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I puffed out a laugh. “You need a break, bro? You’re turning a shade of red I don’t think I’ve ever seen before.”
He scowled, swinging his fist clumsily at me. I dodged it with a hearty laugh and he muttered, “Yeah, yeah. Tease me if it makes you feel better.” Wiping sweat from his forehead, we ran on as he gestured to his entire body. “You’re just jealous you don’t have all of this.” He grinned then. “Jealousy is a fickle emotion, Quinn.”
My feet slowed, and as my quick stride turned to a walk, I felt the burn in my legs. Sometimes it’s harder to stop than to keep going. Huffing and puffing, I placed my hands on my hips and walked on the spot, trying to ease the stinging through my legs. I chanced a look at Harry, who had doubled over, hands to his knees, looking about ready to pass out. He looked up at me. “How far was that?”
I fiddled around with my fancy wristwatch fitness do-dad. “Two miles.”
His eyes held a look of disbelief. “That’s it? Two freaking miles? I feel like I’m dying, for Christ’s sake!” He groaned. “Pathetic. Completely pathetic.”
I straightened then slapped his back. “A few more weeks of this and you’ll see; it’ll get easier.” He gave me a look and I pinned him with my stare. “What’s wrong with you? This shit used to come easy. You worked out more than I did!”
Harry’s face lost all expression, so when he muttered, “I hate my job,” I was definitely surprised.
“What?” I asked in disbelief.
He walked along the footpath and stated once more, “I hate my job.”
Immediately, I thought of his sudden need to get back into shape. “Wait. Are you telling me you’re thinking of getting back in the game?”
He shrugged lightly, but avoided my scrutinizing gaze. “Maybe. So what?”
“So what?” I gaped. “So what?” I stood on the spot, shaking my head in incredulity. “What brought on this sudden change?”
I sat on the closest bench. Harry followed suit. “I’m done with bartending. Hell, I fuck all these women, night after night. It doesn’t mean a damn thing. I make them come every damn time. I use my old tricks, every single one.” He looked into my eyes meaningfully. “I work them like an escort, Quinn.”
“But what you told me…about that woman…” Harry trained his eyes on his feet, his jaw ticking. I uttered a hushed, “You said you loved her, bro.”
He barked out a harsh, uncharacteristic laugh. “Yeah, well, loneliness can do that to a person.” He looked out into the distance, all but scowling at a happy couple walking hand-in-hand. “Forget everything I said about love. I don’t even know what love is.” A poker face took over and he smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “May as well get paid to do something I love.”
“Meaningless fucking is something you love?” I asked slowly, skeptically.
“Sure,” he replied without meaning, then added on a whisper, “Why not?”
It was close to midnight when I picked up my phone and dialed the number.
She answered a soft “Hey, you,” and I knew I hadn’t woken her. I was glad that the previous night’s adventure hadn’t embarrassed her, but something was off.
“Hey, yourself, Wonder Woman.” I paused, adding a mildly concerned, “I didn’t expect you to be up. What’s wrong? You sound sad.”
Her voice shook in amusement. “Why would you call if you thought I wouldn’t answer?”
I walked into my room and out onto the open patio overlooking the ocean. “I laugh in the face of conventionality.” She chuckled and it soothed my need to offer her some form of comfort. “What’s wrong, Maya?”
She sighed. “I had a run-in with my boss.”
“Really? Tell me about it.”
“It’s such a long story, Quinn. I can’t be bothered reliving it.”
I put on a mock-pout. “And I thought we were friends.”
She sighed and I knew she was rolling her eyes at me. “Okay, fine. My screeching banshee boss made today interesting. So she calls me into her office and tells me without blinking a lash that if I ever screw her husband, she’ll ruin me.”
My mouth gaped. “What? She can’t do that!”
Maya scoffs, “Oh. It gets worse.”
“Worse?” I question.
“Worse,” she confirms. “Yesterday afternoon, as I was leaving the office, my other boss stopped me, asking to use my pass. I mean, he’s my boss! Of course I’m going to let him into the building. So I go up with him while he looks for whatever it is he’s looking for then we both leave. That’s it!” She sighs. “I got called into her office today. She almost fired me.”
She sounded so wounded that I wanted to reach into the phone and cradle her in my arms until she felt better. “I’m sorry, Maya. That blows. What now?”
“Well,”—I heard her smile—“I told her if she was going to punish me for something I hadn’t done, I’d get lawyers involved.”
My brows lifted and my lips pursed in pride. “No shit? That’s some quick thinking, girl. Good job. I hope she backed down.”
“She did, but something tells me this is far from over.” She paused only to add quietly, “It’s like she sucks the life out of the environment around her. She’s so bitter that she wants everyone else to be bitter so her bitter ass will have company.”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed then added teasingly, “You sound stressed. You know what you need?”
She cut me off with a warning, “Quinn.”
My shoulders shook in silent laughter as I added innocently, “I was going to say a bath! Geez, woman. Get your mind out of the gutter. Filthy, dirty girl.”
“I should probably go to bed.” I’d heard that smile a lot. I desperately wanted to see it.
Three more days.
I absently scratched my arm. “Yeah, me too. Night, Maya.”
Her soft yet husky voice was sure to give me good dreams. “Night, Spiderman.”
I slept peacefully that night, and good dreams were had.
Chapter Twenty
Mia
Thankfully, Friday passed without incident.
Ella and I made excellent progress on the desperate and dateless ball. It was exciting to know this would be my first event as an event manager. It meant I would be in charge and on my lonesome with my headset and clipboard. Ella had already given me the rundown and told me if I get stuck that I could call her any time of the night. The event was to officially last until midnight, but the radio station wanted to keep it going until two a.m. Addison had already told me I would only be on the clock until the clock struck twelve¸ but gave strict orders that I was not to leave the premises until the last patron had exited.
That was fine by me. I didn’t mind sticking around. I dragged my tired ass home around seven p.m. and didn’t even bother stopping home before I knocked on the apartment door across from me.
Bill answered smiling then, taking one look at me, his smile fell and he raised his arms, somehow knowing exactly what I needed. I wrapped my arms around his waist and his strong arms held me. He stroked my hair and without removing himself from around me, walked us inside and shut the door.
Terry, who was cooking, called out from the kitchen, “Wassup, ho?” Too busy basking in the warmth of Bill’s body, I did not answer. Which got me a barked, “Yo! Ho!” When I hadn’t answered a second time, a hand at my back and a softly spoken, “Ho?” by my ear made me bury myself deeper into Bill.
“I hate my boss,” I mumbled into his tee.
Terry wrapped his arms around the both of us in a group hug, surrounding me in friendship and support. My chest grew warm and I basked in the glow. Ten minutes—and a Cosmo—later, I sat on the sofa, snuggled up to my two favorite guys. We watched ridiculous reality TV shows while Terry fed me expensive chocolates.
Not so bad as far as Friday nights go.
Incessant knocking at my door woke me, along with the yelling, “Get your ass up, Mia!”
Without acknowledging the knockee, I threw a pillow over my
head and groaned. But the knocking did not cease. Dragging myself out of bed, I stumbled out of my bedroom and unlocked my front door. As soon as the latch clicked over, the door was thrown open and Terry strode inside. On the way, he handed me a glass of something frothy and purple. I didn’t even want to know.
