"No."
"Pull over or I am jumping out at the next red light."
"Grow up, Olivia."
"You grow up."
She tugged on the door handle. "Are you fucking kidding me?" I yelled and she flinched. "You're really starting to piss me off."
"Get over it." She snapped as the car rolled to a stop at a red light. I watched with tight fists on the steering wheel as she pushed herself from the car and ran across the road onto the sidewalk.
I watched her run. I was fucking fuming. I felt my heart thunder against the cage in my chest. My hands were sweaty against the steering wheel and my throat felt tight with anger. I was livid.
When I got my hands on her…she would know just how angry she'd made me. Without thinking twice about the rage I felt building in my chest, I took my next right to circle my way back to her café.
***
Who the hell did he think he was? I shifted my purse higher onto my shoulder and cursed the sexy high heels I wore. Damn! These were not the shoes to walk a few New York blocks in. I should have taken Jace's insane craziness into consideration when I dressed for work. But I hadn't. Instead, I had been sated by sex. Yes, I was slowly coming onto Jace's way of numbing my mind from pushing discussion of things he didn't agree with. Slowly, I was beginning to understand Jace felt he could control every aspect of my life. Had I in some weird way given him that assumption? Was I the reason he was hell bent on controlling me?
Oh God - I needed a release. My emotions were too much and I felt as though I were about to suffocate. I needed an outlet and I knew I couldn't exactly call Jace for sex…as good as I knew it would be. I needed the next best thing. Without thought or consideration, I hailed a taxi, jumped in, rambled an address and fished my phone from my purse. I dialed Trisha's number and was surprised when the first ring was cut short.
"Where are you, Liv?" She asked.
"I'll be a few hours, Trisha." I winced before continuing. "Can you stay?"
"Everything here is fine." She said breezily. "The girls you hired are all amazing. And Franco is pretty great too. The women love him."
"Franco? Really? He's gay."
"Oh, I know." She laughed. "But he is a mean flirt."
"Oh dear," I shook my head and chomped down on my lip to keep myself from laughing hysterically. "I'll have to see this flirt for myself."
"Oh, he is gaining quite the clientele."
"I'm sure." I nodded. "So, everything is going good?"
"Yes. You're not needed."
"Thanks." I replied dryly. "How kind."
"I'm just telling you the truth." She said sincerely. "So, your turn."
"What?"
"I'm being all forthcoming. It's your turn." I could practically see her rolling her eyes. "Come on, out with it."
"Out with what, exactly?"
"Out with why you can't come in. Out with what happened with you and Jace last night. Out with,"
I interrupted her. "Out with why my best friend called the man I've been broken over for the last seven weeks when I was finally finding some semblance of normality with my friends?"
She huffed. "We've been over this. I was worried about you, Liv. I care about you. And, you weren't finding any semblance of normality. You were trying to drown yourself in tequila."
It was true, but I wasn't about to tell her this. "Whatever. I'm not coming in because I have somewhere to be. And as for the night with Jace, it was great…it's facing the day with him that's hard."
"Why is facing the day with him hard?" Trisha asked. I could hear the tenseness in her tone and I shook my head incredulously.
"It's hard because," I paused. "I'm at my stop, love. I've gotta go."
"Wait! Liv!"
I hung up the phone, passed the cabbie some cash and opened the door. I climbed from the back seat and stepping onto the asphalt. A rush of adrenaline soared in my veins and I knew this was exactly where I was supposed to be. In this moment, the only thing that could have made this any better would have been if Jace was here and I was in the passenger seat of the Bugatti.
A bald headed man appeared from the door. "Olivia! You're here!"
"Hi Kyle," I smiled and he grinned easily in return."
"You're looking good." He nodded his approval. "What happened?"
"Jace happened." I smiled shyly. I'd spent a few nights riding with Kyle when I left Jace. We never spoke about it. I'd never wanted to. But he always made it clear that he was there to listen if I ever needed it. But I think he knew as well as I knew what I really needed. I needed the thrill of the speed. The smell of burning rubber on the asphalt. The scream of the engine as gears revved. The sweaty palms and the flutter in the stomach. But what I needed most was the reminder that I was capable of feeling. I needed to know I was still alive and driving on the track did it for me. The speed did it for me. It helped me numb my mind and just feel alive. It was beautiful. It was a feeling that simply couldn't be rivaled.