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But my father was wrong. I could do both.
I left my office and the memories behind me and started to get ready for the evening. I set my phone down on my nightstand to charge, but before I walked away, it buzzed with an incoming text.
Unknown: Is this Lucas?
Me: I don’t know. Who’s this?
Unknown: Coco. Remember me?
How could I forget?
9
Lucas
I waited before answering, trying to decide whether I should take the bait and reply. I hadn’t seen Coco in a year. She was an NYU drama graduate who left the city for the neon lights of Hollywood. Broadway wasn’t her thing.
I wondered why she was contacting me after all this time, but was it enough to continue the conversation? My curiosity won out, and the fact that Peaches was the last person I’d spoken to outside of work staff.
Me: Of course.
Coco: In town for a few hours. Plz meet me for a drink @ Knave.
I sighed. Meeting her would break the rule I lived by. Once a woman was gone from my bed, she wasn’t allowed back in my life. For any reason. The rules weren’t just made by me, but by the service I used. The arrangements were treated like business transactions—money paid for time spent with me. But squeezing in a quick drink wouldn’t be the end of the world. Besides, she was leaving the city soon enough.
Me: Okay. At 6.
Coco: :)
Later, I ended up walking to Knave, since it was only a couple blocks from my building. The benefit started at seven thirty, so my driver planned to pick me up at seven sharp. It would give me enough time to make the trek downtown.
The dress code was black tie, so I wore my finest tuxedo with a silk lapel. I arrived at Knave fifteen minutes early, wanting to order a drink and get settled before Coco appeared.
The long, rectangular passageway leading to the lobby served as the bar itself. The mirrored outside walls were lined with conversational-style seating. Couches and large, medieval-styled chairs were covered in dark crushed velvet. The same velvet draped from a two-story ceiling painted with heavenly bodies. A row of candles, similar to ones at a Catholic church, flickered in their red glass holders.
The dark ambiance and religious overtones made me feel as if I should be attending midnight mass, not sipping scotch with other sinners.
Glancing past the bartender’s station, I noticed Coco sitting on one of the large chairs. She was early, beating me to the punch, something unique for her. Not waiting for me to come to her, she stood up and started walking toward me.
Her appearance shocked me at first. She was wearing a pair of stylish jeans, but absent were her signature high heels. Instead, she had on rainbow flip-flops. Perhaps California’s chill vibe had rubbed off on her. Also, this was the first time I’d ever seen her long blond hair pulled back into a ponytail. She resembled a casual hipster. I supposed it fit her age of twenty-five.
Her smile hadn’t changed, though. It had never quite reached her eyes, and even less so today as she moved my way.
“Lucas.” Her hands found my biceps, meaning there wasn’t going to be an awkward hug. Fine by me. She air-kissed my cheeks. Even more perfect. The subtle greeting made me more comfortable.
“Coco.” I assessed her from head to toe, not in a leering sort of way, but in a general appraisal. Her hips curved more than I remembered. It made her look older, sexier. “You look great. Dare I say it, like an LA woman.”
“And you are more handsome than ever, you devilish rogue.”
Coco fluffed the top of my hair, more like a friend than an ex-lover. She had worked as a runway model during college and was the tallest woman I’d ever had as a lover. Peaches was her total opposite at just over five feet tall. At least that was my guess. I rubbed my hand over my jaw, frustrated Peaches kept popping into my thoughts.
Stop it, Lucas.
“Life treating you well?” I asked.
“It’s been an interesting year.” She glanced to the side for a beat. When her eyes turned back to mine, I couldn’t miss the distant look in them. It was as if I wasn’t standing in front of her. “I’ll tell you about it later. Right now, I need to visit the ladies’ room, but didn’t want to walk away and lose our spot.”
“Of course. Have you ordered a drink yet?” I looked around the room. The place was only half full. Odd.
“I’ll have whatever you’re having.”
Her order confused me. She knew my go-to drink after five o’clock was scotch, and I never saw her touch a drop of it in the three months we were together.
I escorted her toward where she’d been sitting, and she told me she’d be back in a bit. She walked, or more like ran as fast as one could in flip-flops.
