DANIEL
Daniel stood in the garden long after his date had left. Long after everyone left. It wasnât because he couldnât leave; he just had no idea what to do with the rest of his night.
His mood wasnât the best either.
~How dare that chick say all those things to me?~ he wondered repeatedly. It wasnât the first time that a woman had told him the ugly truth, but it was the first time that he had ever listened.
Daniel contemplated his next move for so long that he felt a headache building up.
~Fuck it! Iâm Daniel Jackson. I donât care for anyone and their stupid ideas of what I should or shouldnât be doing. I can do whatever and whoever I want.~
But every time he tried to boost himself up, reality would somehow knock him back down. This cycle went on for an hour.
Enough was enough. Daniel would not allow anyone to throw him off his game, especially not someone like Lexi. Someone who had probably never seen a dick up close in her life. Someone who had no doubt learned their cues from books and movies.
Daniel took out his cell phone and pulled up her number. With a smirk on his face, he typed.
Daniel
Thank you for coming, I appreciate it. I heard all you said and I was touched that you care enough to scold me.
Daniel
I just want you to know that you wasted your time. I will not change for you or anyone else. But you get an E for effort though.
Daniel
Next Sunday when you serve my bagel, be sure to ask what kind I want before you stick it on a plate. My lips are just as picky as my cock. They wonât touch just anything despite what you might think.
Daniel
All the girls I fucked were thoroughly checked and they are physically perfect with or without makeup, with clothes on and theyâre still perfect naked. I have high standards Ms. Fox.
Daniel
But anyway, I hope youâll find someone whoâll find you attractive every day of the week. Someone who wonât be as honest as I was when we first met. Girls like you need a nice guy. Someone whoâll tell you what you want to hear all the time. Good luck with that. And enjoy your night.
Send.
Daniel exhaled for the first time in hours. He felt a rush of relief come over his body.
With a cheerful grin, he typed a new message, this time to his assistant.
Daniel
Are you up?
In the parking lot, Daniel found his driver nodding off at the wheel. Poor guy had sat there all night waiting. He did not have it in him to scold Johnson for taking a nap.
Just then, a text message beeped in. Daniel was eager to check it, imagining the angry words heâd read from Lexi. He was so giddy that his grin stretched from ear to ear.
But it wasnât from her.
It was from Gloria.
Gloria
Yes. Why?
Daniel climbed into the backseat and then typed back.
Daniel
Iâll be there in ten minutes. Make sure youâre naked when I get there.
He closed the thread with his assistant and pulled up the text he sent to Lexi.
~She fucking read it.~
Daniel stared at the screen waiting to see how sheâd replyâ¦but nothing happened. He wasnât sure if he was annoyed at himself for texting her in the first place or angry at her for not responding at all.
It was the worst possible thing anyone could do as far as he was concerned.
~Never ignore me.~
It was an unwritten rule. Daniel was certain even first graders knew better.
~How could she ignore me?~ Even an angry text to reply wouldâve sufficed.
His mood worsened by the second.
âItâs simple courtesy, for fuckâs sake,â Daniel cursed, not giving a damn if Johnson heard him through the partition. âWhen someone messages you, reply to them.â
Danielâs thoughts straddled the line between reason and pride. He couldnât understand why Lexi would go to such lengths to drag him out of character once again.
After who knows how long, different emotions began to swirl around inside his head.
~Maybe I was too harsh.~
~No, she said worse to me tonight! She came here to humiliate me, teach me a lessonâ¦and she succeeded. I fucking faltered. Fell face first tonight into her trap. Iâm ashamed of myself for letting my guard down.~
Daniel lowered the partition. âJohnson!â he shouted.
âYes, sir. Iâm up. Sorry.â
âItâs okay.â Daniel looked at his phone screen, still waiting for Lexiâs reply. âLetâs go. Take me to Gloriaâs.â
Johnson frowned deeply. âWhat about Ms. Fox? Sheâs a lovely woman.â He didnât even try to hide his disappointment.
âYeah, well, Iâm sure by now Cinderella turned back into a pumpkin,â he replied with an acidic laugh.
Johnson started the engine, and they were on their way.
Daniel lost track of the number of times he checked his phone. The number of times he read and reread the message he sent to her, trying to find some clue that would tell him why she read the message but did not respond.
At the risk of going back to the version of himself that he hardly recognized, Daniel sent another message. A nicer one.
Daniel
IÂ hope youâre not offended. You said some harsh things too. I just wanted to thank you for coming. Disregard the rest of it.
He mentally punched himself for trying to mend things, but he was knocked six feet under the minute her reply came in.
Lexi
On a date. Canât talk. No need to thank me. It was a fundraiser for charity. Just think of our date as me doing my part.
The wench attached a deuces emoji at the end of the text.
Daniel seethed with rage.
~What the fuck just happened?~
âWeâre here,â Johnson announced as he pulled into the driveway of Gloriaâs one-story home.
Danielâs attractive assistant was standing on the front steps, wrapped in a pink silk robe, but he didnât notice. He was too busy trying to figure out what fucking date Lexi could be on past midnight. Especially since she had said that sheâd never even been on a date before the fundraiser.
His thoughts bombarded him ruthlessly. ~She met so many men tonight. Did one of them take her out?~
Daniel heard ringing in his ears. He couldnât fathom why he was so confused, angry, ~jealous~.
He saw Johnsonâs lips move again, but he had no damn idea what his driver said.
â~Where the fuck is she?â is all he cared to know now. âFuck it!â He cursed, dialing Lexiâs number.
After the first ring, her voicemail kicked in. âHi, youâve reached the voicemail of Lexi Fox. Thank you for calling, but Iâm unable to reach the phone right now. Please leave your name and a brief message, and Iâll call you back when I can. Bye.â