by Linda Verji
“Your phone’s ringing again.” Winter yanked her out of her thoughts.
Freddie, who hadn’t even heard the ringing, swiftly sat up. Lex again? Hope and nervousness mingled within her as she reached for the phone. However, when she turned it and saw the name on the screen, disappointment rushed in.
“Ugh!” With an annoyed groan, she tossed the phone back on the bed.
“Who is it?” Winter asked.
“Wesley.”
“Ugh!” Winter’s groan was just as annoyed as Freddie’s. “Doesn’t he give up? This is the what call today?”
“I think we’re up to fifteen now.” Freddie shot the still-ringing phone a glare. “What is wrong with him?”
“Many, many things.” The other woman’s top lip lifted in a sneer. “I told you he was a bum.”
“You only said that because you don’t like his music,” Freddie retorted.
“But you have to admit… these crooners are always the fakest. They lie to us with their bedroom eyes, smooth voices and sweet lyrics but in real life, they’re trash. Cheating, beating up their women, spreading herpes around, peeing on underage girls… Ugh!”
Freddie guffawed. “You talk as if the rappers you like are monks.”
“No, they’re not. But at least they’re upfront about it.” Winter reached for a bottle of nail polish from the nightstand and smacked it several times on her palm. “If you hook up with a man who calls women whores and sings about how he’s gonna beat it up then it’s on you. Don’t be surprised when you get called a whore or beat up. But your guys… they’re just con-men. Talking about… ‘oooh, you’re my only one’ when he’s got a whole volleyball team hidden in his hotel room. Psh!”
It was grossly unfair for Winter to lump all R&B singers the same way but in a weird way she made sense. Also, after everything that had happened, Freddie was in no position to correct her. Before Freddie could say more, her phone beeped, this time indicating the arrival of a message.
Winter looked up from the toenail she was polishing. “Him again?”
Freddie checked, and indeed it was a message from Wesley. “Yup.”
“What’s he saying?”
“The usual.” After everything Winter had said, Freddie was too embarrassed to tell her exactly what the message said.
But Winter immediately caught on. Her eyes immediately lit with humor and she grinned. “Don’t tell me he sent you some lyrics.”
Freddie avoided her friend’s eyes. “Um… maybe.”
“No way.” Winter laughed. “Read it aloud.”
“Do I have to?” Freddie protested.
When her friend vigorously nodded, she sighed. “Fine.”
Freddie started reading, “Pretty little darling, have a heart, don't let one mistake keep us apart. I'm not meant to live alone, turn this house into a home. When I climb the stairs and turn the key, Oh, please be there, sayin' that you're still-” She suddenly paused. “Wait, wait, wait, aren’t these lyrics from Luther’s song?”
“That bum!” Winter sounded even more outraged than Freddie. “Can’t he even come up with his own lyrics?”
Before Freddie could voice her own disgust, another message came in. This time it was lyrics from Teddy Pendergrass’s ‘Can’t We Try’. This man was really trying her. The messages kept coming one after another until they stopped being annoying and became funny. The ladies took turns reading the messages, each of them trying to make their reading as dramatic as possible. Freddie even started singing the messages.
When the texts still kept coming, Winter suggested a game; Choose three singers you think he’ll plagiarize next. If you get it right, then you get a chance to decide what we’re doing tomorrow. Freddie won three times. That’s how well she knew Wesley. She knew what kind of singers he took inspiration from, who he wanted to work with next, why he’d chosen to become a singer…
Suddenly, she wondered. How well did he know her? Whenever they’d talked, it was always about his past, his hard life, his dreams, his aspirations… his, his, his. In fact, now that she thought about it, she didn’t think he’d even asked her why she decided to be a medical examiner?
Now that she was out of the relationship, she could analyze it more objectively. The more she studied it, the more she realized just how selfish he’d always been. Then again… she’d never called him out on it, so this was her fault too.
“What will you do about him?” Winter complained when the texts kept coming late into the night.
“What’s there to do?” Freddie, who was tucked in bed like her friend, shrugged. “I’m just going to keep ignoring him until he stops.”
Winter yawned. “I don’t think he’ll be that easy to get rid of.”
“What’s the worst he can do?” Freddie snorted. “Force me to pick up my phone?”
“Hah!” Winter gave a tired laugh. She yawned again before asking, “What about Lex? Is he the rebound?”
Rebound? Freddie had never thought of Lex that way. Sure, she’d slept with him right after she’d broken up with Wesley but it wasn’t because she wanted to forget Wesley. She’d slept with Lex simply because she was attracted to him. Really attracted to him given how he’d occupied her thoughts for these last few days.
She shook her head. “Not really.”
“What does that mean?” Winter frowned. “Are you seeing him again or not?”
“Haven’t decided yet,” Freddie said.
Lex was Ari’s best-friend. It seemed suicidal to pursue anything more with him. On the other hand, he seemed to have insinuated himself deeply into her system. Something told her that it wouldn’t be easy to forget him or the pleasure he’d given her. Worse, there was no way to erase his declaration. I wanted to sleep with you.
Giddy heat flushed through her. It was the sexiest thing she’d ever heard. And when he’d added that he’d been thinking about it for a long time, she’d almost burst into flames. Exactly how long had he been thinking of sleeping with her? And how had she never noticed it?
Her phone beeped again. Annoyed with Wesley for interrupting her daydreams, she snatched the phone again. However, all her drowsiness vanished when she saw who it was. “Lex?”
“Hmm.” Winter mumbled in her sleep.
Freddie slapped her hand over her mouth and tentatively watched her friend before clicking on the message. It was a simple text; Let me know when you get back into town.
So innocent, no innuendo at all, yet it sent unimaginable thrill through Freddie. Suddenly, her heart started beating faster, and she felt breathless. Why did he want her to let him know when she got back? So he could see her? Why? Did she want to see him? Of course.
Before she could chicken out, she quickly typed, ‘Okay’.
As soon as the message was gone, she set the phone on the nightstand. Burying her face in her pillow to muffle the sound, she gave a little scream. She was crazy. Crazy. Crazy. Crazy. Yet she’d never been more excited.
* * *
TWO DAYS LATER at around seven p.m., Lex sat in the sports-bar that was in the same building as his game company’s offices. He was deeply engrossed in the football match playing on the three large TVs above the back-bar when his phone vibrated. Distractedly, he drew the gadget out of his pocket. However, when he saw who the message was from, he became alert.
I’m back, Freddie’s text said.
Immediately, Lex left his table to go out to the hallway where there was less traffic. He dialed her number. One ring. Two rings…
“Hello?” Her husky voice echoed over the line. After five days of not having heard from her, her voice was like silk languorously sliding over his excited senses.
“Hi.” Smiling, he asked, “You’re back?”
“Yeah,” she said. Did she sound breathless or was he imagining it? She added, “I got back at around two.”
“Did you have fun in Orlando?”
“Lots.” Sounding excited, she listed, “Winter and I went to Disney and tried out their rides.”
He teased, “Isn’t that place for kids?”
“Hey, we’re still not done growing up.” Freddie laughed. “Besides, it’s not the only place we went to. On our first day there we got on an air-balloon and we dropped by one of the spas there. We even went to the space center. Lex, you won’t believe that place. It was…”
As she went on describing her trip and what she’d done while she was on it, Lex couldn’t help smiling. He didn’t mind her talking his ears off. If anything, it made him happy because it meant that she was comfortable with him. Plus, he loved her voice. It was soothing yet sexy, bringing up images of warm nights tucked underneath the sheets together.
“What about you?” she asked. “What did you do with your weekend?”
He shrugged. “Nothing much.”
She paused a moment then said, “I heard you were at our place.”
“Ari told you?”
“My mom.” Another pause then she asked, “Didn’t it feel weird?”
He wanted to lie, but the truth slipped past his lips before his brain could formulate the lie. “Yeah.”
Freddie sighed and was silent for quite a while before saying, “I guess that means that you don’t want to…”
Her voice drifted off into silence before she finished the sentence. But Lex had always been a smart man. He could guess what she wanted to say. He simply answered, “No, that’s not what it means.”
“Oh!” She gasped. He could practically hear the wheels in her brain turning as she digested his words. When she spoke again, it was to ask, “Do you want to meet up? Are you free tomorrow?”
He’d never expected her to be the first one to ask for a meet-up and it sent immediate excitement throbbing through him. Before he could hold himself back, he countered, “Can’t we meet now?”
As soon as he made the suggestion, he realized how pushy it sounded. What if she felt like it was too soon and said no?
“Now?” she asked.
Though he wanted to take the suggestion back, he nodded. “Mm.”
She was quiet for so long that he was sure she was about to reject the proposal. Disappointment even started to set in. But as usual, Freddie was a bundle of surprises. “Okay? Where are you? I’ll come to you.”
Fighting to keep his thrill from showing in his voice, he gave her directions to the bar. Once the conversation was done, he headed back to his table. Though the bar was almost full, his table remained unoccupied. Perks of being the owner.
He settled back down to finish watching the game. However, a game that had seemed so important only ten minutes ago was suddenly not as interesting. Lex’s heart was fluttering so much he was surprised it didn’t just up and fly away. He tapped his feet repeatedly and checked his phone every two minutes to see if Freddie was calling to let him know that she’d arrived.
Twenty long minutes later, she called. “I’m outside. Do I just come in?”
“I’ll come get you,” he quickly offered as he lifted from the plush armchair.
Freddie was seated at one of the outdoor tables that were in the courtyard. His heart almost stopped when he saw what she was wearing. Freddie was a denim and shirts kind of girl. Seeing her in a dress and heels was a shock to his system.
The jade green dress was the perfect complement to her dark skin and the silver, caged heels. Though it had a high collar, the lace on her upper chest provided tantalizing glimpses of her skin and the tops of her breasts. Maybe the dress was long, but when she was seated, it rose up to her upper thigh showing off more leg than he was used to. How was he supposed to focus on anything else when she was dressed like that?
When she saw him, a wide grin lifted her lips and she stood up. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t have been able to bite back his low groan. Some might say that she was too thickset, but he loved how the fabric skimmed over her voluptuous breasts and hips. He ached to replace that fabric with his own hands.
Forcing a smile, he closed the distance between them. However, once he got closer to her, he wasn’t sure how to greet her. Would hugging her seem too presumptuous? Or could he kiss her like he really wanted to do? With an internal sigh, he settled for a simple. “Hi.”
“Hi,” she returned. Was it just him or did she seem nervous? Avoiding his eyes, she turned slightly to gesture towards the courtyard. “I see you guys did some redecorating. It looks nice.”
“Thank you.” He pointed towards the bar. “Wanna go in?”
She nodded.
As they walked side-by-side, he set his palm on her lower back. She threw him a startled look but didn’t protest. Hiding a smile, Lex led the way into the bar. He wanted to sit right next to her but to his disappointment she took the armchair directly opposite his. Still, at least he had a VIP view of her eyes.
“What do you want?” he asked when the server dropped by to take their orders.
“A martini on the r-” She suddenly stopped speaking and shook her head. “No. No alcohol. We both know what happened when I drank that.”
Actually, Lex hadn’t minded what had happened then but this didn’t look like the time to say so. He pushed his own drink away so that she wouldn’t get the impression that anything he did today was influenced by alcohol then ordered a juice for both of them.
“So.” Freddie turned back to him once the server left to get their drinks. “Why did you want to meet up?”
“Actually, you asked to meet first,” he reminded her.
“Did I?” Her brow furrowed as she tried to remember their phone conversation. A moment later, she gave him a sheepish smile. “Oh, I did.”
The last thing he wanted to do was embarrass her, so he quickly added, “It’s okay. I wanted to meet you too.”
“Really?” Worrying her bottom lip, she asked, “Why?”
Could he tell her that while she was gone, she was all he’d thought about? Would it scare her if he told her that she’d occupied every dream he’d had since her departure? Could he confess that he’d missed her without sounding like he was moving too fast?
Instead of saying all he wanted to say, he simply asked, “Did you think of me?”
Her eyes widened. “Huh?”
“While you were gone-” He watched her. “Did you think of me?”
She lowered her gaze and bit her lower lip in that sexy way that he’d only recently discovered was her habit then whispered, “Yes.”
Did she just say yes? If Lex’s heart could jump out of his chest, this was the moment it would’ve done it. The sensations that rocketed through him couldn’t be mistaken for anything other than excitement.
“What about you?” She stole a glance at him before lowering her gaze again. “Did you think about me?”
“A lot,” he answered automatically.
Just then the server stopped at their table. There was so much sexual tension between the two that even the server could feel it. His gaze kept switching between Lex and Freddie. Fortunately, he had the sense not to question it. After setting their drinks in front of them, the server left.
Normally, Lex had no problems with being so reserved. Most times, he preferred being the listener rather than the talker. This wasn’t one of those times. As soon as the server left, a tense silence settled between him and Freddie. For once, Lex wished that he was the type that could think of something to say to ease the tension, the one who could easily carry a conversation. As he frantically thought of what to say next, Freddie silently kept drawing rings on the edge of her glass with her finger while staring at the glass’s contents.
Lex was just about to urge her to tell him more about her trip when she broke the silence.
“What did you do to me?” she murmured softly.
“Hmm?” He didn’t understand the question.
“What did you do to me?” she repeated. Her gaze lifted to meet his. In her eyes, curiosity swam. “Did you give me a drug or something? I can’t stop thinking about you, Lex.”
It was the last thing he expected to hear from her and it
left him speechless.
“This can’t be good,” she announced with a frown. “You’re like cigarettes. I know I should keep away from you but I can’t seem to stop myself from moving closer.”
Smiling, he confessed, “You’re the same to me.”
“We shouldn’t be doing this, right?” Freddie asked.
She was probably waiting for him to say yes or at the very least nod, but Lex couldn’t bring himself to agree with her even though she was right. Instead, he grabbed his juice and took a healthy gulp.
Freddie went back to drawing circles on the mouth of her glass. He watched her, waiting to see what she’d say next. After her last statement, he expected her to declare that this dangerous game they were playing wasn’t for her. He wouldn’t even have been surprised if she’d asked him to go back to being friends. But of course, Freddie had never been the type to take the expected road.
Her eyes met his again. “Do you want to get out of here?”
Lex almost swallowed his tongue. In fact, he could’ve sworn that he stopped breathing right then. Had she just asked him to get out of here? Wasn’t that the universal code for ‘have sex with me’? That couldn’t be what she was asking, right? Maybe his dirty mind was reading too much into an innocent request.
His voice husky he prodded, “Get out of here?”
“Yeah?” She nodded. Then gave that sexy bite of her lower lip again. “Can we go to your place?”
Hell, yes! He wanted to jump out of his seat. He wanted to carry her over his shoulder and right out of the bar like a Neanderthal. But he didn’t. He just nodded and smiled.
CHAPTER 10
The drive to Lex’s place was quiet. Freddie didn’t know what to say, mostly because she knew that this was crazy. One time could be called an accident, but this… this was deliberate. Neither of them was inebriated, and they both knew very well that they were crossing a line that was there for a reason.