“Ah, Peter!” I said breathlessly, pushing on his shoulders. He misinterpreted and began to kiss and lick his way down my stomach.
“No, Peter, stop!” I tried to wiggle out from under him.
“You sure? I was hoping you would be dessert.”
He leaned in and kissed my lips. Eww, that just creeped me out. I wasn’t going to have sex with Peter when all I could think about was Drew. I was fantasizing about another man while he kissed me, while he touched me. I shook my head, put a hand to his chest, and pushed him gently away. It wasn’t fair to Peter. He may have only wanted a hook up, but I couldn’t do it. I felt dirty.
“No, I just can’t.” I started moving away from him. “I’m sorry.”
He sat up at the end of the bed and wiped a hand across his face. He was quiet, but after a moment he laughed softly, humorlessly. He looked angry. “Should’ve figured. You always were just a tease,” he muttered as he stood up.
“Excuse me?” I was convinced I heard him incorrectly. No way did a grown man just call me a tease.
“Nothing.” He headed to the kitchen. “Forget it.” He waved a hand, dismissing me.
“Fuck this.” I stood up and buttoned my shirt. I went to the couch, grabbed my bag, and hit the call button for the elevator.
He stepped in front of me, blocking my exit. “Come on, baby, don’t go. I was kidding.” He reached out and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. “Don’t go.”
He leaned in for a kiss and I reached out and grabbed a handful of his crotch, squeezing as hard as I could. His eyes widened and he doubled over, but I held tight. I leaned down and whispered, “Get out of my way before you have nothing left for me to tease.”
I let him go and he stumbled to the side as the elevator doors opened. I stepped in, stabbing at the button to take me to the lobby.
As the doors closed, he yelled, “You crazy bitch!” I smiled. He had no idea.
By the time I reached the sidewalk, everything that happened hit me like a ton of bricks. Not only did this whole situation suck because Peter turned out to be monster douchebag, but it also meant that Drew had been right about him.
Sure, I always knew Peter was playing a game that, in his mind, ended with me naked, but I could never have predicted that he would be that much of an asshole. I realized that I should have just trusted Drew when he said the guy was shit. I would never have been in that situation if I wasn’t so damn pig headed.
If I was being honest with myself, I wasn’t upset that things didn’t work out with Peter. Don’t get me wrong, I was plenty pissed about what happened, but I was never really interested in being with Peter. There was only one man I wanted, and now there was really only one thing left for me to do. Time to follow Madeline’s advice. I had to talk to Drew.
***
I had rehearsed everything I was going to say a hundred times in my head by the time I reached his building. I had a plan. I was going to apologize to Drew. I was going to make everything right between us, then tell him how I felt.
His car was parked at the curb, so I knew he was there. I took a deep breath and headed up to his apartment.
While standing in front of his door, my determination turned into complete and utter terror. I closed my eyes, giving myself a little pep talk to steel my nerves, then knocked. After a few moments, there was no answer, so I tried the knob and it turned easily in my hand. I stuck my head in through a crack in the door.
The lights were all out except for the one just above the stove in the kitchen. Maybe he was asleep. I stepped in, closing the door behind me and headed down the hall to his bedroom. I heard what sounded like a sheet rustling. He was definitely in bed, but alone? Oh God! Please let him be alone. My curiosity got the best of me. I quietly stepped to the door and pushed it open.
I caught sight of the bed and the bare back of a woman with bleach blonde hair. She moaned as she rocked and arched her back. I tried to back out of the room before anyone saw me, but the floor board creaked.
The girl turned, and I froze. This had to be a fucking joke. Gwen! I locked eyes with her and she smiled, the bitch fucking smiled, as Drew looked around her. His eyes went wide, and I turned to run, smacking my shoulder hard into the door. So much for exiting with my dignity.
“Alex!” Drew called as I ran for the exit, holding my injured arm and trying desperately to erase that image from my mind.
“Alex, wait!” He sounded frantic, but I couldn’t wait, not after that. He was having sex with Gwen. Fucking Gwen, the bane of my existence, someone whose entire goal in life was to ruin mine, and he was fucking her!
Tears streamed down my face as I ran out of the apartment, not caring if I closed the door behind me. I ran all the way down the stairs and out the front door. I kept running until I reached the square and stopped to catch my breath, which, with all the sobbing, was pretty hard.
He wasn’t coming after me, so I took a seat on a bench and tried to calm myself down. The tears kept coming. I put my head in my hands. How could he? Why her? He could have any one. Women threw themselves at Drew all the time. He could have had anyone else in the entire goddamn city. Why did my Drew have to have sex with Gwen motherfucking Stevens?
After a few minutes, I managed to slow my breathing. I didn’t feel like I was going to suffocate anymore, but my heart was aching. It was such an intense physical pain.
Taking in my surroundings, I realized where I was. I wasn’t really sure how I got there. This was our place, the spot right in the middle of the square between his apartment and mine. The tears came back in full force. I had to get home, away from this place where I was surrounded by him, his laugh, his smile, and that stupid dance. It was all there.
I headed toward my apartment. When I got there, I numbly climbed the stairs and fit my key in the lock. I pushed my way in, slammed the door, and flipped the dead bolt, heading for my bed.
When your best friend breaks your heart, who is left to call to help you pick up the pieces?
Chapter 15
Drew (Then)
I was so fucked. I lay in bed, staring up at my ceiling, cursing my dumb ass for getting into this situation in the first place. I was not a relationship kind of guy. What the hell was I doing? Not to mention, if anything did happen with Red and it didn’t work out, I would lose the best thing in my life. This was such bullshit.
I heard my phone vibrate on the nightstand and reached over to see who it was. Shit, it was Red.
Alex: Thanks for getting me home last night.
Drew: NP, How you feelin?
Alex: Like maybe that 4 th shot was a bad idea.
Drew: Yeah you are probably right.
Alex: You up for a little hair of the dog and lunch?
I couldn’t see her right now. Fuck, I didn’t trust myself. I typed a quick response, then laid the phone down on my chest.
Drew: Can’t today. Rain check?
Alex: Sure. you ok?