“You eat salmon?” I ask her and she hums yes.
We don’t say anything else until I park and we walk up the industrial stairs to my fifth floor. The door is still the original big brass door. I unlock it and open the door for her to walk in and I hear her gasp.
“I love this.” She walks into my open floor plan loft.
I toss my keys on the wooden island in the corner that is the kitchen, opening the fridge, and taking the things out to prepare. “You can go and watch television if you want,” I tell her as I place things on the island and she walks around to the stool.
“No, I’m good here.” She sits down and then leans sideways. “You have a cat?” She gets off her stool and picks Stanley up. “Aren’t you the cutest cat ever?” she says as Stanley takes in all the attention.
She puts her down and walks into the kitchen and I see that she took off her shoes and she is now barefoot. Her toes are painted the same color as her nails. She turns on the water, washing her hands. And then she peels her sweater off, her tank top under rising a bit, and I’m completely aroused. I look down and I can’t even begin to hide it. I don’t even know if it’s possible to hide this. I’ve never been this hard before. I turn a bit sideways.
“Can you go and see if the cat has food? It’s around the couch down the little hall to the bathroom.”
“Sure.” She walks away, her ass swaying, and it makes it even fucking worse. The jeans are so restricted I’m afraid my cock is going to suffocate and have to be cut off for lack of oxygen.
“Get a hold of yourself. She doesn’t want you like that.” I shake my head and focus on the fish in front of me, my mind forcing me not to think of the white bra straps that peek out of her tank top, the fact that her jeans are so low, they barely have a zipper.
I place the salmon and veggies in the oven to bake. When I look up, I find her in the living room looking at the pictures I have around the room.
“So you do have teeth,” she jokes as she looks at the picture that I took last year when I won the cup. My beard was disgusting and I couldn’t wait to shave that shit off.
I walk to my oversized U-shaped brown couch and turn on the television. The replay of my fight last night is playing. I laugh when I see that I almost face-planted as she stands and watches, shaking her head. She comes to sit next to me, putting her feet under her. “Want to watch Game of Thrones? I can give you side commentary,” I joke with her as I turn on Netflix.
“Great, just what I need, side commentary. This chick fucked her brother and had two kids with him and she’s the queen,” she jokes, but I put it on and she is more into it than she admits. We end up eating on the couch as one episode slips into the next and then she lays her head down near my leg, her hair spanning across my couch and also my leg. I look down and her eyes slowly close and then blink open till she closes them and I hear a soft snore. I don’t wake her up as one hour goes into another and I get up to get a blanket on her. She is now stretched out, one leg bent. One arm is bent over her head, her tank top is rising a bit, and I see a little heart tattoo on her hip. Her other hand is draped around her stomach and Stanley is cuddled at her side and looks at me with a glare when I walk over and cover her.
I look at her, not even sure what to do. I’ve never had a woman here, ever. Well, Denise, but she’s my sister. Other than that, she’s the only other female I’ve had here.
I pick her up finally and carry her to my bed. I’ll sleep on the couch. She moans out and cuddles into my chest as I place her on my bed. She turns on her side and blinks her eyes open. “What time is it?” she asks groggily.
“After midnight,” I say. “Sleep here. I’m going to sleep on the couch.”
“Okay,” she says. “Or just sleep here. I won’t move.” And she just closes her eyes again.
I place my hand on my waist and tilt my head back, asking for a sign, anything to tell me what I’m about to do is wrong, so very fucking wrong, but it feels so fucking right when I get into bed with her and she comes closer. I don’t move and start off on my back, but when I open my eyes as the sun comes up, I’m still on my back, but she’s wrapped up around me. I don’t move except to put my hand on hers on my chest as I close my eyes and drift off again. The next time I wake up I’m all alone as she walks into the room, her hair piled high on her head and she’s carrying a tray with coffee and orange juice.
“Morning.” She puts the tray down and then climbs into the bed.
“Hey,” I say, leaning over and checking the time. “Shit, it’s late.” I grab the glass of orange juice.
“I know. Good thing I can work from home, so you can drop me off there on your way.” She smiles at me and it’s then I notice that she really never wears makeup.
“Did you sleep okay?” I ask her, getting up, and taking off my T-shirt. I usually sleep naked. But her eyes open as big as saucers as she looks at me from neck to belly button. “Hello,” I say as she blinks again and I laugh.
“I slept like a baby.” She gets up and looks at the floor. “You change. I’ll wait for you out there.” She points to the door and walks out. I know that look. I’m sure I’ve given her the same look once or twice yesterday. The question is, now what the fuck do I do with that?
Chapter Fifteen
Allison
“What the fuck are you watching?” My earphones are ripped out of my ear by Matthew.
“Game of Thrones,” I answer him and then look around for Max, who is sitting in the back with no one next to him, so I get up and walk down the aisle of the plane, throwing myself in the seat next to him. “Oh my God, she has dragon babies!”
He smiles and closes his phone off. “I thought it was stupid.” He eggs me on. We’ve been on the road for three days now, our only game out of town for a month. I was spoiled because next month I’ll be gone for eleven days. I’m dreading it. After I fell asleep in his bed and woke up wrapped around him like a monkey I’ve tried to pretend I don’t really want him other than a friend. The biggest thing is that I’ve failed at every turn. I know when he’s around. I know where he is every time we are in the same room. It’s like my body is on high alert for his. He hasn’t acted any different toward me, so at least he doesn’t feel this from me.
I remember the phone call to my mother two days ago before I left New York.
“Mom, how old are you when you stop having crushes on people?” I asked during one of our FaceTime chats
“Um, never,” she said while Cooper came in the room, opening the fridge. “You always get crushes on people.” The fridge door slammed shut.
“What the fuck does that mean?” He came up to the phone. “Hey, honey.”
“Hi, Dad.” I smiled seeing the look he was giving my mother.
“It means that just because you’re with someone or not doesn’t mean you stop crushing on people.” She turned to him.
“You have a crush on someone, Parker?” He slammed down the water bottle he had in his hand. “Seriously, who the fuck do you have a crush on?”
I laughed because the world could come to a stop and mass-produce only men and my mother would still look for Cooper.
She rolled her eyes at him. “I’m saying that you never stop feeling things and a crush is a feeling.”
“Okay, so who do you have a crush on?” he asked again as he folded his hands over his chest. “Tell me!”
“Oh, Jesus, okay, Anderson Cooper.” She threw her hand up, just throwing out a name, and Cooper laughed at her.
“He’s gay!”
“I have a huge crush on John Snow,” I told them, “like I would so have his babies.” And apparently that wasn’t something you should tell your father.
“Allison fucking Grant, do not talk like that. Where are you? Are you at the rink? Guys hear that and they pounce on women. Is your brother there? Where is your brother?”
“Simmer down there, Pops. No one is fertilizing me any time soon.” And that made him throw his head back and groan out while my mother giggled.
&nb
sp; “Jesus, these girls are going to give me a heart attack and then they will have a gay stepfather.”
We all laughed, but the answer was right there. You never stop crushing on someone, so it was a crush and it would go away.
I get up from the seat without answering him and I’m yanked back down.
“Where are you going?” he asks me.
“I’m not going to sit here while you make fun of me and not tell me what is going to happen.” I look at him. “Tell me what happens. Does her hot husband die? I think he dies. He’s so hot.”
“He’s not that hot,” he says as the fasten seat belt sign turns on, so I fasten my seat belt and then we are on the ground.
I wait for everyone to get off before I get up and walk down the aisle of the empty plane now with no one behind me but Max. I reach up and start tugging my bag when he hovers over me, reaching over me, and grabbing my bag. His chest is to my back and my heart goes out of control.
“Thanks,” I say, looking down and walking down the steps. I fuss with my phone while I walk to the cars.
“You coming with me?” he asks as he walks beside me.
“I could get an Uber in seventeen minutes,” I tell him as soon as I open the app.
“Seventeen minutes I could be home after dropping you off,” he says, unlocking his car door.
“You’re the bestest, Mad Max,” I say, laughing at him as he groans.
He drops me off and waits for me to go in before driving off. I don’t bother turning on the lights. Instead, I just walk upstairs and undress, slipping under my covers. My dreams are all of dragons and I text him that the next day.
I think I’m a dragon lady. I’m Daenerys.
He doesn’t answer me and I think that he might be sleeping or even at the gym. I open my computer and start doing my work for the gala that is coming up. So far we are looking at a thousand people attending. It seems that if Doug invites you somewhere, you go.
I finalize all the details with the venue and make appointments with the planner. I look at my phone and see that it’s almost six. Where the fuck is Max? Should I call him? No, I tell myself, put down the phone. And I start making a little supper, but give up a minute later and order myself something.
I’m curled up on the couch watching another episode of Game of Thrones when my phone finally rings and I see it’s Denise.
“Hey.”
“Where are you?” she yells her question, so I pause the television.
“I’m home.”
“Come meet me for some pool. Steve is here also.”
I haven’t been out in forever since all my college friends all moved away.
“Sure,” I say, getting up as she gives me the address. I get my leather tights out, pairing them with a V-necked loose wrap shirt. I put a black lace bra under in case it opens when I move, pairing it with a black blazer and my black high-heeled booties. I slap on some lipstick and run out just as my Uber is here. I text Denise that I’m on my way and she tells me she’s in the back as we pull up to the little shack of a bar.
I open the bar door, and it’s almost all dark. This is an old and dungy bar, and I feel I’m way overdressed. People that look like they live sitting at the bar turn around. I walk to the back where there is a brighter light and as I walk in, I take in the two pool tables with more light. Denise shrieks and comes over, hugging me, and I can smell the booze on her.
“You came.” She grabs my hand and pulls me toward the second pool table and I see him. And my heart stops. He’s here, dressed in black jeans, a black T-shirt, and his black cap sitting on his head. But that isn’t what has my neck burning or my heart beating fast. It’s a gorgeous blonde standing between his legs looking at the pool table. His hands are on her hips.
I smile at Denise and hope to blink away the tears that might show up.
“Guys, look who came,” she says and then he sees me and his face goes white. His hands fly off the blonde and I wave to everyone saying, “Hi.”
She pulls me to the table he’s sitting at. “Aly is going to be on our team,” she tells her brother and the blonde, who is twirling her hair. “Allison, this is Shannon. She works at the hospital with us, but not on our floor. Shannon, this is the new PR for Max’s team.” She introduces us and I smile at her. She smiles back at me and leans her hand over the table to shake my hand.
“Nice to meet you,” she says and I nod.
“You’re here,” Steve says from behind me and getting me into a bear hug. “She’s on our team.” He turns as the waitress brings four glasses of beer. “Take one.” He picks one up and hands it to me, and I say thank you and grab it with my shaking hands. I take a sip of the beer that tastes almost like acid as it goes down my throat.
“Come with me,” Denise says, grabbing my hand again and dragging me to the pool table where she talks to me about the pool game, but as I look at her and try to take in the words she is saying the only thing I can do is feel Max staring at me. I stand here and smile as fake as I can. For the next hour, I ignore Max and his every move. He gets up to take shots. When he does this, Shannon sits in his chair. More and more people show up from the hospital and I’m introduced to all of them. And I stand here biding my time till I can sneak out.
When I finally get that chance, I whisper to Denise, “I have an early morning tomorrow.”
She turns around and nods at me.
“I’m going to sneak out. Say bye to your friends for me.”
She nods and hugs me again. “Okay,” she whispers as I grab my purse and walk against the wall to the exit where I flag down a cab and only when I’m sitting in the confines of this dark, dirty cab do I let go of the single tear that rolls down my face. Only then do I let my broken heart weep.
Chapter Sixteen
Max
I knew sitting here in the middle of the poolroom that this was a bad idea. I spent the day trying to ignore the pull to Allison. I picked up my phone over a hundred times and wanted to text her to come over. But I couldn’t do it. I knew that if she came over I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from doing what I’ve wanted to do for a month now. Bury my hands in her hair and kiss the shit out of her. I don’t even care anymore. I fucking want her, but every time I try and feel her out, she looks down and ignores me.
So I showed up at the bar Denise is letting loose for once and I was drinking my bottle of water when Shannon walked in and I groaned inwardly. I really don’t want this right now. I’m sitting on a stool next to the table as she makes her way over to me.
“Hey there, stranger.” She leans in and kisses my cheek, and her perfume almost makes me gag. And I swear I feel my cock duck for cover. I smile at her and see that her makeup looks like it’s caked on. Why the fuck is she so made up? “What a nice surprise.” She dumps her purse on the stool behind me.
“Yeah, it won’t be a late night. I have practice tomorrow at nine.” I don’t but just want to draw the line before she thinks other things. “My turn,” I say, getting up and aligning the shot and missing. I shake my head and stand instead and for the next hour, I stay on one side of the room, and when she walks away, I finally go and sit down. I’m not even in my seat for a second when she comes prancing back in. She holds what looks like a martini glass and sits it on the table next to me.
She stands in the middle of my legs. “So when are we going to finally meet up?”
“I have no idea. My travel schedule is crazy for the next couple of months.”
“Surely you have one night available,” she says and Denise screams out, “You came.”
I look over as Shannon turns around and leans on one leg, so I put my hands on her hips to not make her push my leg. I see Allison and my heart stops. She’s so fucking beautiful the whole room dims to her. And here I am after ignoring her all day with a girl draped all over me. She doesn’t make eye contact with me as I watch her, waiting for her to look at me. Waiting to see if there is something there, and that I’m not just imagining this whole thing.
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br /> Denise comes over with her, she introduces her to Shannon, and I see the flicker in her eye as she remembers the name. I try talking to her, but she goes with Denise and for the next couple of hours people keep coming in and she’s passed around like she’s a fucking piñata at a birthday party. I finally ply Shannon from me as she goes to talk to a couple of friends from the hospital. I spot Denise in the corner talking to a guy that I saw when I went for breakfast.
“Hey, where is Allison?” I ask her and look around.
“She took off,” she says and then turns back to talk to the guy.
“What do you mean she took off?” I think it came out harsher than I thought it would.
“She said she has an early morning so she left.”
I walk out of the bar, looking left and right for her and come up empty-handed.
Just then, Shannon comes running out. “Oh my God, I thought I missed you.”
I don’t have time for this, but I also don’t have the energy for her. “Listen, Shannon, it’s not going to happen,” I tell her, grabbing her shoulder. “I’m”—I shake my head—“I’m just not there.”
“It’s Allison, right?” she asks and I close my mouth and open it again, waiting for the words to come out, denying that it has to do with her and everything to do with me, but nothing comes out, so she continues, “You couldn’t take your eyes off her the whole time.”
“We work together,” I finally say.
“It’s more than that. I don’t even think you realize it.” And she turns and walks back in as I stand here, telling myself to give her the night and then go to her tomorrow, but my heart knows that she can’t go to bed thinking I left with her. If nothing else, I need her to know that.
So here I am jogging up her steps. Her house sits in darkness. I ring the doorbell once and wait, putting my hands on the door, looking in, and nothing. I ring one more time and this time I see something. A light turns on from the side and I see her shadow coming closer. She opens the door and my heart stops. Her hair is up on her head. I don’t even know what she’s wearing because wrapped around her is an ivory cover as she holds it from the inside of her cocoon.
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