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“I’ll call you,” I said. “And I’ll be around until Monday, if you need any help settling in.”
*
Ten minutes after I got home, Milo knocked on my door. I yanked it open with a frown.
“Do you have a camera on me or something?” I asked, looking around the hallway. “How do you always know the minute I get back?”
“Instinct and talent, my friend.”
He walked into my apartment, running a hand through long hair that was as dark as mine was blond. His eyes were darker too, nearly black, and he turned his gaze on me as soon as I closed the door.
“Good job landing that plane, man.”
“Thanks. Want something to drink?”
“I’m about to go to dinner, so no. Want to come along? I’m meeting Lexie.” He raised a brow, mayhem sparking in his eyes. Lexie was a wild, crazy slut who had a thing for Milo’s style of play, and gave no fucks about inviting extra guys along. I considered for a moment, then shook my head.
“I’m ordering in tonight, and getting some rest.”
He looked around my place, and glanced down the hall that led to the bedrooms. “Fort told me you met a scientist, a hot one,” he said, flopping on my couch. “Is she here?”
I sat in my favorite recliner, sighing as the soft leather enveloped me. “Why would she be here?”
He raised his other eyebrow this time, the one that specialized in sarcasm. “Oh, right. So you didn’t fuck her raw over the last few days while you were stuck in the Azores? I find that hard to believe. Fort said she was kinky, and you had a thing for her.”
“A thing for her?” I repeated, scoffing. “Fort’s full of romantic stories, isn’t he? He’s trying to pair me with Dr. Ella so he doesn’t feel so awkward about his fawning love affair with Juliet.”
“Doctor Ella?” Milo burst into laughter. “She’s a doctor? Fort didn’t tell me that.”
“Not a medical doctor. She’s an astrophysicist, here for some project. And yeah, we played a little over the last few days, but that doesn’t mean she’s moving in.”
“Where’s she staying, then?”
“They had a place all set up for her, over on Mercer Street.”
“They? Who’s they?”
“I don’t know.” I waved a hand. “Some brainiac cabal she’s going to work with.”
“The New York Academy of Sciences? The National Science Foundation? NYU?”
“Dude, I don’t know. The National Science Foundation, maybe. Is that the NSF?”
Milo tilted his head back, covering his eyes with a groan. “I’m a musician. I don’t have to know science stuff, but you’re a pilot. You don’t know what the NSF is?”
“I know you’re about to get kicked out of my house. Why the fuck are you here, Massimiliano?” I used his mother’s thick Italian accent to pronounce his full name. “Go stick your dick in Lexie. Just watch out for the piercings. She’s got a whole junkyard down there.”
“I’m up to date on my tetanus shots.” He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. “So, you’ve spent more time with Fort lately than I have. Do you think this thing with Juliet is going to last?”
“I do,” I said, without even thinking about it.
“Hmm.” He pursed his lips. “It was sudden though, wasn’t it?”
“Not really. They’ve known each other for months. They met outside Underworld last fall.”
“Yeah. Well, it feels sudden.” He stood and threw a pillow at me. “You’re in a bad mood, so I’m leaving.”
“I’m not in a bad mood. I’m tired.” But I was also in a bad mood. I kicked up the recliner’s leg rest and stuck the thrown pillow behind my head. “And you have to go to dinner anyway. Forgive me if I don’t see you out.”
“You’re forgiven.” He paused at the door, then turned back. “Fort told me all about the plane crisis, Dev. The trick landing. If you’d fucked things up, I might have lost my two best friends at once. So thanks for not fucking things up.”
I gave a lazy salute. “No problem.”
Milo let himself out, off to bedevil Lexie. She was probably beside herself with anticipation, since Milo was a legend in the local BDSM scene. I wondered if they’d even make it to dinner. They’d be like Ella and me in the Azores, eating quickly, barely talking, eager to get back to the bedroom to play and fuck.
Maybe I’d fucked Ella too much. Maybe I’d played too hard, and she had no interest in playing any more. She’d thrown me a cold, distancing vibe ever since the plane landed, and I wanted to know why. I took out my phone, wondering if I should text her, ask if she was okay.
Fuck. If I was smart, I’d text Hanna and tell her to come over. I’d trained her to give blowjobs that could set any man’s cock on fire. Or maybe I’d call Rachel…or Sara…
I started scrolling through my contact list, then shut down my phone. I needed rest before my appointments with Gibraltar tomorrow, and my interviews with the NTSB fuckers. I stayed right where I was, in my favorite recliner, and closed my eyes to sleep.
When I woke again, it was dark, and my phone was ringing in my lap, flashing Ella’s name. I took the call, clearing my throat just before I answered.
“Hi. Everything okay?”
“It’s Ella,” she said.
“I know.” I cleared my throat again. “What time is it?”
“Just after nine. Did I wake you?”
“No. Yes. It’s okay.” I started getting hard, just from the sound of her voice. “How are things?” In my mind, I appended the words you little maso, but I didn’t say them out loud. I didn’t know where we stood, friendship-wise. Kink-wise.
“I’m sorry I acted so bitchy earlier today. I felt kind of…overwhelmed.”
“Overwhelmed about what?”
“About everything that’s happened.” Her voice sounded high, a little pitchy. I wondered if she’d been crying, or if she was just tired.
“Ella, you know—”
“I have to tell you something. You really had an effect on me these last few days, and even though I keep saying things like ‘my work is important’ and ‘I don’t want a relationship,’ I feel like we have a relationship. I don’t know what type of relationship, but…I just felt bad that I was a bitch to you today. Most of the time I feel like a ten year old when it comes to interpersonal skills. So, you know, there’s that.”
I waited to see if she would say anything else, but she didn’t.
“Okay, there’s that,” I said, “and I feel the same way. It’s been a crazy week.”
“Yeah. And I was sitting here thinking that I kind of missed you, which is weird, but understandable, I guess.”
“You want me to come over? I’m not that far away.”
“Kind of,” she said, for the third time in our conversation, if anyone was counting. I was counting, for some reason.
“What does ‘kind of’ mean?” I stroked a hand over my cock. “You kind of want me to come over. You kind of miss me.”
“Maybe I’m kind of confused.”
Are you in bed? What are you wearing? She sounded sleepy and fuckable, even over the phone. “Maybe we’re kind of attracted to each other,” I said, since one of us needed to state the obvious. “Maybe we should kind of get together and fuck soon.”
“At The Gallery?”
“Yeah. There’s paperwork though, and you need a uniform.”
“Paperwork? A uniform? What kind of uniform?”
“A sexy uniform. Don’t worry, I’ll pay for it.”
“I have money,” she said in her petulant-genius voice.
“I’m sure you have money, but the sponsor traditionally pays for it. I’ll text the woman who does the fittings and ask if she can squeeze you in sometime next week.” Squeeze you in sounded dirty to me, probably because my cock was hard, and starting to ache. “Do you know what I’m going to do to you when I get you to The Gallery?” I added. “I’m going to hurt you so badly that you hate me. Then I’m going to let my friends hurt you, and they’re not as nice as your Via Sofferenza people were.”
