“Yeah, I don’t do wedding dates, sorry.” Just being honest. I could have said, ‘then I wouldn’t have been able to bag the gorgeous singer all night and this morning’ but I didn’t. She turned back to face the bar, but not before she pouted her extremely plump, over-injected lips. But, man, did they feel good around my cock. More like an honest asshole. “You need another drink, sweetheart?”
“I’m gonna hit the ladies’ room and then I’ll take another one of those yummy rum and Cokes.” She ran her obscenely long nail down my cheek before pressing her lips to mine. “Don’t miss me.” She flipped her streaky blonde hair, straightened her very short skirt, and left me to chug my beer while I admired her fantastic ass wiggle away. The one I would be watching my body slap against in a couple of hours. Ok, total asshole.
I tipped my head back¸ letting the remaining liquid slide down my throat and stuck up my finger to signal the bartender. He raised his brow from across the bar and nodded. He knew what I wanted; I had been coming here for years. It was conveniently located just a block from my apartment, so stumbling home with the chick of the night was easy.
“What’s up, Ash? You aren’t usually here on a Sunday.” Dave took care of business and slid down our drinks.
“My buddy got married last night out on the Cape. Figured I would take advantage of the long weekend since I get to sleep in tomorrow.”
“Nice. Congrats. And I’d be sleeping in if that hot piece of ass was in my bed, too.”
I laughed and raised my beer in acknowledgement. I kept my you-can-have-her-after-tonight comment to myself. I cringed thinking about that look she gave me earlier. It screamed ‘I want a relationship.’ That sucked. She was a good time, especially when we were on the same page. She seemed to have skipped ahead. A relationship was the last thing on my radar. I do drinks. I do dancing, I do gentleman-like things and I fuck—period. Life was short. I wasn’t making any promises I couldn’t keep.
I leaned back and glanced up at the game. No wonder the bar was packed, the Red Sox were on. Too bad they weren’t playing some pinstripes. Depending on my mood, I loved toying with Dave, feigning Yankee loyalty. Truth be told, I preferred sports that raised my pulse more than two beats above baseline. Boxing, football, hockey—hell, even sex. Now those were more my speed. Speaking of hockey, my girl Lil owed me one. She was probably a bigger fan than I was and I made sure Chase came through for her birthday last month with Bruins season tickets. Since he didn’t know the difference, a luxury box it was. God knew the loser could afford it.
We were going to be doing some serious hockey now that they lived in Boston, and more importantly, since Chase was back. His random Philadelphia stint never really made any sense anyway. I got that Boston held some serious baggage. Shit, we all felt that weight. It was a heaviness that never waned. His sister Kimi had been shipped here to rot after the car accident and ultimately left to die. It was brutal. No, it was just wrong. All of it. But even after she passed, Chase stayed to finish med school, residency, and fellowship. He buried himself in a lab and developed a medical device to honor his twin. And I worked my ass off, investing every leftover penny he had from being one of those ‘trust fund’ grandkids to make sure his little project turned into a whole hell of a lot more. As a son of a self-made businessman, that part came easy. Being a newbie junior associate at a leading law firm, not so much. I harassed and picked the brain of every senior tax, patent, real estate, and corporate partner. Not to mention stepping on a shitload of toes along the way. That being said, KimCore Medical stood a half-mile away and was a leading force in traumatic brain injury research.
It was a sick accomplishment for both of us, but I didn’t see it that way. Kimi would have done twice that for any of us, no questions asked, and most likely under the radar. Scratch that, at eighteen, who knew a damn thing about anything? She was all heart and never got a chance to be more. That was a tough pill to swallow, one that still singed the back of my throat, but choked the life out of my best friend until he couldn’t take any more. Thus, the random Philadelphia stint, which turned out to be the best thing for him. He learned to breathe again, and his new air turned out to be pure sweet. I would never say it to him, but Lili reminded me a lot of Kimi. Not in the looks department because that would have been weird and incestuous, but in personality. Lil was all strength, and all about everyone else, making her choice of profession very fitting. Sadly though, like his twin sister, life had dealt his new bride her own shitty hand that robbed her from finishing her masters in social work in Boston. Needless to say, two minutes after Lili woke up from a coma last year, Chase wasted no time burying his demons. He hauled ass back here, determined to give his woman back every lost dream. Lil enrolled in classes right away, Chase took a faculty position at Boston General, and reassumed his position at KimCore. I got my friend back and could finally increase my nightly sleep time back to five hours.
I wasn’t complaining. I didn’t mind looking after his interests in his absence. That company meant just as much to me and I would have repeated it all in a heartbeat. I owed the guy my life. Fortunately, all that toe stepping and brain picking to get KimCore up and running resulted with my name etched in the glass at my own firm. So yeah, it had been a seriously long year juggling all of it, and I was looking forward to having some time to take in a few Bruins games.
I took a pull on my beer as I watched a tall suited guy weasel himself between two hotties. He waved a fifty to get Dave’s attention. Typical Wall Street thinking his shit didn’t stink. Completely oblivious to his surroundings, the girls simultaneously leaned to the side and rolled their eyes. They grabbed their drinks and stalked away.
“Open seat, come sit, Talia, what can I get you? They’re out of Prosecco?”
I crinkled my forehead. He had my attention. That was not a common name and one I had not heard in … um … nineteen years. There was a swarm of people around the bar and I couldn’t get a visual on the woman with that name. I cocked my head to the right and the guy stepped back for her to pass and sit down. Perfect pin-straight, long blonde hair came into my view. No way. I would’ve known that hair anywhere. How lame did that sound?
She whipped around to face him and I choked on my cold lager. I coughed so hard that the asshole next to me actually asked me if I was all right. Fuck. I was not definitely not all right. Talia Prince was here. My Talia Prince, who I hadn’t seen or heard from in years, was sitting a couple bar stools down from me. Holy shit, if guys were allowed to freak out I was totally freaking out. I never thought I would ever lay eyes on her again after everything that went down.
The prick she was with ran a hand down her hair and kissed her cheek. She half smiled up at him and said something. My eyes were too busy drilling a hole in her left ring finger to catch what she said. It was naked and I released that swallowed breath. Wait, how old was I, acting like I was back in high school, wishing and hoping and never claiming?
Her caramel eyes widened slightly. Yeah, she recognized me. Six bar stools away, I saw her breath seize and her jaw clench.
After several long seconds she mouthed, “Asher.”
I smirked and tipped my beer up, totally trying to play the cool guy card. Now who was the loser? Wall Street whispered something in her ear and she nodded. Then the douche kissed her on the lips. My stomach churned. It was probably just a skunked beer.
She looked … she looked like Talia. It was as if time stood still. She was still Talia. Damn, I missed that girl. After the first few years I refused to let myself go there, but I also never thought this day would come. Douche left her side and blurred into the background. Maybe he’d bump into my date and get distracted by her cleavage. I took this as my chance and hopped off my stool to join her.
“Hey, you.”
“Hey. It’s been … a long time.” Her voice was identical to my memory, just tense. She almost looked embarrassed. I could tell I was the last person she expected to see tonight. We both had to be in shock, especially after th
e way things were left between us. I kissed her cheek—how could I not? It was a cheek I’d kissed a million times before. And Jesus, it was so soft. She smelled like a mixture of jasmine and mint. And yes, I deserved that eye roll you just gave me. But hey, I grew up with four women, three of them in my bathroom, and one who taught me the way around a kitchen. I knew my scents. Her face relaxed slightly, but she still forced a tight-lipped smile. All I really wanted to do was squeeze her to my chest and ask where she’d been. Instead, I tightened every muscle to hold back and allowed my eyes to make the infamous downward trek. She was all grown up, trading a ribbed tank and cut offs for a super sexy, sophisticated vibe. Her dark tailored suit was low-cut but not obscene, and her skirt was short but not too short.
My heart, the one that always picked up a couple of beats when she was around, started pounding. “You look incredible. How’ve you been? What brings you to Boston, don’t tell me you live here too?” My need to bombard her with fifty questions was unstoppable.
“I’m good, busy, but good. I’m just in town for a conference.” She broke our eye contact and swirled the straw in her drink. If it wasn’t so damn hot and stuffy in this bar I could’ve sworn her cheeks pinked. She didn’t let the silence linger. “So you live here now? I can’t believe it—Maggie let her prince leave the City?”
The sarcasm earned her a salute from my bottle. “Still funny, I see.” Born and bred New Yorkers couldn’t help being egotistical. It wasn’t our fault; there was only one City. We had that in common. After a quick swallow, I answered, “Moved here for law school.” Half truth. “Guess you can say I never left. But don’t worry, the queen sees her prince plenty.” A quick wink, and yup, she definitely blushed. “What about you, where are you calling home these days?”
Nineteen years of nothing and we were making stupid ass small talk. We were never about small talk. We might as well have been chatting about the fucking weather.
“I’ve been out in San Diego since, you know … I left.”
Yeah, I knew. Like I could ever forget. The summer after high school graduation was supposed to be a million different things for four best friends. It was supposed to be a few carefree weeks to party it up in the Hamptons and gear up for college. Kimi, Talia and I were Duke-bound, while Chase sported Columbia gear. One last summer of band gigs, road trips, and afternoon beach naps. It was supposed to be the summer to learn a little about life. And we did. We learned how unfair life could be, and we learned it the hard way.
The weeks following the accident were a blur. Bad news followed by worse. The driver of the car got lucky. His drunk ass died instantly upon impact with the telephone pole. Kimi, not so lucky. She was left wide awake, trapped in her own body with every muscle paralyzed. But no one figured that last tidbit out until three years later. Instead, we all believed she was permanently comatose. Beyond wretched. We all handled our grief and guilt differently, if you could even say we handled any of it. Five stages my ass, not when you were eighteen. And if we didn’t have enough to deal with, add in Chase’s fucked up parents’ decision to abandon their daughter, both physically and financially. For them, brain-dead equaled waste of time and money. Then Talia’s folks dropped the bomb that they were getting divorced. And to complete our misery, my dad’s only brother and best friend got diagnosed with Alzheimer’s one year to the day we buried my grandfather from the same disease. Yeah, the end of that summer we all struggled to see through the dark fog. My only clarity was the night before I left for college; the night Tal dropped a note with my doorman. I went to Duke solo.
“Cali, huh. Not much to dislike about San Diego. Gorgeous place. I’ve been out there a couple of times over the years.” I was rambling.
“Yeah, kind of hard to get used to this East Coast weather again once you’ve been gone for so long.”
Yup, there it was. We deteriorated to the fucking weather.
No use tiptoeing around the elephant that wasn’t just standing in the room, but directly between us, so I went for it. “Had Chase’s wedding last night on the Cape. He married a great girl and they just moved into Boston.” It was a borderline dick move, but Chase and Talia had their own history, and selfishly I wanted to see her reaction when I said his name.
“Oh, that’s great. You guys still close?” Her expression did not falter. One point: Talia.
“You can say I fulfilled my best man duties.”
Wall Street douche finagled his way between us. “Dr. Pryce, I see you made a friend.” His smug grin turned my stomach.
Hell, he just confirmed she was a doctor and married. I wasn’t surprised. She was a great catch. The bigger issue was what the hell was wrong with my stomach all of a sudden. I was never going to be marriage material to anyone, so why did I care if she was? At least it explained why when I Googled Prince a dozen times or so over the years I found jack shit. He straightened his pansy French cuffs, lifted his wrist just so, and flashed his diamond-studded cufflinks. Loser.
“It’s packed in here, let’s get going.”
She slipped off her stool and was eye to eye with the forever-dubbed douche. I forgot how tall she was, especially in heels. She always had the best legs and ass. I was definitely an ass/leg man. He looped his arm around her waist and she tightened imperceptibly, but I saw it.
“It was really great to see you ... Ash.” Her voice trailed off to a mumble. Something was off. Talia was never shy, not even close. Half the time I was lucky if I got a word in edgewise. And now she was ending our conversation. No introduction to the prick forcing her to leave. No ‘let’s catch up soon.’ Nothing.
“Why so early? Tomorrow’s a holiday.” I wanted her to stay. Of course I did. Missed her was an understatement of the century.
“Huh, a holiday?”
“Columbus Day.”
“Not for us, we have an early day.” At least her smile was back, but I wasn’t feeling the us.
Fuck me if he’s the reason her name’s Pryce.
“Later, bud.” No joke, the douche called me bud. He weaved his fingers through hers, turned toward the crowd and gave her a tug. I rested my back against the bar, rattled off a string of expletives under my breath and watched her slowly disappear. As quickly as she re-entered my life, she was gone again.
“There you are? I’ve been looking all over the place for you.” Randi’s seductive voice reminded me that I was still a horny male. This was the life I chose. And I liked it. I swung my arm around her neck and sucked right below her ear.
“Sorry, sweetheart, ran into an old friend.” I took one last swig and dropped the bottle down, probably harder than I should have. “So what’s it gonna be, your place or mine?” She bit her lip and smiled. We had more in common than I cared to admit. Lucky for me, a good fuck was one of them.
The sun was barely up and I was already antsy, wanting her out of my bed. I hated when they picked my place but that was what I got for offering. Randi’s blonde locks draped across my pillow and her naked body looked so comfortable. I let her sleep.
I threw on some gym shorts, and moments later, held a cup of joe. Last night’s five minute conversation was stuck on repeat while I struggled to flip through the paper. Always stopping on how I ever let Talia walk away again.
“Suzie, hey, it’s Asher,” I whispered into my cell, trying to avoid waking sleeping beauty. I had some heart even if I might break one today.
“Hey, Asher, everything okay? It’s ... um ... really early and I’m off for the holiday, and why the hell are you whispering?”
I glanced at my watch. Oops.
“Shit, Suz, I’m so sorry. I’m such an asshole, you already know that, though. Sorry to call so early, but I need your help.” Suzie, my executive assistant, was my second mother. But not in a weird love-my-son-more-than-life way. That was reserved for Maggie. One of the perks of being the baby, being a boy, and having three older sisters.
“Sure, what’s up? You okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m totally fine. I just need yo
u to look up a Dr. Talia Pryce. Practices in San Diego. Can you shoot me a text as soon as you find something?”
“Hey, baby, the sheets were getting cold.”
My eyes snapped up and so did my very responsive dick to a very hot naked body. Shit.
“Appreciate this, Suz. Got to go.” I clicked off my cell and dropped it on the counter.
“Sweetheart, listen, something came up and I have to head into the office for a couple of hours this morning,” I lied.
“Really? I thought we could spend the day together.”
No, no, no and no. We were teetering on the edge and definitely fell off the same page somewhere after round two last night. Time for this to end.
“Not today.”
She wrapped her arms across her bare chest and followed me back into my room. I willed myself to think of anything but tossing her tight ass back on my bed and banging her hard. Fat and ugly. Dimples and cottage cheese. I turned toward my closet and exchanged my shorts for jeans. I threw some gym clothes in a bag for later. I was definitely hitting the bags tonight.
“Take your time getting ready, shower if you’d like. Just make sure the door locks on your way out.”
She sat at the edge of my bed and I felt her eyes boring into my back. She knew. She wasn’t dumb. She knew my type. A good time. A good lay. On to the next. She screwed my type all the time.
“Later, sweetheart.” I kissed her cheek and made a quick exit. The door was barely closed and a wave of guilt passed over. Sure, I felt bad for letting it get this far with Randi, but she knew what she signed up for. But I couldn’t help but wonder what an old friend would think of my behavior, if she would be disappointed. Shit. I needed to get into my office. Screw that, Suzie had it covered. I needed to hit the bags.
It didn’t take much for the sweat to pour down my face and blood to ooze from my raw knuckles. It was hard to wrap my mind around how one chance encounter after nineteen years could have me so rattled. Those familiar brown eyes brought me straight back home. A place I didn’t frequent. She fell off the face of the earth, magically reappeared, and there was no way in hell she was running away again.
Beautifully Done Page 2
