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But Allison was easy to talk to. It wouldn’t be the first time I’d used her as a decoy for the fact I wasn’t fucking anyone else these days. She was discreet. And it was the white room. No one would see us sitting there talking like old friends.
“You need me, big boy?” she asked with a smirk.
A reluctant laugh escaped me. “Apparently.”
Her smile widened. I shook my head and accepted the hand she offered. “Thanks, brother. Wanna join us?”
In my heart, I knew he wouldn’t, so the question wasn’t risky. I wasn’t the least bit surprised when he declined.
“Not tonight, Dancer. Me and Jonathan are going to have another drink or two and then Marcus will drag my drunk ass home. Have fun.”
Allison and I walked the distance to the white room. I punched the code in and held it open for her. As soon as it closed behind us, I let out a long breath, raking my hand through my hair.
“Rough night, my friend?”
I nodded and moved to the couch. “You could say that. Thanks for the save, as always.”
Allison had become an unlikely friend over the past year, especially as I battled with Hannah. She was an excellent sounding board and because we’d never been intimate, the friendship wasn’t messy.
She sat down on one end of the couch and studied me quietly for a moment before gesturing toward the opposite cushion. I dropped into it. The leather creaked beneath my weight.
A long breath escaped me as I leaned forward and braced my forearms against my thighs. For a moment, I simply stared at the floor between my feet.
Her eyes softened. “You going to tell me why I’m saving you so much lately?”
“It would get sticky.”
“I’ve been sticky before,” she replied with a laugh, accompanying it with an exaggerated wave down the length of her body.
Despite myself, I chuckled. The sound felt foreign. “I’m seeing someone new.”
“Oh really?” One perfectly sculpted brow lifted. “Do I know her?”
“I can’t confirm or deny that bit of information. That’s all you’re getting.”
“Fine.” She settled deeper into the couch. “But something is different tonight. You’ve lost that sparkle.”
I frowned. “Sparkle?”
“Yeah.” She pointed directly at me. “The golden retriever energy.”
I groaned, “Jesus.”
“Don’t roll your eyes. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
“I’m not a golden retriever.”
“You absolutely are.”
I opened my mouth to argue. Then closed it again. Now that I thought about it, Tori used that phrase a time or twelve to describe me. Maybe all women had the same set of criteria to judge men on. It was better than being toxic.
“And well, since we are discussing dogs and you look like someone kicked yours, might as well tell me who.”
“Why? Are you going to kill them?”
“No, but I know a guy who knows a guy.”
We both chuckled at that and then she rocked her shoulder into mine. “No, but since you have no need of my body, so why don’t you pick my brain? Tell me what’s going on?”
