by E. L. Todd
“Don’t be afraid to call me. You don’t have to go through Danielle all the time.”
“Okay.”
Before he walked out, he did something he’d never done before. He pulled me into his arms and hugged me tightly. There was no one to impress, and this wasn’t a performance. It was real.
He rested his chin on my head while he held me for a long time.
The touch felt wonderful. It was soothing and warm, comfortable and safe. His hard chest felt like concrete but it was inviting at the same time. His smell came into my nose, and I was reminded of pine needles and a river. His shirt was soft on my cheek and I wish I were wearing it to bed. My hands moved around his waist, and not caring I was being ridiculous, I returned the embrace with more enthusiasm than normal. It was nice to feel someone hold me, especially Rhett. He was the most beautiful person I’d ever met, and to feel this connection with him was surreal. He was the friend I never had. Harper was always there for me but with Rhett…it was different. Did he feel it too? Or was it just me? It probably was just me. All his dates probably hugged him like a teddy bear and never wanted to let him go. I was just as obsessed, falling for a man I could never have. The fact he slept with random women and had meaningless sex didn’t bother me. It was irrelevant. All I cared about was the man I knew, the man who showed more compassion and empathy than anyone else I’d ever encountered. Rhett was a beautiful person, on the inside as well as the outside.
He stayed still, letting the hug continue. He probably knew the embrace meant more to me than it did to him, so he let me soak it up. He had plenty of experience dealing with girls like me.
It took all my strength to pull away, but somehow I managed it. “Good night.”
He stared at me for a long time, his eyes more blue than I’d ever seen. He didn’t respond. Instead, he just stared at me.
I’d give anything to know what he was thinking. Absolutely anything. All the money in my savings, my apartment, even one of my kidneys.
Finally, he released a breath he was holding then stepped away. “Good night.”
I watched him go. When the door was shut and the bolt was locked, I felt lost, like I lost a piece of myself the moment he was gone.
7
Rhett
Troy, Cato, and I were having Thai for lunch. There was a place in Manhattan that Troy insisted was the best Thai food in the world.
“The best Thai food in the world?” Cato asked with a voice full of sarcasm and annoyance. “Better than in Thailand?”
“Actually, yeah,” Troy said before he stuffed fried noodles into his mouth with chopsticks.
“That makes no sense, bro.” Cato shot him a glare before he continued eating.
It was nice not to deal with Troy’s oddness for once. Cato could deal with it.
“Real Thai food is probably greasy and full of weird shit. Americanized Thai food is better. It’s like it’s made for Americans. You get it?” Troy kept eating like the matter was settled.
Cato opened his mouth to argue but I held up my hand.
“Trust me, let it go.”
Cato seemed to debate it for a moment before he decided my advice was wise. He turned his attention back to his pot stickers.
“How did your escort go?” I asked.
“It was okay until the end of the night,” Cato said.
“What happened?” Troy asked.
“The girl was expecting me to sleep with her. I’m not sure why because Danielle made it clear that’s not the type of business we run,” Cato said.
“What did she do?” I asked.
“Something cliché,” Cato said. “A trench coat with slutty lingerie underneath.”
“Was she cute?” I asked.
“Very cute,” Cato said. “But I hightailed it out of there quick. I really don’t want to sleep with a girl who needs to pay for it. Can you imagine what she probably has…in terms of diseases?”
The thought had crossed my mind too.
“That gets so old,” Troy said. “We make it clear what business we’re running but every woman thinks we’ll make an exception. Like, we’ll fall in love with them or something.” He rolled his eyes. “It’s hella annoying.”
“Yeah,” I agreed.
“How’s it going with Battleship?” Troy asked.
Cato turned to me. “Battleship?”
“One of my clients likes to play Battleship at the end of the night,” I said. “She’s pretty cool. Really gorgeous.”
“Did you get a picture?” Troy demanded.
“No.” Even if I had one, I wouldn’t show it to him. Aspen had become a good friend and I didn’t want men to objectify her. And I didn’t want to share her with anyone either.
“Damn,” Troy said as he snapped his fingers. “You need to get on that.”
“Don’t they have her picture on file at the office?” Cato asked. “Her driver’s license?”
“Oh yeah!” Troy smacked his forehead in realization. “Let’s head over there after dinner.”
“No.” I stared him down with that expression that said, “Drop it.”
“No?” Cato asked. “We all got keys, man.”
“I mean it.” I didn’t raise my voice but I threatened them with my tone.
Troy knew I wasn’t messing around. He understood when I was being serious, partially serious, and straight up serious. Right now, he knew which one it was. “Let it go, Cato.”
Cato cocked an eyebrow. “You got a thing for this broad?”
“No,” I said. “I just don’t want to head down to the office so you guys can rate her on a scale. She’s my friend and I don’t want you to disrespect her.”
“You’re the one who said she was a ten,” Troy countered.
“A ten?” Cato asked in surprise. “The highest I’ve seen is a nine point five. A ten? Damn, that never happens.”
Now I wish I hadn’t said that to Troy. “Drop it, alright?”
“Battleship is off limits, apparently,” Troy said as he gave Cato a meaningful look.
“That’s not fair,” Cato argued. “Just because you can’t fuck her doesn’t mean we can’t.”
“No one is going to fuck her,” I snapped. “Even look at her wrong and I’ll snap your neck.”
Troy’s face broke out in a stupid grin. “You so have a thing for this girl.”
“No, I don’t,” I said. “She’s been through a lot and doesn’t need two fuckheads harassing her.”
Cato watched me with squinted eyes, like he didn’t believe me. “You’re fucking her, aren’t you?”
“I’m not,” I said through clenched teeth.
“Dude, you can’t do that,” Troy said. “We could get in serious legal trouble if you did.”
“I’m aware of that,” I hissed. “Which is why I haven’t slept with her.”
“So you do want to sleep with her!” Troy fist-pumped the air like he solved a cold case.
“No, I don’t,” I said calmly. “She’s a friend, like all my clients are.”
“I’m not buying that,” Cato said. “If you think she’s a ten, then you’re attracted to her.”
“I never said I wasn’t,” I replied in a bored voice.
“Therefore, you want to stick it to her,” Troy said.
“So, you’re saying if she weren’t your client, you wouldn’t tap that?” Cato asked.
“I wouldn’t say that…” I shrugged in omission. “If I met her on the street, maybe. But she doesn’t strike me as the kind of girl who just sleeps with any pretty boy. I’m sure she gets hit on left and right. She probably gets tired of it just like we do.”
Troy shook his head. “Rhett has always been a little sensitive…”
I ignored the jab. “Let’s change the subject, alright?”
“You never answered my question,” Troy said.
“What?” I asked.
“How’s it going with Battleship?” Troy asked.
“Oh,” I said. “Fine. Her dad is a total dick t
o her. I don’t understand how this chick doesn’t kill him in his sleep.”
“She has daddy issues,” Troy whispered to Cato.
“Those are the best,” Cato whispered back.
I glared at them. “I’m not going to answer your question if you aren’t going to listen.”
“Pull your thong out of your ass, man.” Troy sipped his soda then returned to eating his noodles.
“Her dad has taken a liking to me,” I said. “I hope he’ll give her the company soon. She deserves it. We went golfing last week and Battleship made a hole in one on her first try.”
“Seriously?” Troy asked.
“Go, Battleship,” Cato said in an impressed voice.
“She beat both of us,” I said with pride in my voice. “And she’s pretty good at poker.”
“Does she have six brothers or something?” Troy asked.
“Just one,” I said. “And he’s a total dickhead. I hate the guy.”
“This chick must have some serious issues,” Troy said as he ate his rice.
“She handles it pretty well, actually.” I smiled when I remembered how much ice cream she ate when she was upset. She was lucky she had a fast metabolism.
“At least she’s not one of those emo girls,” Troy said. “You know, the kind that cry all the time.”
I couldn’t picture Aspen crying. She seemed too tough for that.
“Really annoying,” Cato said.
“Her dad expected me to golf with him at the drop of a hat. When she called me, I had to ditch my workout early,” I said.
Troy knocked over his soda and it dripped off the table onto the seat. Cato was getting wet but he was too shocked to react. They both eyed me like I was crazy, oblivious to the mess they just made.
What did I say?
Cato finally snapped out of it then absorbed the liquid with his napkin. Troy helped and diverted most of the soda onto the floor. When the disaster was averted, they turned to me.
“What the fuck did you just say?” Troy demanded.
“I honestly don’t know.”
“She called you?” Cato asked. “As in, on your phone?”
Now I understood. “She’s not a weirdo like some of the others. You guys can chill out.”
“Are you crazy?” Troy’s eyes were about to fall out of his head. His blue eyes looked black in his panic. “That’s against the rules.”
“Seriously, it’s not a big deal,” I said. “She’s cool.”
“She acts like she’s cool until she turns into a stalker and tries to kill you while you sleep,” Cato barked. “What the hell are you thinking?”
“It’s my decision,” I said. “And I think it’s fine.”
“Why would you even want her to have your number?” Troy asked. “If you don’t want to screw her?”
“Just in case she needs me for a last minute meeting or event,” I said. “This girl needs help and I’m going to get her through it. She wouldn’t abuse my number.”
“Until she starts texting you in the middle of the night, telling you she loves you and some shit,” Troy said.
“Then I’ll change my number,” I said. “Problem solved.”
“You’re either really into her or you’re an idiot,” Troy said seriously.
“Then I’m just an idiot,” I replied.
“Fine, it’s your funeral,” Cato said. “When she turns into a psychopath, we’ll be there to spit on your grave.”
I picked up my chopsticks and returned to eating. “Don’t forget to piss on it too.”
Aspen called me when I was at home watching TV. I stared at her name on the screen and felt warmth spark in my veins. It traveled through my body and lit me on fire. Then it disappeared just as quickly. “A1.”
“Miss,” she said with a laugh. “I would never pick A1.”
“Why not?” I asked.
“Too easy,” she said. “Now think of a spot and I’ll try to guess.”
“Okay.” B4.
“You got it?” she asked.
“Yep.”
“Hmm…” She thought about it for a long time. “B4?”
My jaw dropped. “Seriously, how do you do that?”
She laughed into the phone. “I guess I can read your mind.”
“I knew you were cheating.”
“Mind reading is not cheating,” she argued.
“Well, it’s definitely not fair.”
“Who said life was fair?” she countered.
I shook my head even though she couldn’t see me. A grin stretched my face and made my muscles sore. I tried to stop but my mouth wouldn’t respond. “Good point.”
“Okay, I’m thinking of one. Care to guess?”
“You’re a cheater,” I said. “If I guess right, you’ll change your answer.”
“I’m a cheater, not a liar. They’re totally different.”
“Actually, they aren’t,” I said with a laugh.
“Well, I promise I won’t.”
“Okay, fine.” I pondered what she was thinking. Then I picked one. “D5.”
“Nope.”
I growled then slapped my thigh. “What was it?”
“A1.”
“But you said you would never pick that one!”
“Why do you think I chose it?” She laughed into the phone.
I laughed even though I wished I wouldn’t. “Aspen, I can’t compete with you.”
“Well, duh. You can’t beat a cheater.”
My cheeks hurt from smiling like an idiot.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Watching Criminal Minds.”
“What?” she asked. “That show gives me the creeps.”
“That’s why I only watch it before the sun goes down.”
“Even then…” She shivered over the phone.
“Don’t care for horror?” I asked as I lay on the couch and propped my feet up.
“No,” she said immediately. “I’m a drama, comedy kind of girl.”
“Dramas have violence.”
“I don’t have a problem with violence, language, blood, or sex. I just don’t like horror films. A movie created only to make me pee my pants in fright is not a movie I want to see.”
“Well, Criminal Minds isn’t horror. “
“It’s still too scary.”
“Do you watch Dexter?”
“I love that show,” she said. “Well, the first four seasons. After that, it went down the drain.”
“Hey, I say the same thing.”
“I know,” she said with a chuckle. “I read your mind.”
I chuckled. “What am I thinking right now?” I focused on A1. She would never figure it out.
“Hmm…” She thought for a moment. “A1?”
“Okay, this is freaking me out.” I ran my fingers through my hair anxiously, blown away by how well she could read me.
She laughed. “Did I actually get it?”
“Are you a mind reader?” I asked. “Seriously? Because now I’m convinced you are.”
Her hearty laugh came into the phone. “I just know you really well.”
I met Aspen three weeks ago, but she did know me really well. And I knew her. “What are you doing?”
“Painting my nails.”
“What color?”
“I still have to decide that,” she said. “I’ve narrowed it down to either pink, purple, or blue.”
“Hmm…”
“What do you recommend, Rhett?”
I liked the way she said my name. Her voice had maturity to it but also a hint of playfulness. “Pink.”
“Yeah?”
“Pink looks good on your skin tone.”
“When have you seen me wear pink?” she asked.
“I can just tell,” I said vaguely. “Purple would look good too.”
“Make sure you get it right, Rhett. My nails are on the line here.”
“Go with pink,” I said firmly.
“Alright…I’m going for it.�
�� She adjusted the phone as she freed up her hands.
“Are you doing your fingers or toes?”
“Toes.” I heard her blow over the phone.
An image of her blowing into my ear came into my mind. Arousal coursed through me suddenly and violently. When I realized I was hard, I felt guilty. Then it went away. “Going out with Harper?”
“No. I got a date with my TV tonight.”
“Steamy,” I said.
“When nude scenes come on, it gets hot and heavy.”
“Make sure you put the Do Not Disturb sign outside.”
“Oh, I will. Wouldn’t want to be interrupted.” Her playfulness came out in full swing.
“What are you doing for dinner?”
“Probably eating a bowl of cereal,” she said. “I’m too lazy to head to the store.”
“What kind of cereal?” I asked.
“Lucky Charms.”
“Excellent choice,” I said in an awed voice.
“I prefer Captain Crunch but I ran out of that.”
“Even better,” I said.
“What are you doing for dinner?”
“I’ll probably make some chicken, veggies, and potatoes.”
“Yum,” she said. “I can cook but choose not to.”
“Come over.” The words were out of my mouth before I realized it. The sentence hadn’t even formed in my brain before I blurted it out. Now it was too late to take it back. And I didn’t want to.
“Uh…tonight?” Hesitation was in her voice.
I couldn’t pull out now. It would make things awkward. “Yeah. I’ll turn off Criminal Minds so you won’t be scared.”
She still seemed on the fence. “I don’t have anything to bring…”
“I got everything. Just come over. I want to see your nails anyway.”
Aspen was quiet for a long time. “I’ll be there in half an hour. Is that okay?”
I smiled against my will. “Yeah. I’ll get cooking.”
“Where do you live?”
I was going to break two rules—already. I’d never struggled to keep my confidentiality before. “You got a pen?” I gave it to her without hesitation. If she did become a crazy stalker, I was screwed. It was easy to change a number but more difficult to change an address. “I’ll see you soon.”
I had a nice apartment that overlooked the park. It had floor-to-ceiling windows, dark leather furniture, and the hardwood floors were new. When the money started coming in, I bought it at the first chance I had. It was spacious with a nice living room and an extra bedroom I used as an office. I felt at home, and the view was the best part.