“Are they bi-sexual?”
“Not always.” The corner of his mouth lifts. “You’d be surprised what a straight man will do when Laynee Somerset is in the room.”
The notion makes my stomach hurt. I don’t care who the woman is. I would never be able to get it up for a dude.
“I don’t fuck men.” I say sternly. “And no one fucks me. You and I can be friends, but that’s it. Are we clear?”
“I understand.” He chews on a fingernail.
“Same goes for Laynee. No more voyeuristic, partner-sharing…whatever you two dabble in. Going forward, your relationship with her is strictly platonic.”
He turns toward the window and rests a fist against his mouth. The SUV travels several blocks, and the Village comes into view. We’re almost there, but the silence between us is heavy, suggesting the conversation isn’t over.
“Say what’s on your mind.” I stare out the windshield, watching him stir in my periphery.
“She can be difficult.” He fidgets with the zipper on his wool coat.
“I noticed.”
“I don’t think she likes you.”
“Oh, she likes me. She just doesn’t want to like me.”
“She’s not going to make it easy for you.” He tips his head toward me.
“I’m counting on that.”
We lock eyes, and a smile plays on the corner of his mouth. I don’t smile back, but my entire body vibrates with excitement. If Laynee’s as headstrong as she seems, I might’ve finally met my match.
Our destination—a French-style tapas restaurant—emerges on the left, and Rachel pulls to a stop in the small over-packed parking lot.
“We’ll be fifteen…twenty minutes,” I tell her. “Good luck finding a place to park.”
“I’ll circle around until you come out.” She unlocks the doors.
Reese follows me out and jogs after me toward the rear entrance of the restaurant. “What are we doing here?”
“My buddy waits tables on the night shift.” I veer onto the sidewalk and slip my hands into the pockets of my jacket to ward off the chilly air. “Just checking in with him before I leave town.”
The stench of a nearby dumpster wafts through the dark alley behind the restaurant. There’s no one around, and the back door is closed. I pull on the handle. Locked.
Huddling closer to the building, I shiver against the bitter wind. “Won’t be long. Someone will step out for a smoke break.”
“Why don’t we use the front entrance?” Reese leans a shoulder on the brick wall beside me, his breaths forming plumes of white vapor.
“The hostess won’t be happy to see me.” I cringe at the memory of my last encounter with Apryl.
“Why am I not surprised?” He smirks.
“That’s bullshit. I always leave behind a satisfied smile.”
“Until they find out there won’t be seconds?”
“On a good night, there’s definitely seconds.” I grin. “And thirds—”
The door swings open, and I turn to find the last person I want to see.
“You.” Apryl shoves a hand through her short black hair, her face contorting into the pixie version of a roid rage. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Calm down. I just need—”
“No.” She throws the bag of trash she carried out, her voice spiking from pissed off to psychotic. “If you think I’ll take you back, you can go fuck yourself.”
Jesus Christ, she thinks I’m here for her? The woman is a complete and utter nightmare. Why I ever thought it was a good idea to stick my dick in her is beyond me. Granted I was drunk, but goddamn, I should’ve known better.
Reese chews on his lip, his eyes glimmering in the moonlight.
“Apryl.” I raise my hands in a placating gesture. “I’m here to see Dan.”
“You’re a fucking asshole, you know that?” She storms toward me, fists balled at her sides. “Why aren’t you returning my texts?”
Where do I begin? The sex was sloppy. She’s clingy and unhinged, and I have no idea how she got my number. I blocked her messages after the first twenty-four hours. That was two months ago.
“We’re not doing this.” I sidestep her, easily evading her pathetic punch. “I need you to go get Dan.”
I’d get him myself, but she’ll follow me in and make a horrendous scene.
“I hate you.” She swings again.
This time I let her knuckles connect with my chest. Maybe she’ll wear herself out.
“You’re such a womanizing manwhore.” She goes ballistic, slapping my torso and spitting a string of insults. “I know you fucked Cassie and Iliza and God knows who else, you fucking slut.”
When I visit Dan at work, sometimes I go home with a waitress…or two. I’m a horny single guy, and I don’t have to explain myself to anyone. Especially not to this deranged woman.
I stand still and let her fists bounce off my body like a petulant fly. Doesn’t take long before her breaths become labored, and her slaps slide into heavy caresses.
“I miss you, dammit.” Her forehead falls to my chest. “You broke my heart.”