by E. L. Todd
“I didn’t say that.”
I hated to be rude but I needed to be. I really wanted my script to make it onto HBO. It would be a highlight of my career. But I loved Hazel more. If she were working with someone who was intent on sleeping with her, I wouldn’t want her to be there. And I needed to give her the same respect. “I really appreciate the opportunity, but I’m not comfortable going further in this process.” I took my manuscript back and stood up.
Surprise was on her face. “What?”
I shrugged. “You’re harassing me. I told you I had a girlfriend who I love. If you’re just doing me a favor because you want me to sleep with you, forget it. I don’t want this that badly. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
She sighed then looked out the window. “Flynn, sit down.”
I studied her before I slid back into the booth.
“I’m sorry.” She still didn’t look at me.
Now what?
“I’ve had a thing for you for a long time, but since you were just interested in sleeping around, I didn’t want to get hurt. The fact you have a serious girlfriend makes me a little…jealous. I wish it were me.”
I didn’t know what to say. It was flattering but uncomfortable at the same time. “I never expected to be in a serious relationship. It just happened. I met her and knew I wanted to settle down. In all respect, that never would have happened with you, or anyone else for that matter. I can’t explain it. But I do think you’re a beautiful woman. I’m sure I would have slept with you if I were single.” I knew I needed to say something to help her confidence. I just rejected her and needed to repair that insult.
She reached across the table and grabbed the manuscript. “Can we still work together?”
“As long as you respect my relationship with Hazel.”
“She doesn’t even have to know…”
That just pissed me off. Why would she want to fool around with me if I was cheating on my girl, who was sitting at home waiting for me? What guarantee did she have I wouldn’t do the same to her? “Never gonna happen.” I stopped the anger from escaping my voice. “If you bring it up again, I won’t work with you.”
“Okay,” she said quickly. “I’m sorry.”
I hoped she was sincere. “Okay. Let’s start over.”
She opened the manuscript and we began.
We talked for three hours in the diner. I ordered two coffees and eventually dinner. After the awkwardness finally disappeared, she and I got along just fine. But I did notice the way she looked at me, like she wanted me.
Should I tell Hazel about this? I don’t want her to freak out over nothing. But if she found out some other way, I didn’t want her to stop trusting me because I wasn’t honest with her. Ugh…what do I do?
My phone rang, and I saw Johnny’s name on the screen.
I answered it. “Wad up?”
“Hitting Stellas. You better come.”
I looked at my watch. “I’m almost done here. I’ll meet you in twenty.”
“K.” He hung up.
I put my phone down. “I should probably go. My brain is fried.”
“Me too,” she said with a light smile.
“We can discuss this more in a few days. You want to have dinner at my place?”
She raised an eyebrow. “Do you think that would be appropriate?”
“I have nothing to hide from Hazel.” I stood up then threw the cash on the table with the manuscript under my arm. “I’ll see you later.”
“Bye,” she said to my back as I walked out.
I took a cab to the bar then pulled out my phone.
I’m meeting friends for a drink.
Hazel responded immediately. K. Have fun.
I liked that she didn’t ask me where I was going or who I was with.
When I walked inside, Johnny and Ian were seated in the booth.
“What’s up?” I said as I sat down. I fist pounded both of them then dropped my manuscript on the table.
“How’d it go?” Johnny asked. He sipped his beer and stared at me.
“Good. It was picked up.”
“Awesome,” Ian said.
“Yeah,” I said weakly.
“Why aren’t you more excited?” Johnny asked, giving me a hard look.
“The woman wanted to sleep with me.” I rolled my eyes.
“Oh, poor you,” Ian said sarcastically.
“Shut the hell up,” I said with a laugh. “I wanted to be pursued because of my talent, not how good I am in the sack.”
“In case you didn’t notice we aren’t living in a perfect world,” Johnny snapped.
“Yeah, I’m figuring that out pretty quickly.” I waved down the waitress then ordered a beer.
“Why didn’t you just sleep with her?” Ian asked.
I glared at him. “Because I have a girlfriend.”
“Supposedly.” Johnny shook his head. “I’ve never seen this mysterious girl.”
“She works late most nights,” I explained. “We’re living together.”
“What?” Ian almost spat out his beer. “Are you serious?”
“Yep.” I had no shame.
“And your best bros haven’t met her?” Johnny asked. “She could be psycho or something. How could you do this without our approval first?”
“I think I can make my own big boy decisions,” I said sarcastically. “But thanks anyway.”
“If this girl is as important as you say she is, we should meet her,” Ian said. “What’s she doing now? Invite her.”
That didn’t sound like a bad idea. “Don’t embarrass me.”
“We’re telling her about all the skeletons in your closet,” Johnny threatened.
“Too bad she already knows them all,” I said.
“We’ll see about that.” Johnny drank his beer again.
I pulled out my phone and texted her. My boys want to meet you.
When?
Now.
I’m sorry. I have plans with Cortland…he’s going through a hard time.
I was slightly annoyed but I understood her devotion to him. He really was a wreck. It’s fine. We can reschedule.
Ask them if we can go out tomorrow.
Okay. I will. Where are you guys going?
Dinner.
Ask him to walk you home.
If you knew Cortland better, you would know he would that anyway.
Then give him my gratitude. I put my phone back in my pocket.
“She coming?” Johnny asked.
“No,” I said sadly. “She already has plans. She apologized and asked if we could reschedule.”
“Fine,” Ian said in annoyance. “We’ll reschedule. I need to see this girl who has you so pussy-whipped.”
“You’d have to see her pussy to understand why,” I said.
Johnny shrugged. “I’m down for that.”
I glared at him.
“Kidding,” he said with a smile.
“So, she’s the real deal?” Ian asked. “Like, marriage and shit real?”
“Yes,” I said. I knew my friends thought I was a pussy.
“Damn, she must be a supermodel,” Ian said.
My friends were superficial. And I admit I used to be too. “To me she is.”
“Are you going to propose soon?”
“No,” I said. “We’ve only been together for a few months. I’m really happy with her but I don’t want to rush it. I really love what we have.”
“That’s code for you don’t know if she would say yes,” Johnny teased.
Actually, that was true. “I guess I’ll find out eventually.”
“She got any cute friends?” Ian asked.
“Actually, all of her friends are really beautiful.”
Johnny rubbed his hands together greedily. “Yes.”
“But most of them aren’t single. They are married or engaged.”
Ian cringed. “Damn.”
“Wait,” Johnny said. “You said most. Who’s single?”
/>
Technically Monnique was, but she wasn’t…in a way. “Her name is Monnique.”
“Monnique,” Johnny said slowly. “I like that name. Bring her around and introduce us.”
Uh…I didn’t know about that. Cortland was pretty sprung on her. “She just got out of a relationship. She’s not dating material.”
“That’s fine with me,” Johnny said.
“I can’t do that,” I said.
Johnny glared at me. “Share the wealth. At least tell me what she looks like.”
“Actually, I have a picture.” I opened my phone and looked through the pictures. I took a lot at Mike’s engagement party. “Here.” I handed it to them.
“Which one is she?” Johnny asked.
“Hazel is the blonde one. Monnique is the other.”
Ian’s eyes widened. “Dude, that girl is ridiculously hot. What is she? She’s like Native American and Mexican.”
“Brazilian,” I answered.
“Dude, hook me up,” Ian blurted.
“I can’t. Her ex is Hazel’s best friend. I can’t do that to him,” I said.
“What if we just bumped into her on accident…?” Johnny asked.
These guys were not going to give up.
Johnny looked at the phone again. “That’s Hazel?”
“Yeah,” I answered.
“Wow. She’s cute too,” Johnny said.
I glared at him.
“Hey, I kept that PG,” Johnny said.
I snatched the phone back. “You two are dogs.”
Ian barked like a dog. “Arf arf.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure Monnique will like that.”
“I know what the girls like,” Ian said confidently.
I stuffed my phone back into my pocket.
“Flynn?”
I turned to the person who approached our table. My eyes widened when I saw Zahara. What are the odds of that? “Hey.”
She wore a yellow dress that accentuated her skin perfectly. The two colors contrasted well. A white gold necklace was around her neck. “What are you up to?”
“Oh. My boys and I were just drinking.”
She smiled, her white teeth showing. “Jasmine and I are doing the same.”
“Cool.” She and I usually exchanged a few words but never went into detail about our lives or anything else. We only said hi and bye. That’s it. Now I waited for her to walk away.
“Flynn’s girlfriend and her friends are hot as shit and he won’t introduce us to them,” Johnny blurted. He was already drunk.
“Girlfriend?” Her eyebrows furrowed.
I rolled my eyes. “They won’t leave me alone about this.”
“You have a girlfriend?” She seemed shocked.
“Yeah, we’ve been dating for about three months.” I’m not sure why I needed to explain that to her.
“Oh.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “The last I heard you weren’t seeing anyone…”
Ian glared at me. “Because he’s kept her a secret. We haven’t even met her yet.”
“She’s not a secret,” I snapped. “Our schedules just haven’t lined up.”
“But her Brazilian friend is single, hot, and trying to get over her ex,” Johnny said. “And he still won’t help a brother out.”
Zahara wasn’t listening to them. “Is it serious?”
Why was she so interested? I’ve never shown any interest in anyone she was seeing. I’ve never even asked her about it. It was none of my business. Like I said, we were friendly, not friends. “We live together.”
“Oh.” She didn’t overtly react but a small explosion happened in her eyes. After being with her for three years, I understood her reactions on an innate level. It was hard for her to hide from me. I wasn’t exactly sure what she was thinking, but I knew the revelation was displeasing to her.
Johnny and Ian kept glancing back and forth between us, watching our reactions to each other. I felt like I was on a soap opera.
“Do you love her…?”
That was a stupid question. “I wouldn’t be living with her if I didn’t…” Seriously, what the hell was going on? She and I had been nothing but distant friends for years. Now she cared about my personal life? I knew she wasn’t ignorant to the fact that I slept around. And she was the one who ultimately ended the relationship. Why would she care?
“Yeah.” She shook her head in embarrassment. “I guess that was a stupid question.”
A little…
“Um…I’ll let you get back to…whatever you were doing.” Without saying goodbye, she walked out. Her friend watched her leave the bar, a confused look on her face.
“What the hell was that?” I asked.
“You really don’t know?” Johnny looked smug. “Now look who’s dumb.”
I still wasn’t following.
“She’s totally pissed that you’re in a serious relationship with someone else,” Ian said. “She wants you to be heartbroken over her forever.”
“But we’ve been broken up for years,” I said.
“That doesn’t matter,” Johnny said. “When you were sleeping around she knew you were still hurting over her, but now you’re happy and committed to this new girl. She doesn’t like being replaced.”
This all sounded far-fetched. But her behavior was odd. “Meaning?”
Ian clanked his glass against mine. “She wants you back.”
5
Sean
I bought more pregnancy sticks on the way home. The cashier recognized me from last time. She probably thought I was a scared husband who wasn’t ready for a baby. Little did she know it was exactly the opposite.
When I walked inside, the smell of the kitchen came to my nose. Every evening, she had dinner ready by the time I walked through the door. The house was clean, and my wife wore a catfish apron. It was exactly what I wanted, a housewife to come to every night. Technically, she worked and took care of her own editing company, but I was glad she stayed home. It worked out for both of us. She kept her independence and I got to keep my wife at home. It was a win-win.
I took off my jacket and loosened my tie. I hated wearing it.
“Hubby, is that you?” Scarlet called from the kitchen.
Hubby. I liked that name. “Yes.”
She came out of the kitchen wearing the catfish apron.
I eyed it. “Are you trying to turn me on?”
“This is definitely not how I would go about it.”
My hand circled her waist. “How about your take off this dress but leave the apron on…?”
“Sean Preston, you’re a sick bastard.”
“What?” I said with a laugh. “I like it when you wear it.”
“There’s nothing sexy about it.”
“You make it sexy.”
“Well, that’s a nice compliment.” She gave me a gentle kiss and pulled away.
“Do you need to pee?”
Her eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Excuse me?”
I picked up the bag. “Pregnancy tests,” I explained.
She rolled her eyes. “Sean, stop bugging me to take one every day. It’ll happen when it’s meant to.”
“But I don’t get it. I’ve been fucking you like crazy.”
“You can’t force it.”
“Pee on the stick then we’ll go upstairs and try again.”
“Was that supposed to turn me on?” she asked sarcastically.
“I’ll turn you on.” I grabbed her by the arm and pulled her upstairs.
“Sean, I’m sore.” She tore her arm away. “I need a break.”
“Oh.” I faced her, feeling like shit. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“It’s not a big deal,” she said. “But I…me and my lady parts need a break.”
I was an insensitive jerk. “Baby, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she said quickly. “It’s really not a big deal. I’ll be ready to go at it again tomorrow.”
I pulled her close to me a
nd kissed her forehead. “Then it’s time for a back massage.”
“A back massage? You’re the one who worked all day.”
“You work too.”
“I sit at a desk all day and make dinner after Olga leaves. Not really.”
“But you make me the happiest guy in the world. And you deserve to be rewarded for that.”
“Well, I don’t do much.”
“Because you’re a natural.” I pulled her into our bedroom then undressed her. After she was on her stomach, I rubbed her shoulders and back. I immediately got hard at the sight of her back and ass. But I didn’t make a move.
She moaned quietly while I rubbed her. That wasn’t helping. “Sean?”
“I prefer hubby.”
“Please stop buying pregnancy tests. You’re putting too much pressure on me…”
My hands stilled.
“I already feel horrible that I lost our baby, and not being able to get pregnant again makes me feel worse.”
I lay beside her and turned her so she faced me. “I’m sorry. I was being insensitive.”
She rested her hand against my chest but didn’t speak.
“Baby, I love you for you. I want to have a baby, but if it doesn’t happen for us, that’s okay.”
“But I know how much you want one…”
“I want you more,” I said firmly. “I’ve been going overboard with this whole thing and I’m sorry. Honestly, if it doesn’t happen for us, I’m okay with that. But I’m not okay with losing you. So, please don’t feel bad. I’ll be better on my end.”
“Okay.” She pressed her face close to mine and released the breath she was holding. “I really do want to have a baby.”
“I know you do.” I ran my fingers through her hair while I stared at her face. “Next time we make love, it’ll be for us.”
“Really?”
I nodded.
“That will be nice.”
“I’ll even pull out just to prove it.”
She cringed. “I’d rather you come inside me. It feels better anyway.”
“Good. I prefer it too.” I held my wife for a long time until her stomach rumbled. “Hungry?”
“You know me.”
“Let’s eat dinner.”
We walked back downstairs and sat down together. She made fish with greens. She’d been eating healthier since we started trying to conceive. It worked out better for me anyway. I tried to retain my size and weight as much as possible. I knew my wife liked my body.
