Tease (9 page)

I got home from work after eleven, with just enough time for a shower before I had to meet the guys. I grabbed a clean towel and headed for the bathroom, locking the door behind me—something else I had to do to since Mia had moved in. I was so used to leaving the door wide open.

Not that I’d be upset if she saw me naked. It was nothing she hadn’t seen before, and part of me hoped that she
wanted
to see it again. She wasn’t home anyway, but knowing my luck she would arrive back halfway through my shower with a group of friends. Again, not that I’d complain…

After my shower I wrapped the towel around my waist and walked to my room. Fumbling through a pile of clothes that I thought were clean, I pulled out a pair of jeans that I hoped weren’t dirty, and my last clean shirt. I guess that made tomorrow laundry day. Dressing quickly, I inspected myself in the mirror. My hair was still damp enough that, after running my hand through it a few times, I was ready.

The bar the guys and I frequented the most was Adam’s
Apple
on Fourth. It was a five-minute walk for me, which came in handy when I wanted to have a few drinks. Even for a Friday night, it was loud and crowded. A mass of people surrounded the stage at the back where a band was playing.

“Coop! Over here!”

I spotted Pete and Sam at a table in the corner. Pete was on his feet waving at me like a dick. Laughing, I heading in their direction, ignoring the flirty smiles of several women on the way.

“How’s my man?” Pete shook my hand, patting my shoulder. He pushed a beer toward me. “Drink up, buddy. You’re already behind.”

“Yeah, well, some of us have to work,” I muttered, having a dig at him.

Pete could only be described as a professional student. The guy had been at college for the last seven years, and still had a year to go. And to think, if I’d followed my dream of medicine, that could’ve been me.

“Yeah, well, some of us wouldn’t call screwing hot women work,” he mimicked, jostling his shoulders. He laughed as his blond hair fell onto his face.

“Come on,” I scoffed. “You probably screw more women than I do.”

Pete liked nothing more than to spread
himself
around. He’d fuck anyone so long as they were remotely female—his words, not mine. My most memorable “Pete” story was from a few years back. I’d gotten a call at three in the morning. It was Pete, extremely drunk, and whispering from inside some girl’s bathroom. He’d asked me if it was wrong if the vagina in question used to be a penis. We never spoke of that call again, and to this day I still don’t know if he went there. But, knowing Pete, he probably did.

“Maybe true, but the difference is I don’t get paid for it,” he grumbled.

I rolled my eyes and turned to Sam. “How’s things with you?”

He shrugged. “Yeah, pretty good. Jessie is stressing about the wedding, but if I stay out of her way it’s all good.” He shook his head as I laughed. Sam and Jessie had been together for years, and were getting married in less than six months. As much as I loved Jessie, I could only imagine the pain he’d be feeling. She was a stress-head at the best of times, and wedding planning brings out the worst in everyone.
That
I knew from experience

“The key is don’t have an opinion. That’s the only way you’ll survive,” I chuckled.

“Yeah, I’m beginning to realize that.” He raised his eyebrows surreptitiously and took a sip of beer. “How’s work? Did you just come from a meeting?” he asked, winking.

Sam and Pete were the only two people who knew the truth about me. Why?
Because you can’t be a single twenty-six-year-old male who never picks up without arousing suspicion.

Trust me, I’d tried.

It took more convincing than I’d thought it would for them to believe me—particularly Pete. He thought he was god’s gift to women, and considering that we’d been in the same business class, he couldn’t figure out for the life of him why she’d chosen me and not him.

“Work is…work.” I grinned. They always asked and I never gave them details. “And work was actually not the most shocking thing that happened to me this week,” I added, cocking my head to the side.

They both turned to me, interest piqued.

“Yeah? Like what?” asked
Pete.

“I ran into the chick who gave me my first
ever
blow job,” I announced.

“Your first ever blowy? Wasn’t that just last week?” sniggered Pete.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Yeah. With your sister,” I shot back.

“What? I was kidding! So sensitive sometimes,” Pete muttered to himself. “So who is this chick, how old were you, and was she any good?”

“My sister’s childhood friend.” I paused for a minute as the guys looked at each other in disgust. “Okay, it sounds really creepy when I put it like that. She was fourteen and I was fifteen. When you’re fifteen, anything is good,” I added, addressing his last question.

“So did you fuck her then? Was she a client?” Pete grinned widely as Sam shook his head, his hand resting on his forehead.

Pete and Sam were so completely different that I had no idea how they were friends. We didn’t catch up often, every month or so, because it seemed a shame to lose a friendship just because life got in the way.

“No. I ran into her at my sister’s. Well, at the cabin,” I explained, grabbing a handful of nuts from the plate in the center of the table.

“So you’re not seeing her again?” Pete almost sounded disappointed for me.

“Well, she is kind of staying at my apartment until she finds a place,” I said, bracing myself.

Pete howled with laughter. There it was: the reaction I’d been expecting. “A chick staying with you? How will you cope not walking around naked all day?” His eyes gleamed. “Or maybe she likes that, huh?”

The thought of Mia seeing me naked made my cock twitch, but Pete’s leering eyes snapped me out of it. Pulling out my phone—which had just buzzed—I was surprised to see one message waiting there from Mia. I opened it, and chuckled.

This might be inappropriate, but I have to ask. Why in the hell do you have a bikini line waxing kit in your bathroom cabinet
?!?

I snorted, typing back to her as I replied to Pete. “Think for a moment about what I do for a living. I think I can handle a woman living with me. Besides, it’s only till she finds her own place.”

Pete nodded knowingly. “Uh-huh. Sure,” he grinned.

I resisted the urge to slap that smile off his face.

Some things are better left unsaid. This is one of them. What are you doing? I’m out at Adam’s
Apple
with a couple of friends if you’re up for a drink?

A reply came back right away.

Be there in fifteen!

**
*

“Can we talk about something other than me?” I complained, popping a few more nuts in my mouth and shoving my phone back in my pocket.

Pete nodded, and pointed at a cute blonde sitting alone by the bar.

“Sure. Let’s talk about how that little beauty over there is going to be riding the Pete machine tonight.” He licked his lips as he gazed at her.

Sam and I exchanged glances as I groaned. Maybe it was better if we talked about me.

Exactly fifteen minutes later
on the dot
, I spotted Mia coming through the door. Right about the same time Pete spotted her.

“Holy
fuckballs
, check out the brunette who just walked in,” he mumbled, letting out a low whistle. “Check out those cans!”

“Keep your pants on, dude.” I stood up as she approached the table.

She gave me a hug and smiled at the guys.

“Mia, this is Pete and Sam, two of my buddies from college. Guys, this is Mia.”

Pete stood up and smiled, extending his hand. “We’ve heard so much about you, it’s wonderful to finally meet you.”

“You have?” she raised her eyebrows at me.

“Yeah,” Pete nodded, his hands resting on my shoulders. “This guy doesn’t shut up about you.”

Mia giggled as I turned and shot Pete a warning look. He backed away from me, his hands raised.

“Can I get you a drink?” I asked her.

“Sure, a lemon soda would be nice. I start work tomorrow, so avoiding alcohol is probably a smart idea.” She made a face.

I walked up to the bar and ordered two lemon sodas. Leaving her alone with Pete was probably a bad idea, but I didn’t have much choice. I glanced back to see her laughing uncontrollably.

What the fuck was he saying to her?

I walked back over with our drinks, trying to hide the fact that I was so pissed off. And I didn’t even know why I was so annoyed—because they’d been laughing? Or maybe it was seeing Mia laughing with another guy. Or maybe it was Pete, knowing he’d d anything to get her into bed…and I wondered if she’d let him.

“Here you go,” I said, placing her drink on a coaster in front of her.
She smiled up at me
,
her dark lashes fluttering
.
Oh god, don’t look at me like that.
I could barely contain myself around her as it was. I didn’t need to be staring into those amazing eyes.

“Mia was just telling us a few things about you, Coop,” Pete chuckled as he took a mouthful of his beer. “Or should we call you Squirt?”

“Seriously?” I groaned, turning to Mia. “You had to tell them
that
?”

“
They asked, and I felt pressured to answer,” Mia said, barely managing to keep a straight face.

“Squirt” had been something I had repressed for years. In sixth grade, I had fallen asleep in history class. My teacher had woken me up by demanding I come up to the front of the class and answer a question on the board. As I walked up, the entire class, including the
god damned
teacher, began to laugh. I glanced down and realized I’d had a wet dream.

God, even
thinking
about it brought back those same feelings of embarrassment and terror. For months, everyone referred to me as ‘Squirt.’ As if my life wasn’t hard enough back then, being as skinny and weird as I was.

“You’ll pay for this,” I said, narrowing my eyes at her.

She giggled, pursing her lips in mock horror. “Come –on, Coop. It was funny.”

“It might have been funny to everyone else, but to me? Horrifying. The worst experience of my life,” I grumbled.

Pete, still howling with laughter banged his hand down on the table. “And it’s even more hilarious now, considering your line of work,” he panted.

I glared at him. His mouth dropped open as he realized what he’d just said.

“Why?” Mia asked, confused.

“Because insurance isn’t the most sexy profession around,” I replied smoothly.

She giggled, buying it.

I sighed. That was way too close. Again I felt that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. I
hated
lying to her. I needed to get her away from Pete before he had anymore to drink.

“I think it’s time for me to head off,” I said, getting to my feet.

Pete looked at me apologetically while Sam just sat there awkwardly.

“I’ll call you guys, yeah?” Turning to Mia, I smiled. “Can I walk you back?”

She nodded and slipped off her stool, taking my arm.

“It was lovely to meet you,” she said to the boys. They exchanged goodbyes as I left, with her following closely behind me.

“I’m sorry, Coop. I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” Mia glanced at me, her expression anxious. In her defense, I hadn’t spoken since we left the bar.

We walked down the sidewalk side by side. I
softened,
not wanting her to think the weirdness in there had been her fault. “It’s fine,” I chuckled. “I hadn’t thought about that in years, to be honest. And I’d rather never think of it again.”

“Thanks for inviting me out,” Mia smiled.

“Thanks for saying yes,” I replied. “I hope my friends weren’t too painful for you,” I chuckled.

“No, they were fine. They seem like good guys. Are you close?” she asked.

“Not really. I mean, they’re my closest and oldest friends, but we only catch up every month or so. I don’t really have any close friends. I spend a lot of time with Nic and Jake and then there’s work. I don’t really have many guy friends I can just call up for a drink, if that makes sense.”

Good one, Coop. Now she thinks
you’re some kind
of loser with no friends.

“It makes perfect sense,” she smiled. “I get what you’re saying. That’s pretty much my life you’re describing right there. And any friends I had through Aiden, he seemed to take possession of during the divorce.”

It was the first time I’d heard her mention her ex-husband’s name.

“What happened between you guys? I mean, don’t answer that if you don’t want to.”

“No, I’m fine talking about it.” She shrugged. “We just fell out of love, I guess—or at least
he
fell out of love. I’d been with him for so long that he was really all I knew. We’ve been separated for the last year, so it’s not like it was sudden or anything. The divorce went through just before I moved back.”