“So, Piper is single,” I said as I considered what that meant for my plans with her.
“And not interested in dating you.” Harley was determined to make sure I didn’t forget that fact.
“That was harsh,” Gage muttered.
“But true,” I said on a sigh.
“What are you going to do to change that?” Xander asked.
I shrugged. “I probably shouldn’t do anything. Piper’s got good reason to avoid getting involved with me. I was a total dick to her all those years ago. I should apologize for hurting her and avoid acting like a dick around her again. Maybe we can be friends again.”
Who was I kidding? I was going after Piper. Dick move or not, I wanted her.
My friends were all looking at me like they knew I was full of shit.
“Going after her makes me an asshole, but I plan to do it, anyway,” I admitted. “She deserves better than someone who hurt her the way I did.”
“You aren’t making a very good case for yourself,” Gage pointed out.
“I don’t have a great case to make for myself,” I told him. “Harley’s going to say it if I don’t, and she’ll be much harsher.
Harley grinned. “Sometimes, you aren’t a total dumbass.”
“Aren’t you going to tell me I shouldn’t go after her?” I asked.
“Would it make any difference if I did?” she asked.
It would be best if I let Piper find someone better.
“No, it wouldn’t matter,” I admitted. “I need her in my life. If all she can give me is friendship, I’ll try to accept that, but I want more.”
“Don’t hurt her again,” Harley warned.
I planned to do my best to avoid hurting her again.
Chapter 4
Piper
Opening night had gone better than expected. Mercy had even needed to help out behind the bar. The only problem we’d had was with one of our waiters. While we were fine with the waiters being flirty and friendly, this guy had been pushy and obnoxious. I’d warned him that I wouldn’t tolerate that kind of behavior from any member of the staff, and he’d toned it down.
“My feet are killing me,” I said on a groan as I looked around the near-empty club. When my eyes landed on Austin, I did a double-take. Only the closing crew should still be in the club, leaving me wondering why Austin was there.
“You don’t look happy to see me,” he remarked with a lopsided grin. “Would you smile at me again if I offer to fetch your bunny slippers?”
The laugh was past my lips before I could think better of it. Encouraging Austin was a bad idea. “What am I doing?” I asked no one in particular.
“Either laughing at what I said or laughing at me for acting like an idiot,” he replied from his spot close to the bar. “Do me a favor and pretend you’re laughing because I’m funny so you don’t damage my ego.”
I snorted. “Oh, please. Don’t pretend you’re lacking in self-confidence.”
His smile slipped as he regarded me. “I’m not the same man around you.”
“That’s a good reason to stay away from me,” I pointed out.
“I was thinking it’s a good reason to be around you,” he murmured as he prowled toward me.
“No!” I put a hand up. When he stopped and raised an eyebrow in question, I continued. “This isn’t going to happen.”
“What’s not going to happen?” he asked, still standing much too close.
“I am not having sex with you,” was my firm reply.
His lips twitched. “While I’d like that, I was actually thinking we could be friends.”
“Friends?” I asked as if I’d never heard the word before. It was a strange suggestion coming from Austin. “I don’t think we can be friends.”
“We were friends,” he reminded me. “Before I screwed everything up.”
I didn’t want to think about that time. It didn’t hurt anymore, but I was still embarrassed when I thought about how foolish I’d acted with Austin, all those years ago.
“I don’t know,” I replied honestly.
“We have mutual friends, so we’re going to see each other.” He had a good point. “We haven’t been around each other much up to this point, but only because we’ve both put a lot of effort into avoiding each other.”
“You’ve been avoiding me?” I asked, oddly hurt.
“Only because it seemed like the right thing to do,” he replied.
“And now it doesn’t?” I asked.
“It still seems like a good idea,” he confessed. “After all I put you through, I should back off and let you get on with your life. I never should have approached you at The Project.”
“You’re losing me here, Austin, and I’m too tired to try to figure out what you mean.” I released a frustrated breath. “Could you tell me in simple terms why you are asking to be friends if you think you should stay away from me?”
“I’m an asshole,” he admitted.
His response made me laugh. “Yes, you are,” I agreed.
“Hey, Piper!” Joel, one of the bouncers, called out.
“What’s up?” I asked Joel.
“We’re all done with cleanup,” he replied. “As soon as you’re ready, I’ll walk you to your car.”
“I can walk you to your car,” Austin offered.
“You can head out now, Joel. Austin will walk me out after I lock up.”
I was tempted to ask Austin to leave, but I’d already had a much too personal conversation within earshot of my employees. I didn’t want to add to that by possibly having an argument with Austin about whether he could walk me to my car. Besides, what difference did it make? Austin had already said he was only looking for friendship.
“I’ll be right back,” I said as I headed to the office to grab my purse and jacket.
Nothing was said as we walked out of the club. I stopped to set the alarm and lock up. When we were on the sidewalk, a cold breeze rushed by, and I shivered.
“Do you want to borrow my jacket?” he offered.
“I’m already wearing one, but thanks for offering,” I replied.
“Are you sure you don’t want to use my jacket? It would fit over the top of yours,” he pointed out.
Did I want to wrap myself in Austin’s warm jacket that smelled like him? Hell yes! For that reason, I said, “I’m fine.”
“I get why you think we can’t be friends,” he began as we walked toward my car. “I was a jerk all those years ago and a jerk when we met up again. There’s nothing I can say in defense of how I acted either time. I don’t deserve a chance, but I’m still asking for one.”
When we reached my car, I turned to give him my answer. “I don’t know.”
Decisive was my middle name. At least, it was when it came to matters that didn’t involve Austin. He confused me—a fact that annoyed me.
He didn’t look happy with my answer, but he didn’t argue. “I understand. I’ll have Harley text you my number. Call me if you want to talk.”
“Wow!” I said with a shake of my head as I opened the car door.
“Wow what?” he asked.
“I didn’t expect it to be this easy to get you to accept my no,” I admitted.
“You didn’t say no,” he reminded me. “What you said was, maybe.”
“You’re right,” I agreed. “I expected you to think of it as a no.”
“I’ve learned the importance of being patient.” His gaze drifted to my lips where it lingered as he continued. “Sometimes it’s better to wait for what you want. It helps build anticipation.”
I almost asked if he was trying to seduce me, but I wasn’t sure I wanted the answer. Part of me wanted him to seduce me. Apparently, I never learned when it came to Austin. That alone was a good reason to tell him we couldn’t be friends, but I didn’t.
“Thank you for walking me to my car,” I said before sliding behind the wheel.
His voice was rough when he responded. “My pleasure.”
Au
stin was dangerous. Calling him was a bad idea, yet I wondered if I’d be able to resist the temptation.
“I can do this,” I told myself. “I’m not the same girl who was in love with Austin. Just because I still find him attractive doesn’t mean he has the power to hurt me.”
Chapter 5
Austin
I woke up with the boner from Hell, all because I’d been dreaming about Piper. She definitely wouldn’t like any of those dreams. Piper didn’t seem like the type who’d appreciate me dreaming about bending her over a table and spanking her leather-clad ass with my drumstick. That was one of the tamer dreams I’d had. I was a sick fuck. I shouldn’t be having these fantasies about Piper, especially when I was determined to behave myself around her.
When I’d said I wanted to be her friend, I hadn’t exactly lied. While I wanted to have Piper naked and under me as she begged me to take her, I wanted to see her smile at me more. Naked and smiling at me would be my preference, but I needed to work toward that. It was a goal worth the effort.
Closing my eyes, I imagined her in my room, her full lips curled into a sexy smile, and her hair messy from sleep. With a groan, I slid my hand beneath the covers to squeeze my aching cock. Fuck me! I could still remember how tight she’d been the last time I’d taken her.
My erection needed to be dealt with properly. There was no way I could make it to practice if I was sporting a boner. I made my way to the bathroom to handle matters. Pervert that I was, I already had plenty of spank bank material from my fantasies about Piper. I’d been fantasizing about her since our run in at The Project.
I turned the water on as I pictured Piper standing in front of the glass door, beckoning me to join her in the shower. When I stepped under the warm water, I reached for the soap. My soapy hand moved up and down the length of my dick as one of my favorite fantasies came to mind—Piper tied to my bed, naked. Her arms were above her head, and her legs were secured to the posts on the footboard. She squirmed, trying to close her legs as she begged me to stop teasing her. Finally deciding to show us both mercy, I untied her ankles and moved up her body, groaning as her legs wrapped around my hips.
I could still taste her on my lips as I leaned in to kiss her. Piper’s mouth greedily sucked on my tongue. My hand reached down to position my dick so I could thrust into her. Pumping my dick hard and fast, I imagined how good it would feel to slide into Piper again.
“Fuck,” I ground out as I came hard.
I hadn’t jerked off this much since my early teen years. Finding women had never been a problem, but there was only one woman I wanted now. For months, it had mostly been about sex. I’d avoided being around Piper for that reason. I didn’t want to use her again. Then, I’d started to think about the friendship I’d lost. When I’d seen her smile, while proudly showing me her bunny slippers, I’d decided I needed to make this right. I needed to prove I wasn’t always an asshole around her.
With any luck, she’d give me the chance to do just that.
Chapter 6
Piper
The intoxicating aroma of bacon cooking pulled me from sleep much earlier than I’d planned to wake up. It had been after four when I’d climbed into bed, and it was just after ten. I needed at least another two hours of sleep—but bacon. How could I ignore the call of bacon?
There was no way I’d be able to sleep now, so I slipped on my pajama bottoms and an oversized sweatshirt. No need to dress up for Cerise and Andy. They were like family.
As expected, I found Cerise and Andy in the kitchen.
“Look who finally decided to get out of bed,” Cerise remarked as she reached out to snatch a slice of bacon off the platter.
“Hey!” Andy exclaimed. “You can wait until the rest of our meal is ready. Besides, didn’t you just get done telling me how bad bacon is for me?”
Andy and Cerise had been together for eight years. Cerise was a personal trainer, so she was always on both our cases about eating healthier and exercising more. If bacon was on the menu this morning, Andy was going for a run.
Cerise was tall, a couple inches shy of six feet, with golden brown eyes, short brown hair, and flawless mocha skin. Andy made Cerise look tiny. He claimed to be six-foot-seven, but I suspected he was taller. With long blond hair, piercing blue eyes, and a powerful build, he looked like a Viking. We’d both worked our way up quickly in the club business. I’d started in bookkeeping. Andy had, not surprisingly, started as a bouncer.
“Bacon is horrible for us. You should be ashamed of yourself for making me eat these toxins.” Cerise moaned around a bite. “This is so good. How was the opening?”
“It was amazing!” I replied excitedly.
“I knew it would be,” Andy told me. “I’m still pissed that I haven’t been able to find a decent replacement for you at The Project.”
“You’re too picky,” I accused before snatching a slice of bacon.
Andy waved a spatula at us. “You women need to stop stealing my bacon.”
“Are you really planning to eat all this bacon on your own?” I asked.
“I just might,” he replied.
“You wouldn’t be that cruel,” I said with a pout.
Cerise laughed. “You know Andy can be a total dick when it comes to bacon.”
“You’re right,” I agreed with a grin. “Andy would make bacon just to taunt us with it.”
“This coming from the woman who didn’t get us into the club she’s managing on opening night,” Andy accused playfully. “You tell me how great it’s going to be but don’t invite us to come.”
“Cerise hates Reckless Release,” I reminded him. “I was going to invite you, but I already knew you wouldn’t go without Cerise.”
“You made me miss seeing Reckless Release?” Andy asked Cerise in mock horror.
In response, Cerise stole another slice of bacon.
“I get no respect in this house,” Andy muttered.
“Poor baby,” I teased.
“This is why you hated losing Piper as an employee,” Cerise pointed out. “She had to respect you at work. Now, she doesn’t have to respect you anywhere.”
“It was nice getting some respect from the brat part of the time,” he admitted.
Andy was ten years older than me and often acted like the older brother I’d never had. Cerise had been my friend since high school, so she knew all about the drama with Austin and my mom’s affair with Austin’s dad. She’d been there for me when Austin had broken my heart. It was her biggest reason for hating all things Reckless Release. Cerise was a good friend.
“Did Austin leave you alone?” Cerise asked, making Austin’s name sound like a curse.
“Not exactly,” I replied before quickly adding, “He didn’t cause any problems.”
“He didn’t threaten you again, did he?” Andy asked.
I hadn’t told Andy about my exchange with Austin. It had been passed on to him by the wait staff at The Project. The only reason Andy hadn’t kicked Austin out that night was that I’d asked him to let it go. I didn’t want the drama to get any worse than it already had. I was lucky no one had taken a video of the encounter and posted it online. That wouldn’t have been good for my career in club management. I was supposed to be capable of handling these types of situations. I could handle obnoxious customers fine. Austin was the exception.
“No threats were made,” I assured him. “He was nice.”
“That means he wants something,” Cerise deduced.
“I’m with Cerise,” Andy agreed. “He wants something from you.”
“According to him, he wants to be friends,” I replied.
“Do you buy that load of crap?” Cerise asked.
I hesitated.
“It might be true,” Andy remarked. “It’s been fourteen years. He was just a kid back then. I certainly made my fair share of mistakes when I was eighteen.”
“He was a jackass recently,” Cerise reminded us.
“I know,” I said with a sigh. “I�
�m not sure I should trust him.”
“But you’re still considering giving him a chance,” Cerise stated.
“Do you think I’m a fool for even considering talking to him?” I asked my friends.
“As long as you’re careful, I don’t see any reason you shouldn’t let him try to prove he’s changed,” Andy replied. “You were friends when you were kids. Maybe if you keep sex out of the equation, you can be friends again. This could help you get over what happened. Don’t even try telling us it doesn’t still bother you.”
There was no point in arguing. They both knew me too well.
“What do you think, Cerise?” I asked my oldest friend.
She was scowling when she replied. “I want to tell you to stay the hell away from him because I don’t think he deserves a second chance. The idea of you being hurt by him bothers me. Andy still might be right about you needing to get some closure on your past with Austin.”
“I want to believe he’s changed,” I admitted. “At the same time, I want that part of my life to go away. That was the most humiliating incident of my teen years, and being around Austin reminds me of that time. I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
“You don’t have to make any decisions until you’re ready,” Andy told me.
“You’re right,” I agreed. “Why am I thinking about Austin when I could be eating breakfast?”
Looking over, I saw that Andy was putting pancakes on a platter. “I’m so jealous. Why can’t I find a nice guy who cooks?”
“You did,” Cerise reminded me. “Next time, keep him for yourself instead of giving him to your friend.”
“I am not an object to be given away,” Andy argued.
Cerise laughed and said, “Just keep telling yourself that, sweetie.”
Chapter 7
Austin
I didn’t have much planned for the day, and I was restless, so I decided to go for a run. Running in the park isn’t normally my thing, but I didn’t want to go to the gym on a Sunday. I’d been considering setting up a small gym in my new home since it was getting harder to make it to the gym without being recognized. My preferred time was weekday mornings when fewer people were there.
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