by K. A. Berg
Dropping the ties I was trying to decide between down on the bed, I head to open the door to let her in. Maybe she can help me decide which stupid tie to wear. I fucking hate ties.
“Why aren’t you dressed yet?” she scoffs when I open the door.
“I am dressed,” I say looking down at the red dress shirt I’m wearing that’s waiting to be buttoned and tucked in.
“No, you aren’t. And you aren’t wearing that shirt,” she scowls at me before heading to my closet where she immediately starts pulling out an array of dress shirts.
“What the hell are you doing? And what is wrong with my shirt?” I ask as I watch her spread out a bunch of shirts I don’t even remember owning.
“Did you even put any thought into your outfit or did you just reach in and pull out the first shirt you saw?” she questions, shaking her head at me in frustration.
“I’m a dude. I grabbed the first shirt I saw. Why? What's the problem?”
“Because I distinctly remember telling you you needed to remind Quinn exactly what she’s missing. You’re going to be forced together with her all day today. She can’t escape you, and you can’t escape her. Force her to notice you. Force her to see the amazing, hot as hell guy you are. We’re on a mission today, buddy, and you’re not ready for battle.” She’s flinging shirts and ties everywhere while babbling on about our mission.
I stand there staring at her, waiting for her to stop her rambling so I can get a word in edgewise. When I’ve finally had enough, I whistle to get her attention. “What the hell are you talking about, woman? You’re making no sense whatsoever.”
“I was thinking about this last night,” she starts. “You guys haven’t been together with the exception of the hospital in two years, Alex. It’s easy to pretend someone isn’t as good-looking or as nice as you remember. It’s easy to paint them differently from a distance. But there’s no more distance. Today is the day you barge back into her life and make her remember who you are.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” I like to consider myself an intelligent person but right now I have no idea what the hell Tiffany is getting at.
“Women are really good at making ourselves believe things we want to believe. I can almost guarantee Quinn has made you out to be some random dude she had a fling with years ago. I bet in her mind, you’re just some average-looking guy, who has okay moves in the sack. She’s probably blocked out all the great there was about you two, so she doesn’t have to deal with the regret of letting you go. She’s not going to regret anything with you wearing an ugly ass maroon shirt,” she grunts at me while waving her hand dismissively at my shirt.
“Quinn isn’t the type of girl to regret anything, Tiffany. That’s where your plan fails. She’s as stubborn and thick-headed as they come. Once she sets her mind on something, she’s not going to change it.”
“She will when she sees you looking downright irresistible and me on your arm. I’m part two of the plan. See the cleavage and the hooker makeup? It was done on purpose. Nothing mixes with regret as well as jealousy.” I take in her appearance for the first time since she walked in the room. She’s wearing very form-fitting black dress pants and a cream-colored, sleeveless blouse with a plunging neckline. Her brown hair is curled and hanging over one shoulder. Her brown eyes are framed with some eye shit making them stand out and her lips are painted a bright red.
“No way, buddy,” she snaps, drawing my attention back to the now.
“No way, what?” I ask.
“We’re not fucking,” she says, calling out my dirty thoughts.
“Why not? Your plan is working just fine because all I want to do right now is test the durability of your lipstick,” I joke as I take a few steps closer to her.
Shaking her head at me like I’m an errant child, she says, “Not happening. You cannot show up at church smelling of sex, and I’m not into blow jobs, remember? You want her to think we’re banging not actually confirm it.”
“You think she’s not letting her fiancé bend her over before they leave? I know Quinn, and sex is very much a part of her daily routine.” It’s probably her number one priority if I'm honest.
“Illusion, Alex. We don’t need to actually do anything to make her jealous. She’ll do it all on her own with her imagination. And trust me, her imagination will be far better than anything we can bang out in the next five minutes. Shut your dick down and go put on this shirt. The green will make your eyes look fantastic.”
Chapter Forty-One
Alex
“You ready for this part?” I ask Tiffany as we head up the walkway to Ashley and Tanner’s front door. The church part of today was quick and easy. In and out. I didn’t really have a chance to properly introduce Tiffany. The time is now. I know she was worried about this earlier, I just want to make sure she’s still doing okay.
“So ready,” she smiles. “I have a feeling today’s going to be a lot of fun. Ashley and Tanner know about the real us, right?”
The real us? “What’s that mean?” I ask confused.
“We’re friends, and we’ve had sex, but I’m into girls. I have no illusions about you falling madly love in with me and getting married and having a brood of babies,” she explains, laughing.
“Yes, they know. But please don’t be offended if they question you more about how we can be friends after sleeping together. Tanner and Ash have had a terrible experience with a friend with benefits scenario before.” I cringe thinking back to how much havoc that little bitch, Melissa, wreaked on Tag and Ash.
“Sounds like there’s a story there. But it will have to wait for another time. We need to get in there and establish ourselves before Quinn and her man get here,” she says, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward the front doors. “And we’re not friends with benefits. It was one time. And I still prefer vag,” she throws over her shoulder.
I ring the bell before heading into the house. Behind the doors is a cluster of servers weaving in and out with trays of food and drink. I search out the proud parents through the chaos. We almost run over Ashley as we make our way back to the kitchen.
“Oh, you’re here. Can you take Michaela? I need to help the staff out on the deck,” she smiles, handing over my little princess.
“Of course I can. Come to Uncle Alex, baby girl,” I coo as I grab Michaela and kiss her forehead.
“I’ll go help out back; you need to just relax for a minute. Everything’s fine, Ash,” Tanner says as he appears behind Ashley and wraps an arm around her.
“I know, but the tables aren’t set up the right way,” she says, leaning into his embrace.
“And I understand how you want them done. You’ve only told me a hundred times in the last week. Spend some time with Alex before it gets crazy here. I know how much you’ve missed him.” And he walks away before she has a chance to protest.
“You missed me, huh?” I tease as I bump Ash with my hip.
“Of course I have. No need to get all cocky about it. I’m dealing with enough ego around here thanks to Superstar over there,” she says with a nod of her head. Superstar. I haven’t heard that nickname in a long time, and I’m surprised by the effect it has on me.
Sensing the change in my demeanor, like the good friend she is, Tiffany grabs my hand and squeezes. “You okay?” she whispers.
Nodding, I answer honestly. “Yeah, it’s just been a while since I heard anyone refer to Tanner as Superstar.”
Ashley’s face falls as she realizes what I’m saying. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think. I shouldn’t have said that.”
“It’s okay, Ash. There are always going to be things that remind me of Quinn,” I tell her, squeezing Tiff’s hand for support. I feel like a fucking bitch, getting emotional over a stupid nickname my ex gave my best friend.
“Is she here yet?” Tiffany asks. I don’t want to know the answer to that question right now, so I decide to change the subject.
“I’m such an ass,” I say when I realize properly
introducing Tiffany and Ashley is the perfect distraction to Quinn. “Ashley, this is my friend Tiffany Michaels. Tiffany, this is Ashley Garrison.”
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you,” Tiffany says extending her hand to Ashley. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
“It’s nice to meet you as well,” Ashley says, taking Tiff’s hand. “Thank you very much for taking care of Alex while he was out in the desert.”
Rolling my eyes, I tell her. “It was Scottsdale, not the damn Sahara.”
“Whatever. They’re both hot as hell,” she says with the flip of her hand.
“You have a beautiful home,” Tiffany says. She’s trying to win Ashley over with kindness. She really doesn’t believe Ashley and Tanner will like her regardless.
“Thank you. How do you like New York? Do you think it will be an easy adjustment for you?” Ashley asks.
Tiff doesn’t get a chance to answer because just as Ashley finishes her question, Quinn rounds the corner.
“There you are. I’ve been looking for you…” Quinn’s words fade when she notices Tiffany and me standing there.
This is the closest we’ve been to each other in a very long time and everything kind of goes into overdrive. My heart rate picks up and my breathing slightly accelerates. Something flutters in my stomach and my eyes don’t want to look at anything but her.
I watch Quinn as she takes in the scene before her. Her eyes rake over me, zeroing in on Michaela. What the hell was that about? There’s no time to dwell on the thought because her gaze moves to Tiffany, staring her down. I can help but find it amusing as Quinn gives her the death stare.
“Classy,” she murmurs before turning and taking her fiancé with her.
“Looks like today is going to be real fun. I told you to trust me,” Tiffany says, molding her body against mine. She beams up at me with a smile so genuine, anyone would think she’s really in love with me.
“You’re an evil mastermind. You could have a future in acting if the nursing thing doesn’t do it for you,” I say with a laugh as I hug her toward me with the free hand not holding Michaela.
“What the hell are you two talking about?” Ashley says, looking between us, her face giving away her confusion.
I’m unable to contain my grin as I answer, “Tiff here has a plan.”
“Yup, mission Get Quinn Back,” Tiff confirms with a devious smile of her own.
“Get Quinn back?” Ashley questions. “Where did this come from? Since when do you want to get her back? I thought you were enjoying your single life.”
Tiff breaks out into full-blown laughter. “If by enjoying you mean trying to fuck her out his system, then yeah. He’s been enjoying the single life.”
“You want her back?” she asks incredulously.
“I never wanted to let her go in the first place, Ash. I loved her then, and if I'm honest, I love her now. The last thing I want to see is her marry some other dude.” I haven’t admitted this to anyone other than Tiffany. I have trouble dealing with my emotions when it comes to Quinn. I think because I’ve spent a great deal of effort keeping my feelings about her tamped down so I didn’t scare her. As they begin to overwhelm me now, I distract myself with the lovely little bundle in my arms.
“Wow,” Ash says as she brings her hand to her face and wipes the corner of her eye as if my words caused her to tear up. “I’ve never heard you actually say those words before, Alex.”
“Tell me more about this plan you have,” she says turning her attention to Tiffany now. If anyone knows Quinn as well as I do, it’s Ashley. Having her on our side will definitely be helpful.
“Well, it involves showing her just what she’s missing and something for her to be jealous of,” my plotting friend says with a smile to match.
Ashely hooks her arm through Tiffany’s. “I had a feeling I was going to like you.”
Chapter Forty-Two
Quinn
“You’re working late tonight,” Jordan says as he walks into my condo with a bag from the café down the street. He called about an hour ago asking what I wanted to do for dinner. When I told him I have a ton to catch up on from the office today, he offered to grab me something on his way here, which has become our routine.
“Yeah, I didn’t get much done at the office today, so it had to come home with me,” I say, setting the stack of papers from my lap on the coffee table. “That smells good,” I say, stretching as I get off the couch.
“I got you a turkey club. I hope that’s okay,” he says as he brings my dinner to the table.
“It’s perfect, thank you,” I say as I take a seat at the table.
“What’s going on with you? You seem pretty off this week,” Jordan asks as I pick through my dinner trying to find any interest in eating it.
Boy, if he only knew what a loaded question that really is. I know exactly what’s going on with me, but I wouldn’t dare tell Jordan seeing Alex over the weekend really has me rattled. Alex has invaded my mind so much, I haven’t been able to concentrate on a damn thing in days. This is a distraction I don’t need. There are barely enough hours in the day to get through everything as it is.
I knew seeing Alex would be very hard. It’s why I did everything in my power to avoid him since Ashley and Tanner’s wedding. If he was going to be somewhere, I made sure I wasn’t. He called me a lot after I left him at the reception, but I never had the courage to answer. I knew if I answered and he asked me back, I would do it. I like to think I’m strong, but I’ve never been when it came to Alex, breaking all my own rules left and right.
Alex always had the uncanny ability to see right through me. He could always see through everything I did and get right down to the real me. It was unnerving and exhilarating. He wouldn’t have had to ask me what’s wrong as Jordan just did. He always knew exactly what was wrong and how to fix it for me.
I thought I knew him like that as well. I thought he was the one who was going to change my view of the world, but joke’s on me. I didn’t know him. He had me fooled. He’s just like every other man in my life, which is why I had to get away from him.
But apparently I haven’t been able to sever the connection between us. Even with all the reasons I know he's not good for me, a part of me doesn’t seem to care. After all this time, he can still pull me into his orbit. Can still make me feel things I don’t want to feel.
Like the feeling of evisceration at seeing him with another woman at the christening. I wasn’t prepared for it. I wanted to be mad at Ashley for letting him bring his new girlfriend to the party celebrating our goddaughter, but I couldn’t without admitting a part of me still felt something toward him. Do I still feel something for him?
If I didn’t feel anything for him, would I feel this way? I heard Ashley asking his girlfriend how she liked New York and if the move was easy for her. Not only is she drop-dead gorgeous, but she moved her entire life to the opposite coast to be with him. I hate her and her cock-sucking red lips. Who wears red lipstick to church?
I’ve never really been a jealous person but nonetheless that evil bitch of an emotion has nestled inside lately, making me envious. Envious of people in love. Envious of a woman I know nothing about. It makes me feel a longing for something that has been over for a while. Something that wasn’t going to ever turn into anything other than heartache.
I’m well aware of how things would’ve ended for me if I’d stayed with Alex so why do I feel like I have a huge gaping hole in my chest having seen him in the flesh? Alex never fully left our little circle. He was still there, just from a distance. Having him back here now seems to have caused a change in me. It’s not a change I like.
“Babe?” Jordan asks, grabbing my hand to get my attention. Shit! I forgot he asked me a question. Even when Alex isn’t in the room, he can still dominate my thoughts.
“I’m fine, just busy and stressed at work. Nothing I can’t handle,” I say, giving the fake smile I’ve perfected over the years. The smile saying, ‘I’m Quin
n Taylor and nothing can get to me.’
“There’s nothing you can’t handle,” he smiles at me, patting my hand.
For fuck’s sake. I have a perfectly good man in front of me, and I’m sitting here consumed with the one I left years ago. I need to stop thinking about the past and worry about the future. My future with Jordan is spelled out pretty well. We’re aware of where this leads. There're no exceptions, therefore, nothing that can really hurt me. Unless, I don’t go through with this wedding. Then my father can destroy me, but only if I let him.
“You’re too good to me. One day some lucky woman is going to hit the jackpot with you,” I say with a sincere smile this time.
“Yeah, some day,” Jordan whispers while looking down at his food. There’s a hint of something in his voice, but I can’t decipher what. And I have too much on my mind already to try and solve more puzzles.
We finish our dinner in relative silence before Jordan cleans up and gets ready to leave.
“I’m heading home,” he says with unusual slowness to his voice.
“Okay. Thank you very much for dinner. I’m sorry I wasn’t better company tonight,” I say walking over to the door.
“It’s fine with me. Any time spent with you is a good time,” he says wrapping me up in a hug. I don’t respond, but I do return his hug. His words have me thrown.
With a kiss on my forehead, he says, “I hope whatever’s on your mind works itself out for you. Have a good night, babe.”
Before I can say a word, he’s through the door and closing it behind him, leaving me standing here very confused about his strange behavior tonight. Why does it seem everything in my life right now is upside down? My fiancé is acting like a fiancé. My ex-lover has me feeling all sorts of fucked feelings I don’t like. I miss my best friend. My father’s threat looms over me. Nothing is as it’s supposed to be. I don’t feel in control of anything, and it leaves me feeling worried. I need to be in control of everything right now. There’s just way too much at stake for my mind to be pulled in a hundred directions.