“Love is for suckers, I say. I will not be suckered again.” Stevie snickered, and I colored a little when I thought about Dr. Foster’s mouth sucking on things. Things like me. Clearing my throat, I said again, “I mean I will not fall prey to another handsome man’s charms. Jason taught me a good lesson, and I’m sticking to it.”
“Oh, that was years ago!” Stevie said, waving a hand in the air. “Time to move on.” She held a hand out towards the city. “There are millions of people here, tons of very eligible men with large penises. You could just take one of them.”
I burst into laughter. “Is this a question I should be asking on a first date? Provide measurements, please.”
“Or you could go on a little hunt and discover for yourself.” She winked at me. “Come on, let’s go back in. I bet we’re already in the doghouse with Old Doc, so we’d better get back to work. Let’s just hope you don’t have to babysit.”
“Yeah,” I said with a little laugh, picking up my coffee mug and heading towards the door. “Let’s hope.”
CHAPTER5
CASSIE
On Friday,I practically jumped out of the lab into the weekend, having already made plans with Sadie and Jane to meet up at one of our favorite karaoke bars. Singing was like our thing, the thing that drew us all together. The Siren Sisters, we called ourselves. We were all pretty different, but music united us in a way that nothing else could. I loved those girls like sisters, and tonight felt especially needed after the week I’d had.
On my way home, I thought about how things had gone. I’d started out the week by bumping into my boss, claiming he was a stranger, babysitting his adorable daughter, and then exchanging brooding, oddly tense eye contact with him for the rest of the week. He’d hardly spoken to me, but I could feel him watching me. He had come into the lab more and more, and I wondered why.
Was he just checking up on us? I kept waiting for the ax to fall, thinking he was going to fire me, but he didn’t say anything else about it. So, after my day had ended, I’d tossed my lab coat into the laundry bin and hurried away from the lab as fast as my legs could carry me.
At home, the apartment was empty, not surprisingly, and I showered and dressed, wanting to look hot that night.
“Time to get me some,” I whispered to myself in the mirror as I applied my lipstick.
Maybe another guy would help me stop thinking about the way Dr. Foster looked at me. His gaze was assessing and no doubt critical, but there was something else in it too. Like he was intrigued. I’d never been looked at that way before. Even by the one man who’d stolen my heart years ago.
I knew I was no slouch, but still, people’s eyes were more often drawn to Sadie and Jane’s more angelic beauty. While for me, I had to make them look at me. Stark colors, harsh words, and edgy vibe. That got people’s attention.
I texted the girls when I was on my way out, and in the cab, I was literally fluttering with excitement, as if I’d never been out before. When I finally got into the bar and met them at a table, I fell into the chair with a sigh of relief.
“At last!” I said, and Sadie smiled.
My blonde-haired, bouncy friend looked even happier since things had worked out with Parker. Like she was blooming and glowing from the inside out.
“Drink?” she asked with a lifted brow, and I nodded, putting my hands together in prayer.
“Yes, I beg you.”
Sadie waved down the waitress while Jane gave me a side hug. “Better to hug from the side these days, with this giant belly on me,” she said with a laugh.
Jane with her curly red hair and freckles was graceful and wonderful, always ready with a kind word and a hope for romance. She looked at life in a way that I’d always wanted to but couldn’t.
“You look great, J,” I said. “So, what are you drinking there?”
“The finest mocktail that Toucan’s has to offer,” she said in a mock-British accent.
“Yeah, looks like it. Little umbrella and all.”
Toucan’s was the name of our favorite karaoke bar. It was classy and upscale while at the same time going for an island, chill vibe. The singing had already started, and I took a look while the waitress brought me a glass of red.
“Bless you,” I whispered to her, and she shot me a smile before heading onto another table.
“So, what’s the big need for a night out about?” Sadie asked, watching me carefully over her white wine glass. “Your texts have been sounding urgently lately.”
“I know I haven’t kept you updated that much lately on the work situation, but you remember me telling you about my new boss, Sadie?” I asked, having taken a larger sip of wine than I should have.
Oh, but the feeling of it seeping into my muscles felt so deliciously good.
“Yeah. The hottie, right?” She chuckled, and Jane put her elbow on the table and turned toward me with wide eyes.