Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 147051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 735(@200wpm)___ 588(@250wpm)___ 490(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 147051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 735(@200wpm)___ 588(@250wpm)___ 490(@300wpm)
My phone rings. I’m so nervous I almost drop it. I also accidentally put it on speakerphone. Hammer slaps her hands over her ears and rushes out of the room as soon as Tristan speaks.
“I didn’t know that, but thanks for arming me with knowledge for the future.”
My chest and my vagina clench at the sound of his voice. I’m still so angry at him, but I miss him, too. “Don’t make me regret my honesty.”
“I will try my best, but we both know I’m the kind of asshole who would use that to my advantage.”
“That’s true. I’ll temper my expectations.”
“It’s really good to hear your voice, Bea,” he says softly.
“I won’t moan for old times’ sake.” I make a noise that isn’t a moan, but it isn’t not a moan. “I’m using humor to deflect a lot of feelings,” I admit.
“I get it. I turn into an asshole when I have feelings.” He clears his throat. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know how to deal with you moving out. I miss you. I want to see you.”
“You want to see me or my vagina?” This time I’m not deflecting. I swallow down the fear that comes with such a bold question.
“You. I miss you. I mean, yes, I miss all the parts of you, too, but I hate how shitty things are without you. Can I take you out? On a date? Tomorrow night maybe? We could go for dinner. Please say yes, Bea. I want to apologize in person. Please give me a chance.”
Hammer gazelle leaps across the room and mouths, Say yes. So much for not eavesdropping.
“Okay. Yes. We can go for dinner.” I need to clear the air and confront him for being such a horrible dick.
“Can I pick you up at seven thirty? At your place?” Tristan asks.
“Yes. My place. Seven thirty. You can pick me up.”
“Great. That’s great. I promise you won’t regret it, Bea. I gotta go. We’re taking the ice. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Good luck tonight.”
“Thanks.” He ends the call without saying goodbye.
“I’m so nervous. Why am I so nervous?” My palms are damp, and I hold my arms out so I don’t sweat in my dress. “Is this outfit too much? It’s too much. I should change.”
Hemi steps in front of me to prevent me from making a beeline for my bedroom. “Take a breath, Rix.”
“And a drink.” Hammer hands me a glass of bubbly rosé.
When I try to chug it, she gently pries it out of my hand. I’ve changed my dress three times. I finally settled on an emerald-green satin number with a plunging neckline and ruching. My heels are gold and so is my purse. Hemi helped me with my hair. It’s in an intricate ponytail. On purpose. Tristan is a little obsessed with my neck.
“Little sips, sweetie. We don’t want you on your back before the date even begins.” Hemi squeezes my shoulders. “You’re smokin’ hot. You don’t need to change.”
“You look great,” Tally agrees. “I wish I had a butt like yours.”
“You’re gorgeous,” all three of us say in unison.
Tally opens and closes her mouth a couple of times before she ducks her head and says, “Thanks. A guy I went out with last year told me I have a flat butt.”
“That guy is an idiot. I’m glad you’re not dating him anymore,” I say.
“If you need me to vacate the premises for the night, I can stay at my dad’s,” Hammer offers.
“I’m not sleeping with him tonight.” It comes out sounding like a question.
“You need to do what feels right for you, but considering what he did the last time you had sex, leaving him hanging tonight might be the better move,” Hemi suggests.
“You’re right. I know you’re right.” Sex is what got us into this mess; having it tonight won’t solve our problems. Even if it will feel good.
“What happened last time?” Tally asks.
“He came, and she didn’t, which happens sometimes. But she was literally in the middle of an orgasm, and he pulled out and finished on her thighs and left her hanging on purpose,” Hammer explains helpfully.
Tally’s mouth drops open. “Oh my God.”
“Seriously. We are all going to hell for corrupting Tally,” I say.
“At least we’ll be there together,” Hemi reminds us.
“Why are you going out with Tristan again when he did that to you?” Tally looks baffled.
Her confusion is understandable.
“I gave him an hour’s notice that I was moving.”
“You only gave him an hour’s notice?” Hemi seems shocked.
Maybe I failed to share that part. “Yeah, but to be fair, things were pretty tense the week after Flip found out, and he didn’t do much to help smooth things over.” Apart from invite me to sleep in his room when Flip brought home a couple of ladies they’d tag-teamed before. “None of us were talking, and I didn’t want to be responsible for imploding two decades of friendship. Besides, they’re teammates. They needed to be able to sort things out, and it wouldn’t happen with me living there.” I take a deep breath. “I feel like this dinner will be more of a therapy session than anything else. So yeah, jumping back into bed when that’s the reason things went so sideways seems unwise.”