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He shrugs. “Well… maybe I care. Is that so hard to believe?” I stare at him unblinking.
He…cares? Did I read this situation with him all wrong?
“I mean you’re not a worthy opponent when you’re all emotional.” He waves over me. “It’s more fun to crush you when you’re giving it your all.”
“I’m out of here.” I angrily throw some cash on the bar to cover my drinks and a plate of nachos I didn’t even touch.
“Wait wait wait.” He chuckles and grabs me by the elbow, his fingers curling around me and pulling with enough force to stop me in my tracks. “I was kidding, Michaels. God, I had no idea you had a sensitive side. Who would have thought the Ice Queen had feelings?”
“I’m far from cold. You just bring out the best of me, I guess.” I flash him a smile that most men can’t resist, revealing my perfectly straight teeth and flutter my eyelashes.
Evidently, Vince can’t resist it either because his eyes flit to my mouth and trace my lips in that slow way I’d put on lipstick. “You had braces?”
I scrunch my nose and shake my head slowly. “No.”
“You were born with…those?” He points at my mouth and I bite down on my bottom lip, revealing my top teeth again. I nod and he looks me up and down again.
He chuckles and I watch as his eyes roll in a circle. “It’s a shame God made Satan so perfect.”
I sink to the stool again and slap his arm, not quite playful, but not hard. “I’mSatan? Wow, glass houses, Maddox.”
He chuckles and holds his finger up towards the bartender to ask for another shot. “Are the nachos trash?” He points to the untouched plate of cheesy chips and I shake my head.
“Not hungry.”
“Perfect, because I am,” he says before shoveling a chip piled with chicken, cheese, pico and guacamole in his mouth. “Can I get an order of buffalo wings and a Macallan neat?” The bartender moves away before shooting me a look in question. I shake my head letting him know I don’t want anything.
I let out a sigh, knowing that Vincent Maddox is relentless in his quest for information and he isn’t going to let this go. Who knows, maybe he’ll have some male insight.
They’re both fucking assholes, after all.
“Drew, my boyfriend…he broke up with me…” My voice breaks slightly, until something registers in my brain for the first time. “Hold the phone,” I say putting a hand up towards him. “Did you call me…perfect?”
“Well, that was before you let that douchebag that was never good enough for you in the first place dump you. Now, I’m wondering what’s wrong with you.” His hand finds his chin and he taps it methodically. “You don’t give head or something?”
My teeth snap together so hard, I briefly wonder if I’ve cracked a tooth. “Fuck off,” I grit out.
“So…that’s a yes, but you don’t do it well.”
I want to snap back, but I briefly wonder if Drew really was bored with our sex life. I shrug in defeat and stare at the shot I still haven’t taken. “Maybe you’re right. He left me for someone else.” The silence stretches between us and I’m taking that to mean that the asshole actually feels bad. “He was supposed to move here.”
“I know. You mentioned it in passing, and when you brought him to that gala a few months ago, he said it as well. I’m actually surprised he let you move here by yourself in the first place.”
“Excuse me?Letme?” I snap, daring him to continue down this road of patriarchal bullshit.
“Calm down, Gloria Steinem.” He rolls his eyes. “I’m just saying I’m surprised he didn’t want to come right away to be with you and support you. You guys seemed pretty serious. Not to mention, I’ve heard rumblings that you were going to get engaged this year.” I frown, wondering why he knew that, or more importantly, why he even cared, but I put the thought aside to unpack later.
“I wanted to get acclimated.”
“Hmmm.” He rubs his jaw, the sound of his hand rubbing against his beard resonating in my veins.“Well, I’ve learned that absence makes the heart grow yondernotfonder. And distance at our age…” He shrugs, as if the answer is so easy and I’m stupid not to have figured it out sooner. “We’re busy as fuck, Michaels. We’re hustling our way to the top; no one has time to be checking in on a significant other three states and a time zone away. We want someone we can talk to when we get home from work. You know…to break up the fucking?”
I can’t help the chuckle that escapes my lips. I’ll admit the no fucking thing had been…difficult.A morbid thought floats through my mind that perhaps Drew hadn’t been in the same boat regarding that.
Had he fucked that girl yet? Or did he wait until the second he sent that bullshit text before sticking his dick in her?
I open said textbecause again, masochism, briefly forgetting that Vince is sitting next to me. I read over the words when I hear a groan next to me.
“And via text no less? Jesus, Lauren.” He runs a hand through his dirty blonde hair and his blue eyes narrow further as he plucks my phone from my hand. I try to grab it back but he holds a hand up keeping me away. “Good, you haven’t responded. May I?”
