“Pretty sure you stopped being my wingman like six years ago.”
“—I feel obligated to point out that if youwereinterestedin him, this is kind of the perfect opportunity to hook up. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” He wags his eyebrows ludicrously.
“I’m sorry, have you forgotten why I’m here? I’m still actively trying to fix the mistakes I’ve already made.”
Tyler holds a palm up. “My point exactly. You already messed up, so what’s the harm in having some fun with it?”
I sputter for a moment, then latch on to the first argument that comes to mind. “Wouldn’t fucking Adam make it so we couldn’t get an annulment anyway?”
“Bah.” Tyler waves his hand. “I can do a workaround.”
“Okay, well. It’s moot, because I’m not into him. In case you haven’t noticed, he’s an asshole. And I’ve sworn off assholes. I feel like you of all people should be supporting me on this.”
Tyler shifts again, propping his chin in the L of his hand. He never was capable of sitting still unless he was stoned. “I’m not saying you have to marry the guy.”
“Oh, ha ha.” I fish an ice cube out of my glass and throw it at him. He dodges it gleefully.
“You’re really going to tell me you’re not even a little bit interested?”
“I’m not.”
Tyler’s got his shit-eating grin on again. “You want to climb him like a tree.”
Everything I say, Tyler is just going to twist around. I cross my arms and give him a flat look.
“All I’m saying is I picked up on some tension there.” Tyler holds his hands up in surrender. “And you know as well as I do how much fun a hate fuck can be. Remember my roommate sophomore year?”
“Oh god, Bobby. He was so obnoxious.”
Tyler laughs. “He was. And yet, I seem to remember the two of you sexiling me for an entire night that one time.”
I roll my eyes skyward and briefly consider firing Tyler and finding another attorney to handle this. I bite my straw and suck down the little bit of melted ice at the bottom of my glass while Tyler mercifully changes the subject to what he might get from the buffet. My phone buzzes on the table. It’s a text from Adam, asking me to meet him outside.
I relay the message to Tyler, and when we both stand up he draws me in for a full-body hug.
I can’t fathom why he seems so invested in the prospect of Adam and me fucking. But I have to admit, I missed this—the casualness of a friendship that goes back years. Having enough history with someone that you can joke with them, say what you want without running every thought through a filter first. Without worrying what it will make you sound like. I feel unburdened in a way I never would have predicted when I walked into this strip club.
“Missed you, buddy,” I tell him as I step back.
“Missed you too. Don’t disappear on me again.”
“Promise.” I blame the hangover, but I find myself getting weirdly emotional at the prospect of saying goodbye to Tyler, even though we’ll be in touch soon enough about the annulment. I shake my head and quickly press fingers under my lashes. “Okay. Time to go.”
“Go ride Adam’s cock into the sunset?”
Jesus.
“Enjoy your lunch,” I say as I start to back away. “Don’t choke on any congealed mac ’n cheese.”
“Enjoy your hate sex. Don’t choke on Adam’s—”
Despite the fact he is clearly immune to my wrath, I shoot Tyler the middle finger. He cuts off with a giggle, and I’m left stumbling toward the exit, scrambling to think about literally anything other than Adam’s dick.
It’s a jarring transition, stepping out of the club and back into the light of day. I wince and raise my hand to shield my eyes from the glare as I walk over to Adam, who is hovering a few yards away from the entrance.
I tell myself to compartmentalize. Tuck the conversation I had with Tyler away to think about later. “Any luck?”
“Yeah. I looked through my pictures from last night like you suggested. We were holding microphones in a few of them, so I called around and found my ID at a karaoke bar across town. I already ordered an Uber.”
