So right a why choose se.., p.1
11:59, page 1
11:
59
Erica Lee
Copyright © 2024 By Erica Lee
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Dedication
To the world’s best store manager. Janelle - thanks for putting up with me constantly writing on the job. More importantly, thank you for demonstrating just how much heterosexual women like beards. I couldn’t have written Candace without your inspiration.
Chapter 1
TJ
“So, 11:59, huh?”
TJ Edmonds laughed the same way she always did during interviews. It was a light chuckle with a slight shake of her head that made her long brown hair wave. She made sure to show a lot of teeth as if she was truly happy… because she was… of course. “Exactly.”
Giving short answers during interviews was another thing TJ had learned since becoming famous. Don’t give too much in the beginning. Keep them asking for more. It shows that they need you, not the other way around.
The late-night talk show host, Veronica Carlson, smiled, as if she knew exactly what TJ was doing. “You’ve created a whole brand based around one minute, 11:59 PM. You not only have a best-selling self-help book, but also one of the most popular apps on the market today, which is saying a lot, since it’s not made to be used for more than a few minutes a day.”
TJ laughed again, a little more lightly this time. “That’s right.” She flashed the camera a wide grin.
“Please tell us more. Let’s start with the book. People are saying you cracked the code on not getting attached and moving on. What gave you this idea? Let us inside your brain, TJ Edmonds, please.”
TJ smiled again, but this time it was sincere. She had won the game. She was being begged for more. “Well, as most people know, one of the hardest parts of a break-up is at night. You’re used to having someone who is either with you at night or just a call or text away. A lot of people get in the habit of always ending their night talking to their significant other whether they are together or apart. That causes an attachment that isn’t easy to move on from. We, as humans, then crave that connection. Once things end with this person, we are left with this innate need for more. This is why people don’t leave terrible relationships. It’s why they get back together with people who don’t deserve them. All because they have this sick hold on them.” TJ stopped herself there. She couldn’t put it all out there at once.
“But, you came up with a solution to that, didn’t you?”
“I did.” TJ winked at the camera. She was sure the camera man probably zoomed in on her blue eyes and long lashes. Her fans loved them after all.
“Are you going to share it or keep us guessing?”
Another laugh. “Since most people already know, I guess there’s no reason to keep it a secret, huh?” Another wink. “The secret is to always end your night talking to someone else, even if it’s just one sentence. Just one goodnight text. I’ve heard some people talk about texting a friend or family member instead of their significant other. I personally don’t recommend this. People leave. While, statistically speaking, family and friends are less likely to leave than love interests, they can still leave. So, stick with bots. When I wrote my book, I suggested texting a fake number, like one of those spam political numbers for example, or making a fake email and sending a note to that.”
When TJ didn’t say anything else, the host smiled knowingly. “But you came up with an even better solution, didn’t you?”
“Yes. That’s why I created my app, which has the same name as my book—11:59. The app is equipped with a bot that people can text before bed.”
“Kind of like Smarter Child from back in the instant messenger days?”
TJ laughed a sincere laugh once again. She loved this comparison. “Exactly. You can text our bot about anything. You can even choose to play a game or do trivia with it. It’s a great way to end the night.”
“What about those who go to bed earlier? Most people don’t want to stay up until 11:59 to text a robot.”
“That’s the beauty of the app. It is open for chatting from 8:30 PM until 2:30 AM and programmed to know which time zone the user is in.”
“If I understand correctly, the app has been updated so users can talk to each other rather than just bots?”
“That’s right.” TJ smiled proudly.
“But I hear that’s already stirred up quite the controversy, which you are no stranger to. Your methods have always had mixed reviews. In the past, people have claimed your methods are unhealthy and ruin relationships. Now the claim is that your app promotes cheating. What do you have to say to all of that?”
TJ knew this was coming, so she was prepared. She got questions like this all the time. At first, they bothered her, but now she let them roll right off her shoulders. “My intentions are pure. I want to give people the chance to be independent and move on from their past. The app isn’t only for people in a relationship who are trying not to get attached, but also for those who have had their heart broken and want help moving on. If it’s used for other things… Well, unfortunately, I can’t do anything about that. People will do what they want to do.”
“Speaking of which, a few people who have used your app to move on have actually found love on it. How do you feel about that?”
TJ groaned internally but smiled at the camera. “Honestly, I’d rather have them use it to cheat.” TJ waved a hand and shook her head to show she was kidding. She didn’t need to give people even more of a reason to hate her. She had enough haters already. “I’m only kidding. I think it’s great that people have found love on it. I just hope they continue to use the app every night.” She winked at the camera one more time.
“And how about you? You’ve been using this method the longest. Is it still working? If the pictures are anything to go by, it seems to be.”
TJ knew what pictures she was talking about. Paparazzi loved to get pictures of TJ with different women. One gag website had even made a calendar with pictures of TJ with a different woman for each month. “Being able to move on quickly has allowed me to enjoy the company of many different women.”
The host laughed. “Oh, yes. We’ve heard all about that. What do you want to say to people who claim you’re nothing but a player who leads women on?”
TJ was a lot of things, but she wouldn’t consider herself a player, per se, and she definitely didn’t lead people on. Everyone she dated knew exactly where she stood. It was her whole platform. “Listen, I’m like the hokey pokey. I always have one foot in and one foot out. The women I date know that. Some see me as a challenge. They all see me as a good time. It’s mutually beneficial.”
“So we’ve heard.” The host gave TJ another knowing smile that made TJ wonder what her intentions were. If TJ wasn’t currently in a monogamous relationship, she would have jumped at this opportunity, but Kara was all about monogamy and TJ respected that. She personally preferred an open relationship, but she liked Kara, so she respected her wishes.
The interview went on for just a few more minutes before they said their formal goodbyes and cut to a commercial break. The host shook TJ’s hand once more, this time holding onto it much longer than was necessary. “It was seriously so nice to have you here.” As if her flirtatious tone wasn’t enough, she also ran her eyes up and down TJ’s body. “If you want to stick around, I’m not doing anything after filming. I could show you around La La Land.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I have an early flight tomorrow. Gotta get back to the girlfriend.” Not very subtle, but whatever.
“Girlfriend, huh?” The host ran her eyes over TJ’s body once again before reaching into her back pocket, pulling out a business card, and handing it to TJ. “If you ever find yourself back in LA and single, feel free to hit me up.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” TJ answered flirtatiously. Except, that was a lie. She would never date a celebrity, the main reason being that they could very publicly trash her name. Yes, her brand was controversial, but there was a difference between conflicting views on a brand and a celebrity dragging your name through the mud. Even TJ wouldn’t dare touch that. Even if the body standing in front of her did seem very touchable… if she was single, of course.
She said a final goodbye then left the studio. She pulled her phone from her pocket as she walked to her rental car and smiled when she saw she had a text from Kara. As soon as she saw what the text said, her smile dropped.
The Hokey Pokey?! Really? Am I nothing but a joke to you?
TJ rolled her eyes. Kara was nice and a lot of fun, but she was much more clingy than TJ preferred. She was one of the women who thought she could change TJ. She thought if she stuck around long enough, TJ’s views on love and relationships would change. They were just shy of six months in, and TJ was pretty sure Kara was starting to catch on to the fact that it was never going to happen.
Instead of texting back, TJ called her once she was in the car.
“Hello?”
The tone of Kara’s voice told TJ she was in deep shit. Great. Just what I wanted. “Hey, baby! Of course you’re not a joke to me. You do realize that, right?”
“Oh yeah? Is that why we’ve been dating for almost half a year and you didn’t mention me once in your interview?”
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/> Damn live TV. If this had been taped ahead of time, TJ would have had more time before getting the third degree. “I thought you said you didn’t want to be mentioned.”
Kara was quiet for a moment, and TJ knew she had made a valid point. “Okay. I did say that, but I also didn’t think you’d talk about all of the women you’ve banged.”
“I didn’t talk about the women I’ve banged.” Was Kara even watching?
“Oh yeah? When you said you enjoyed the company of many women, what exactly did you mean by that?”
“People can take that however they want.” TJ kept her voice level and calm. She knew Kara was looking for a fight, but that wasn’t her style. She avoided conflict at all costs.
“Well, I took it as you bragging about your body count, and I don’t appreciate that.”
“I’m sorry you feel that way.” TJ wasn’t really sure what else to say.
Apparently, that answer wasn’t good enough because Kara made a sound like a growl on the other end of the phone. “Whatever. That wasn’t even a real apology. You can go ahead and take your other foot out, because I’m done. I thought if I loved you enough, you would change, but it’s useless. You’re never going to change, TJ Edmonds.”
TJ knew where this was going. Kara was hurt, so now she was going to try to hurt TJ in return. Little did she know, nothing could hurt TJ, because TJ had heard it all. She’d seen and heard terrible things for as long as she could remember. Of course Kara didn’t realize that though, because Kara didn’t really know her. Hell, Kara didn’t even know her real name. “I’m sorry you feel that way.”
“Is that the only fucking thing you can say? You’re a fucking robot, just like your stupid fucking app. Have fun texting no one tonight.”
TJ wanted to comment about how she texts no one every night—since it’s kind of her whole brand—but she decided it was for the best to let it go. Kara was already mad enough. No need to add fuel to the fire. “I really am truly sorry I hurt you.”
“I’m sure you are, TJ. You sound real fucking sincere right now. Good riddance. You may always have someone in your bed, but you’ll never be truly happy.”
Tell me something I don’t know. “I’m going to hang up now. Not because I’m trying to be rude, but because I don’t want you to say even more things you might regret later. Goodbye, Kara. It’s been fun. I truly hope you find all the happiness in the world.”
Kara scoffed then hung up the phone without another word. TJ turned on her music and hummed along as she drove, a small smile surfacing on her face. Good riddance to you too, Kara.
It wasn’t that TJ was heartless. Even though she would never admit this out loud, the problem was actually the opposite of that. She had much too big of a heart to handle everything she’d been through in her twenty-eight years of life. She had no choice but to shut down and force herself not to feel anymore. Otherwise, she would feel way too much, and she couldn’t handle that.
When she got back to her hotel, she nonchalantly waved to the desk clerk and headed to her room, as if everything was normal. As if she hadn’t suddenly been dumped by the woman she dedicated the past six months to. By the time she got ready for bed, it was 11:38 PM. Even though she could have passed right out, she forced herself to stay awake.
As soon as 11:59 hit, she clicked on the number that used to belong to the most important person in her life, but now was just a black hole where all of her random messages from the last five years were stored. It didn’t take her long to think of what to say. It never did. Texting the person she wished was on the other side was so much easier than talking to anyone else in her life.
Today was weird. My girlfriend dumped me for something I said during an interview. I’m fine obviously. I would probably feel like a terrible person if I could feel anything at all.
Ps - You’re still the last thing I think about each day…
TJ put her phone onto the nightstand then closed her eyes as she prepared for the images that were about to flash in front of them once she was asleep. Every night, she was reminded of her past. Sometimes, it was in the form of dreams, but it was more often as nightmares. Neither one was favorable, because even the dreams made it a nightmare to wake up.
“This is your fault!” her mom screamed as she waved around the bottle of vodka. “This is all your fault, Tiffany Jane.”
Tiffany winced. If she had known telling her teacher about her mom’s boyfriend would make her come unhinged like this, she might have never done it. She was only eight years old though. She didn’t understand much, but she did understand that she was much too young for him to be touching her the way he was. It made her uncomfortable. Especially when he leered at her and told her it could be their little secret. She didn’t want any secrets with this man. All she wanted was for him to go away.
When she told her teacher, her wish came true. By the time she got home from school, he was gone. Unfortunately, so was her mom. Not in the physical sense, but Tiffany almost wished she was. She was pretty sure she would rather be home alone than with the woman who was screaming at her right now, blaming Tiffany for all the problems in her life, as if it was Tiffany’s choice to be born.
“Why did you do it, Tiffany Jane? Why did you make up those terrible lies about him?”
Tiffany shook her head and looked toward the ground. “They weren’t lies, Mama. He did those things.”
“I don’t believe you.” Her mom pointed the bottle of vodka at her, but this time it slipped out of her hand and shattered against the linoleum kitchen floor. Her mom pointed to the mess. “Clean this shit up. It’s your fault this happened. You always make such a mess of everything.”
When Tiffany didn’t move, her mom grabbed her arm to pull her over. Tiffany tripped over her own feet and landed on the floor amidst the shattered bottle, her knee immediately starting to bleed from a piece of glass.
Just like that, her mom’s angry demeanor suddenly changed. She began to cry and dropped onto the floor beside Tiffany, pulling her into a tight hug that made Tiffany feel suffocated instead of safe. “I’m so sorry, sweetie. I’m so, so sorry. Mama never meant to hurt you. You’ll be okay. I promise you’ll be okay. Let’s just let this be our little secret, okay? Just our little secret.”
Tiffany thought she might throw up. Why did all of the grown-ups in her life insist on keeping secrets?
Chapter 2
TJ woke up in a cold sweat. Shit. Another nightmare. She took a deep breath and shook away all of the bad feelings. In with the good. Out with the bad. In with the good. Out with the bad.
She picked her phone up off the nightstand and was pleasantly surprised to find that the nightmare woke her early enough for her to shower before heading to the airport. Breathing techniques were great, but nothing helped chase away the bad feelings better than a good orgasm. Since TJ didn’t know when she would be getting an orgasm from someone else, she decided to take matters into her own hands. Okay… so it honestly probably wouldn’t be very long until she found someone else, but that was no reason to keep herself from pleasure right now.
She started the shower and undressed while it heated up. She smiled when she stepped under the scalding hot water. Perfect.
As she closed her eyes and ran one hand down her stomach while the other played with her nipple, auburn hair and hazel eyes flashed in front of her. She forced herself to think about all of the other women she had been with. There were plenty of options. But no matter what, the same face kept coming to her mind. A face she shouldn’t be thinking of right now.
Fuck it. She needed this. She needed the release so badly, and if picturing her was how she was going to get it, she didn’t have the power to fight it. As one hand continued to work on her nipple and the other ran through her folds, she let her fantasy take over. She pictured that hair surrounding her, those deep hazel eyes staring down at her, and those perfect hands all over her. She was no longer touching herself. It was someone else entirely. She removed the hand from her breast and used it to hold herself up against the side of the shower while she shoved two fingers deep inside of herself. She moved them in and out quickly, pushing harder each time, imagining that face much more vividly with each thrust against her own hand. And then she came. She came harder than she had in a very long time, and even though she knew exactly why that was, she refused to think about it. The orgasm was supposed to clear her mind, not cloud it even more.
