For a moment it sounded like Cage was choking. "Actually man, I gotta go. I have class in ten minutes, so I'll call you later and we'll catch up?"
"Yeah, sure. Just call me later." Trevor hung up with his friend and dropped back on his bed. This was going to be next to impossible. But he could do it. He had to.
Five
Natalie stared at the piece of paper on the front of the refrigerator and seriously contemplating burning it. A chore list? Trevor had kissed her and practically incinerated her panties. Then he had the nerve to avoid her and post a chore list?
She grabbed the paper and scowled as she read it again. Not only had he listed all the cleaning tasks that needed to be done, as if she weren’t capable of cleaning up after herself without his help, but he’d actually drawn up a schedule of when they could each use the living room! What the hell? Now she wasn’t even allowed to use the living room when he was in there?
She threw the list on the counter and pulled a mug down from the cabinet.
I wonder if Trevor will fine me for using his favorite coffee mug, she thought bitterly. Seriously, what the hell was his problem? She was a good roommate. She even cooked and shared food with him.
The kiss had been a mistake, obviously. But it didn’t mean he needed to treat her like she had some contagious disease. If he didn’t want to be around her, that was fine with her. But he didn’t need to treat her like some prisoner or an unwanted houseguest. She was paying rent, damn it. Apparently he thought he was so irresistible that she wouldn’t be able to keep her hands off him if they were in the same space.
She looked down at the mug in her hands and then quickly put it back. No, she wasn’t going to take this sitting down. If this was going to work, Trevor needed to learn that she wasn’t some pushover he could dictate to.
And she knew just how to make him pay. She was heading to the bar. And he wouldn’t know what hit him. So what if she changed into skintight jeans and a low cut top before going out? If Trevor drooled over what he could never touch again, even better. The jerk deserved to have blue balls after treating her like she’d forced that kiss. He’d been just as into it as she was at the time, maybe even more. Unless she’d imagined his hands roaming all over her ass.
Natalie didn’t bother moving her car, but instead just walked the three blocks, thankful she’d put on her boots with the chunky heel.
When she walked in, she saw a few familiar faces. It was more crowded now than when she’d first come. People actually did this every night? Natalie couldn’t imagine spending her leisure time hanging out in some douche bar hoping to land a rich guy. Maybe that was judgmental, but she couldn’t help thinking that it made total sense that Trevor worked here. He was probably used to desperate women who’d do anything for a guy with a fat wallet.
Well, he had better get used to dealing with women like her, the kind who didn’t take any bullshit.
Once she finally pushed past a giggly crowd of women standing around a guy in a suit, she got to the bar. She scanned behind the bar but there was only the guy from the other night. Natalie sighed. What if he wasn’t even here? She’d assumed that he was going to work when he left, but he could have been going somewhere else. Her anger had probably just forced her to walk over here for nothing.
Then Trevor came out of the back.
Immediately his eyes locked on her. His face hardened, and he tapped the guy behind the bar on the shoulder to whisper something. He nodded and then walked over to Natalie.
“What can I get for you?”
Natalie fumed as Trevor turned his back to her. So he’d decided to ignore her? Whatever, two could play that game. He might refuse to talk to her but he couldn’t make her leave if she was a paying customer. She was willing to bet that he’d get tired of seeing her sitting there eventually.
“I’ll have one of those watermelon drinks please. The Ladies’ Orgasm. Thanks.”
The guy barked out a laugh then started making her drink, but he paused often to glance over at Trevor. Natalie wondered what Trevor had told him. Definitely not the truth; that his roommate was there to chew his ass out for being a presumptuous prick.
“Here you go, darlin’. Enjoy.”
“Thanks.” Natalie slid the drink closer and took a long sip. Immediately her head started swimming and she coughed.
Damn this drink was strong. Now she really wanted to know what Trevor had told the guy. Maybe to make her drinks so strong that she’d end up comatose? She wouldn’t put it past him.
She looked up to see Trevor watching her with a little smile on his face. Natalie smiled back. He thought he’d won, but she knew something he didn’t.
She liked her drinks strong.
Natalie took several more long sips and then raised her hand to catch the other bartender’s attention. When he approached, he looked shocked to see her drink was almost gone.
Natalie grinned. “Another one, please.”
She was stubborn, he would give her that.
Trevor stole another glance at Natalie who was now working on her third drink. This time, the real Dick Lick. He grimaced. He’d asked Martin to work that side of the bar for him, knowing that he tended to make drinks strong. Natalie was a lightweight. He’d figured she’d have one drink, maybe two, and then tap out.
But no. Natalie looked like she was just getting started. Trevor groaned. He’d have to make sure she got home okay. Even though he didn’t want to talk to her, there was no way he’d let her leave alone after having that many drinks. That was probably what she’d been counting on.
And he was closing so he couldn’t even claim the need to leave early.
Martin approached, wiping his hands absently on the towel tucked into his waistband. “Your girl has some staying power. Even I’m impressed.”
Trevor scowled. “She’s not my girl.”
Martin just raised an eyebrow. “Oh, sorry. I just assumed she was an ex or something.”
“No. She’s my roommate.”
“And you wouldn’t even talk to her. That’s fucked up.” Martin chuckled as he walked away.
It was pretty fucked up, Trevor had to admit. He could even admit that it wasn’t fair to blame Natalie for the fact that he found her so tempting. But the only other alternative was to blame his dick.
As the next two hours passed, Trevor watched as Natalie drank and chatted with the man sitting next to her. He clenched his fists around the glass in his hand. The dude was leaning so close that he was in danger of falling into Natalie’s cleavage, all of which was currently on display in the low cut shirt she was wearing. He groaned. How was he supposed to avoid thinking about her when she had those luscious tits propped up like ripe fruit. Sweat broke out on his forehead when the guy stood up and whispered something to Natalie.
What if she tried to leave with him? He couldn’t let her go home with some asshole while she was drunk, no matter how mad he was at her. Trevor put the glass he’d been wiping down behind the bar, ready to go over and intervene if necessary. Luckily, Natalie shook her head and the guy left with one last, longing glance in her direction.
Yeah I know buddy, keep dreaming.
“Okay, I’m out of here. My dogs are killing me.” Martin patted him on the shoulder as he left.
That was when Trevor realized it was almost closing time. Natalie waved gaily at Martin as he left, as if they were long lost friends. Trevor chuckled. Considering how many drinks she’d had, they probably were friends by now. He was sure he was going to pay for this tomorrow. Once Natalie sobered up, she’d no doubt give him hell for ignoring her all night.
But first he had to figure out how to get her home.
After cleaning up and locking up in the back, he grabbed his coat and came back up front. Natalie was leaning on the bar heavily, her head propped on her arm. He approached, and she watched him warily.
“Oh, now he comes over to talk to me. This is just great,” she mumbled. Her words slurred slightly. Trevor was impressed that she was
still sitting upright.
“It’s time to go. We need to catch a cab.”
“I walked here,” Natalie spat.
Trevor rolled his eyes. Just his luck that she’d be feisty even when she was drunk.
“Maybe so but I bet you can’t walk all the way home now. Come on.”
“No. I came here because I have something to say. I’m going to say it!” She slipped slightly and had to catch herself by slapping a hand on the bar top.
Ignoring her protests, Trevor looped one of her arms around his neck. He was prepared for her to hit him or fight it, but instead she buried her face in the crook of his neck with a little grumble. She nuzzled around for a while before grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him closer.
“Why do you have to smell so good?”
She sounded angry about it, but her hand kept moving over his chest. Trevor ignored the tingles of sensation shooting from his chest down to his groin. He bit his cheek when her hand traveled a little lower and rested on his belt buckle.
“What are you doing?” he managed to get out between gritted teeth. If her hand went any lower, she’d have a handful of something very hard.
“This,” she whispered. Then Natalie tugged him down until their lips met in a fierce kiss. Trevor groaned into her mouth, instantly forgetting his resolve to stay away from her, just enjoying the sensation of her hot little mouth sucking on his. He couldn’t help himself. He picked her up and sat her on top of the counter.
Jesus, she was perfect. Natalie pressed her chest against him and made a whimpering sound that shot his desire through the roof. All he could think about was what it would be like to hear that helpless little sound when she was spread out naked in his bed while he buried his cock in her pussy.
It wasn’t until she tried to slide her hands up and under his polo shirt that rationality returned. Hands off. Hands off, Trevor thought. He dragged his lips off of hers and took a deliberate step away from her. Okay, make that two steps.
“We’re not going to do this. Not like this. You’re drunk.”
“I am not. Just say you don't want me.”
He swallowed hard. “You know that’s not true. If we do this, you’re going to be stone-cold sober. You will remember everything about it. Tonight is not that night.”
She kissed his neck.
“Wait, Natalie. Come on.” He managed to separate from her lips but her hands were still roaming all over his chest. “We have to go home.”
It took a lot of maneuvering to get her out of the bar, lock up, and then flag down a cab. Once they were inside, Natalie tried to climb in his lap. Trevor closed his eyes in frustration. He must have done something terrible in a former life to deserve this, being groped by the one woman he’d decided was off limits. Finally he allowed her to sprawl halfway over him while kissing his neck. It was only three blocks, but it felt like the slowest cab ride ever. He gave the first two bills in his wallet to the driver, hoping he hadn’t over paid, all while trying to separate Natalie from his neck.
“Come on, honey, we’re home.”
At his words, the disgusted look on the cab driver’s face softened a little. Trevor wasn’t sure why he cared, but he didn’t like the idea that someone thought he was an asshole about to take advantage of some drunk woman.
Natalie, however, thought his words were funny. “Honey! I’m your honey? You don’t even like me.”
Luckily the driver couldn’t hear that part since they were already out of the cab. Trevor finally gave up on getting Natalie to walk and just scooped her up. She grabbed onto his neck so hard he almost choked.
“Don’t drop me! I’m scared of heights!”
Trevor laughed as he carried her up the stairs. Luck was on his side, finally, since there was only one other person in the lobby. Natalie continued to mumble random things as he carried her down the hall to their apartment. He set her on her feet briefly so he could open the door and then picked her up again.
When he got to her room, he pushed open the door and placed her carefully on the bed. She blinked up at him sleepily as he helped her get her arms out of the jacket she was wearing. It was too light for the weather, but he guessed she probably wasn’t ready for how cold the fall season was in New York. It made him wonder about her life before she came here. Where was she from? Why had she needed a place to live so suddenly? All the questions swirled around his brain as he looked down at her.
She’d curled up on her pillow, her boots still on. Trevor said, “Do me a favor. Hold on to the headboard.”
She did as he told her and he helped her pull off her boots and jeans. She took off her own top. When she went for her bra, he had to stop her. “Oh no, you don’t.”
“Why don’t you want me?” she whispered.
He swallowed. If she only knew. “Go to sleep.”
Blinking sleepily, she finally mumbled, “Please stay.”
He couldn’t help himself. “Just until you fall asleep.”
Letting the exhaustion take hold, he was left wondering just who was the beautiful stranger living in his apartment.
Six
What the hell was a piece of sandpaper doing in her mouth?
Natalie tried to peel her lips apart and move her tongue back and forth, but all she got was that scratchy shht, shht sound. Gross. What the hell had crawled into her mouth and died?
She rolled over and immediately regretted that action as an elephant delivered a swift kick to her skull. What did she do to deserve this special brand of hell?
Even as she rolled over, it felt like she had to grapple with a thousand orangutans just to get her body to move the way she wanted it to. That was it, she was never drinking again. Ever. Like never, ever.
She felt like dirt. Worse than dirt. She felt like the sludgy slime she sometimes saw on the streets after it rained. Yeah, that's what she felt like.
Just what the hell had she been drinking last night?
Last night…
Oh no. No. No. No.
She tried to lift her head as a memory tickled the back of her skull, forcing her to recall, teasing her with hints and images of Trevor. His lips. His cocky smile. His hands. His tongue…
Screw the elephants. She snapped her head up. With that jerky movement, she immediately clutched her skull. But she forced her eyes open as she clung on to the sliver of that memory.
The bar. They’d been at the bar. She forced her brain to concentrate, even though it clearly didn't want to. The other bartender, what was his name? Martin? He’d been mixing her drinks. Real drinks. Drinks that had copious amounts of alcohol. So much alcohol.
He’d made all the proper versions of the drinks Trevor had made her the first time she’d visited the bar. They also tasted good, but she could tell there was definitely alcohol in them.
And this time, she was paying the alcoholic Irish piper.
She’d been so drunk. Okay maybe not that drunk, but definitely way more than tipsy.
The memory of Trevor’s lips on hers assailed her. Oh hell, she’d kissed him? Natalie closed her eyes and tried to focus.
They’d been in the bar after closing, and… what happened? What did she say? The words eluded her. But the actions, those were clear as crystal.
He’d been trying to take her out of the bar. She’d looped her arms around his neck, and then, kneeling on the barstool, she’d laid one on him.
His response had been instant. He’d picked her up and sat her on the bar, stepping between her legs and bringing their bodies together.
God, even now, the pleasure slammed right into her, chasing up her spine. The lust washed over her as the memory became more vivid. She remembered, his tongue, his hands, his low growl as he’d kissed her and licked into her mouth. While he’d slid his lips over hers, his hands had stayed at her hips, grasping tight, as if he was barely leashing the hunger.
Slowly the bits and pieces filtered in, and the memory clarified. She’d tried to slide her hands up under his polo shirt, and he’
d dragged his lips from hers, stepping back and away from her.
His words had been spoken through clenched teeth. "We’re not going to do this. Not like this. You're drunk."
"I am not. Just say you don't want me."
Trevor had swallowed hard. "You know that’s not true. If we do this, you're going to be stone-cold sober. You will remember everything about it. Tonight is not that night."
Oh God, her stomach lurched. Did she have to throw up? Or was the sudden onset of nausea from Trevor’s stinging rejection?
After a few deep breaths the nausea passed, and she remembered him putting her in a cab for the short ride home.
Despite his words, she’d had her hands all over him, trying to convince him that he wanted her.
"C’mon Trevor. I know you want me."
Each time she’d tried to slide her hands over his body, he’d just kept her hands gently clasped in his, and eventually picked her up into his arms, and carried her into her bedroom.
What the hell is wrong with you? First you make the mistake of picking a guy like Brian. Then you throw yourself at your roommate?
She needed help. Surely she had some kind of personality disorder. Or maybe you're just a glutton for punishment.
She glanced at her body, dragging the sheet away from her, and noted that she was in her bra and panties. She’d definitely gotten out of her clothes last night. Had Trevor helped?
Just the thought of it made prickly heat spread all over her skin.
Then all the memories came back. Trevor had helped her take off her skinny jeans. He’d had her hold onto the headboard then he’d dragged the denim off her legs. She’d taken her top off after that. She’d then gone for her bra, but he stopped her. And that's when she’d taken the opportunity to try and see what he was working with downstairs.
Jesus. She had to apologize, and eating that much crow was going to be seriously unappetizing. But she had to do it. Because there was no excuse for last night. She’d gotten way too drunk and tried to use that as an opportunity to go after something she wanted. Because she’d lost her damn mind and thought it would be a really good idea to get rid of her sexual frustration with her roommate.
Bad Roommate Page 4