Sultry at 30 (Love Without Batteries)

by Cassandra Lawson

  I felt sick realizing he wanted me to continue being the other woman. He’d go back to Tori and tell her how much he loved her. She might suspect he’d been cheating on her the night before, but he’d make her feel bad for doubting him. He was exactly like Cody in many ways. Apparently, I had a thing for assholes.

  “I don’t think that would be such a great idea,” I told him. “This was fun, but I’m not really interested in dating someone your age.”

  When he tried the door only to realize it was locked, I heard his softly muttered curse. “Could you open the door so we can talk?”

  “I’m getting dressed,” I lied.

  “I’ve seen you naked,” he reminded me.

  “Don’t you have to be somewhere?” I asked in a cold voice.

  “Delaney, what happened?” He sounded so desperate and confused, I almost gave in and opened the door. I was definitely a fool. “Things were going great. We had fun last night.”

  “It was fun, but we both got what we wanted out of it. I think it would best if we just end things now,” I told him. “Let’s not pretend this is more than just sex. It was just a one-night stand.”

  Sebastian cursed under his breath before he spoke to me again. “I don’t know what’s bothering you, but we are going to talk later. I’ll call you tonight.”

  I snorted, having every intention of deleting his number from my phone after I blocked it.

  “Your breakfast is on the table,” Sebastian said before sighing again. “Please, let me in, Delaney.”

  There was a desperation in his voice that made me want to believe he wasn’t a jerk. Another reason to avoid listening to his lies. I wanted him to convince me I was wrong even with the evidence facing me. My foolishness added to my anger. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d meant anything to me.

  When I ignored him, he continued. “I’ll talk to you later.” I heard his footsteps disappear down the hallway followed shortly by the slamming of my front door.

  Opening my bedroom door a crack, I walked toward the kitchen, drawn by the smell of food. On the table sat a plate with fluffy pancakes and scrambled eggs. Since I didn’t own any pancake mix, I had to assume he’d made them from scratch. The asshole had even cleaned up the dishes after cooking. Why did he have to seem so perfect, yet be such a complete jerk?

  Chapter Seventeen

  Sebastian

  My fist slammed against my steering wheel in frustration. I had no clue what the hell had just happened with Delaney. Things had been going great, or at least, I thought they’d been going great. I’d already been mentally working through my schedule to try to spend more time with her.

  After I’d fixed her a great breakfast with the intention of wowing her with what great boyfriend material I was, she’d shut me down. Her line about this being about our ages was bullshit, but I didn’t have time to figure out what was going on.

  I’d been so distracted with Delaney the night before, I hadn’t heard my phone, so I’d missed the call from Tori. In my defense, I hadn’t expected my sister to have a job interview on a Sunday. When I hadn’t called her back, she’d panicked.

  As soon as I pulled away from Delaney’s, I put Tori’s incoming call on speaker. “I should be there in twenty minutes. Again, I’m sorry I didn’t call you back last night.”

  “I’m on my way toward you,” she told me, sounding frazzled. “Meet me at the McDonald’s by the freeway. I’ll be there in ten minutes. You’re still in Castro Valley, right?”

  “I’m still here, and I’ll meet you there,” I assured her.

  “Sorry for freaking out when I called earlier,” she began. “You didn’t agree to be my on-call babysitter. I just don’t have anyone else to call. Most of my friends have the flu or already have plans. As you already know, Mom and Dad are in San Diego for the weekend. You’re the only one I could call for help, but that’s no excuse for snapping at you.”

  “Mommy was extra crabby!” Charlotte called out.

  I grinned at the sound of my four-year-old niece’s voice. That little girl had no problem telling it like it was—much like her mother.

  “Mommy had a right to be extra crabby with me,” I assured them both. “There’s no excuse for me leaving my phone in my pants and missing your call, Tor. Even if I didn’t expect you to have an interview today, I’d never forgive myself if you needed my help and I wasn’t there for you.”

  I’d missed out on a big chunk of Charlotte’s life since I’d been living out of the area for most of the last few years. Now that I was back, I was enjoying being Uncle Bastian, as Charlotte called me. She was a sweet girl who made me want to have kids of my own someday.

  Since I beat Tori to the McDonald’s, I took some time to gather up anything I needed from my car. We always traded cars when I watched Charlotte because it was easier than trying to move the car seat. I swear you need a PHD in engineering to put those things in.

  Tori parked next to me and went around to the other side to kiss Charlotte goodbye.

  “Be good for Uncle Bastian,” she told Charlotte. “No begging for snacks.” She turned to me after giving that order. “No cookies, Sebastian. I don’t want to come home and find out my daughter has eaten a package of Oreos.”

  “It was a small package,” I argued. It had only been six little cookies—five since I’d eaten one.

  “No Oreos,” she told me before climbing into my car and driving off.

  I turned to Charlotte. “No Oreos? What is your mommy thinking?”

  “Mommy says sugar is a drug, and I’ll get addicted,” Charlotte explained, sounding much older than four. “She also says the sugar bugs will eat holes in my teeth. I guess there are bugs in Oreos. Did you know there are bugs in Oreos?”

  “I did not know that,” I replied, wondering where my sister had come up with sugar bugs. “That does make Oreos sound less appetizing.”

  “Does that mean they sound yucky?” she asked.

  “Very yucky,” I replied.

  “I still like Oreos,” she assured me. “The bugs are really yummy.

  I chuckled as I shut her door and walked to the driver’s side.

  “Can we play at McDonald’s?” Charlotte asked. When I hesitated, she continued. “Please! We’re already here, and it will be so much fun. Maybe their cookies don’t have sugar bugs or drugs like Oreos. Mommy will be okay with cookies that don’t have drugs and bugs.”

  “I’m pretty sure they have sugar bugs, too,” I told her.

  “We can ask at the counter,” she suggested. “The people working there will know.”

  I don’t know why I ever try to say no to Charlotte. “Here’s the deal. I’ll take you to play at McDonald’s if you promise not to mention anything about bugs in their cookies.”

  “Deal,” she agreed with a toothy grin.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Delaney

  After Sebastian left, I called Brook. I really needed to talk to someone about my messed up evening, and Chelsea was a bad choice. It would put her in an awkward position since Sebastian and Luke were friends. Brook being Luke’s stepmom also complicated things, but she didn’t live with Luke, making her the best choice. I still couldn’t believe Sebastian had made such a complete fool of me.

  Brook answered on the second ring. “You had better be calling me with some dirty details about last night,” she began excitedly. “Are you going to see him again?”

  “No, I am definitely not going to see Sebastian again,” I replied. “I wish I’d never met the lying jerk.”

  “Sorry,” Brook said on a sigh. “I was really hoping you’d have a good time.”

  “I had a great time,” I began sadly. “Everything was fine until this morning when I found out he’s cheating on someone else with me.”

  “Are you sure?” Brook asked. “I met him a few times his senior year, and he never seemed the type. He was always very sweet and polite.”

  “I’m sure there are people who assume Rob’s not the t
ype,” I replied irritably. It was a bitchy move bringing Brook’s soon-to-be ex-husband into the discussion, but I was in a bitchy mood. “Sorry, that was rude.”

  “No need to apologize,” Brook assured me. “It was just as rude for me to doubt you. Obviously, more than his looks have changed since then. I didn’t even recognize him when I saw him at the sex shop. I should warn Luke about how much Sebastian’s changed.”

  “Don’t tell Luke about any of this,” I began. “I don’t want Luke trying to come up with some reason why Sebastian might not be a bad guy.”

  “Fine. I won’t tell Luke, but you know it’s going to come out eventually,” Brook warned.

  “I know,” I agreed with a sad sigh. “Sebastian seemed really nice. I honestly thought he wanted more from me. He really made a fool out of me.”

  “Men like that are very convincing. It’s how they get away with this sort of thing for so long,” Brook reminded me. “Do you want to talk about what happened?”

  “He was on the phone with his girlfriend when I was in the shower,” I explained. “I got out and heard him talking to her in the front room. He told her he was sorry she was worried when she couldn’t find him. He called her sweetheart and said he loved her.”

  “Bastard,” Brook muttered.

  It is amazing how much better I felt knowing my friend was angry with Sebastian, too.

  “I can’t believe I slept with a guy who is involved with someone else,” I lamented. “For all I know, he could be engaged. When I asked him if he was married, he said he wasn’t. He didn’t want to talk about relationships after that. At the time, I didn’t think anything of it, but I should have seen it as a warning sign.”

  “Like I said, this isn’t your fault,” Brook assured me. “There’s no reason for you to blame yourself.”

  “You’re right,” I agreed. “I refuse to feel guilty about this. I had no way of knowing he was a filthy liar. Slimy Sebastian is the one who lied to me and cheated on a woman he claims to love.”

  “Exactly!” Brook agreed. “You have nothing to feel guilty about.”

  “You wanna know what sucks most about this?” I asked.

  “What’s that, sweetie?” Brook responded.

  “Even though I barely knew him, it still hurts to lose him. I really liked him,” I said with a sniffle.

  “Why don’t we get together and do some shopping?” she suggested. “I can see if Chelsea’s free, too.”

  Normally, a shopping trip would be just what I needed to improve my mood. Today, I didn’t think it was going to work. It would be an exaggeration to say I was heartbroken, but I was definitely sad about the turn of events. “No. I appreciate the offer, but I think I’m just going to stay home and try to get some writing done.” Escaping into my own fantasy world would improve my mood. The heroes in my books never cheated.

  “Are you sure?” she asked. “I’m worried about you. I’ve never heard you sound this sad.”

  “Just in case the argument comes up again, try to remember that I’m happier when I’m not dating,” I told her.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Delaney

  “I don’t think you’re getting enough fiber in your diet.”

  That observation was made by my mother. I’d been trying to end my call with her for the last twenty minutes. “I’ll eat more fruit,” I assured her. “My friends are waiting for me, so I really need to go.”

  “I should come out there to meet them,” my mom mused. “I can’t believe you’ve known them over a year and I still haven’t met them. Why didn’t I meet your girlfriends the last time I visited?”

  “You had a lot of places you wanted to go when you were out here. There wasn’t time to add more,” I reminded her. “Listen, Mom. The waitress has been really patient. I need to look at the menu and decide what I’m ordering.”

  “Where are you?” she asked.

  “IHOP.” I may or may not have been trying to prove Sebastian’s pancakes weren’t that great with a trip to IHOP.

  “You’ll have the Belgian waffles,” my mom told me. “It’s what you always have.”

  “I’m having pancakes,” I announced.

  “Oh,” was all she said, and I nearly groaned.

  Chelsea and Brook both stifled laughs at my expression of frustration.

  “It’s not a man,” I quickly added.

  “You only eat something different at IHOP when there’s a man involved,” my mom argued. “I still remember that time when you first met Cody. I knew something was going on because you had eggs and bacon,” she reminisced with a sad sigh.

  “Do I really channel my feelings with my order at IHOP?” I asked. That was a strange observation from my mom. It’s not like I had a lot of experience with guys for her to base her breakfast food theory on. I’d had four high school boyfriends before Cody. None of those relationships had ended in a soul-shattering teen break up.

  “You certainly do,” my mother replied. “You didn’t let some man touch your lady bits, did you?”

  My mom, as the wife of a minister, didn’t approve of premarital sex. From what I could tell, she didn’t think much of sex after marriage, either. There was no missing the censure in her voice, but there was also no missing the concern. We might disagree on most things, but my mother genuinely loved me.

  “I love you, Momma.” My voice was a little choked as I spoke the words.

  “I love you, too, Laney,” she replied softly. Only people from my old life called me Laney. I’d always hated that nickname, but it beat the alternative, which was being called Delaney Louise. “Do you need me to come out there? You sound sad.”

  “I’ll be fine,” I insisted. “I really am being rude to my friends.”

  “Of course,” she replied. “You have fun. Promise you’ll get fruit with your pancakes.”

  “I promise,” I agreed. “Bye, Momma.”

  “Bye bye, honey pie,” she said before ending the call.

  “Sorry,” I told my friends with a sigh as I grabbed my menu to check out the pancake choices. “My mom freaks out a little if I don’t answer her calls. It’s hard for her having me live this far away.”

  “We completely understand,” Brook assured me. “Is she concerned you’re not getting enough calcium?”

  “Is she worried you might be lactose intolerant again?” Chelsea added.

  “Not enough fiber,” I clarified.

  My friends had been present during enough calls from my mom to know she was constantly worried about my diet. She didn’t approve of the wacky fad diets people in big cities tried. My mom refused to believe I wasn’t on one of them.

  “We’ll make sure you get some fruit with your pancakes,” Brook said, her lips twitching.

  “Are you ready to tell me what happened?” Chelsea asked impatiently.

  “After I decide on my pancake order,” I told her.

  After perusing the large selection of pancakes, I ordered the double blueberry, thus fulfilling my promise to have fruit. Once our orders were placed, Chelsea watched me expectantly. I said nothing, mostly because I wanted to see how long she could wait to start pushing me for details.

  “I’m going to cancel your pancake order,” Chelsea threatened.

  With a weary sigh, I responded to Chelsea’s evil threat. “Long story short, I was the other woman.”

  “That’s not possible,” Chelsea argued. “Sebastian never mentioned a girlfriend to Luke. Luke would have told me when I wanted to fix you up with Sebastian. Are you sure?”

  “I heard him on the phone with her. He was apologizing for not answering her calls and worrying her. He also told her he loves her,” I explained irritably. I was getting tired of my friends questioning what I’d heard. They were supposed to automatically hate him because I did.

  “Maybe it was his mother,” Chelsea suggested.

  “He called her Tori,” I added.

  “Bastard,” Chelsea hissed. “We should find him and cut his balls off.”

 
; “You could find out where he lives from Luke,” Brook mused. “Then we could go over there and teach that jerk he can’t treat Delaney this way.”

  I laughed at my friends’ reactions. “Need I remind you that you are supposed to be the sensible one, Brook? We count on you to keep us from doing crazy things.”

  “Brook’s agreement means cutting Sebastian’s balls off isn’t a crazy idea,” Chelsea argued. “I’ll get his address from Luke.”

  When Chelsea reached for her phone, I caught her hand. “Please, don’t mention this to Luke.”

  “Why not?” Brook asked.

  “I know what men like Sebastian are like,” I explained. “Cheaters always have great excuses, and I’ve fallen for them in the past. I don’t want him giving Luke some sob story about how he’s only delaying breaking up with Tori because her cat just died, or he can’t leave her while she’s going through a rough time.”

  “No one would really use the excuse of not being able to leave because someone’s cat died,” Chelsea argued.

  “My ex-husband did,” I told them.

  “And someone really believed that?” Brook asked.

  “Yes,” I replied. “Admittedly, she wasn’t the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, but I don’t want to hear his excuses. Sebastian probably comes up with much better lies.”

  “Good point,” Chelsea agreed. “He’s supposed to be some sort of genius. I’ll bet geniuses come up with the best lies.”

  “No more talk about Sebastian,” I insisted. “I just want to eat my pancakes and prove that the lying sleaze doesn’t make the best pancakes.”

  “He made you pancakes?” Chelsea asked. “And they were good?”

  “Stupid man made eggs and pancakes,” I muttered. “Then the jerk cleaned up the dishes. I hate him.”

  “I can see why that would add to your hatred,” Brook remarked dryly.

  “Don’t mock me, Brook,” I warned. “Now, if I decide to date again, I’ll end up comparing all men to Sebastian. It’s not enough that he has a huge dick, and he really knows how to use it. As if that isn’t bad enough, he also cooks. I hate him.”