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Julian chuckled, even though his heart still felt heavy, then flagged down a waitress.
“Coffee, black, and an order of eggs Benedict,” he told her then Marcus gave his order. After the waitress moved off, Julian turned his attention back to Marcus. “Hope she’s paying you the big bucks. You’re worth it. “
Marcus grinned at him. “I agree, but I don’t have your reputation.”
“I’m beginning to wish I didn’t have it either,” he said, thinking of the nooner he had scheduled with Elena.
Marcus burst out laughing. “What’s this? First, you retire, and now, you don’t even want the moniker you worked so hard to earn? I don’t believe it. But then again, I didn’t think you’d ever retire, not this soon. Must have been nice to have a great aunt die and leave you a dragon’s lair of loot.”
“Retired or not, the job, like the moniker, isn’t easy to escape. I’ve got a nooner set up over at the Plaza today. Afternoon tea, then fucking upstairs in one of the suites.”
Marcus raised his brows. “Tea at the Plaza? It’s Elena, right? I’ve done her a few times. She misses you. She says you have the best cock in the world. Doesn’t do much for my ego, but I can always get it up for her. Easy to do— she’s gorgeous and sexy as fuck and an absolute hellion in bed.”
“I’ll get my exercise for sure.” Memories of fucking Elena slid through his mind. She was indeed a hellion, but even though she was great in bed and a whole lot of fun, she was nothing compared to Skylar.
He had to stop thinking of Skylar.
That was the whole point of accepting Elena’s invitation.
Think of Elena. Of the time you fucked in her car. In the shower. In the sex club in Brooklyn. He hadn’t done anything like that with Skylar, so it shouldn’t be hard to . . .
Fuck, no luck. All those memories with Elena, and the only time his cock started to harden was when he’d thought Skylar’s name.
This was not good.
The waitress brought them their coffee and the smell, acrid and strong, settled him down.
“It’s been a while since we’ve caught up,” Marcus said. “You working on a project?”
“Several.” He thought of Hardy Priese. How he’d let that story go because of Skylar. And how that didn’t exactly scream journalistic integrity. On the other hand, he knew he wasn’t the only reporter with an eye on Hardy; surely one of his compatriots would reveal his misdeeds even if Julian didn’t. But fuck it. In the end, he cared less about outing Hardy and more about protecting Skylar’s dream career.
When he’d gotten out of the shower yesterday morning, the day after he and Skylar had visited the strip club, he’d discovered the voicemail she’d left on his phone:
“Hi,Julian. I just wanted to call and say thank you for yesterday. For last night. I really had . . .fun.” She giggled, the sound like tinkling bells, and he knew she was thinking of when he’d said a strip club could be fun, and she’d expressed her skepticism. “Okay, so that’s probably not the right word foreverythingwe did, but you know what I mean. Anyway, let me know when you want to get together. Tonight perhaps? Until then, have a good day!”
Hearing her voice,soft and relaxed and melodic, had shattered his resolve to begin the process of extricating Skylar from his life. He’d stared at his phone for a long time, somehow managing to not text or call her back, before he’d turned it off, shoved it in a drawer, then left for the gym.
For the rest of the day, he’d stayed away from his penthouse and his phone, choosing instead to work in various press offices in the New York area. He’d worked and worked and worked until he was utterly exhausted, then he’d crashed on a couch in one of the back offices of a regional paper. He’d told himself he wasn’t avoiding Skylar so much as putting her off. He’d have his meeting with Elena, and then he’d call her and they’d make plans to get together. At that point, he’d be in a good head space to give her what she needed and keep things on the right track for him, too.
In the morning, he finally headed back to his place to shower. Shortly thereafter, Marcus, of all people, had texted to invite him to brunch.
Marcus took a long sip of coffee. “That’s good stuff,” he said, pointing to his cup. “What about a woman? Anyone new in your life?” he asked right as Julian took a sip.
Julian’s jaw clenched. “You know me. I’m a lone wolf.”
“Of course. Excuse me for forgetting that a legend like you doesn’t need or want what a mere mortal like me does.”
That surprised Julian. “What do you mean?”
Marcus waved dismissively. “Nothing. Forget it.”
Julian frowned. “No. I don’t want to forget it. Tell me what you meant. About you being a mere mortal with needs and wants? Are you saying you want a woman in your life? Like really in your life? Are you seeing someone?”
It wasn’t unheard of. Julian knew sex workers who were in their own version of committed relationships, but he’d never thought Marcus would be one of them.
Marcus shook his head. “I’m not dating anyone. Never thought I would want to truly date someone with the idea that it might turn into more. But sometimes I think . . . it wouldn’t be so bad, you know? Giving one thing up with the hope I could gain something better.”
“Better? You mean, as in love?”
