When Skeeter wrapped his arm around my shoulders, I tried not to flinch. “Sweetie, can you get yourself a drink? I need to talk a little business with Tye.” To Tye, he said, “Some bitch claims she’s knocked up.”
I glanced at Tye.
He pulled me out from under the man’s sweaty hold and rested his hand on my hip. Leaning downward, he whispered, “Give me ten minutes. The guy pays on time and never questions a charge. I’ll find you as soon as I’m done.”
“Sure.” I gave a totally fake smile and went in search of the bar. I’d heard that the guy had special drinks designed for the night, so I was going to sample.
With drink in hand, I wandered. The band was great. I paused to listen as they transitioned from Radiohead to Rob Zombie. I continued exploring the rooms. Each one had a theme with a really amazing display. I was trying to figure out how fog was being produced in a graveyard scene when I recognized a voice.
“You come here often?” Brian McGuire was standing beside me. The accountant with a law degree had joined Tye’s firm after moving back to Indy from San Francisco after his wife’s death.
Finally, someone I recognized. “No, I’m more of a Black Lagoon kinda girl.”
For his costume choice, he’d gone the comfort route and was dressed as a football referee. “Where’s Tye? I can’t believe he’d leave you all alone.” His gaze dropped to my chest and stayed.
I withheld my answer until he raised it. “Apparently, Skeeter is having some kind of crisis, and he wanted to share it with Tye.”
Brian’s smile was warm and friendly.
I imagined he disarmed women with it right before he undressed them.
“Well, Tye’s loss is definitely my gain.”
“Charm has no effect on me,” I said, laughing.
“We’ll see, my little beach bunny,” he teased. “How about a drink?”
I’d already had one of the O negative concoctions that went down easily. I was on my own, kind of. If I ran into any real problem, both Tony and Forde were around, so I felt pretty safe. So, what the hell? I’d go for it. “Sure, I could use a little more blood.”
After getting our cocktails, Brian led me to a set of stairs I hadn’t noticed in the corner of the dungeon room. We sat on the steps and chatted. I sensed he was a little out of his element, and I knew that I was. I found it surprising he wasn’t out mixing with the beautiful women on the dance floor. The gossip around the office was that he and his wife had been well on the road to divorcing when she was killed in a car accident. Apparently, he was dealing with any grief he felt by working his way through the women of Indianapolis. He wasn’t quite the player Tye was, but he was giving it a good shot.
“So, you and Tye...” We were leaning toward one another, so that we could hear over the band.
“We’re friends,” I told him before taking another drink. I’d decided that it was strawberry flavored.
“Is that all?” He leaned a little away from me and gave me a thorough look.
An alarm bell sounded in my tipsy brain. I rarely drank, so halfway through this second drink, it hit me. “Why do you ask?” I was suddenly very curious about what Tye’s co-worker and friend saw.
“Honey, I think you two are plenty friendly,” he scoffed.
I couldn’t exactly blurt out, “No we’re really not,” so I took another swallow. Then I remembered I should be slowing down my consumption.
He bent closer this time. “If you two aren’t involved, then what about you and me get together sometime?”
I felt proud that I didn’t jump to my feet and stomp off. Instead, I leaned away from him and waived my finger back and forth. “Bad boy. I should call a foul on you for that.”
He lifted a shoulder, not looking guilty at all. “Hey, can’t blame a guy for trying. I mean, you’re hot.”
“Having fun?” Suddenly, Tye was standing in front of us.
I scooted away from Brian like I’d done something wrong. When I caught Tye’s frown, I could tell he thought we were up to no good. “Hey, you’re done.” I rose too swiftly and fell into Tye. Stupid drink.
He caught me, pulled me under his arm and into his side.
“That O negative drink is killer,” I said, smiling, happy to be in his arms.
He turned his focus onto his friend. “How many has she had?”
Brian shrugged. “Only one with me, man.” He put his hands up. “I saw her standing all alone, and thought I should hang with her until you showed.”
What a jerk. He’d just asked me out, and now he made me sound like a charity case.
“Yeah, like opportunistic isn’t your middle name,” Tye growled.
“If you don’t like it then don’t let a hot piece like her wander off alone.” Brian stood and walked away.
“He hit on you?” Tye pressed with some heat.
I tried to figure out what to say. I apparently waited too long to give my answer.
His gaze narrowed. “On second thought, don’t answer that.”
Time to change the subject. “So, did you get everything worked out for our host?”
His body relaxed a little, and his hold on me wasn’t as tight. “Fuck, that’s going to be a mess. I think it’s the second, no third time, we’ve had to deal with this shit. I’ve told him, ‘Either keep it wrapped or in your pants.’ But the asshole never listens.”
“He gets that much play?” I was surprised, because I didn’t want him to ever touch me again.
Tye’s laugh was like an explosion. It relieved some of the tension between us. “Sweetheart, you’d be surprised what his money can buy.”
While I considered that, I gave Tye more of my weight. “No, not really. My mom’s one of those women.”
I felt him sigh. “Let’s walk around a little. I’m tired of yelling over the band.” He shifted his arm so that I was solidly against his side, and we walked through the different rooms.
About an hour later, we were back in the limo and headed home. I’d had a total of three cocktails and was feeling every one of them. From the looks of things, I wasn’t the only one who had imbibed. Layla had her hands in Forde’s hair and was kissing him. Zoe sat with her legs draped over Tony’s lap. He had his hand under her skirt. I was next to Tye. The coat check had lost the long cape I’d worn, so he had his arms around me, trying to keep us covered with his coat.
I wasn’t cold. Tye’s fingers were brushing the side of my breast just under the fabric of my halter top. I made a subtle adjustment so that he could feel more. I wanted his hands on me.
After a moment, his hand froze, and he put his mouth next to my ear. “Jesus, Billie, you’re killing me here.” He moved his hand to a safer area of my side.
I’d had enough. As the night had progressed, the people on the dance floor had become more daring. I saw bared breasts and plenty of hands on asses. In the rooms’ corners, couples had made out—and that was male-female and a few same sex mixes. I was amped up from the alcohol, the things I had seen, and most of all Tye.
I turned and placed my hands on his shoulders and pulled my body onto his lap, facing him. I leaned into him and whispered, “Please don’t stop, Tye. I need you to touch me.”
He wrapped one arm around my waist and the other around my shoulders. I think partially to balance me and maybe to do as I had asked.
“Baby, how drunk are you?” He pulled me closer so that my breasts brushed his chest.
“Jus’ a little.” I realized he knew I was lying because I slurred my words.
His laugh was low and rumbly.
I wasn’t giving up that easily. I ground myself against his hard cock a few times.
He didn’t stop me, so I leaned closer to share, “Tye I want you. I mean my pussy is so wet for you. Can we do it, please?”
“Jesus, Billie.” His firm grip on my hips stilled my movement.
We both were breathing hard. I was so close. I wanted him so much.
“We can’t do this.” He held me firm.
“Why?” I tried to reestablish contact with his hard, and what seemed to be, really interested cock.
“Shh,” he cautioned as he lifted me from his lap and turned my body so that I was no longer straddling him. I was now draped over his thighs with my side to his chest. “I’m not going to fuck you.” His tone said the conversation was finished.
I shut my eyes from the pain of his rejection. I’d seen the way other men looked at me that night, and they’d liked what they saw. Obviously, Brian had been interested. Why couldn’t the man who held my heart feel the same way? I rested my head against his chest and felt his head lean against mine.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Tye
Thank fuck I’d only had one drink, because the heat from Billie’s pussy rubbing against my cock almost made me lose control. Christ, she was cute when she was drunk. All smiles and leaning into me. The tips of her fingers lightly travelling over the ink on my shoulders. It took everything I had not to rip off her skirt and bury myself inside her. I didn’t give a damn that the others would see us. I wanted her that badly.
This thing between us was so fucked up. I was tired of only being her friend. I wanted more. Hanging out with her, coming home to her—it felt so right. She was easy to talk to, smart and intuitive.
I had thought by spending every night in her bed that she would give me a sign she wanted more. I was certain she’d grown comfortable with my physical presence. Perhaps it didn’t register that I was a man. I was her friend only, and friends didn’t fuck.
Maybe I had to take that back. Apparently, friends did when one of them was shit-faced, but I knew she’d regret it in the morning, and I’d be left like a love-sick calf, mooning over what I couldn’t have. I’d gone through all of the pity bullshit after Holly—and that relationship hadn’t been real. What I had felt for her wasn’t even a percentage point compared to my feelings for the blonde curled up in my arms.
There was only one thing to do. I needed to go. It would kill me, but maybe I could fuck her out of my head and my heart. I didn’t want to give up on us, but Billie wasn’t ready. I’d given her plenty of opportunities to let me know. Hell, I’d even quizzed Zoe and Lay to see if she’d confided anything to them. Nope, I was firmly in the friend zone, and for my sanity, I couldn’t continue doing this with her.
Tomorrow, I had to do something about this. Hopefully, we could stay buddies, that is, after I worked her out of my system.
Billie shifted and brought one arm up to encircle my neck.
I let out a frustrated sigh. Fuck, I hated being wrong. I’d been so sure she was into us, the life we were building, but once again, I was wrong.
I heard my alarm go off, and I didn’t even open my eyes. I reached over and felt for the clock then pushed the snooze button down. Ah, seven more minutes. I tried to go back to sleep, but I noticed that it felt like I’d slept with my mouth open, and I’d inhaled a roomful of dust. Billie hadn’t moved at all. She was still out cold.
Raising my head on my arm, I studied her face. She was so beautiful and so relaxed while she slept, but I missed her expressive eyes. She could school her features and control her tone, but her eyes were always a dead giveaway.
Damn, I was going to miss this too, waking up to her every day.
Steeling myself, I rolled out of bed and headed to the shower. I’d made some decisions during the night, and I needed to act before I convinced myself I was wrong.
Her alarm was so loud that I could hear it clearly standing in the kitchen. I told myself I’d wait a few more minutes before I checked on her, but then I heard her coming down the hall. She looked half asleep. Her hair was standing up in places, and she was wrapped in her huge robe. I measured a scoopful of protein powder into the blender. “How ya feeling, sweetheart?” She was clearly hung over.
She moved to the cabinet and grabbed a plastic cup. I’d guess she didn’t trust her shaky hands to handle glass. She put it in the refrigerator door and pressed the water button. “What kind of person throws a party on a Thursday night?” she grumbled.
“A millionaire who doesn’t have to get up and go into the office the next day.” I ran the blender for the prescribed forty seconds while she downed the water.
She flinched at the sound, squinting her eyes.
“Guess you should have stopped at two, huh?”
“I thought I had,” she said, snarling just a little. She moved to the coffee maker and poured a cup. After she took a few sips, she eyed me curiously. She’d finally noticed that I was dressed for the office. “Early day?”
I focused on screwing the travel lid onto my smoothie’s tumbler. “Yeah.” I couldn’t look at her, it would hurt too much. “Can you drive yourself today? I thought I’d hit the gym after work, and then go back to my house. I need to deal with a few things there.”
“Uhm, sure.” She sounded confused.
“I’ll call you later to check in.” I couldn’t help it as I moved a little closer. I wanted to pull her into my arms and kiss her senseless, but I’d made my decision, and now I had to follow through. I settled on giving her shoulder a squeeze.
She dropped her head and didn’t look at me. “I’ll be fine.”
I hated seeing her like this, hung-over and a little lost. I bent over and brushed my lips against her cheek. “You’re the best, Billie. Don’t ever think otherwise.” Then I collected my travel cup and headed to the door.
I yawned as I pulled into my drive and hit the button on the garage door opener. I was tired and hurting. As the door rose, I spotted Dad’s truck parked in the Range Rover’s spot, but I couldn’t complain. Usually I only stopped in to grab my mail, so I didn’t need to park in the garage. The Rover could sit outside, I’d probably trade it in since I’d always remember Billie riding with me and speaking in the world’s worst British accent. I’d laughed so hard that I’d thought I’d have to have to pull over. Resting my hands on the steering wheel, I knew I was going to miss that. The times when she made me laugh for the most ridiculous reasons.
I opened my door and climbed out.
“Looking good, Tye,” a women’s voice called.
It was my neighbor Veronica standing halfway up my driveway. She must have seen me pull in. She was dressed like she was going out for a run. I couldn’t help but notice that her tight leggings hugged her mile-long legs. She was a few years older than me, but she took good care of herself.
We’d run a couple of times together through the neighborhood. I’d caught her checking me out, and I knew by the look on her face, that tiny smile, that she wouldn’t mind seeing if I had the same level of endurance in the sack.
“Same goes for you.” I leaned my hip against the SUV and gave her a long once over. This could work out. The chicks at the gym had been either too young or too obvious tonight. One redhead offered to spot me, and she’d practically put her titty in my mouth.
Veronica sauntered closer, adding a little extra hip sway for me to appreciate. “Haven’t seen you around much.” She slowly licked her lips in invitation.
“Work’s been heavy. But I’m here, now.” I let the offer hang. I didn’t really want her, but I needed to start my mission to get over Billie.
“Got any wine in that big ole house?” She reached up and took the binding from her hair so that it fell around her shoulders.
“I’m sure I do.” I headed in, knowing she’d follow.
Veronica went through my wine in the pantry and finally found one to her liking. I pulled out two crystal glasses and rummaged through the fridge for anything munchable. Before Billie, I would never have bothered, but she’d been a demon about having things to snack on. I’d be working at the table, and she’d quietly bring me a plate with crackers and cheese or some fruit. I’d liked the little things she’d done for me.
Fuck, moving on… I had to move on.
I was about to give up on finding anything to eat when I felt a hand brush over my ass.
Veronica gave a throaty chuckle. “Not
that I don’t like the view, but what are you looking for?”
I stood and gave her a slow smile. “Something to nibble on.”
By the tilt of her head and the knowing smile she flashed, she silently offered, “Me.”
I opened the bottle of wine and poured. We carried our glasses and the bottle to the main living room. She sat close but not too close. “So what have you been up to?” I didn’t care, but I was trying to be polite. The long pauses in conversation made me think of Billie and how easy it was to hang with her.
“Oh, you know me, a little good and a little bad.” She circled my neck with her arms and pulled me closer.
I kissed her. No hands, just my mouth on hers. The urge to linger in the kiss wasn’t there, so after a moment, I pulled back and asked, “Tell me about being bad.”
Maybe after a little more conversation, we’d try another kiss. The first hadn’t been a great kiss, but sometimes things improve. A little more wine, a little talk, and I’d be coming in something other than my hand.
And thirty minutes later, I was officially bored. Veronica had managed to make herself unattractive. She was snide and made cutting remarks about our neighbors. In her world, she was perfect and everybody else was a loser, especially her ex. Why women think that a guy on the make wants to hear about another man is beyond me.
I heard the beep signifying someone was in the driveway. I sent up a silent thanks to whoever was going to interrupt this night.
A minute later, my dad shouted, “Tye, you fucking slacker. What happened? Did Billie kick you out?” When he rounded the corner and caught sight of Veronica, he stopped dead in his tracks. His eyebrows lowered. “Oh, hello, Ms. Granger.”
Her laugh was low. “Oh now, Jerry, I’ve told you time and time again to call me Veronica.”
Dad moved to the sofa opposite us and perched on the arm. “So, what’s going on?”
I knew he meant why was I here and with Veronica.
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