Shameless (The Therapist #2), стр. 40
When it’s over, the only sound left is our heavy breathing. We pant like we’re in competition with each other, and I smile when Will pulls himself out of me to remove the condom.
That was amazing, and for the first time in far too long, I feel satisfied. All the stress of Brandon, Eric, and Scott has been washed away, and although my legs feel weak and wobbly, I’m stress free. I feel as light as a feather and ready to tell Missy what I know she's dying to hear.
Everything is perfect, until I hear keys clattering outside.
Will and I snap our heads towards the glass door, and everything good I felt is erased by the sight of my mother pushing through the door and flicking on the light switch. The darkness is overtaken by the light, and Scott and I are both literally caught with our pants down.
When she sees us, my mother freezes at the door, her eyes bulging. “What the fuck is going on in here?”
Chapter Twenty-Six
~ Tessa ~
I’ve never seen fury on my mother’s face the way I see it now. She stands there silently, wearing black and white pajamas covered by a red robe hanging loosely over her frail body. Her hair is tied back, and her face is twisted into a scowl that sends a cold chill down my spine. She is absolutely livid.
Will and I immediately start to scramble for our clothes, both of us leaning forward to pull our pants up from around our ankles. Before Will can even fasten his pants, he starts to scurry towards the door, shuffling his feet. I can see the embarrassment smeared across his face like egg yolk he can't get off. While Will scrambles towards the door, my mother doesn't take her eyes off me.
As Will scoots his way past my mother, she doesn't glance at him once, and I finish buttoning my pants just in time to hear the door close behind Will. Through the glass I see him speed-walking back to his car, trying to button his pants as he scampers away. He’s gone without a word, out of my life for good. Now, there's only Judy and me.
“Tessa Louise Milton, what the hell has gotten into you?” my mother begins, throwing in my middle name for good measure. Her feet are firmly planted in front of the door, and it looks like she’d try to tackle me if I attempted to leave.
I swallow hard, focusing on standing my ground, but I struggle to stay upright against the pull of my mother’s influence. “Nothing,” is the only answer I’m able to come up with, which sets my mother off.
“Nothing? Nothing?” she barks, taking two steps towards me before stopping and pointing her finger. “You are so unbelievably disrespectful, Tessa. How dare you bring a man into our place of business and have sex in the lobby! I stand here every single day. I put my hands on that countertop. You’ve defiled our place of business with… who the hell was that?”
I let out a breath so I can speak coherently. I’ve been going to therapy, talking to Dr. Colson to prepare for this moment. I can't back down now, but the room feels like it has extra gravity in it and I’m being weighed down. I feel heavier and slower.
“That was Will. I met him at the bar earlier tonight,” I say, and just hearing it out loud makes it sound bad.
“You met him tonight, and you already slept with him, Tessa?” My mother asks, and I can hear the disgust wrapped around her every word. “What has gotten into you? Ever since Brandon left, you seem to have lost your way. First, you make jokes about sleeping with our customers the other day, and now you bring a stranger to your job to have sex in the lobby? Explain yourself, Tessa, because I’m appalled.”
“I’m sorry,” I mumble, putting my head down.
“Sorry? Sorry won't cut it, young lady! You owe me an explanation. You made a decision, now live with it. Take responsibility for your actions.”
As she talks, I feel heat creeping up my throat from my belly. I’ve been taking this shit for so long, I’ve gotten used to just putting my head down and waiting for it to end. Today, however, has to be different.
“What if he would’ve raped you?” my mother goes on, fueled by my silence. “You wouldn’t have been able to stop it, would you? You know what that means? It would’ve been your fault, Tessa. When you act that way, giving men the impression that you're easy, it makes them think they can do whatever they want with you, and it's your fault for giving them that impression. I taught you better than that. Now, lift your head up and tell me what the hell has gotten into you, because your father is going to be livid when I tell him. Answer me, Tessa!”
The heat from my stomach builds up until it feels like I have heartburn from holding it in so long. I can't take another second of this shit or my head will explode, and before I can even think on it any further, the words just come out.
“Fuck you.”
My mother gasps.
“Excuse me?” she says, and I can tell from her tone that she expects me to backtrack. Both of us are used to me giving in. But I’ve officially had enough.
“I don’t have to explain myself to you, or anybody else, Mom,” I snip. “I’m a grown woman, and I can do what I want with who I want. This is my life, not yours.”
My mother’s eyes bulge to twice their size, and I watch her glance around the room like she’s wondering if it’s real or not.
“Tessa,” she starts