Quitting
By TT

Bracing my hands on either side of the sink, I looked at myself in the mirror and took a deep breath.

“You can do this,” I told myself, needing this pep talk. “It’s just a thing. You are in control of this and you can take control. They have no power over you. Quitting now will only be of benefit in the long run. People quit their addictions everyday, just up and walk away from them or find a support team to help. Not that there’s a group for this, I’m sure, but, still, you can do this.”

Honestly, I didn’t feel that much better after the pep talk, but it was time to go out and face the day. My only hope was that I would survive it. It was a particularly dangerous time for me to do this, but it needed to be done. Joe had moved to Los Angeles to take a job with the FBI four months ago and we’d broken up two months before that. The only reason I wasn’t already with Ranger is because I wanted more with him than I’d had with Joe and I wasn’t willing to compromise for less.

The drive to the office was sheer torture. By the time I arrived, the white-knuckled grip I had on the steering wheel left me with the fear that the impression of my hands would be permanently etched onto it.

With great effort, I slowly uncurled my fingers from their death-grip, fighting the urge to take a deep breath. Deep breaths were why I was in my current state of agitation. Each time I took a deep breath, it seemed to make the situation worse as the scent would assault me and chip away at my resolve.

Finally, I had released the steering wheel and felt collected enough to move into the office.

“Hey, Connie,” I greeted. “Anything new for me?”

“Yeah,” she replied, pushing a small stack of folders to me.

“Hey, white girl, where’re the donuts?” Lula asked, stepping into the main area from the back.

I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, focused my energy and admitted, “I’m quitting.”

When my declaration was met with silence, I opened my eyes and saw Connie and Lula staring at me, mouths agape. Ranger was also there, standing in the doorway of Vinnie’s office, eyebrow raised in question.

The silence was broken by Vinnie who called out, “Did she just say she was quitting? Yes!”

“Not my job, you scum!” I shouted back. “I wouldn’t give you the satisfaction!”

Vinnie mumbled something, causing Ranger to shoot him a look and say something in return.

When Ranger turned around, I knew by the tiny smile on his face and gleam in his eyes, he’d said something to make Vinnie quake in his boots. It was fun to make Vinnie squirm. He deserved it.

I watched as Ranger stepped into the main part of the office and walked right up to me.

Our bodies weren’t touching, but it would only take a slight breeze or a deep breath to make sure we were. I shivered involuntarily as he reached out and tucked a stray curl behind my ear.

He leaned forward so his lips were just brushing my ear as he whispered, “What are you quitting, Babe?”

I shivered again at the sensation of his breath against my ear. I could feel him smiling at my reaction. Since he hadn’t moved, his ear was near my mouth and I returned the favor. “Doughnuts. I’ve given up doughnuts,” I replied just as softly.

His body swayed forward ever so slightly, brushing against my, causing me to gasp. “Let me know if I can help you with the withdrawal symptoms,” he whispered back before his tongue darted out and traced a small portion of my ear.

The sensation of his tongue on my ear caused me to gasp and I instinctively pressed against him. After a heartbeat or two I regained enough control to pull back and look at him. Meeting his eyes, it was easy to see the passion and desire in them. “I’ll keep that in mind,” I replied, staring into his eyes and letting him see the passion and need in my own.

A shiver of desire race through me as our eyes stayed locked.

A smug little smile appeared on his face as he turned to leave.

Though I don’t know why the smile bothered me today, it did. As he was reaching for the door, I called out, “Of course, I still have cake and cookies.”

He paused, one hand on the door and looked over his shoulder at me. I wasn’t quite sure what the look was, but the smug little smile was gone. “Babe,” he said, shaking his head once before leaving the building.

I watched for a moment, trying to figure out what that last ‘Babe’ meant.

When I turned my attention back to the room at large, I found Connie and Lula both staring at me while they continued to fan themselves. “What?” I demanded. When neither woman seemed able to make a reply, I let out a huff of frustration, grabbed my files and left.

Tossing the files onto the passenger seat of my car, I paused as I was getting in, noticing a note on my window.

I snagged the note and settled into the driver’s seat. The outside read, “Babe”. Feeling oddly anxious, I couldn’t help but wonder what Ranger would write to me. There was, however, one sure way to find out.

Opening the note, I quickly read it and had to put it down on the seat while I fanned myself trying to calm down.

My eyes grazed the note again and I felt myself squirm.

Holy hot flash, Batman!

Buckling up, I slid the key into the ignition and I wondered how quickly I could stop by home and get a piece of cake.

As I drove, the note continued to stare up at me, the words burning themselves forever in my brain.

End.

To TT's 100_Prompts Table
To TT's Story Index
Email TT