The Betrayal - Sex Stories for Women (Adult Short Stories for Women)
Read The Betrayal - Sex Stories for Women (Adult Short Stories for Women) Online
Authors: E.M. Flemming
A
Contemporary Romance Short Story Series
by
E. M.
Flemming
All
rights are reserved.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and
incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination, or are used
fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business
establishments, places, events, or other locales, is purely coincidental.
The hot summer sun drenched the New
York City patio. I could feel the sun’s warm rays on my partially exposed back.
It felt good to be soaking up the sun for a change, and not to be indoors
studying. It was my last year of law school, and I felt like I had crammed more
information into my mind than I knew what to do with. There were so many cases,
laws, and studies stuck so deep into my skull, that I thought it would
eventually implode. But it didn’t. And, as the years dragged on, I managed to
cram more information in and get more studying done; all while my personal life
was virtually tossed out the window. That is, until I moved in with Hallie.
Hallie and I met on a September afternoon in our
freshman
year Case Law class. She was just as new to the
city as I was, and we both didn’t quite know what to expect when we first
arrived. As exciting as it was, it was also nerve-wracking. Take two girls from
small towns, pluck them out, stick them in a big city, and that’s bound to
happen. And, as much as I hated the small rural town I grew up in, when I got
to the city, as big as it is, I felt much more lonely. It was a culture shock
going from a cheery Oklahoma small town where everyone knew each other by name,
to a city where I got the cold shoulder from just about everyone I encountered.
At first glance, I realized that no one smiled as they
walked excessively fast along the massive city blocks. No one talked to you, or
looked you in the eyes, except of course for the creepy
guys
who would glare at me on the streets. I got used to that though; I adapted. And,
as much as I missed that Oklahoma suburb small-town charm, now after four years
of living in the city, New York feels like home. It’s funny how a place will do
that to you. It’s funny how you can build up that feeling of home and comfort
after not too long. Now, when I’m back in Oklahoma, they think I walk too fast,
talk too fast, and think too fast. It’s funny how different two places could be
like that; so very different.
But, the good thing about going to school in a big city like
New York is, you’re bound to eventually meet someone you just click with. And,
that’s what happened with Hallie and I. When we met, we just clicked, and it
didn’t take long for us to become best friends. And, although we didn’t grow up
together or attend the same high school or anything like that, when we moved in
as roommates our junior year, it just felt like we had known each other forever.
But, even though the Big Apple felt like home after four
years, and I had a great roommate and best friend, I was still jaded. I was
jaded because, as hard as I tried to meet a
guy
that
was “normal,” it just never seemed to work out for me. And, you’d think that
living in a place like New York you would have your pick of the litter. Well,
that certainly is one myth I can bust for you, because I had much better luck
back in Podunk, Oklahoma, than I’ve had in the big city. Most of the men I’ve
met here have just been deadbeats. Maybe I’ve just been too fussy, or maybe I
just was too caught up with one
guy
in particular. Whatever
it was, it’s been annoying to say the least.
I thought about my bad luck in relationships as I sat there
soaking up the sun. I tried to put all of the negative thinking aside because
it was such a nice day out. After all, it was Friday, and as the tiny beads of
sweat glistened on my hand, Hallie and I sipped iced tea while we talked shop.
No, we weren’t talking about school; that was for the weekdays. We were talking
about our ideal man, and what we do if we actually found him. But all we seemed
to come up with were duds. All the men that we would come across were either,
married, fucked up in the head, or just downright rude.
I took another sip of my iced tea as we chatted. The ice hit
my lips and I could taste a hint of infused strawberry and mint in the
delicious elixir. And as the liquid slid down my throat, I couldn’t help but
think of other things that I wanted sliding down my throat. The summer always
got to me; it always made me hot and bothered. I mean, we were both “single,”
and it didn’t hurt to wonder about men; it didn’t hurt to imagine them. It
didn’t hurt to imagine that perfect man standing right there in front of me.
“So, it’s almost your birthday,” I said, creasing my lips
into a straight line as I imagined what the night would entail.
“I know, please don’t remind me,” Hallie said in a lull. Her
giant dark sunglasses shielded her from the glaring sun that was scorching the
city.
“Why not? You only turn 25 once. We have to do something big
for your birthday this year. We have to do something special.”
“Special? Come on, you know we don’t have the time or the
money for that. We’re both barely getting by.”
It was true. We were both starving students, so-to-speak. We
were both struggling to finish school and get paying jobs at topnotch law firms.
And, because of the workload, it was nearly impossible to balance a part-time
job with school.
“I know,” I said, “but we’re still going out though,
right?
”
“Of course we’re going out. I mean, we can’t jet off to some
exotic destination or anything, but we can stay within the city limits.” She
pursed her lips as she sucked the iced tea through a straw, accentuating the
single, solitary mole located just above her right-upper lip.
Entrenched in conversation, we didn’t notice the waiter
appear before us. He was someone we had met a couple years back. John was also
in graduate school, but somehow he’d miraculously managed a way to balance a
part-time job with his studies.
“Hey guys,” he said.
“Hi John,” we both said.
“Happy birthday,” he added. “I brought you a little
something on the house.”
He set down a small dessert cake that looked like an
oversized brownie. He had taken the liberty to place a single candle that was
lit on top of it, and had the chef write
Happy
Birth Hallie
in white icing. Then, a few of the other staff members showed
up behind him, and sang a strange rendition of the happy birthday song. Being a
law student, I knew that restaurants couldn’t sing the actual happy birthday
song unless they paid a royalty to the song’s writer. Otherwise, they could
face a potential civil suit.
Hallie blew out her candle and smiled from ear to ear. After
being best friends for two years now, and rooming together the past four
semesters, we pretty much knew each other inside and out. And that’s the great
thing about having a best friend like that – you get to know each other’s
quirks, their habits, and everything else. You come to appreciate and accept
them for whom they are. I guess I never had that before. I never had someone
who I could turn to that I could call my best friend, and share my deepest
darkest secrets and desires with. It was a good feeling. It made New York feel
even more like home.
But even though we both lived together and enjoyed being
close friends, it was clear we both wanted more. I mean, who didn’t? Who didn’t
want a man to come into their lives and sweep them off their feet? It was clear
that it’s what we both wanted. We just weren’t sure if it ever was going to
happen. It was more like disappointment after disappointment for us. We
couldn’t seem to catch a break, so we just threw all of our focus into our
studies. We figured we could at least become young and successful in our own
right, and not have to rely on some man. But in all honesty, we did want to
rely on a man; we did want to be pampered. Who didn’t want to be treated like
that?
“So, how does it feel to be a year older?” I asked.
“You know, the same,” she said. “Your birthday isn’t too far
off either miss.” She smiled at me as she took a small bite of the cake. We
both jammed our forks into the dessert, as the warm chocolate that was baked
inside, oozed out onto the plate.
“Oh my, God, look,” said Hallie. I took out my phone and
grabbed a picture of her staring at the delectable sweet in front of her; she
made this funny face and held the fork in this awkward manner. She always did
stuff like that.
“Yeah, it’s a lava cake. We’ve had those before,” I said.
“But it’s so good,” she said, placing another fork-full in
her mouth.
“I know, too bad we can’t eat these every day. So, what’s
the plan then? What are you in the mood to do?”
“I guess let’s just go to the bar down off 23
rd
,”
she said.
“Okay, but we go there all the time.”
“I know, but I kind of have a thing for the bartender still.”
“You do?” I asked.
“Yeah, he’s kind of hot, don’t you think?”
“I guess so,” I said. I knew exactly whom she was talking
about. Yeah, he was easy on the eyes a bit, but he was a bartender. They’re the
worst kind of person you could possibly date because they could never stay
faithful. “I mean, if you’re just looking for a fling then go for it.” I
smiled.
“Well, it is my birthday. I deserve a fling,” she said,
taking another bite of the tiny cake. “But if I keep eating like this, you may
need to roll me there.” She laughed, but I think she was being half serious.
“You always eat healthy, a day or two off doesn’t hurt.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” she said.
We both jabbed our forks at the final morsels. It was
satisfying, to say the least. After we were finished, we said goodbye to John,
and left to get ready for the night. On the way back home, I thought about
Michael, my ex-boyfriend. I thought about how much he burned me when he cheated
on me. I recalled it so vividly in my mind, and as much as I wanted those
thoughts to go away, they always seemed to creep back in.
However, aside from the cheating, and the lying, Michael
was
pretty much the perfect
guy
. He treated me right, always buying me flowers, taking
me out to dinner, and doing lovely things for me. It’s too bad it all came
crashing down around me when I walked in on him fucking one of my friends. That
changed everything. That changed my entire view of men, and
who
they really are deep down inside.
In fact, that experience, changed my view on pretty much
everyone in the world, not just men I was in a relationship with. I realized
that everyone was capable of doing those things. I knew that I couldn’t let my
guard down again, and because of all of that, I’ve found nothing but problems
in the men I’ve dated since Michael. I’ve found countless reasons to try to
catch them in lie after lie. Nothing has been the same. Nothing will ever be
the same for me.
“What’s wrong?” Hallie asked.
She must have noticed my sudden sullen mood as I sat there
reeling about days gone by. “Michael. What else?”
“Sydney, you have to forget about him. You really do. It’s
ancient history. That was years ago. Why do you keep allowing him to bring you
down like this? I can see it in your eyes. I can see how unhappy you are.”
I never really realized just how much he had affected me
until later down the road. I had come to the realization that this was going to
be my life now; that I couldn’t move past it anymore. I couldn’t move past the
hurt and the internal conflict ever since then. It was hard. It was
really hard
.
“You don’t get it, Hallie. You just don’t get it. You never
had your heart torn apart like I did. That never happened to you.”
“Well,” she said, “at least you came to the realization sooner
rather than later. Could you have imagined getting married then realizing those
things about him? Could you imagine that?”
“Yes, I know. We’ve talked about this a million times, but
it still bothers me. I had so much invested in that relationship. He was
perfect; absolutely perfect, until that bitch went behind my back and fucked
him.”
“He was hardly perfect. You call that perfect? All he did
was lie and cheat on you. How is that perfect?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I guess that’s just what I want to believe in
my mind,” I said. I was frustrated, and rightfully so. I hadn’t met a single
guy
that had been able to live up to the high standards that
Michael had set. I hadn’t come across a single soul who even paled in
comparison.
“There are plenty of good guys out there. You don’t see me
complaining, do you?”
“That’s easy for you to say,” I said. “You haven’t been
caught up in a racy affair like that. Your relationships have been easy
street.”
“Not even,” she said. “It’s better to have loved and lost,
than to have never loved at all. Sound familiar? Isn’t that what you’ve always
said? It seems like you have a split personality when it comes to Michael. Part
of you is over him, and the other part isn’t.”
“It doesn’t help when he keeps trying to come back into my
life, the way that he has,” I said.
“I know,” she said, “but you have to be strong.”
“I can’t seem to do it. When it comes to him, Hallie, you
know how weak I am. You know the power that man has over me. It’s like, even
though we’re not together, he doesn’t want me to be happy. He keeps showing up
and disappearing. I don’t think I can take it anymore.” Hallie put her arm
around me as we got up to leave the cafe. I felt bad. It was her birthday, and
here I was venting to her about my ex.
“It’s okay. It’s going to be okay. Look, let’s just go out
tonight and have some fun. Let’s plan to do that. No regrets and no worrying
tonight. How does that sound to you?”
I smiled. She always had a knack for cheering me up. I guess
that’s what best friends are for. “Sounds good, I said.” We rounded the corner
and hailed a taxi. It was too hot to be walking on the streets, and all we got
were catcalls from the men who actually thought that was going to make us stop
and give them our number. I never really understood it.
“Where to?” asked the cab
driver.