“Logan, I do this all the time. I’ll be fine.” With a smile, she made her way to the door. I followed and held it for her as she stepped out into the cold air. Even though it was broad daylight, I still didn’t like the thought of her being on her own.
After we were both outside, I slid my glasses on. There were definitely more people on the sidewalk than in the small coffee shop. “Okay. Well, I’ll see you around.”
Without another word, she gave me a brief hug, then walked away. Right before she was swallowed up in the crowd, she turned for one last wave with a sweet smile, then resumed her path and was gone.
With a sigh, I pulled my hood over my beanie and trudged back to the hotel. Each step was heavier than the last. By the time I reached the gleaming doors, it was as if my shoes were made of concrete.
The impeccably dressed doorman held the door for me as I entered the opulent lobby. There was a different girl at the desk as I passed, or I would’ve thanked her for her help earlier.
After using my room key to access the secure floor we were staying on, I dug my phone out. Pausing only briefly, I shot her a text.
Me: Hey. See? I told you I’d talk to you again
Three dots flashed on the screen, then disappeared. Then they flashed again.
Stella: OMG. You’re so crazy.
Me: Nah, I passed my psych test
Stella: lol I’m surprised. Just got home. I gotta get ready for work. Sorry.
Me: It’s okay. I only wanted to make sure you made it safe
Stella: Awww ty
Me: And to tell you thanks for talking with me. That was probably the first normal conversation I’ve had in forever
Stella: Well that was my first conversation with a superstar so the pleasure was all mine.
I couldn’t help it, I laughed.
Me: OK I’ll let you get ready for work. Take care
Stella: You too
The elevator door opened just as I was returning my phone to my pocket. The closer I got to my door, the harder my head began to pound. Praying she’d left, I used my card to open the door.
Fuck.
Sitting on the couch looking nervous, Addison jerked her head toward the door when I stepped through. “Logan.”
“Addison… look. About last night….”
Crestfallen, she stood. “No. Don’t. I should’ve known better.” Picking up her shoes and the small purse she’d had on her last night, she pushed past me.
“Addy, wait.” Not that I knew what to say, but I knew better than to have slept with her. I grabbed her elbow to stop her. Besides her being Aiden’s little sister, she’d had a crush on me forever. I’d been avoiding her advances like the plague for a year or more. The last thing I’d wanted to do was lead her on.
“Logan, don’t. I get it. It was a mistake. I just thought…. I mean, I hoped that maybe you would see me as a woman and realize you felt about me the way I feel about you.” Even though she tried to hide them, I saw the tears well in her eyes before she turned to leave.
Maybe I should’ve left well enough alone, but I’d been a schmuck. So I followed her to the door. As she reached for the handle, my phone vibrated in my pocket.
Ignoring it so I could see her out was a mistake. Because when she swung the door open and rushed out, she ran smack dab into her brother’s chest.
“Addison?” It took all of a single second for the situation to process and for two things to happen. “You motherfucker!”
That was the first.
The second was the biggest fist I’d ever encountered catching me square in the jaw.
“Lead On”—Phillip Phillips
“Hey, can’t talk long because we’re going on stage in a minute. I just wanted to say hello.”
“Well, hi. I’m not sure what one says to someone who’s getting ready to perform in front of thousands.”
“Just tell me good luck.”
Logan: Miss you!
Me: Miss you too. Where you at today?
Logan: South Carolina
Me: Concert there?
Logan: Yeah, in Charleston
Me: Do I get a t-shirt?
Logan: Of course
“What are you doing?”
“Studying. What are you doing?” I laughed.
“Chilling in my bunk on the bus.”
“Where are you heading this time?”
“Florida.”
“Oh! Get me some sea shells?”
“I’ve never asked if you have a boyfriend.”
Chuckling, I shook my head. “No. No boyfriend.”
“Oh good, because I was worried about how he might perceive our friendship.”
“Well, if I start dating anyone, they have to accept our friendship or it’s a no-go.”
“Good. Because you were my friend first.”
Logan: You awake?
Me: Yeah, barely. Everything okay?
It had been nearly three weeks since that morning in the coffee shop, and true to his word, he’d kept in touch with me. We’d talked almost every day, whether texting or on the phone.
Logan: Can I call?
Me: Sure
Immediately, my phone rang. Seeing his picture flash on my screen in the dark of my room had my heart thumping and a grin splitting my face.
“Hello?”
“Hey, gorgeous. How was your last final?” Hearing him call me gorgeous had my face warming even though I knew he didn’t mean anything by it.
“Ridiculous, but I’m so thankful it’s over!” Fluffing up my pillows, I settled under my covers.
“You should let me FaceTime you.” His words seemed to slur a little.
Glancing down at my ratty sweatshirt and leggings, my eyes widened. “Uh, no way.” Besides, I had no makeup on and my hair was a hot mess.
“Come on, I miss you.” It came out as mishoo.
“Are you okay? You don’t sound right.” It was fairly late and I worried that he was overly tired or sick.
“Hell, yeah, I’m great! The concert was great. Everything’s fucking great. Essept Aiden’s still not talkin’ tuh me. But what the fuck ever,” he mumbled.
“Are you drunk?” Concern wove through me.
“Nah. I’m good.” He wasn’t.
“Logan. How much have you had to drink?”
“Umm, juss a glass or two. It’s all good for real.” In the background I heard a door, the sounds of laughter and talking, then quiet again. At least for a moment. What I heard next made my heart plummet.
“Logan, come on. Everyone’s waiting for you.” There was rustling, then the phone muffled but I could still hear.
“Babe, I’ll be out in a minute.”
“Okay, baby. But let me get a bump off you.”
“Give me a fucking minute. Okay?”
“Fine!” Rustling followed and then the door again.
“Sorry about that.” He came back on the line.
“Logan…, what the hell is going on?” By then my heart was racing for a different reason.
“Whaddoo you mean? Nothin’s goin’ on. The guys are waiting for me to join them for the after-party. But I wanted to talk to you first.” The more I paid attention to his words, the more I realized he was absolutely drunk.
“Okay, well, I’m going to let you get to the party. Tell the guys I said hey. Um, you can call me tomorrow. Okay?”
“Wait. Don’t go yet.”
“No, it’s late and it’s been a long day. I need to go. You go have fun.” Inside, my heart was breaking. Sure, I knew we weren’t a “thing” and that I had no right to be jealous. But the reality was that the crush I’d had on him all those years ago hadn’t gone away. And the past few weeks had only endeared him to me even more.
“Stella, wait.”
“Bye, Logan.” The hardest thing I’d done in a while was ending that call, but if I didn’t, I was only going to get hurt. Trying to talk to someone when they were drunk was never a good thing. That I knew from experience.
B
y the time Logan called me the next day, I was at work so I wasn’t able to answer. He’d obviously partied into the night and slept late. At least that’s what I assumed when I didn’t hear from him before I went in that afternoon.
I tried really hard not to think about what kind of partying he’d been doing.
Pasting a smile on my face, I carried the tray of drinks to the table of businessmen. As I set their glasses on the immaculate white tablecloth, I shoved thoughts of Logan out of my head.
“What can I get for you gentlemen this evening?” As they each gave me their orders, I cataloged them in my mind. The restaurant I worked at was exclusive and the wait staff was expected to remember everything because writing them down was too “common.”
Ignoring the few who had wandering eyes was easy. After three years of working there, I knew most of the men were harmless. The ones who weren’t were no longer welcome back because the manager wouldn’t tolerate harassment of his staff. We had a wait list a mile long. People didn’t risk losing their slots by acting inappropriate.
“Did anyone need a refill before I go?” After they assured me they were fine, I went to enter their selections in the system.
The rest of the night went much the same, and I ended it with some very decent tips. Even though the money was good, I was exhausted by the end of my shift, mentally and physically.
“Geez, was it just me or was tonight busier than normal?” Tony, one of the other servers, clocked out right after me and followed as I left. Belinda was hot on our heels.
“Shit, my feet hurt.” We had both changed from the low black heels we were required to wear into running shoes.
“Girl, don’t I know it? Damn, I can’t wait to soak in the tub.” I’d been waiting for that all night. Silently, I prayed Kinsley was at work by the time I got home. She’d been bugging me about moving into a bigger unit in our building, but I was strapped as it was. Her dad paid for her half and she’d offered to cover part of mine, but I didn’t feel right about it.
“I don’t know how you guys do it. Why don’t you ask if you can wear some flat shoes of some sort?” Tony was lucky he was a guy and was allowed to wear black dress shoes.
“You think we haven’t tried that?” Raising my brows at him, I pulled my coat tight to me as I fought the icy wind. He shrugged apologetically, and we kept walking until we reached the subway.
“Yeah, we got a big fat no when we asked,” Belinda muttered.
“That sucks.” Tony leaned against a pillar as we waited.
Within a few minutes, the train arrived and we loaded up. Once I’d found my seat, I pulled out my phone to see a multitude of texts messages and a few missed calls from Logan.
Leaning my head against the window, I debated calling him back.
“Ohhh, who’s Logan?” Belatedly, I realized Belinda had leaned over my shoulder.
“An old friend from back home.” Trying to appear nonchalant, I shrugged. It was true, we were only friends and he was from back home.
Disappointment colored her voice. “Dang. I thought maybe you finally found yourself a man!”
A chuckle escaped me. “Uh, no. I’m not drop-dead gorgeous like you with men falling at my feet. Guys aren’t really interested in me.”
“What the fuck ever, girl. Just because you’re modest and don’t see it, doesn’t mean guys don’t stumble all over themselves for you.”
“Yeah, right!” I snorted. She was an exotic beauty with sloe eyes, skin the color of a caramel latte, and silky black ringlets. Add to that her willowy height and she could’ve been walking a runway. Instead, she worked part-time as a marine biologist and part-time as a server.
The world was a crazy place.
“Have you even looked in the mirror lately? Tell her, Tony.” Sitting in the seat across the aisle from me, Tony cleared his throat as his face flushed.
“You’re pretty hot, Stell.” Uncomfortable with the position Belinda had put him in, he shoved his headphones in and buried his face in his phone.
“Whatever.” When I went to tuck my phone back in my bag, another text pinged through.
Logan: Are you mad at me? Please message me or call me?
Was I mad at him? How did I even answer that? Yeah, I was upset wondering what he’d done with that girl last night. Except I had no right to feel that way. So if I told him the truth it could ruin our friendship.
Me: On the subway. I had to work, remember? I’ll call you when I’m home.
That would at least buy me a little time.
Logan: Promise?
Me: Yeah
Before I could get caught up in texting him, I dropped my phone to the bottom of my bag. Turning sideways in my seat, I grinned at Belinda. “Speaking of guys… what’s up with you and Kendrick?”
“Ugh! Nothing. Talk about a self-centered creep of an asshole. We’re done.” Rolling her eyes, she flopped back in the seat.
“What? Seriously? I thought things were going great!” She and Kendrick had been dating for over six months. Last time we worked together she’d told me she thought he was going to propose.
“Yeah, me too. Except evidently I wasn’t enough for him.”
“He cheated on you?” My eyes nearly bugged out of my head.
“Not quite.” When she didn’t elaborate and instead looked out the window and crossed her arms, I was confused.
“How does someone ‘not quite’ cheat?” I asked.
“He wanted me to have a threesome.”
Okay…. That was not exactly what I’d been expecting her to say.
“I can understand where that would be not so cool. I don’t think I could share a guy with another woman either.” The thought of being with Logan and one of the groupies that were always hanging on them made me nauseous.
“It wasn’t another woman.” The muttered words were barely discernible.
“Oh.”
Huffing, she gave me a side-eye. “Yeah, oh. He wanted to share me with his friend. Actually, he wanted to watch his friend have sex with me. Then have both of them do me.”
“Oh my God! Uhh… oh. Wow.” Shit, I didn’t know what to say to that. “And was that something you guys had ever talked about?”
“Hell, no! It just came up out of the blue one night when his buddy, Ben, was over watching movies with us. Like they thought I’d just hop up and say, ‘sure, why not?’ Not that I would’ve said yes, but why wouldn’t he ask me something like that when it was just the two of us? Do you know how embarrassing that was?” She seemed flabbergasted.
“I can only imagine.” Hell, I was embarrassed for her and I hadn’t even been there.
“Enough about that loser. Tell me about this Logan character. Is he cute? Is he coming to visit?”
Was he cute? Lordy, was he cute. No, that was a lie. He was beautiful. Heat spread over my cheeks. “Um… he’s….” Before I could answer, the train pulled up to my stop.
“He’s what?” Leave it to Belinda to hang on like a bulldog.
“He’s definitely cute, but it’s really not like that. We’re seriously just friends.” I’d already stood, so I tapped Tony on the head. He took one headphone out of his ear and gave me a nod and a wave.
“See ya, Stell.”
I started walking toward the exit. “See you guys Saturday!” Tomorrow was my day off. Which was good, because I needed to get caught up on laundry.
Chancing a glance Belinda’s way as I stepped off at DTX, I saw her smirking face watching me through the window. As I waved, she made the “I’ve got my eyes on you” motion. All I could do was laugh as the train pulled away.
As usual, the Downtown Crossing stop was nasty and I was pretty sure I smelled piss. Ugh. Hastily making my way to the surface, I sucked in the fresh air, ignoring the cold.
It was late, but the sidewalk was still busy as I walked the block and a half up Stuart Street to my apartment.
Lost in thought, I wasn’t paying attention.
Until strong hands grabbed my arms
as I nearly plowed right into the side of someone. Startled, I stepped out of the stranger’s embrace and glanced up.
“Logan! What the hell are you doing here?” Shock ate through me even as I reflexively threw my arms around him to give him quick hug. As soon as his arms released me, I wanted them back.
He ran a hand through his thick hair, causing it to stand in crazy directions. “I missed my friend and I was in the neighborhood….”
“Riiiiiigggghhht. Considering I remember you telling me your schedule had you guys in Texas this week, that’s hard to believe.” Even though I wanted to be upset with him, he had the effect on me where I couldn’t control my face. I smiled around him all the time. “Try again.”
With a boyish grin, he ducked his head. “Okay, so maybe I booked a flight to come see you.”
Jesus, who does shit like that? Want to see a friend on the other side of the country? Hop on a last-minute flight. “That had to have cost you a fortune.”
All he did was shrug and shake his head. “It wasn’t that bad.”
“Sure it wasn’t.” As I stood there with my lips curled in happiness, a snowflake fluttered down and caught on his lashes. Before we even had time to look up, it was as if someone had opened a sifter above us and big fat flakes floated down, coating our shoulders.
When he started catching them on his tongue, I giggled and did the same. Though they melted almost immediately, the flash of cool snow on my tongue was a nanosecond of wonder.
“We better get inside before this stuff soaks in and it’s not so fun anymore.” Running into the building, I shook the snow off my beanie, then removed my jacket and did the same with it.
Feeling a tug on my ponytail, I glanced his way. “What was that for?”
“You look cute with your hair like this.” Giving him a look telling him I thought he was weird, I smirked and rolled my eyes. “And this getup makes you very Ninja-like. This what you wear to work?”
“Yeah.” Chuckling at his thoughts on my work uniform, I waited for the elevator. As usual, his nearness had my heart racing.
Friends, friends, friends. Closing my eyes, I tried to remind myself.
No Treble Allowed: A Straight Wicked Novel Page 3