AllFreeNovel
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The chumminess between the girls and Keith is fun. They genuinely love each other. There’s no competition or cattiness. They support each other and build each other up. Certainly not what I’ve witnessed in the circle of acquaintances I’ve been subjected to in New York.
And being able to have a drink with my oldest friend—probably myonlyfriend—has been nice. I’ve missed our friendship. I even enjoy seeing him and Sondra together. Preston found someone who truly makes him happy, and it’s nice to see.
“Sit, sit, I’ve got it. Should we just do wine?” I ask Preston.
“Yeah, that’s perfect.”
Smoothing out my pants, I lift my eyes to Winter’s gaze traveling up my body. When she sees that I’m watching her, she snaps her attention to Keith.
Tsk, tsk, baby. You were quick, but not quick enough—I saw you.
Making my way to the bar, I spot my married friend Rebecca sitting at the end, sipping a glass of white wine. Her eyes find me immediately and she smiles, lifting her glass to me. I smile back, ambling toward her.
“Well, well, well. How are you, handsome?”
“I’m alive. You’re still here. This must be some business trip.”
She stands and lifts onto her toes, sliding her arms around my shoulders, pulling me into a hug. I hug her back, glancing at the table. Winter sips her wine, laughing at something Dottie has said, then lifts her eyes to me briefly, and back to Dottie.
Looking to amend our agreement, baby?
I’d be flattered if I didn’t think doing anything more—sexually—with this woman was a bad idea, wrapped in a terrible decision, laced with disaster. So I slide onto the stool next to Rebecca.
“Which one is she?” Rebecca asks.
“Who?”
“Did I tell you what I do for a living, Aleck?”
I shake my head and lift my finger to catch the bartender’s attention. “No, you didn’t.”
“I’m a therapist. I smell bullshit before it’s even been stepped in.”
“I once saw a therapist. I was about eleven. He suggested my fear of rejection stemmed from a fear of my penis. Conversely, my parents—my birth ones—starved me, beat me, and all but pimped me out to their friends for packs of cigarettes and laced doses of heroin. My penis was thelastthing I was afraid of. And now it’s my favorite thing in existence. My point? Therapists are the most fucked up people of all. And I’m pretty surethattherapist was attempting to groom me. What’s your point?”
Rebecca displays a lofty smile with a glint ofI-see-straight-through-you-fuckerflare. “Aleck, I’ve been doing this for a very long time. I am very,verygood at what I do. I bet you have trouble sleeping because you can’t control your dreams. Even awake that haunts you because control is everything to you. That woman is haunting you, too. Mostly because she doesn’t come easy, and that does little to maintain your controlled nature.”
I look at Rebecca, who’s pouring her eyes into mine so knowingly she could let her wings loose and claim she was my guardian angel and has seen everything I’ve ever been through. Not only wouldn’t I flinch, I’d believe her.
She’s a therapist, I’m a lawyer—we both know when people are lying.
“Red lips, caramel hair, in the middle.”
Rebecca discreetly looks up at the table, observing it delicately. “She’s stunning. She’s also aware of our conversation.”
“Yeah, well, her and I are a dumpster fire waiting to happen. We hooked up last night, and now we’ve decided to stay away from each other.”
She lifts her eyebrow. “All you’re doing is building tension. The space between you and that woman is so electric I can feel the danger of its charge from here.”
“She’s a nightmare.”
Rebecca lifts her glass. “That’s one hell of a beautiful nightmare.”
I laugh, nodding at the busy bartender one more time. “Put a cork in it, Beyoncé. Tell me, why are you still here?”
The bartender, finally making his way to take my order, steps in front of us, throwing his towel over his shoulder. “I apologize for the delay, Mr. Fox. What can I get for you?”
“Not a problem. Send an assortment of wines to my table.” I rub the stubble on my jaw. “Four bottles of your finest for now. And another white wine for my lady friend here, thank you.”
