Ashley rolled her head on the back of the chair and looked at me, tears filling her dark brown eyes. “Ben got let go three weeks ago, and he didn’t tell me. He’s been pretending to go to work. How did I not notice?” She pressed her palms into her eyes, dropping her chin to her chest. “I’m fucking terrible.”
She choked on the last word and started sobbing, gasping for air. I rushed to her side with a box of tissues. “Oh,come on, Ash, you’re not terrible. He is. Keeping something this big from you is not okay.”
She cried into my neck. “But . . . but what does it say about me that he didn’t think he could tell me? And where did he go when he was on that ‘business trip’ last week? Oh god. What if he’s cheating on me and lying about his job?”
I rubbed circles on her back. “Then I fucking castrate him, set the rest of his bits on fire, and we dance on his dick ashes.”
“You’re demented.” Hiccuppinglaughter sprayed snot and tears all over my shirt, both grossing me out and filling me with relief.
“That I am, but I’m your best friend, so what’s that say about you?” Tears streamed down her brown, dimpled cheeks, and I wanted to tear Ben apart with my bare hands.
“I have an idea. Why don’t you come with me to Sammie’s gallery opening tonight?”
Ashdabbed her eyes with a tissue, shaking her head. “No. No, I need to go face the bastard.” She blew out a harsh breath. “Anyway, I thought Luca was your plus one these days.”
My stomach dropped. He’d turned down my invitation without even giving a reason. Not even an “I already have plans.” Usually, I would’ve already moved on to the next warm body, but Luca had me all fucked up.
“He can’t make it.”
Ashley frowned. “Oh. And you’re upset?”
I shrugged. “I guess? I think I’m more annoyed that this is throwing me so much. Pre Luca, I would’ve already had another date, but instead, I’ve been trying to decide if that’s wrong.”
Ash’ssniffles died down. “Have you had the relationship talk?”
Snorting out a laugh, I shook my head. “It’s been three dates. We haven’t even slept together since the wedding. So no, we haven’t defined the relationship, or whatever.”
Tipping her head to the side, she studied my face. “Have you been with anyone else since your first date?”
“If I’m honest, I haven’t been with anyone else since the wedding.”
Ashley blinked rapid fire. “What? But it’s been . . . and you . . . no sex?”
“Correct. It hasnotbeen fun.”
She blew out a breath. “You must have it bad for Luca.”
I frowned. She wasn’t wrong. All signs pointed to me being thoroughly whipped by a man who was withholding his amazing dick game. This was not the Sasha I knew.
Luca had dictated the pace of our relationship. Hell, that we even had any kind of relationship was because he decided it. I’d gone without sex for nearly two months, and I was fucking done.Pulling my phone off the desk, I sent a text.
“You texting Luca?”
“Nope. Dimitri.”
Her face twisted into a wicked smile. “Ah.” She stood up and walked toward the office door. “Well,have fun with that. I hope he’s everything you need.”
“He always is.”
* * *
I stood at the back of the gallery, watching Dimitri weave through the crowd holding two champagne flutes. Men and women stared at his strikingfigure in a mixture of lust and awe, and I didn’t blame them. The man wore the shit out of a suit. One wink from Dimitri and every person in a five-foot radius was a little hot and bothered.
He had the whole tall, dark and handsome thing down, but something was off.
Dimitri was too perfect, too pretty. Flawless. All night we’d flirted and touched, but I didn’t find the excitement I usually did with him.
“Your champagne.”