by A. L. Zaun
“What’s with the change of heart? You were determined to get your ex back. I remember sitting at Titanic not too long ago, getting plastered, while you had Liam practically tell you step-by-step how to steal his girl from him.” The look in his eyes changed back to pissed.
I needed to keep working him. Lies were so much easier to sell.
I hung my head down, mostly from exhaustion but also because I really did feel like shit, and then I looked up at him with a small smile. “Let’s just say, I realized I was chasing the wrong woman.”
He raised his brows. “Ah, let me guess—Madison Stuart, the human version of a praying mantis.”
His smile widened. Mine changed into a scowl.
“Karma, dude. You’re fucked. I love Madison, don’t get me wrong. She’s amazing, but…” He looked around, bringing his hands behind his head.
“But, what?” I grabbed on to the side of the table, and my nostrils flared. “Spit it out.”
“Nothing that you don’t already know. Madison has a reputation for”—he jutted out his chin, and his eyes mocked me—”getting around.”
I pushed back from the table and stretched my neck from side to side, trying to ease the tension threatening to strangle me. “You need to cut this fucking shit out and watch the way you talk about her.”
He drank his beer, completely unfazed by what I’d said. “I’m being a good friend.” He shrugged his shoulders. “You’re doing it again. You’re defending her honor. It’s a really pussy-whipped thing to do. Lucas finally grows a pair while yours become fucking ovaries.”
He leaned in, like he was going to tell me a secret. He was close enough for me to choke the life out of him if he kept up with this bullshit.
“She is who she is. I mean, fuck it, if you can tap that fine ass more than once…”
My eyes twitched while blood pulsated in my ears, making it impossible to hear anything else he was saying. I found my hands acting of their own accord as they completely crushed the bottle of water I was still holding.
“Chris,” I nearly growled, my eyes blinking rapidly, “you’re a dead man. I’ll fucking go to jail for the rest of my life if you say one more thing about her.”
I was holding on by a thread. I needed to find her before I totally lost it. I couldn’t destroy her bar. I wouldn’t do that to her. On some level, she’d understand, but she’d also be really pissed at me, especially if I got arrested. I reminded myself that if I could sit through four minutes with that motherfucker, Alex, and his bullshit, then I could get through this with Chris.
Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breath out.
He rolled his eyes and raised his hand as he called over the server, still completely unaffected by my death threat and oblivious to the stroke I was about to have.
“Hey, can I have the fried calamari and get another beer?” He looked over at me. “You want something else?”
Propping my elbows on the table, I held up my head with one hand, waving them off with the other. I need a fucking vacation. After this bullshit, I would ask Madison where she wanted to go. All I knew was that we were going to go far away from all these lunatics.
“I’ll make sure to pick up a bottle of Midol for you the next time I’m at CVS. You must be PMSing,” Chris sneered, bringing his beer to his mouth. “Dude, I’m in a fucking bad mood. Lucas is a zombie. Macy refuses to fuck me until I fix this, and I feel like a piece of shit for not seeing what you were doing. Meanwhile, you look like a million bucks, and you’re getting fucked. By the looks of it, more than once, and by none other than the babe who has clocked you the moment you walked into this bar—the beautiful Madison Stuart. So, yeah, sucks to be me.” Chris chugged his beer and slammed it on the table with a loud clank. “I should’ve ordered a pitcher. And what’s with you and this water shit? What happened to the Black Label on the rocks?”
I caught a glimpse of Maddy, and I felt her Mr. Miyagi powers calming me down. “You need to slow down. You’re on your, what? Third beer?” I was peeling the label off the pussy water bottle to keep from reaching over and popping him in the chin.
His eyes narrowed at me. “You’re counting my drinks now? You’ve really crossed over to the nagging female persuasion. If I didn’t know better, the next thing you’re going to ask me to do is take out the trash and then cuddle with you.”
“Nah, you’re not my type.” I looked at the wrapper I’d peeled off the bottle and the line of small paper balls I’d rolled. “So, what happened to the no bullshit? What do you want?”
Chris and I had known each other for a few years. I’d met him shortly after I broke up with Daniela when I really hit the party scene hard. He’d just moved to Miami from Fort Lauderdale. He promoted a few of the local clubs for the public relations firm he worked for, so our paths crossed regularly. I wanted to think that we’d become friends, which would make what I did worse.
“I need to know how to make this better—this fucking disaster that you, my motherfucking selfish friend, created. I hate seeing Lucas like this. It’s pathetic. He used to be such a guy’s guy.” He shook his head from side to side. “Do I sound like a pussy? Are the two of you rubbing off on me? Shit, I need to get laid.” He smiled at the server as she set the plate of calamari between us. “I don’t want him wasting another second of his life, acting like he did when Natalie died.”
My brows pinched together, and my mouth hung open. “Who the fuck is Natalie?”
Chris looked away and then back at his beer. “She was his first love. In fact, she was the only woman he thought he’d ever love. It was bad after she died. Bad shit happens to good people. He doesn’t need to think that this chick is the great love of his life if she’s just a piece of shit.” He stabbed his fork into the plate of fried squid. “This is going to make me sick, isn’t it?”
I nodded, calming myself down from the shit he’d said about Madison and accepting that this was the slow torture I deserved for being a shitty friend.
“Anyhow, I want to take him to Vegas. We can party, get drunk, and forget about Dani and company because there is no way that Macy will stick around if I encourage him to move on.” He pointed his fork at me. “You should have some of these. They’re awesome.” He stabbed another one with his fork. “Anyway, you fucked up, so now you have to tell me how to undo the fallout of your natural catastrophe. Is she worth it? Or do I begin the Dani-detox process?”
I leaned my head back and let out a slow breath. I’d been up since four in the morning. I’d barely slept all weekend long. Not to mention, I’d dealt with crazy Kristina and my sisters and had a busy day of meetings. Now, I was dealing with Chris and his bullshit. I was fucking exhausted.
Then, I thought about the way Daniela’s nose would crinkle like a rabbit when she smiled, and the way her face had lit up when she looked at that idiot. I remembered how she would tilt her head to the side when she was thinking of something to say or how she’d laugh at the perfect moment. I could see her lowering her sunglasses to give me a shocked stare. I couldn’t help but laugh to myself. It was the first time I could think of when I wasn’t associating Daniela with her pussy. What has Madison done to me?
“You know what? She’s an awesome girl. She made a fucking mistake.” I sighed. “Look, if Lucas can’t get over himself, he’s the one who doesn’t deserve her. Who the hell made him Jesus Christ?” I pulled out my wallet and settled the bill. “Come on, I’ll give you a ride home, and you can keep telling me how I fucked up.”
Chris pushed back the calamari and pounded his chest. “You’re not such a bad guy after all.”
“Not really. I’m just tired and want to go home.” I stood up. “Give me a minute, and we’re out of here.”
“I’m fine. Go do your thing…or your woman, lucky bastard.” He covered his mouth as he belched. “I’m going to fix this shit, so I can do my woman, too.”
I threw out my hands in a friendly gesture. “This is your opportunity to witness me being a good friend, so don�
�t give me shit. I’m going to see Madison, and then I’ll be back, and by the way, don’t let Macy fucking hold out on you. You’re the man. I can’t believe you’re being such a fucking pussy.”
“Are you going to let me crash at your place and give me pep talks all night long?”
“Fuck no.” I laughed. “How much did you drink before I got here?”
He shook his head, eyes glazed. “Not enough. Not enough.”
I patted him on the shoulder. “While I’m gone, drink some water.”
“Who the fuck are you?”
“The asshole who doesn’t want you getting sick in my car,” I said, looking around for Madison.
I spotted her across the room. She tucked her hair behind her ear as she fielded questions and directed the staff. They seemed to want to impress her, or they were scared of her as they nodded quickly and scurried off. It was probably a combination of the two. I felt the same way most of the time. She was amazing to watch.
I snuck up behind her and whispered in her ear, “I’ve wanted to touch you all night long.” My hands slipped around her waist, pulling her against me.
“Not here.” She rested her head on my shoulder, and then she quickly straightened up.
She was such a hard ass, and I loved it.
I brushed my lips along her neck and felt her shiver. “I want every man in this room to know you’re mine.”
“I’m serious. Not here,” she warned in her don’t-fuck-with-me voice.
I knew she was full of shit. The goose bumps along her collarbone spoke volumes.
Pressing my dick against her, I asked, “Where? Let’s go to your office—five minutes.”
“Five minutes?” She laughed. “You’ve maxed out your quickie quota.” She turned around in my hold, smiling. “I’m working and setting a very poor example for my employees. Now, go. I’ll see you tomorrow morning at six. Don’t be late.” She unsuccessfully tried to break free from my hold.
“Tomorrow? What the fuck are you talking about?”
She tucked in her chin and glared at me. “Running,” she reminded me. “Go. I’m busy.”
I matched her stare, narrowing my eyes. “I want you in my bed tonight.”
“Don’t be high maintenance.” She rolled her eyes but not with the same annoyance. “I just spent an entire weekend with you. We both need sleep.”
“I mean it.” I wasn’t backing down.
She continued her cold-bitch stare.
“Tonight,” I repeated. “Babe, I need you—tonight,” I pleaded, tilting my head to the side, working my angle.
A slow grin spread across my face as I saw the twinkle in her eyes. She was so fucking stubborn. It was both hot as shit and frustrating as hell.
Even though she was right, she was wrong. If she were anyone else, I would have needed a major breather after spending so much time with her. She wasn’t just someone, though. She was Maddy. And after the day I’d had, I needed her close. She could sleep in her own bed tomorrow night, but tonight, she was in mine.
“Bring your running gear.” I kissed the blush on her cheeks. “I’ll see you later. I’m taking Chris home first.”
I pulled away, taking a few steps back and keeping my eyes on hers. I brought two fingers to my mouth and blew her a kiss. Her lips curved up as she subtly turned her head before glancing over her shoulder at me. Finally ripping my gaze away, I pivoted and began walking toward the door where Chris was waiting for me, tapping away on his phone.
“Rick—” I heard her call out.
I didn’t turn around or let her finish. There was no fucking way I was letting her weasel her way out of this. “Tonight.”
Chapter 25
Madison
Opening the door to my dark and quiet apartment, I blew out a deep breath as a sense of relief washed over me. I was home. I shut the door behind me absentmindedly and didn’t bother with the chain. The blinds were pulled back, offering a little light from the crescent moon and the stars shining in through the ceiling-to-floor windows. Today was done. Tomorrow is another day. My alarm would shriek bright and early, waking my lifeless body for my morning run with Rick at six. Until then, I needed some sleep since I was physically exhausted, and my bed was calling my name.
I kicked off my shoes haphazardly and tossed the mail onto the table. I unbuttoned my blouse and let it fall away to the floor. I was on autopilot as I went to the bathroom to draw a hot bath. Then I looked over my shoulder at the trail I’d left behind in my bedroom. I smiled, remembering Rick’s mess in New York. He’d never let me live this down.
Rick…
I could have spent today relaxing and catching up on my personal things, but I hadn’t. Instead, I had gone to work, burying myself in the tasks of running the show and strategizing on how I could increase revenues to take Martini Bar to the next level. Hopefully, that would be enough to prove my ability to spearhead the Donovan’s project here. I also wanted to give Bruce a much-needed day off. He’d proven to be a very trusted and reliable ally, and I needed him.
Truthfully, I had gone in today to keep my mind off of Rick and everything that had happened over the weekend. I now found myself swinging in the opposite direction. I had gone from running as fast and far away as I could to now wanting to be with him, to hear from him. I was staring at my phone as I willed it to ring. I embodied pathetic, and I hated feeling this way.
So much for my efforts. Of all the bars in Miami, Rick had chosen Martini Bar to have drinks with Chris. I’d had to summon up everything in me to tear my eyes away from him and focus. He was a distraction I couldn’t afford, and his public displays of affection were out of hand. I couldn’t have that in the workplace, especially after Mason’s comment about having a slut on the cover of the company brochure. I’d always been very discreet about my liaisons. Now, it seemed as though Rick wanted to hang a neon sign around us, which was both sweet and utterly annoying.
Shaking it off, I turned on the bath and poured bath gel into the stream falling from the spout. Then, I looked at my reflection in the mirror as I reached for the clip to pull up my hair. My eyes crinkled with my smile, thinking of Rick lying in bed right now. He was probably watching one of his World War II movies while he was most likely waiting for me to show up. Even though I’d told him I wouldn’t be coming over, he wouldn’t take no for an answer or believe that I could deny him. He was impossible and exhausting.
I still hadn’t called him since I was putting it off until the last minute. Chicken shit and completely lame. I was Madison Stuart. What was I afraid of?
That he’ll convince you to go over there.
Leaning down, I ran my hand through the tub and felt the water and bubbles flow between my fingers. I lit a few candles before stepping out of my remaining clothes and into the tub. Wiggling my toes, I closed my eyes as the soft lavender scent helped me drift to my happy place…which was anywhere with Rick. I squeezed my eyes tight and laughed. I’d become a mushy cornball.
Never!
I refuse.
But what I felt for him was so unfamiliar—the anticipation, the butterflies, and the blushing. I even liked it when he was barbaric with his possessiveness—not that I’d admit it to him. My emotions were on overload.
A warmth slowly enveloped me, and I found myself biting my lip to hold back another smile. The closest I’d ever come to this feeling had happened so long ago that I’d forgotten how euphoric it felt. Rick had burrowed his way into my heart. He was my tick. I giggled, putting the two together—Rick the tick.
Really, Madison? Rick the tick? That’s cute? Pathetic. Ridiculous. You’ve become one of those girls. Worse, you’re becoming your mother sans the vodka tonics. Soon, you’ll be embracing the sisterhood of weak-minded women who define themselves by their relational status.
At that thought, my eyes flashed open, and I braced the sides of the tub, almost knocking over a candle. Shit. I needed to get my head on straight. My grandmother had successfully loved my grandfather without losing
her identity. I could do the same thing. That was why I wasn’t going to see him tonight. I was setting a boundary. He’d thank me for it later when he’d gotten a good night’s sleep. For months, my methods had proven to be invaluable to him. He needed to trust me. This was the smart thing to do. He wouldn’t feel smothered, and I wouldn’t lose my sanity.
I quickly got out of the tub without rinsing, almost tumbling over myself. Wrapping a towel around my body, I stopped and took a deep breath to collect myself. I had to get a hold of these overreactions. I was all about order and control. A few deep breaths, and I was focused.
Seriously, Madison, he’s a man, just a human being…
I shook my head and slipped into a pink Henley top and leopard pajama pants, peering over at my phone sitting on my nightstand.
A man that I happen to love more than words can express.
I climbed into bed and screamed into my pillow. He’s a man!
I rolled over and shut off the light right before reaching for my phone. Lying back under the covers, I saw that I’d missed a call and a couple of text messages. My heart raced a little in anticipation, and I ran my teeth over my bottom lip.
Rick: Hurry up.
Rick: Hello?
“Boundaries, Rick,” I said to myself. “You need to learn patience, self-control, and to respect my space. You need to trust me and…” I closed my eyes, sighing. “You need to want me so much that you can’t bear it.”
I opened my eyes, staring into the dark space. I felt my heart constrict and tighten in my chest as I clutched my phone to that very spot and blew out a deep breath. This was foolish. Get over yourself. You’re acting like a schoolgirl and a silly one at that.
Pulling up his name on my phone, I pressed the green button on the screen and brought it to my ear.
He barely let the phone ring twice. “Where are you?”
“I’m fine, thank you for asking,” I responded flatly.
His manners had flown out the window. We have to work on that. I sensed him trying to calm himself down by taking a couple of breaths. I taught him well.