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"Jeezus, you've got to start from scratch then."
I filled the coffee maker and pushed the extra strong brew button. "Or I could just, as you said, stay holed up here in my beach house, drinking and fucking until all the money runs out and my will to live goes with it."
"Fuck that. As your twisted old pop would say—stop feeling sorry for yourself. What happened to the crazy ass idea you had back at Fantasm the night you got canned? You were going to whip yourself into shape with some major self-denial."
"Is it all right if I use your shower?" an airy voice called from the hallway. The blonde with the tattoo was standing in the doorway holding my shirt in front of her naked body.
"Sure thing," I answered. Jack and I both watched as she turned around and walked away.
"Was that a dragonfly?" Jack asked.
"Yep."
He twirled back around on the stool. "Seems to me you are doing the exact opposite of your initial plan. Instead of self-denial, you are going full self-gratification. How many other women are hibernating in that big bed of yours?"
I shrugged. "Last I counted, there was one more. And that plan I had sounded fucking insane an hour after we left the strip club. I'll get my act together soon."
"Is that coffee I smell?" an unfamiliar voice popped up over the back of the living room sofa. A face with long dark lashes and curly brown hair popped up after it.
The woman peered at us. "Ooh, aren't you two a nice sight to see in the morning," she quipped before dropping back down. "Let me know when the coffee's done," she called.
Jack shot me a well-deserved judgmental scowl. "Apparently, you forgot how to count. Seriously, buddy, you're like a fucking runaway train. Put on the brakes before you careen off the tracks for good."
"Again with the stupid analogies."
"And you know I'm spot on with all of them. What about that dancer, Shay? She's still there. I was just in Fantasm a week ago. She twirled across stage and everyone went nuts."
I shook my head. "It was a crazy idea. Enough about my life, what have you been up to?" I poured myself some of the freshly brewed coffee. It slightly dulled the pain in my head. I pointed to the pot of coffee, but Jack shook his head.
"I'm dating someone," Jack announced suddenly. "It's only been three weeks, but I think I might have stumbled onto the real thing this time."
I nearly spit out my mouthful of coffee with a laugh. "Bullshit."
Footsteps carried our attention to the living room. The woman on the couch had strategically placed a pillow over her bare breasts and in front of her pussy. She surveyed the room as she headed toward the kitchen. "Has anyone seen my panties?"
Jack picked up the pair he had dropped on the floor on the toe of his shoe. He dangled them in the air. "Do these look familiar?"
She twirled her mouth as if she was trying to decide if they were hers. "I think I was wearing blue last night."
"Try the bedroom," I suggested. "And the coffee is ready."
"Thanks." She deftly moved the pillow from her pussy to her naked bottom as she turned to walk down the hall.
Jack chuckled. "I guess she's modest. Who is she?"
"No fucking clue."
"Christ, Nash, what the hell are you doing? You could be inviting some psycho into your place, like that character in Fatal Attraction, the crazy woman who cooked the rabbit."
"I don't have any pet rabbits." After the coffee, my stomach was churning more toward hunger than nausea. I pulled a loaf of bread out of the pantry.
"Anyhow, I was telling you about Rylie."
I stuck a slice in the toaster. "Who's Rylie?"
"The woman I'm dating. She's a tax accountant, and she is fucking amazing. I think I'm in love. You should try it sometime. Oh wait, I forgot your dad programmed emotional attachments out of you."
"You're a regular comic this morning. And don't be too much of a big shot yet about your supposed relationship. You just got done telling me that you were in Fantasm a week ago. Or did you just go there for the cheap beer?"
"Things were kind of new then."
"Not like now, a week later."
"Stop turning this back to me. I'm just hoping that maybe someday magic will happen, and you'll become a real boy, Pinocchio. You might meet someone who secures your heart and pulls you out of this fucked up fog. In the meantime, you should get that business going, even if it means starting at square one."
"Secure my heart? Sometimes it seems like you don't know me at all." My phone vibrated on the counter. I was glad for the diversion from Jack's long lecture. I picked it up and read the text. "Shit, I guess today is Tuesday."
