Touch Him (ManTrap Book 3)

by Olivia Jaymes

  "Exactly. That's exactly what happened."

  I could still see Emmy's face from last night, clear as day.

  "But you must have thought that she was going to say it back," Carly pointed out. "Or else you wouldn't have said it, right?"

  "That's true," I conceded with a grimace. "I thought she loved me but I guess I was wrong. You should have seen her expression when I told her. It was pure panic. I think she wanted to flee but we were standing in her house and it was cold outside. She wasn't wearing any shoes."

  Carly simply regarded me for a long moment, not saying anything. She'd do this on occasion when she was thinking so I just let her have it. The waitress had dropped a basket of bread on the table so I grabbed a roll and smeared garlic butter on it.

  "She was panicked? As in fear?"

  "Yes."

  "So you broke up with her?" Carly smacked the table, causing a few diners to swivel their heads toward the sound. "Owen, you are an idiot. Are you sure you have a doctorate in psychology because you're acting like you don't have two brain cells to rub together."

  "Now wait a minute," I protested. "I didn't break up with her. Emmy wanted space so I gave it to her."

  Carly waved her butter knife in a dramatic fashion. "And why did she want space?"

  "She said she wanted us to slow down."

  "But you didn't want to do that?"

  Sighing, I took another drink of my beer. "I thought we were over that."

  Shrugging, Carly raised her brows. "Well...you weren't."

  "Thanks for the clarification."

  "Clearly you needed it." Another sigh. This was getting repetitive. "Let me tell you a little story. It's one you've never heard. Are you listening to me?"

  "Shit, I'm listening. Just tell it."

  "Before I met Jake, I was dating this guy from grad school. Handsome, smart, funny. I thought he was the whole package. We had fun whenever we were together and I felt like he just really got me. You know what I mean?" She didn't pause for me to answer. "Anyway, I of course fell in love with him. I mean, who wouldn't? All my friends were jealous and I thought I'd found the one I was going to be with forever. I was planning for my mom and dad to meet him over the holidays. That's how sure I was."

  This time she did pause, obviously waiting for a comment.

  "But something happened."

  Because something always happened in stories like this.

  "Yes, something happened. I found out that he'd been seeing another girl the entire time we were dating. The entire time, Owen. When I confronted him about it, he acted like it was no big deal. As if we weren't even that serious and I was all angry for nothing. That just made me even angrier."

  "How did you find out?"

  Rubbing her temple, she shook her head. "That's not the right question. It doesn't matter how I found out. What mattered is that my heart was broken into about a million pieces and I didn't trust my judgment about men after that. I was sure every guy in the world was a big, fat liar and cheater and I wasn't going to be their victim ever again. So when I met Jake, he had an uphill battle, to say the least."

  "But you two are together so obviously you didn't let what happened get in the way."

  Carly tapped the surface of the table with her fingernail. "I made Jake's life hell. I was in, I was out, I was in, I was way out. I was confused and scared and generally a real pain in the ass. Do you know what he did?"

  I couldn't wait to hear.

  "He was patient with me. He waited me out. He didn't give up even when I pushed him away."

  I'd had a sinking feeling that's what she was going to say. Fuck. I'd screwed the pooch, hadn't I?

  "So I'm slime? Is that what you're saying?"

  "No, you're not slime. You are impatient and you think you know everything. News flash. You don't. You may be a relationship expert but you are not an expert on your own relationship. You're simply too close to it to be unbiased. I can stand to the side and see things more clearly. If Emmy is afraid of love, you storming out last night didn't cure that. If anything, it only confirmed that you weren't truly in it for the long haul."

  "I fucked up," I admitted. It wasn't easy to say it out loud. "Now what do I do, oh wise one?"

  Carly smiled and rubbed her hands together. "I'm so glad you asked. You have to go back to Emmy, apologize, and then hang in there. She's probably going to push you away again but you have to persevere even when it's tough."

  "That sounds one-sided."

  Carly was supposed to take my side of the argument. She was supposed to hear my story and then confirm that I was right and Emmy was in the wrong.

  "It is," she nodded. "But listen to me carefully. You're asking her to put herself out there in the danger zone. You want her to risk her heart. You have to be willing to do it, too. There are no guarantees and she knows that. You have to know that, too. If she's worth it, go all the way for her."

  "I have been risking my heart. I put myself out there."

  Right?

  "And at the first sign of a problem, you bailed. That's not much of a risk. You have to show her, Owen. Words aren't going to mean much here." Carly's gaze speared me, making me squirm with its intensity. "Is she worth it or not?"

  Dammit, sometimes I hated my assistant. She wasn't supposed to be smarter than me.

  "She's worth it."

  "Then you know what you have to do."

  Emmy

  Ashlyn hadn't wanted to take us out for the evening. She and her boyfriend Kyle had tried to talk us out of it, almost to their last breath, but Shelby and I were adamant. We wanted to go out and have some fun. With or without Ashlyn, we weren't fussy. We'd prefer if she went along but if she didn't want to go, that was fine, too.

  When Kyle saw that we weren't going to be persuaded out of our harebrained idea - Ashlyn's words, not his - he immediately stepped into action. With more money than any one human being should have, he quickly hired a car service to drive us around in a black SUV with tinted windows.

  Like we were rock stars.

  The driver was a mountain of a man specifically hired by Kyle to protect us, which I thought was sweet but a tad over the top. We'd had many a girls' night out and hadn't needed a bodyguard.

  They did manage to convince us to eat a good meal at Ashlyn's place before we set out. According to Kyle, full stomachs were the best way to slow down inebriation. I didn't really want to slow it down, though. I was welcoming it with open arms.

  I let Shelby pick the bar and she chose the pub downtown that had darts, pool, and air hockey along with a decent music selection. The bartenders were always nice, the drinks weren't ten dollars apiece, and the bathrooms were clean.

  The driver pulled up in front of the bar and parked before hopping out to open our door.

  "Now let's pace ourselves," Ashlyn instructed as we tumbled out of the SUV. "You don't need to get drunk in the first half hour. We have all night."

  We did have all night. Ashlyn's assistant Katie was going to open the store tomorrow, Shelby had cancelled her appointments, and my assistant Jana was handling any meetings tomorrow. We could sleep all day if we wanted to.

  In a way it was funny for Ashlyn to be in charge like this. Normally it was Shelby bossing us around but for once she seemed content to simply go with the flow. I doubt it was going to last long, though. She was born to give orders.

  "I'll be right out here," the driver said, holding up a cell phone. "You have my number, so if you need anything at all just text me. If some guys are hassling you or if you just want to go someplace else. Just let me know."

  We all three had programmed his number in our phones. We were ready.

  "So let's go," I said, tugging on Shelby's arm but she wasn't paying any attention to me or Ashlyn. Her gaze was focused farther down the sidewalk so I turned to see what was so interesting.

  Owen.

  It was Owen walking out of the bistro a few doors down and opening the car door for a very attractive woman. He held her hand as s
he stepped into the vehicle before going around to the driver's side and climbing in. He was actually smiling. He looked happy.

  "Fuck, he didn't wait long, did he?" There was bitterness in my tone that I couldn't hide. "I guess if you own a dating site you can find a woman on short notice."

  Her expression stricken, Shelby shook her head. "She wasn't someone he'd just met. He knew her well. You could tell by their comfortable body language."

  Fantastic. That's just what I wanted to hear.

  "You're not helping," Ashlyn whispered loudly to Shelby, giving her a sharp elbow in the ribs.

  "So you're saying he might have been seeing her while he was seeing me?"

  The bile rose in the back of my throat and I had to swallow hard to force it back down. Of all the things I'd thought about Owen, I'd never thought he would cheat.

  Then why did you need time and space?

  Shut up. I just wanted to move slow.

  But you never thought he'd cheat?

  No, I never did.

  Then maybe you shouldn't have pushed for time. He might be with you right now.

  "No, I'm not saying that," Shelby replied, completely unaware of the tumult inside of me. "What I'm saying is that they don't look like strangers. Maybe she's a coworker or a friend?"

  "Maybe."

  "I didn't get a real romantic vibe from them," Ashlyn declared, linking her arm with mine. "I don't think they're a couple."

  I didn't answer right away, still staring at the parking space where Owen's car had been.

  "It doesn't really matter whether it was romantic or not," I finally said. "Did you see his face? He's happy. He was having fun. He's not lying around listening to love ballads from the eighties. He's out having a good time less than twenty-four hours after our breakup."

  "I hate to point this out but you're here to have fun tonight, too," Ashlyn said. "His being out may not mean anything."

  I shook my head. She didn't get it. "He was out having actual fun and enjoying himself. I'm out hoping to have some fun and right now I can safely say that I'm not enjoying myself at all."

  Shelby pointed to the door of the bar. "We're going to have fun tonight. I promise you. Now let's go. I'm buying the first round. Hell, I'm buying the first three rounds. And make them doubles."

  Ashlyn closed her eyes and muttered under her breath. "Thank goodness Kyle has bail money."

  Damn right we were going to have some fun. Bring on the limes and the tequila. The only man I wanted in my life at the moment was Jose Cuervo. He'd never let me down.

  Yeehaw.

  Chapter 27

  Emmy

  Death...take me now.

  No?

  Shit, even death didn't want me.

  My wish from yesterday was granted. There were definitely huge swaths of last night that I didn't remember. It was probably all for the best, if I were honest. I had vague memories of doing shots and dancing. On the table. Shelby at my side. We were like Butch and Sundance, Lucy and Ethel, Laurel and Hardy... You get the picture. She was my partner in crime and we'd had a ball.

  Oh...and Ashlyn? She'd sort of watched in horror like Shelby and I were a car crash and she was a passing motorist. She may have taken a few photos for blackmail later as well.

  Note to self: Check Ashlyn's phone.

  I would do that just as soon as I managed to get up off the cold, unforgiving tile floor in Shelby's house. I'd slept curled up between the toilet and the bathtub. At some point in the night, someone had tucked a blanket around me. How thoughtful.

  It couldn't have been Shelby because if I couldn't move then she sure as hell couldn't either. She was always saying she could hold her liquor the best of all four of us but that was bullshit with a capital B. She'd been head down in the toilet last night before we'd even left the bar.

  That meant it was Ashlyn. It also meant that she must be the person that had brewed a pot of coffee. I could smell the lifesaving aroma even here in the bathroom and I desperately wanted a cup. Did I want it badly enough to move?

  Yes. Yes, I did.

  Easier said than done.

  Every bone and muscle in my body ached as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to me last night. For all I know that had actually happened. It hurt so badly I almost changed my mind about getting up. I'd simply start my life over here in Shelby's spare bathroom. It was nice enough and it smelled like lemons.

  But that aroma of coffee was tempting so I rolled over onto my hands and knees when I couldn't lever myself up from a sitting position. From there I was able to use the toilet bowl to push myself up without passing out or puking. I'll consider this a victory.

  Wait. I'd just taken a look at myself in the mirror. This was no success story. I looked like a two-dollar crack ho that had been lying on a park bench for weeks. Hair standing on end, makeup smeared, clothes awry. I was also barefoot. When did I take off my shoes? And where were they?

  Second note to self: Find shoes.

  They'd been very expensive.

  Like a ninety-year-old woman I creaked into the kitchen at a snail's pace, trying to smooth down my hair and failing miserably. Ashlyn stood at the counter popping bread into the toaster and I sent up a silent thank you that she hadn't decided to make bacon or pancakes. I couldn't have handled that.

  "I heard you moving around so I thought I'd make some toast. It will help settle your stomach."

  I almost asked why she thought I was nauseous and then an image of us doing shots floated through my head and I knew the answer.

  "Shelby?" I asked, my voice a mere croak. I shuffled toward the coffeemaker, determined to get some of the magical brew.

  "She's alive but asleep in bed. I've been checking on both of you throughout the night to make sure you hadn't choked on your own vomit."

  Now that's a friend. Not only had she held my hair back when I had booted up Kyle's dinner, she'd made sure I was alive to do it again.

  "Thank you." I reached for a cup out of the cabinets and filled it with coffee. The first sip tasted like ambrosia. "Oh, that is so good."

  Ashlyn snorted and slapped a saucer down on the counter top. Loudly. "I want you to eat some of this toast."

  If I didn't, she'd just bitch at me until I did and my head couldn't take that.

  "I will."

  The bread popped out of the toaster and it scared the ever-loving shit out of me. I simply wasn't prepared at this juncture of the morning and my hangover to deal with surprises. I almost spilled my coffee and Ashlyn had to grab my arm to keep me upright.

  "Are you okay?"

  "I've been better."

  The dry toast was placed on the saucer.

  "Eat this."

  Wrinkling my nose, I took an experimental nibble. The world didn't end.

  "For someone not in pain, you seem to be in a lousy mood. Care to share?"

  For the first time that morning, Ashlyn finally looked up from her toaster and coffee.

  "I'm a little miffed, actually."

  "Because you didn't get drunk, too?"

  Rolling her eyes, Ashlyn groaned. "No, because two of my best friends in the whole world are letting men bring them down. You and Shelby are the strongest people I know and here you are crawling this morning because you had too much tequila. It's not right."

  Carefully I sat down at the kitchen island, making sure not to spill my coffee.

  "Technically, I am the only one crawling. Shelby is still horizontal."

  "You know what I mean."

  Yes, I did. Sighing, I nodded. "Okay, it wasn't the smartest thing we've ever done but we're upset and hurt. I didn't intend to get that drunk but–"

  I broke off, not wanting to put it all into words. That made it real.

  "But? But when you saw Owen with another woman..."

  "It hurt," I admitted, remembering how happy Owen had looked when I 'd been miserable. "More than I thought it would."

  "It's your own fault."

  "Thank you, Ash, for the support."


  Ashlyn's brows rose. "I think I gave you plenty of support last night and this morning. What you need is some truth to go with it. Normally that's what you and Shelby do but since neither of you is in a position to give it, and you won't let me tell Mia what's going on, then it falls to me. So get ready for some wisdom. Are you ready?"

  I held up my coffee cup. "Can I get a refill first?"

  Ashlyn refilled my cup and then pointed to the toast. "I mean it, Em. Eat it all. You'll thank me later."

  If I wasn't puking it up, that is. But I recognized this mood and Ashlyn wasn't going to give in. I took a bite and chewed.

  She stood across the island from me wearing a determined expression and drinking her own coffee. She placed it on the counter before speaking.

  "Okay, here it is. I usually don't have to tell you anything because you're always saying and doing the right thing but clearly you need an intervention. First, getting drunk last night was kind of stupid. I can see why you did it but dragging Shelby into it was not something a friend would do. She's got all sorts of issues she needs to deal with. She was with Brad for years and she's not going to get over him in a few days."

  "Like I should? Because Owen and I didn't date very long?"

  I sounded more aggressive than I meant to but she'd basically just said that I didn't have anything to be upset about.

  "That's from your own lips, babe. You said yourself it was too soon for you to be in love. Are you taking that back?"

  No. Maybe.

  "I don't need any advice–"

  "Yes, you do and you need it badly." Ashlyn reached across the granite counter and patted my hand. "I've always known you were a little gun shy when it came to men and frankly none of us were concerned. We always assumed that when you found the right one, you'd figure it out. You're so smart, after all. But that's not what happened. That's when I realized that love doesn't have a thing to do with being intelligent. It's about your heart, and you don't have a scintilla of experience listening to that organ. You've given your brain far too much control, Em. It stops today."

  I was way too hungover to take this shit.