Page 34 of Lie With Me
Took the night off. Figured we could nail down our story before tomorrow morning.
Should I make a reservation somewhere?
That place on your fridge looked good. When will you be home? I’ll just come there. BUT NO SEX! We need to figure out how to be around each other without wanting to rip each other’s clothes off.
My lips pull up into a grin as I spin my chair around to face the windows. It’s a good sign if she’s seeking me out. An even better one if she wants to come back to my place.
Haha. Disappointing, but alright. How does seven sound?
Sounds perfect.
Jackson doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Lenni wants me just as badly as I want her. Eventually,we’ll fuck each other out of our systems and then go our separate ways.
At least, as separate as we can, considering our best friends are getting married and we’ll continue to be in each other’s lives. Pushing the thought of her eventually dating someone else from my mind, I pull up another contract and keep myself busy until it’s time to leave.
There’s a knock on the door right at seven.
Since I picked up the food on the way home, I know it’s Lenni, and ignore how my heart beats more rapidly in my chest with every step I take toward the entrance. She’s smiling when I open the door, holding up a bottle of what looks like some type of white wine, the diamond on her finger glittering brightly and screamingtakento anyone who sees it.
A current of possessiveness flows through me. A savage, carnal feeling that is starting to become synonymous with her very presence, gnawing away at the bones that cage my heart.
“Honey, I’m home,” she sings teasingly, breezing past me like she owns the place.
Shutting the door, I follow her to the kitchen, trying not to stare at the way her jeans are molded to her ass like a second skin. “Well, this Monday just got a whole lot better. How was your day?”
She shrugs as she places the bottle on the islandand removes her jacket. “Eh, it was fine. I ran to Jersey for Carmela, then met Ginny at her office to go over paint samples for the new place. How was yours?”
Lenni moves around the kitchen like she owns it, remembering where everything is from the night she was here. Propping my elbow on the island, I rest my chin in my hand and watch as she finds the bottle opener and retrieves two glasses.
“Work was fine. Nothing exciting. I did have an interesting conversation with Jackson, though.”
“Oh yeah? What did bossman want?” she asks as she places a topper in the bottle and puts it in the fridge before sitting next to me, clinking her glass against mine before taking a sip.
“He might have told me you said you weren’t going to work the show on New Year’s.”
“Yeah, well. I didn’t think it was a good idea. It’s not a big deal.” She gets back up to grab a plate, piling the beef and broccoli she requested onto it, along with some cold noodles. “What are you doing Wednesday night?”
“Is spending the evening on my back while you ride me into next year an option?”
She grins. “About that…”
I get up and start making myself a plate. “I don’t think I like the sound of that.”
“It’s nothing crazy. I was just thinking. Since things between us can get a little…intense…what if we added some more people to the mix? You know, to diffuse the tension.”
Freezing, fork halfway to my garlic prawns, I ask, “What do you mean?”
“What if we brought another couple into the room? She could service you, he could service m–”
“I don’t want to watch another man touch you,” I snap.
How many times do I have to say that?
“Okay, he could service you?” she suggests as she chews on a dumpling.
The look I give her is not an amused one, and she laughs. “Relax. It’s just a mouth. How can you say you wouldn’t like it unless you try it?”
Her words spark frustration in me, seeing as that they are similar to what I told Emily a year ago. Lost in thought and struggling with how to answer her, I jolt when she lays her hand over mine. “It was just a suggestion. I have to find a way to do my job still, Tripp. You can’t always be in the room with me.”