one of them left at Todos Santos, where Id begunwaitressing again, shed had the most time to talk to me since thesplit. Plus, shed been the one I could safely gripe to about Benover the years. She was sarcastic but mellow and unlikely to roundup all her bouncer friends to go and intimidate him, which I couldactually see Adriana and Linh doing, though Linh would probablymake them swear to only scare him. Adriana, on the other hand,would give them the go-ahead to throw punches, even use restraintsif needed. For those reasons, I couldnt tell her about myrelationship. I had to tell Em.

And being that person, she knew the truth that despite being technically dumped, I was beyond relieved to beout of what had felt like a twisted marriage. From the ages ofeighteen to twenty-one, Id essentially been Mrs. BenjaminKingdon.

Adriana eyed me. Guess Ill believe Emsince you tell her everything now, she said, cocking an eyebrow. Itensed, but she relieved me by changing the subject and playfullypouting her full, berry lips. Anyway, thank fucking God youreback, honey. You were too young to be married!

As far as she and the girls were concerned,I had been a wife for the past three years. While they werestill starting their nights at 1AM and hooking up all over thecity, I was tending to Bens every need in his TriBeCa loft and ifnot that, waiting for him to come home from work where he alwaysstayed late. When I wasnt at Todos or school, I was raising ourchild, Jack the Akita puppy that he one day decided hewanted.

Oh! Look at that, Adriana feigned surprisewhen a complimentary round of drinks arrived at our table. I heldback a laugh. Id missed this act of hers. Half the reason she everplayed our late-girl shots game was to amuse the staff and endearus to them. Theyd always want to send a consolation drink towhichever one of us had to down the disgusting vodka, but then ofcourse theyd feel the need to include the rest of the girls on thefree round. And then once it was delivered, she and Linh wouldflirt with our server, be it a boy or girl, and this friendship forthe night would ensure free dessert sent to our table at the end ofthe meal.

But tonight, Adriana had other orders ofbusiness. Sipping on her strawberry Caipirinha, she peekedmischievously at me. So. Drunk enough to start talking about Ben?Since, apparently, I need to get you hammered for you to tell methings anymore?

I frowned. Ade.

Im just kidding. I know it was becausethat prick was holding your silence hostage. Like a truefucker.

Ade, this is why I didnt talk abouthim, I protested with a laugh. Because I dont want to get youall riled up. I know you hated him.

We all hated him. Ade just talked about itmore, Linh said truthfully. She plucked a yellow flower from thetable and tucked it into her wavy hair. Probably because Ben hatedher most.

My lips pursed awkwardly. We never reallytalked about that, but leave it to Linh to casually say things thatmost people tiptoe around. Lets not talk about Ben, Idecided.

Why not? Adriana wore a sassy look as shelet her cocktail straw hang from her lips like a cigarette. Isntstep one of recovery acknowledging the problem?

Yes. She had me. Step one of getting pastBen was talking about him, but I didnt know where to start.Despite the fact that wed dated for so long, he was still astranger to the girls. Hed hung out with Em the most because hethought she was calm and civilized compared to Adriana andLinh, but that still just meant on four brief occasions over thecourse of three years. Three years that I spent being tight-lippedabout our relationship, too stubborn to admit that he was thereason for why Id eventually left work, quit school and stoppedseeing my closest friends, especially Adriana. To Ben, she meantdanger. She was the best friend that every girl wanted beautifulwith a contagious sense of adventure and charisma that attractedmen everywhere she went. Confident, good-looking men whom Benfigured would eventually start flirting with her friends. And so heresorted to calling her trashy, even slutty when she wasactually neither.

Far worse, I let him.

Ugh. Thinking about what an assholehe was and what an idiot Id been made me feel ready to spill aboutthe failed relationship. As long as Adriana didnt ask about thelast straw that final argument that I hadnt told a soul aboutyet. It was too humiliating and I couldnt stand the filthy,crawling feeling I got every time I remembered it.