Bad Girlfriend

by Kirsten DeMuzio

  That wasn’t the greeting I was expecting, but I wasn’t complaining. Especially when I saw that our kiss had wiped the snarky smile off that bitch’s face.

  “Angela, this is my girlfriend, Brooke.”

  I was almost too excited at being called his girlfriend that I missed her name. Angela. Angela? The Angela he dated for years?

  “Brooke, this is Angela, my ex-girlfriend from many years ago that I told you about. She is in town visiting her aunt and uncle.”

  Mmm hmm. Sure she is.

  I held out my hand and the bitch looked at it for a minute like it was beneath her to shake my hand. Then she put out her own hand. I made sure to squeeze hard and dig my nails into her skin just a little.

  She winced and narrowed her eyes at me. Then she gave me the up and down look while I did the same to her. She was dressed in Capri pants and a simple blouse. Not at all sexy. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a pair of mom jeans in her closet.

  “Adam, you didn’t tell me your girlfriend was so…young.”

  Chet covered his laugh with a cough. We all turned to look at him. I could feel Adam tense up next to me as he just realized who was there.

  Chet gave a wave to Angela. “And I’m Brooke’s ex-boyfriend. Maybe we could all get together later and reunite.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively at Angela, who looked utterly disgusted and offended.

  I covered my mouth with my hand to stop from laughing out loud. Adam sighed and shook his head.

  Angela tucked a strand from her sleek bob behind her ear and said prissily, “It’s nice to finally meet you, Brooke. Adam told me all about you when we had lunch together today.”

  I knew what she was trying to do. But that didn’t stop it from working. I turned slightly to look at Adam, enough that he had to drop his arm from around my waist.

  “Is that right?”

  Adam cleared his throat and fiddled with the open collar of his shirt. The truth was that we had only been on a few dates. And despite him calling me his girlfriend and telling me he wasn’t interested in any one else, the fact remained that we weren’t officially exclusive. He was free to have lunch with whomever he wanted. He didn’t have to tell me everything. That didn’t make it sting any less.

  I grabbed my funnel cake off the counter and said, “That’s nice. I’m going to go find Poppy. You two have fun catching up.”

  Adam called out to me as I hurried away, but I ignored him. I was done being made a fool of. And there was no way I was going to stand there and let that haughty bitch look down her pointy nose at me.

  While I quickly walked across the school lawn and stuffed the funnel cake into my mouth at record speed, I kept my eye out for Poppy. What I really wanted to do was go home, but I didn't have my car and I knew Poppy and Ford wouldn't be ready to leave yet.

  I found them by the dunk tank where I expected. Poppy was standing off to the side calling out encouraging words to Ford. He was turning a football over in his hands as he eyed the target on the side of the tank. It was a small red circle, and I wondered how in the world anyone could hit it from that far away. But from the wet teenage guy sitting in the tank it was obvious someone had.

  He was taunting Ford. "You're out of practice, Coach. There's no way you can hit it."

  Ford smirked and pulled his baseball cap down lower to shade his eyes. "The only reason I'm not throwing passes in the NFL right now is because I broke my leg, Baker. There's nothing wrong with my arm," he called back.

  And to prove it he threw the football, hitting the target with deadly accuracy. The kid's eyes widened right before the seat gave way and he plunged into the water.

  Poppy skipped over and planted a smacking kiss on Ford, like he had just won the Super Bowl or something. The crowd applauded and Ford gave a little bow before retrieving the football and handing it to the next person in line.

  "Hey, Brooke. Did you find Adam?" Poppy asked when she noticed me standing there.

  I tossed my empty plate in the trash can and wiped any stray powdered sugar from my mouth.

  "Oh, I found him all right. I found him reminiscing with his ex-girlfriend that he was almost engaged to and conveniently forgot to tell me was visiting."

  "Oh."

  "Apparently they even had a cozy lunch date today where the evil wench heard all about me."

  My level of hostility had Poppy raising her eyebrows.

  Ford slung his arm around Poppy's shoulders. "I wouldn't worry about her, Brooke. They were at the pub for lunch today, and it looked like Adam couldn't get away from her fast enough."

  "Why would he have been there at all if he didn't want to see her?"

  Ford shrugged. "Superintendant Cole was with them, so I'm guessing it was a work thing too."

  Oh. That made me feel a little better. And a little foolish for storming off. He had clearly been uncomfortable with her, and I had just left him behind. Good God, I'd practically gift wrapped and hand delivered him to Angela.

  "Thanks, Ford. I'm going to go find him again."

  "Good luck," Poppy called as I walked away.

  I found Adam fairly easily, but getting close to him was another matter. For the next hour it seemed there was a steady stream of kids and their parents coming up to him. I didn't want to interrupt. This was a school function after all. So, I settled myself on a bench next to Chet's funnel cake stand and passed the time talking to Chet. That was probably the most we had talked ever in the history of our tumultuous relationship.

  "You know you two make an odd couple, right?" Chet asked when there was a lull in the line to get funnel cakes.

  "What do you mean?"

  "Well, he's all buttoned up and...he's a principal for Christ's sake. And you? You're the girl who probably seduced the principal when you were in high school."

  I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. "You're an ass."

  Chet shrugged. "Yeah, I know."

  I rolled my eyes and pulled out my phone. Though he was tied up with parents and students, Adam glanced my way every so often. His mouth was turned down in a slight frown, and when he did smile it wasn't sincere.

  While I was checking Facebook, a text message popped up.

  Adam: I'm sorry.

  I smiled and looked up. He was nodding at whatever the man he was talking to was saying, but his eyes looked over the man’s shoulder to meet mine. Giving nothing away, I typed a text back.

  Me: I'm sorry too.

  I knew the second his phone dinged, because he pulled it out of his pocket and looked at it discreetly. His mouth finally quirked up in a genuine smile as his fingers tapped on the screen.

  Adam: Twenty more minutes.

  He slid his phone back in his pocket, and I could see the set of his shoulders was more relaxed. It made me feel good that he had cared that much about upsetting me.

  Chet was busy dishing out the funnel cakes again, so I sat and watched Adam. When someone sat next to me on the bench, I turned with a friendly smile.

  That quickly faded when I saw that it was Angela who was making herself comfortable like we were old friends.

  She tilted her head, which made her hair fall over the right side of her face in a stylish sweep.

  "Don't get too attached, Brooke. You're not the kind of girl that men like Adam marry."

  I knew she was a bitch from the moment I met her, but I was still shocked by her blatant rudeness. What she was saying and doing reeked of desperation. But that didn't make her words hurt any less.

  "You're obviously not either," I shot back.

  She looked surprised for a second that I knew the history of their relationship and why it had ended.

  "Adam wasn't ready then. I shouldn't have pushed him. He's just scratching an itch with you. I'm not worried about him getting serious with the local whore."

  I gasped and opened my mouth to respond, but she casually stood up and sauntered off. Like she hadn't just said the very words that tore a hole in my heart. Because that's what I worried abo
ut in the middle of the night. That I wasn't good enough for Adam. Like Chet said, we were complete opposites. Was I being completely foolish to think that he actually cared for me? That I was anything more than an easy lay? Because that's all I'd ever been to any man.

  I stood up and walked around the bench, facing away from the crowd so no one could see the tears that were threatening to fall.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Adam

  I was nodding along with whatever Mr. Parker was jabbering on and on about, but I wasn’t actually hearing a word he said. My focus was solely on Brooke, who sat excruciatingly far out of my reach. The relief I felt a few minutes ago when I got her text and knew she wasn’t mad at me anymore was short lived. I knew whatever Angela had been saying to her couldn’t have been good.

  What I had suspected at lunch - that Angela had an ulterior motive for her surprise visit - was confirmed this evening. From the moment she had arrived at the carnival until I introduced her to Brooke, she didn’t leave my side. Asking to be introduced to the teachers, touching me too often to be casual, generally becoming a huge pain in my ass.

  Now she had said something to upset Brooke, judging from the way Brooke was standing now - facing away from me with her arms wrapped around her waist. Then I saw her put her hand to her face. Fuck, was she crying?

  “It was great to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Parker. Make sure you take Joey by the dunk tank. I hear Coach Walsh is throwing the football around with the kids.”

  Joey’s face lit up, and he tugged his parents away. Ford might kill me later, but right now I didn’t care. I had been here all afternoon and evening. The carnival would be ending in half an hour, and thankfully I wasn’t part of the cleanup crew. Technically I was free to go, and it looked like it was time to get Brooke out of here.

  Lucky for me I made it across the lawn without anyone else wanting to talk to me.

  “Brooke? Are you okay?” I asked, stopping just behind her.

  I distinctly heard a sniffle before she turned around. Her eyes were a little bit watery, but at least she wasn’t outright sobbing. The glaze of tears made her green eyes even more potent. She wasn’t one who easily hid her emotions. The hurt and sadness from whatever shit Angela had spewed was written all over her face. Even the smile she faked couldn’t hide it.

  “Come on. Let’s get out of here,” I said, setting my hand on her lower back to guide her toward the parking lot. “Do you need to say goodbye to Poppy?”

  “No.”

  “Good. Let’s go.”

  I wanted to pull her into my arms, but given the vast amount of parents milling around, I decided against it. The kiss I gave her earlier was probably already pushing the acceptable limits of PDA from the principal.

  When we were safely in my car, I took her hand in mine across the center console.

  “Have you eaten dinner?” I asked.

  Brooke shook her head, sending red waves tumbling over her bare shoulder. “No.”

  “How about we stop and get a pizza and a bottle of wine? I was planning on taking you out, but maybe an evening in would be better?”

  Finally a real smile as she said, “That sounds perfect.”

  Brooke was quiet on the drive to the pizza shop, the liquor store and back home. I didn’t push the conversation, preferring to wait until we were comfortably inside my apartment.

  When we got to my apartment, I set the pizza and wine on the small scrap of counter space in the kitchen.

  “I’ve got to get out of these work clothes. Make yourself comfortable while I change.” I grabbed my pajama pants off the bed and a t-shirt from my dresser.

  When I came back out of the bathroom, Brook was gone. Godammit! While I was pacing the floor trying to figure out what the hell I did wrong this time, the door opened.

  Oh, thank God.

  Brooke smiled sheepishly at me. “I thought I would get comfortable too,” she said, looking down at her tank top and tiny pair of gym shorts. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and her face was clean and clear of any makeup. She looked fresh and beautiful. I liked her all made up, and I liked her natural. I was beginning to think there was nothing about this girl I wouldn’t like.

  Brooke rummaged around in my cupboards and found plates and napkins while I poured us both a glass of red wine. When we settled on my bed with our food and drinks, I smiled at the irony.

  “What?” Brooke asked.

  “Nothing,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m just feeling some déjà vu. Like we’ve been here before.”

  Brooke grimaced.

  “Except this time, we’re both going to remember exactly what happened in the morning,” I said.

  Brooke nodded. “That’s right. Two glasses of wine is my limit tonight.”

  “That’s good, because I only bought one bottle.”

  Not wanting to spoil the good mood, but knowing I needed to find out what had upset her, I broached the subject of Angela. “Listen, Brooke. I’m really sorry about Angela. I had no idea she was coming to town until this morning when she and her uncle ambushed me at school. I don’t know what she wants.”

  “I know what she wants. She wants you, Adam.”

  I winced. “Yeah, that’s what I was worried about. I have no idea why. We haven’t spoken in years, and she was more than happy to leave me when she found out I wasn’t ready to get married.”

  Brooke took a sip of wine and shrugged. “She’s pushing thirty, and she obviously hasn’t roped anyone else into marrying her yet. You must be her backup plan.”

  I wiped my mouth and tossed my napkin on my empty plate. “Well, I don’t want to be her anything. You believe that, don’t you? I only want to be with you, Brooke. I might have jumped the gun earlier when I introduced you as my girlfriend, but that’s how I think of you.”

  Brooke grinned. “I would love to be your girlfriend.”

  “Good. Now that we have that settled, do you want another slice of pizza?”

  Brooke’s eyes glittered, but not with tears this time. “No, I’m not hungry. At least not for more pizza.”

  Oh. The heat and focus in her gaze caused my body to go on high alert. I set the pizza box on the floor and took her wineglass out of her hands and set it beside mine on the nightstand.

  “What did you have in mind?” I asked, curious to see what she would say.

  Brooke’s ponytail was draped over one shoulder, and she twirled a strand between her fingers. “I was thinking that now we are exclusive, we could skip ahead to date number six.”

  That suggestion was so very tempting. Especially when Brooke was sitting here on my bed wearing very little with her long legs stretched out in front of her. But this wasn’t about me. It was about making sure Brooke felt appreciated. The fact that rule number five existed at all clued me in to how little attention her previous boyfriends had paid to her needs.

  Leaning toward her, I ran my fingertips down the side of her face and pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

  “Nope. We stick to the rules. And I think tonight is the perfect time to work on rule number five.”

  Brooke’s eyes widened slightly and a soft blush tinted her cheeks. She looked slightly worried, and I wondered what that was about. She had just suggested we have sex, so surely I wasn’t moving too fast.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing,” she murmured as she leaned closer.

  I wanted to press her for the truth, but then she touched her soft lush lips to mine. That was all the persuasion I needed to let it go for the moment. When I realized Brooke was pushing me back down on the bed, I flipped her over so she was lying on her back. I sensed she was used to taking charge, but that wasn’t what I had in mind for tonight. Another time - definitely. But not tonight.

  She giggled as I lowered myself on top of her, lying slightly off to one side so she didn’t have to bear my full weight. I was smiling at the sound of her laughter when I brushed my lips across hers as light as a feather. Brooke raised her head, s
eeking more, and I obliged. As I stroked my tongue into her mouth, her fingers snuck under my shirt and dug into my waist, pulling me closer.

  Her body was lean but curvy, and she fit against me perfectly. As we kissed like our lives depended on it, I trailed my fingers lightly over the strip of skin on her stomach at the hem of her top. I felt the shiver run down her body. Pressing my hand flat on her stomach, I moved it under her shirt and up to her breast. The bra she wore was thin and silky, and I caressed her nipple through the barely there fabric.

  Brooke exhaled a breathy moan into my mouth and arched her back, pushing her breast into my touch. Breaking away from her addictive mouth with some difficulty, I kissed my way along her jaw to her ear. Just as I nipped at her earlobe, I felt her hand close around me.

  And I nearly jumped off the bed at the exquisite feel of her palm pressing against me through my cotton pajama pants. Driven by need and instinct I rolled my hips and pushed into her hand and groaned. Through the haze of desire I recognized that she was derailing my mission.

  “Brooke,” I breathed.

  “Hmmm?” She murmured as her hand began to stroke me faster, grip me harder.

  With herculean strength of will, I grabbed her wrist and pulled it over her head.

  “What are you doing?” I panted.

  Her wickedly sexy smile told me she knew exactly what she was doing.

  “Remember the rules,” I whispered in her ear.

  The worried look came back, and this time I wasn’t letting it go.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She bit her lip and turned her head away. With a gentle hand, I touched her chin and turned her back so I could look into her eyes. Those eyes always told the truth.

  “Brooke, what is it?”

  She closed her eyes as she spoke softly. “It doesn’t happen that easily for me…rule number five might be too hard to follow…or take too long.”