Good? It was phenomenal. Had car sex ever been this mind-blowing?
Afterward, he helped her dress, and peered out the window. They’d taken numerous detours and had made it to Hudson Street, but traffic had deadlocked again.
“Well, once again, Mr. Bennett, you have left me a puddle of Jell-O,” she mused, looking out the window. She pulled the sweatshirt on over her head and grinned as she fanned herself. “Can we walk? I need air.”
Jack withdrew the privacy screen and asked the driver to let them off at the curb somewhere near the Christopher Street Station. As they stopped, he took her hand to guide her to the sidewalk, but walking back to his Barrow Street apartment, he was surprised to find he was still holding it, even a block later. He was even more surprised to realize how much he loved feeling her fingers twined with his.
“Hi, Jack,” a voice said behind them. “Fancy meeting you here.”
Jack gritted his teeth, praying for patience as he turned around. “Not really, Lucy. Since I live in the West Village.”
This time, at least, Lucy wore more than just a jacket. She was dressed in a cream sweater, red jeans, and matching stilettos that probably cost more than his best suit. She spared no expense on her attire, and went to great lengths to look flawless.
“Oh, come on, Jack. I wanted to apologize for how I acted last night,” she said, giving him an innocent bat of her thick false eyelashes. “I was cruel.”
“Not to me,” he said sharply. “But you were to Eva. Any apologies should be made to her.”
Lucy’s eyes travelled over to Eva and filled with coldness. Her icy gaze ran the length of her body and locked on Eva and Jack’s firmly entwined fingers. “Oh, yes, your new roommate. I’m sorry, Eva.”
Eva nodded stiffly. “It’s all right.”
“Hey, you know what?” Lucy said brightly, reaching out and touching Eva’s arm with one of her manicured fingers. Eva flinched, and Jack’s jaw tightened, his protective instincts kicking in. “I realized part of the reason I kept looking at you the other night was that I was so sure I’d seen you someplace before.”
Eva blinked. “No. I don’t think so.”
Lucy’s smile only grew, and Jack knew something was brewing. Unlike Eva, this woman had an ulterior motive for everything. He started to guide Eva away, but Lucy clamped a hand on her wrist. “And then it hit me. My old friend, Rick Metz. You two were together a while ago. Am I right?”
Eva didn’t speak for a long, tense moment. Finally, she said, “Yes. Briefly.”
“You know him, right, Jack?” Lucy nudged Jack, making him bristle. “He’s the guy who writes that fucked up sex column for the Voice.”
Jack shook his head. He never read rags like the Voice; he could barely keep up with the Wall Street Journal these days. And what the hell was Lucy getting at? He hated being in the dark as much as Lucy loved being in the spotlight. This conversation had already gone on too long, wasting precious time he could have had Eva in bed. “Lucy, we’ve got to go so if you’ll—”
“Oh, come on, Jack.” Lucy laughed a little too loudly. “Of course you know him. Remember that column he wrote a few years back? About the Snoozer? He’d gotten head from this woman, and he said it was like…” She tapped her chin. “How did he put it exactly, Eva?” Her eyes glinted. “That it was like getting blown by a coma victim.”
Jack glanced at Eva. She’d not only gone completely stiff, but her skin had paled to a sickly green in the streetlights.
Lucy’s mouth dropped open, mock-surprised. “Oh, my God, Eva.” She reached out and touched her hand, but Eva pulled away. “Was that you? Are you the Snoozer from the column? I guess you must be. Rick said she was a little on the heifer-side and nothing great to look at.”
Lucy shifted her gaze to Jack, a glint of triumph in her eye.
Before Jack could open his mouth, Eva shook his hand away and bolted down the street, in the opposite direction of his apartment. “Wait, Eva! Come back!” He took a step towards her and called out again, but she only ran faster.
He spun back to Lucy. “What the fuck was that?”
“You said you two were just roommates, but I thought you would want to know. In case you were …” She grinned. “Considering sexual relations? Though her oral skills might not matter to you. Maybe you can just close your eyes and imagine you’re with someone better while you plow away. That’s what men do when they’re with fat girls, right?”
“Fuck you, Lucy,” he growled, backing away in the direction Eva had fled. “Stop playing these fucking games, or I’ll file a restraining order on you quicker than you can blink.”
“I wouldn’t have to play games if you would just wake up and realize that we belong together,” Lucy snapped. “We are meant to be, Jack, and I’m not going to stop until you see that.”
A tremor shook his body as he fought the urge to wring her neck. He had told Eva that Lucy was harmless, but now he wasn’t so sure. Looking into Eva’s background? Throwing out threats? Following them? Lucy had financial resources, and she’d already proven herself to be a lethal bitch of the first order.
As he turned and ran after Eva, he made a mental note to call Max and tell him that while he was looking into possible threats at the Fiorini Group, he should also ke
ep an eye on Lucy.
“Eva, stop!” he called, running after her. He found her at the corner of Seventh, waiting for a light. He rushed to meet up with her, calling out again, but the traffic stopped and she dashed across the street.