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CHAPTER12
Peyton
Unlocking the front door of the Shake Shack, I debated my next move. What happened at Chloe’s last night was unexpected. She hadn’t pushed me away when I invaded her space.
Had her friend not interrupted, how far would we have taken it? Chloe was not a one-night stand type of woman. And I would never treat her like a fuck buddy as I had Nancy. But that didn’t stop me from fantasizing in the shower when I got home.
I adjusted the chubby in my board shorts, remembering my fantasy from last night. Chloe on her knees. Her big blue eyes staring up as I pumped my cock in and out of her luscious mouth. Hand gripping her long chestnut hair.
Before I could continue down memory lane, a high-pitched squeal had me turning towards the front entrance.
“Oh my god, Peyton, I missed you so much.” I was thrust backward as Nancy threw herself at me. I had to wrap my arms around her waist, and brace us against the counter to keep from toppling.
Nancy took that as an invitation, because she wrapped her long legs around my waist and buried her head in my shoulders.
The loud gasp had me whipping my head to see who was behind us.
Oh fuck. Of course, it had to be Chloe. I watched in horror as Chloe backed away as if she hadn’t been seen and was trying to sneak out. It would have been laughable had I not caught the disappointment in her glacier blue eyes.
Chloe left, and I hadn’t said a word. What could I say? I had no fucking clue what the hell Nancy was doing here. Or why she behaved as if we were still fuck buddies.
I extricated myself from Nancy’s clutches and walked around the counter to put some space between us. “What do you want, Nancy?” I crossed my arms and gave her a disapproving glare.
“I missed you.” She smiled sweetly, as if that explained her behavior when I last saw her.
“You called me a loser, Nancy, and then walked off with another man,” I reminded her.
“Okay, so maybe I was a little harsh the last time we spoke.”
I laughed at her attempt to downplay our last encounter. Nancy came around the counter and ran her hand up my biceps.
“Since I’m going to be home for a while, I thought maybe we could pick up where we left off.”
I stood stunned.
“Nancy, you can’t be serious,” I huffed. “What is this little performance about?” I questioned.
“Fine,” Nancy conceded. “Oh my god, Peyton, Ralph was a scholarship student. He’s spending the summer working on his uncle's pig farm. And he presumptuously assumed I would follow him.” Nancy placed one hand on her hip and flipped her long bleached blond hair with the other. “Do I look like the kind of girl who wallows in the muck or shovels manure?” Nancy raised an eyebrow. If she was expecting an answer she was going to be waiting a long time. I wasn’t foolish enough to give my honest option.
That explained Nancy’s sudden disinterest in Ralph. With Nancy, it was always going to come down to money. When Aleksander signed my adoption papers, I became a Manos. He bestowed me all the extravagance the name implied, and I became a millionaire overnight. I didn’t flaunt it the way many of my fraternity brothers had. I never dated in college because I didn’t have time. My focus had to remain on football and earning my business degree. That was why having a fuck buddy worked.
Nancy’s audacity to presume I’d be interested in continuing with our previous arrangement didn’t surprise me. “What are you doing here, Nancy?” I grunted in frustration. “Why aren’t you in New York soaking up all that culture you claimed Tranquility lacked?” It was Nancy’s mantra for as long as I could remember. Everyone knew of Nancy’s desire to take the art world by storm and open an art gallery.
“Fine,” she huffed. “I didn’t get any offers from the galleries I applied to, so like you, I came home to lick my wounds,” she pouted and sniffled.
I laughed at her feeble attempt to play me. I reached under my counter and handed Nancy a tissue. “Save the crocodile tears, Nancy. What we had was fun, but it wasn’t a relationship,” I reminded her.
“It was fun, wasn’t it?” Nancy smiled; hope filled her eyes. I had to shut her down before she concocted a scenario that included me.
“And now it’s time to move on and think about our futures.” I nodded, hoping she would follow suit.
“That’s what I’m trying to do, Peyton,” she rolled her eyes. “I took an offer from the library to be an intern, hoping to impress my mother’s cronies on the board. Many of them are patrons of the arts and have the connections I need.”
My jaw dropped. “You took a job you don’t want so you can get your foot in the door at a gallery?” I stammered. “Fuck, Chloe applied for that internship because that is her field,” I cursed. “How did you get the internship, Nancy?” I growled. “Did you apply for it like all the other candidates, or did your mother tell her cronies to give it to you?” I was pissed. Not for me, but Chloe.
“Chloe? You don’t still have a crush on her, do you?” Nancy stood back, laughing. “Well, isn’t this interesting? After the little Twitter battle I witnessed yesterday, I was sure that girl still hated your guts.”
Nancy looked at her cell. “I have a brunch date with my mother and her cronies. Call me when you get lonely.” Nancy waved her fingers as she left my Shake Shack with a knowing smirk.
