And he’d have to do it without asking Alexandra. If she didn’t already know, he didn’t want to have to be the one to explain.
CHAPTER NINE
Friday night rolled around once again, and Amanda made sure that she had plans to keep herself occupied so that she wouldn’t think twice about what might be going on at Elysium.
Okay, maybe twice, but no more.
She was done, finished, over it. Parker clearly had some kind of issue that had nothing to do with her and it wasn’t her problem, was it?
She'd told herself that so many times that she nearly believed it. But she figured arranging a girls’ night to keep her from caving to temptation couldn’t hurt.
In the week since her last visit to the club and the last time she’d seen Parker, her fury had dulled. Every time she remembered that night, or dreamed of it, she felt less and less of the anger and more and more of the excitement. She didn’t want to think what that might say about her, or her taste in men, but she couldn’t deny the fact that she was still very much attracted to him.
Which meant she simply could not be trusted on her own. Instead, she and Angel were standing in the kitchen of the townhouse mixing drinks while Alexandra made popcorn and arranged a variety of junk foodson a tray.
“I love movie nights,” Alexandra sighed. “I’ve missed this,” she added, bumping Amanda’s shoulder gently as she passed.
“Me too. I have been spending way too much time around men lately. I feel like I’m drowning in testosterone. I need an estrogen recharge.”
Angel snorted and shook her head.
“It’s true! I have four male roommates who drive me crazy. I’ve seriously considered knocking their heads together like the three stooges.”
“You should. They’ve… you know, had s-e-x on your couch,” Angel commented, sticking out her tongue in disgust.
“Oh. My. God,” Amanda nearly dropped the G&T she’d mixed for Alexandra. “Did you just spell out sex?”
“Don’t make fun,” Angel pouted.
“Oh, my sweet, summer child…” Amanda shook her head, stroking Angel’s long dark hair. “We need to get you laid.”
“Stop!” Angel shrieked. She grabbed her drink and rushed out of the kitchen, her free hand covering one ear. She sank down into the couch to Alexandra’s left, leaving a space to the right open for Amanda.
“You can’t hide behind her forever, you know.”
“Hide from what?” Alexandra asked, popping a few M&Ms into her mouth and looking between Amanda and Angel.
“S-e-x,” Amanda whispered, mimicking Angel’s earlier tone.
“Oh.” Alexandra drew out the syllable. Her eyes went wide and she looked at Angel whose face now closely resembled a cooked lobster.
“Shut up and start the movie already,” Angel said, covering her face with her hands.
“Is there something I need to know?” Alexandra asked anxiously.
“No. Absolutely nothing.”
“Oh, thank God,” Alexandra sighed.
“Wow, Lex. That was kind of harsh,” Amanda said.
“Oh, no! I didn’t mean it like that,” Alexandra explained. “But you know how Connor is and I am not prepared to deal with that man in overdrive two weeks before our wedding. I have enough to deal with. Not that I wouldn’t if I had to. You know I’ll absolutely be in your corner when that happens, right?” Alexandra put an arm around Angel.
“I get it. Frankly, I’m wondering if it’s even worth the trouble at this point.” Angel sighed.
“Trust me, with the right guy, it’s worth it,” Alexandra replied with a slow smile.
“Ew,” Angel said, shaking her head.
“Amanda?” Alexandra asked, looking at her expectantly.
“Don’t look at me, I’m on the fence myself.”
“Really?” Alexandra asked, brows furrowed in concern.
“I think Angel’s right, we should start the movie.”
“Wait, are you saying that you haven’t ever had... you know, really good sex?” Alexandra asked, leaning forward.
“Look, not everyone is as lucky as you are, okay?”
“Oh, God. I’m so sorry. I feel like a bitch now for even bringing it up.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Amanda assured her. “We’re both very happy for you, aren’t we, Angel?”
“Absolutely.” Angel nodded eagerly.
“But we don’t need to know the details, okay?”
“Definitely not,” Angel agreed, looking slightly nauseated.
“Noted,” Alexandra laughed. “So, what are we watching?”
“Not sure. Amanda picked,” Angel said, taking a handful of popcorn and tossing it into her mouth.
“Oh, no,” Alexandra moaned, looking vaguely horrified.
Amanda gave her sister a maniacal grin and pulled a slim plastic case from her bag.
“Buckle up, ladies. Tonight we will be watching the 1982 Ridley Scott masterpiece that is Blade Runner.”
“Every. Time. You pick that movie every time!”
“I do not! Last time we watched Star Trek Five: Wrath of Khan.”
“Still, you are way too fixated on that movie.”
“It’s a young Harrison Ford riding around in a hovercar being a badass for one hundred and seventeen minutes, what’s not to be fixated on?”
“Ugh,” Alexandra rolled her eyes. “Fine, we’ll let Angel decide.”
They both turned to her expectantly as she sat there, brows drawn and lips pursed. Finally, she asked, “Young Harrison Ford, you say?”
“Yes-” Amanda shouted.
“Traitor,” Alexandra muttered.
“You are going to love it!”
“And even if you don’t, you’re probably going to see it a dozen times anyway.”
“You just don’t appreciate fine cinema, that’s all,” Amanda said with a shake of her head.
“You shut your fat mouth. I have excellent taste in movies,” Alexandra retorted.
Angel sat beside them laughing as they bickered for a solid twenty minutes about the merits of various Sci-Fi and Fantasy movies. That somehow evolved into a strong argument for why Amanda should watch Dr. Who. Apparently, Connor had made a convert out of her sister, but Amanda would die on this hill. No way was she ever calling herself a Whovian.
This was exactly what she had needed, some quality time with the girls, snacks, and a good movie. If only she could keep this up forever, she might eventually be able to forget about Parker Hanson and the unsettling effect he had on her mind and body.
✽✽✽
Parker had waited all weekend for Amanda to show, but as he’d expected, she’d stayed away. Now he had to go about finding some way to see her without freaking her out and without involving anyone else.
He’d been waiting for the other shoe to drop at work as it was. He thought for sure that at some point he’d get called into Connor’s office and chewed out for what had happened with Ian the week before. He’d half expected to get the boot. But so far, Connor didn’t seem to know anything about it.
As much as he hated to admit it, and as angry as he’d been, maybe Ian wasn’t as bad as Parker thought. At least he wasn’t a snitch, so that was one point in his favor.
Cam apparently hadn’t said anything either, and he wasn’t sure if that was him just staying out of it, or if Ian had said something to him to keep him quiet.
Well, shit...
Things had been so much simpler when he could barely tolerate the guy. Now he figured he was going to have to talk to him. He might even owe the fucker an apology.
Fuck adulting, man…
He heard shuffling from the hallway, and a moment later Jackson strolled into the kitchen, looking more focused than he’d been in weeks.
“Where are you off to?” Parker asked, looking his friend over closely. He was definitely looking more like himself, even if the sadness and anger he’d been carrying around had been replaced by a kind of nervous energy that still wasn’t quite right.r />
He was dressed in athletic shorts and a t-shirt and his sneakers were already on.
“If you’re going to the gym, I’ll come with you.” Parker certainly had some nervous energy of his own to burn off.
“Uh, no, actually. I have some things to do today.” Jackson looked away as he fixed his own coffee.
“Things?” Parker asked. “Like what?”
“Just errands and stuff.” Jackson shrugged, looking a little embarrassed.
“Why are you acting so weird?” Parker asked. Jackson was usually an open book. He wasn’t the secretive type, but judging by the change in his attitude, Parker would bet it had something to do with Janie.
“I’m not. I’m just busy today.”
Parker could tell he was lying. He could also tell that whatever was going on was something he really didn’t want to talk about. Parker, of all people, could respect that. Whatever it was, Jackson would bring it up when he was ready.
“Dude, you going to get your balls waxed, or something?” Parker asked, forcing a laugh. He figured the best course of action was to break the tension and let Jackson have his privacy for now. He defaulted to manly taunting and hoped Jackson would see it for what it was: a coded message.
“Yup, you guessed it,” Jackson threw over his shoulder as he practically ran for the door.
“You do you, man,” Parker said with a laugh. Jackson closed the door behind him and Parker was left alone once again. He took a deep breath and let it out in a long rush. It was time to quit stalling and get to work. But where the hell to start?
As it turned out, it didn’t take him long at all to get the information he needed. He’d had to give up a piece of his soul by installing two different social media apps on his phone, but he’d managed to figure out where Amanda worked. And he couldn’t delete them fast enough once they’d served their purpose.
And if Amanda was ever speaking to him again, he was going to have to warn her to be more careful about what information she put online. If he could find her with basically no knowledge of how stuff like that worked, then literally anybody could.
Now that he knew where to find her, he just had to wait. He didn’t want to catch her on the way in since she wouldn’t have time to talk, which meant he’d have to wait until she was done for the night. That was certainly the creepier option of the two, but it was the only shot he had.
So, he waited. And waited. And waited some more. He’d watched ESPN, made some trades and checked on the health of his fantasy league players, fixed himself something to eat, and taken a shower. That only got him to about two o’clock. From there, he spent a lot of time staring at the walls and practicing what he was going to say.
He left early, aiming to be there before the restaurant closed to be sure he didn’t miss her. He was sure they’d probably have all sorts of work to get done after close, but he knew for certain that nobody would leave before the dining room was empty.
That was a good idea in theory, but this being New York, he hit traffic and construction on the way, which meant he didn’t show up until eleven-thirty, half an hour after the restaurant losed.
He cursed at himself as he found a space on the street and hopped out. He jogged across the street toward the alley where he assumed there'd be a back entrance to the kitchen. When he found it, his fists clenched and he felt an urge to slam them into the nearest brick wall. Or the face of the fucker who was standing in front of Amanda, blocking her way out.
✽✽✽
Just when Amanda had been thinking how glad she was that her awful day was finally over, the universe decided to kick her when she was down.
“Colin?” Amanda asked, recognizing the man in front of her as he stepped into the light of a streetlamp at the end of the alley. Jorge, bless him, took a step closer to her side and stuck with her as they approached the sidewalk.
“You know this guy?” he asked in a low voice.
“Yeah, but hang around a minute?” He nodded once and she was relieved not to be alone.
Colin hadn’t really done anything to make her wary of him, but she definitely didn’t want to be alone with him either. He was giving off slightly creepy vibes at the moment, but she knew she owed him a face-to-face, especially after she’d kept forgetting to call him back.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, keeping her smile polite.
“Well, you didn’t answer any of my calls. I was worried after you cut out early that night. Thought maybe you’d gotten some horrible parasite from that restaurant I took you to.” Colin’s smile was unnaturally pleasant, sort of like a Stepford wife. He didn’t seem angry or aggressive and Amanda felt a little bad about asking Jorge to stay, but something just felt… off.
“Jorge, this is Colin,” Amanda tried to keep the interaction as casual as possible. She was just introducing one friend to another. “Colin, this is Jorge.”
“You two work together?” Colin asked.
No shit, Sherlock…
“Yup.”
“Nice to meet you.” Colin smiled, stretching out his hand to Jorge.
“Same.” Jorge glanced at her sideways and, against her best instincts, she gave him a tiny nod.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“See you. Text me when you get home, okay?” Jorge said, giving Colin one last glance before he turned out onto the sidewalk and started walking toward the nearest subway station.
“Look, I’m really sorry I haven’t been very responsive lately. I’ve just had a lot going on with my sister’s wedding coming up and work. But I’m glad you stopped by because I’ve been meaning to call you.”
“That’s good to hear.” Colin flashed a too-bright smile and took a step toward her. She suppressed the urge to step back.
“Well, sort of,” Amanda replied. “Listen, you and I have known each other for a while now and I-”
“Amanda, I know what you’re going to say,” he interrupted. Amanda huffed and rolled her eyes. “But I’d hardly call half a date a fair shot, would you? Why don’t you let me take you out again? We’ll have a proper date and take it from there.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Amanda shook her head. “I just don’t think it’s going to work.”
“You can’t know that. You haven’t even given me a real chance.”
“I’m sorry, but-”
“I don’t think you’re being fair.” The smile was still on his face but his eyes had gone dark and cold. She was beginning to regret letting Jorge go. Colin was really starting to give her the creeps.
She stuck her hands in her pockets and shrugged, making sure that she’d remembered to put the pepper spray she carried into the pocket of her new coat.
“I’m sorry you feel that way.” She covertly positioned the pepper spray in her hand in case she needed to use it.
“Amanda-” Colin took a step forward.
“Sorry, I’m late.”
Amanda’s head whipped around at the sound of a very familiar baritone. Parker walked right past Colin, his stride confident and purposeful and… sweet baby Jesus, sexy as fuck. He was in ripped jeans and a plain white t-shirt with a hoodie thrown on and left unzipped.
He made his way to her side, giving Colin a sidelong glance as he passed him, and put an arm around her shoulders.
She was now presented with two choices, neither of which was ideal. She could either tell Parker to fuck off like she wanted to, or at least about forty percent of her wanted to, and be left alone with Creepy Colin again, or she could play along until Colin got the message and left. Which would leave her alone with Parker “mind-fuck” Hanson.
She was of at least average intelligence and did not have a death wish, so she obviously opted for door number two. Parker might make her crazy, confuse her, frustrate her beyond all reason and also make her want to jump him, but she knew that he wouldn’t hurt her. At least, not physically.
“That’s okay, I haven’t been waiting long,” Amanda said, smiling up at Parker whil
e trying to shoot daggers out of her eyeballs at the same time. “And I ran into Colin so he was just keeping me company.”
“Colin,” Parker said darkly, giving the man no more than a single curt nod by way of acknowledgment. “Thanks for keeping my girl company. Traffic was a bitch and there was construction everywhere. You know how it is. Don’t you, Colin?”
Colin and Parker seemed to have some sort of silent conversation for a few long moments before Colin muttered a few words in parting and took off looking like someone had pissed in his cheerios.
As soon as he was out of sight, Amanda extricated herself from Parker’s arm and took a step back.
“How’d you do that? Is it like a male pheromone thing, or what? You put off some kind of ‘fuck around and find out’ scent that only other men can detect and whoever has the stronger smell comes out the victor?” Amanda mused. She began to pace back and forth across the mouth of the alley trying to get a handle on the situation.
“Amanda-”
“Or do all men just know morse code or something and you just blink at each other to pass messages back and forth until one of you backs down?”
“Amanda-”
“Or is it just a staring contest? It couldn’t be that simple could it?”
“Amanda-”
“No, I know! It’s like those people who can tell when a suspect is lying based on an eyebrow twitch and which way they look when they’re talking, right? What are they called? Micro… something.”
“Amanda-”
“Microexpressions. That’s the word.”
“Amanda,” Parked growled. She stopped and looked at him, surprised not so much by his tone as by how her body had automatically obeyed.
“What? What, Parker? What do you want from me?”
“I just want to talk. I want you to listen to me.” He raised his hands as if to show he wasn’t a threat.
Ha-fucking-ha. That was a good one.
“Fine. Say what you want to say, but hurry up. I’m so fucking tired.” Amanda sighed, crossing her arms and tilting her head back, trying in vain to make out a star, any star, through the haze of city lights. Which was about as futile as this conversation.
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