Back To Good

by Laura Benson

  Before shutting the car off, Matthew turned to me. “We really should tell him, Charlie. He has every right to know what is going on with us.”

  I bit my lip, trying to come up with the words I knew wouldn’t make either man happy. “I know, Matthew, I really do. I just don’t think Joey is in the right frame of mind to accept a relationship between the two of us right now.” He held a hand up to interrupt me. “We both have to do what is right by him. He’s your boss and I know that he won’t take it lightly. Just hold off for now, okay?”

  Separating ourselves, I exited the car with a deepened flush on my face.

  Thankfully, the restaurant was gloriously free of any cameras, paparazzi, and annoying fans. There were a few people having lunch and thankfully they kept to themselves. For a hole in the wall, the food was remarkably good. I had the same thing I’d had before, and Joey went for the lamb kabobs with a yogurt sauce. Once I ordered the falafel, I started to regret my food choice. I knew it would sit heavily in my stomach.

  Once we were all seated with food in front of us, we dug in in silence. From time to time, I’d catch Matthew looking at Joey as if he wanted to confront him with something. Once Matthew would look my way, I’d shake my head slightly. We didn’t need a meltdown in the middle of a restaurant. Joey kept his eyes on his plate, not once looking up until he grabbed his bottle of water to take a sip. But his shoulders were hunched and tight, and I knew that something was going on with him.

  After wiping his chin, he set his drink down and spoke, “I’m not sure what’s going on, here, but I feel like I’m the third wheel.” Joey looked to me. “Is there something going on between you two?”

  I shook my head. “We’re concerned for you, Joey. Matthew got you out of your contract, but you need to be more even more focused and clear-headed starting up your own record company. People will depend on you to teach and show them the way.”

  I noticed Joey’s hands were white knuckling the table, and his left knee was bouncing erratically. Matthew leaned back and looked to be waiting for something to happen. I know I was deflecting the original question, but I just couldn’t face Joey knowing that I was falling in love with his best friend.

  I looked at Matthew who had a passive look about him. If I was correct, he was trying to come up with words to soothe Joey and yet, let him know that he knew what was going on.

  “I really appreciate your concern, Charlie. And I admit that I’ve done some really stupid things in the past. But I don’t see how it’s any of your concern.” He turned to me and came within inches of my face. “In fact, I’m not sure what you’re still doing here. I’m no longer with the label, so your job should be done by now. So I’m kind of confused why my best friend and my ex-girlfriend seem to be ever-so-friendly.” Joey’s face started turning various shades of red. “So my question to the both of you is this: What the fuck is going on?”

  Matthew balled up his napkin and tossed it beside his plate. With hands up in a placating motion, he gave Joey a hard look. “First of all, you don’t talk to her that way. She has worked above and beyond to help you get your shit together. You don’t treat her with any less respect that she deserves.”

  Joey’s eyes blazed with anger. “Since when do you care how Charlie is treated? I remember you weren’t Mr. Nice guy to her during high school. In fact, I seem to recall you were constantly trying to get me to dump her.” he pushed a finger in my direction.

  I took in several deep breaths. Matthew’s hand squeezed my knee below the table, but I could see his other hand was balling into a fist. This lunch was going in the wrong direction quickly and I wasn’t sure if I was strong enough to just stop this charade with Matthew and just tell Joey that I wanted to try out a relationship with Matthew. Before I could even say a word, Joey was towering over us. Joey looked again between Matthew and me and I could tell his anger was palpable.

  “Are you two fucking each other?” Joey shot at us with a bitter laugh.

  I set my fork down quietly and stared at Joey. From the corner of my eye, I could see Matthew seething from Joey’s tone. I’m pretty sure Joey got his answer when I closed my eyes and inhaled a deep breath to slow my erratic heart.

  “I don’t fucking believe this. My girl and my fucking best friend?”

  Joey started pushing away from the table, when I finally spoke. “I haven’t been your girl for a long time, and what goes on in my life is really none of your business anymore. You decided that when you started cheating on me.”

  “So this is it, I guess?” Joey asked.

  Matthew answered before I could. “This is what, Joe?”

  Joey ignored him still staring at me. “As we’re no longer associated with the record label, I guess your business with me is over, right? Shouldn’t you be heading back to Phoenix, where you belong?” The sneer in his voice and the look on his face made it appear that I was the last person in the world he wanted to be around. Matthew forcefully stood from the table.

  “It’s not so cut and dry, Joey,” Matthew interrupted while he looked down at me and gave me a small grin. “I’m thinking of bringing Charlie along with us. Hiring her as a permanent rep. for the new label.”

  Joey snickered out loud, while I shot a shocked look at Matthew. We hadn’t discussed anything like this, and he knew I didn’t like being blindsided. Although, watching Joey laugh without humor hurt my heart.

  Looking at the irony of the whole picture, blindsided-ness seemed to be the theme today at lunch.

  “I can’t leave my job with my dad, Matthew.”

  Matthew looked down at me. “It’s just a thought I had percolating in my head. Let’s just talk things through before we make a permanent decision.”

  Joey’s eyes narrowed as he heard Matthew’s murmurs. “What makes you think I want her along?” It was the scorn that everyone in the restaurant heard. People stopped eating, watching our table intently. I’d hoped nobody recognized Joey. I really didn’t need another press mess on my hands. I’d been crumbling my napkin in my hands, and it was nearly a tattered mess. “So was this the plan all along, Matty? You’d steal my girl from me and then we’d all live happily ever after? Is this what you thought?”

  “First of all, this discussion is over. I’m not discussing anything that goes on between me and Charlie. Second, she is not your girl anymore. That ship sailed. So get a grip on reality as we see it. Not what you see.” Matthew’s voice was deadly quiet, but I could tell the two guys were sizing each other up, and, I didn’t need a full-on fight to happen.

  “The two of you are being ridiculous. I don’t belong to anyone, and I’m not anyone’s girl. So if you two want to punch each other silly, then go right ahead, but I’m leaving.” I tossed the tattered napkin on the table and walked out of the restaurant before any more of a scene happened. I knew that this was going to be a mess, and although my feelings for Matthew were deep, knowing that I was hurting Joey hurt me, as well. We’d always had a good relationship prior to his cheating. It was never my intention to do something like this.

  I stood outside after calling a cab to pick me up. Within minutes of my leaving the restaurant, Joey bounded out practically knocking me over, yet he said nothing and continued down the street. Matthew was just behind him.

  “Well that went well.” He chuckled

  I rolled my eyes as I pushed on his chest. “Matthew, it wasn’t supposed to happen this way.” I cried.

  “He’ll be fine, Charlie.”

  “I’m not so sure about that,” I muttered. “There’s my cab.” I started to move as Matthew grabbed my elbow, twisting me to him, but I stopped him from speaking. “I need to be alone and think about things, Matthew.” I could tell he wasn’t happy I was leaving, but I really did need to sort out my thoughts and figure out a way to ease Joey into my relationship with Matthew.

  Since leaving the restaurant a few days ago, we hadn’t heard from Joey. It was like he just disappeared into thin air. Matthew had called around his house, and I checked
the bar that he frequented. I’d even tried Clara, but she hadn’t heard from him since the concert. To say I was overly concerned would be an understatement. I was scared for Joey.

  I was still trying to mend fences with the record label and my dad, but I was failing miserably in that. Dad yelled and shouted at me through the phone as I tried to explain the situation that Joey was missing, I wasn’t going anywhere. Both Matthew and I had tried every contact we had to try to find him, but when he didn’t want to be found, he made sure no one knew where he was.

  “What if he left the country?” I asked as I walked into Matthew’s office.

  “Morning to you too, Charlie,” he quipped.

  I plopped down into the chair in front of his desk. Between the two of us, and the bags under our eyes, we hadn’t been getting much sleep. Matthew took a sip of his coffee while I salivated at it. Should’ve stopped to get coffee before coming in. He watched me with humor as I licked my lips while staring at his coffee.

  “Did you want a sip?” he held the mug out to me. Taunting me.

  “No, thank you. You put sugar in your coffee.”

  As he set the cup down, I could see the frown lines furrowing his brow. “Why do you think he left the country?”

  “Where else could he have gone? We’ve searched high and low, up and down California, and he’s not here. He’s not back in Phoenix. It’s the only thing I could come up with.”

  Matthew nodded his head. “I’m not saying that it’s not possible, but I really think he’s here just laying low. He’ll come out of his rabbit hole when he wants to. He needs time to think.” He looked at me pointedly when he said that last line. I knew Joey needed time to process everything. But I was still allowed to worry considering he could be a walking time bomb when he wanted. “As for thinking, have you been thinking?”

  This time he’d gotten up from behind his desk and walked to where I was sitting. Offering me his hand, he pulled me against him. I could feel every hard plane of his chest. My softness against his hardness. His lips nuzzled my neck as an unwanted moan escaped from me.

  “I burn for you, Charlie. One night with you was not enough. I need more.” The passion burned in his eyes as he lowered his mouth to greet mine. Like the greedy person I was, I accepted him wholly. No pretenses. Our tongues stroked each other erotically. I found myself falling into the abyss that was Matthew, and I didn’t want to climb out without him.

  His lips trailed longingly down my neck to my shoulders, stopping just above my breasts which were heaving as if I was being held captive by a very gorgeous, very sexual pirate. Matthew’s darkened look was devouring me from head to toe. His hands were tightly on my hips, his swollen erection painfully stabbing into my belly. I could’ve told him that he was melting the panties right off me, but we couldn’t go that far in here. Too many people around and well, it was just a no.

  “Matthew, we have to stop,” I said softly as he was kneeling down to kiss my stomach.

  He looked up at me with pleading eyes. I knew what he wanted, and yes, yes, I wanted it too. But not here. Not this way. I shook my head and backed slowly away.

  “I’m going to have the biggest fucking erection all day long today because of you,” he said as he tried to straighten himself in his pants. Matthew ran both hands down either side of my hair to my shoulders until he reached my hands and held them lovingly in his. “What the hell are you doing to me,” he said as he brought my hands to his lips.

  “I’m sorry?”

  He chuckled, but still held fast to me. “Come home with me tonight, Charlie. Let me love you the way you deserve to be loved.”

  I closed my eyes and tried to forget what it was like in Matthew’s bed. How he knew exactly what I needed and when. He played my body like a finely tuned instrument, and I thrummed with desire.

  Instead of a moan, I groaned. “We can’t, Matthew. It’s not fair to him.” I saw the desire he felt for me completely turn to darkness, and he dropped my hands unceremoniously. He walked to the window looking outside at the busy street below.

  “Dammit, Charlie. I need you and I know that you need me just as much.” He raked his hands through his hair so it was standing on end. Yet, it only added to the sexy allure he radiated all the freaking time. I came up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist.

  Leaning into his back, I said, “Matthew, I want you so badly, I can taste it. But we have to be sensible. We’ve already hurt him once; I don’t want to do anything else that will push him over that precarious edge he’s on.”

  I smoothed my hands up and down his back, grabbing his shoulders to turn him around. My hands found their way to his face, and I stood on tiptoes to give him a lingering kiss on the lips. “We’ll figure this out. I know we will.”

  Matthew wrapped me up into his arms. “I know, baby. I know, but it’s driving me crazy not having you in my bed, in my life, my world. I’m at peace when I’m with you.”

  My focus for the rest of the day was shot to hell. With Matthew down the hall and my lustful thoughts invading my thoughts constantly, I didn’t get anything productive done. Tapping my pen against the desk was the only thing holding me together and stopping me from sexually assaulting Matthew. He’d known exactly what he was doing in his office, and I was suffering the consequences.

  A few hours of staring at the wall, and my phone thankfully rang.

  “This is Charlie.”

  The sound on the other end was tinny and was breaking up.

  “Charlie, it’s Clara,” she said on the tinny end.

  My eyebrows shot up when she gave me her name. She was the last person I expected.

  “Hey, Clara, what’s up?”

  “I think I found what you’re missing?” She sounded a bit frustrated now. I could hear her talk to someone on her end, but couldn’t quite make out what was being said.

  “You found Joey?” I cried.

  “Well, he kinda found me. He’s in really bad shape. He’s in the break room at the record store and, I didn’t know who else to call and didn’t have Matthew’s number.”

  “No, no. That’s fine. Matthew and I will come right away. When you say bad shape? What exactly do you mean?”

  I heard her take a deep breath and sigh, loudly. “Completely plastered. Not sure if he’s got something else going on, but he was scaring my customers. I almost called the cops on him, but figured something must be going on for him to be this way and to shop up here.”

  I nodded my head to no one. “Clara, I can’t thank you enough for not calling the cops. I’ll get Matthew, and we’ll come and get him. Can you give him some water or coffee?”

  “Yeah, we’ve already been on that. Trying to get some food into him, too.”

  I knew I liked Clara. Once I hung up with her, I hightailed it down to Matthew’s office. His door wasn’t shut all the way, but I could hear that he was on the phone. I knocked one and stuck my head in. Waving his fingers, I softly entered the office and sat down.

  Matthew’s voice was terse and cold. He was talking to someone, and he wasn’t happy about it. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long for him to end the call.

  “Clara has Joey.”

  Matthew twisted his lips to my news. “Okay…” he drawled.

  I rubbed my forehead, trying to stop the headache that was slowly forming. “He’s drunk and was scaring off her customers. We have to go get him.”

  “Shit,” Matthew said as he scrubbed his hands over his face. I just nodded my head. I knew exactly what he was feeling because I felt the same way. “Well, let’s get going.” Matthew grabbed his keys from the desk and tucked his wallet into his jeans. As hard as it was, I tried to not look at his ass, but I failed.

  In the break room of the Hi-Fi Record Shoppe there was a small loveseat. On that loveseat was an overgrown, extremely smelly – drunk. There was a wastebasket filled with toxic waste at the head of it. I could barely stay in the room for the stench.

  “Sorry, it’s bad. I didn’t know
what to do, and I was minutes from calling an ambulance for him. He’s been muttering things, but I can’t understand a word,” Clara said softly, biting on her thumbnail. Not looking at Matthew or me, her focus was all for Joey.

  Matthew rubbed his forehead. “It’s never been quite as bad as this. Thank you, Clara for everything, we both appreciate this.” Matthew pointed to the both of us before he stepped outside to make a call. Because of the stench, both Clara and I followed.

  I stopped Clara from following Matthew. “You care for him.” It was more of a pronouncement than a question.

  Clara laughed softly. “He’s a good guy and a good friend. I’ve had friends like that, and he’s hurting. I’m not sure what is going on between the three of you, but Joey is hurting. Badly.”

  I frowned slightly at her words. “Clara, I’m not sure what to do or how to handle this.”

  She nodded her head. “Maybe it’s time to make that clean break. He’s done with his label?” I was surprised that she knew about that and wondered just how much Joey had told her. “Your job here is done?” she turned her head toward Matthew who started walking toward us. “He’s the reason you’re still here?”

  I turned toward Matthew, and the effect he had on me was immediate. My body zinged as he came closer. He looked bereft, but maybe a tiny bit hopeful.

  Matthew’s shadow fell on Clara, and she looked up at him. I knew she could see the sexual energy between the two of us. “I’ve called a car to get him home.” He handed me the keys to his car. “I’ll go with him, you take my car and get yourself back to the hotel. Okay?” he leaned down, grazed my ear sensually, and whispered, “I’ll get him settled and sobered up, and I’ll come back to you, okay?”