15. Asher
15
ASHER
I heard a car pull up about twenty minutes ago and have been trying to talk myself out of going upstairs and asking Viv about her date, but I can’t fucking do it.
I have to know if she’s okay.
I walk up the stairs quietly, wondering if Viv already went upstairs to her room. This is stupid. She’s a grown woman. If she had a bad date and wants to tell me about it, then she will. What if she had a really good date?
Fuck.
I hit the top stair and see a dim light coming from the kitchen and walk in to find Viv on the floor, tipping back a bottle of wine and leaning her back against the dishwasher. “Viv?”
She lowers the bottle, some of the liquid spilling down her chin as she wipes it away and raises the bottle in my direction. “You want some? I know you’re only twenty, but I always thought that law was stupid. We can vote at eighteen but not drink?”
Uh oh. I’ve never seen Viv like this, and it appears something inside her has finally snapped.
I lower myself to the ground, sitting next to her and take the bottle. I cautiously take a small sip of the sweet wine. “What happened, Viv?”
She laughs, but it’s not her normal laugh at all. It’s a little on the psychotic side, and I’m feeling slightly homicidal, ready to grab my keys and go find that motherfucker.
“Viv. What happened? Did he hurt you?”
She laughs again and waves me off, grabbing the bottle back and taking another drink. “God no. He didn’t care enough to hurt me.”
“What?” I turn to look at her, starting to get a little worried, and I’m rarely fucking worried.
“What the hell was I thinking, Asher?”
I stare into her eyes, needing more of an explanation. “About what?”
“You were right. He freaked out.” She takes another drink and then points a finger at me. “Although he was a lot nicer about it than you were.”
Fucker.
“Sorry.”
“Yeah, he kept saying that too.” I take the wine bottle and take a small drink just to keep her from taking another swig as she goes on. “What was I thinking? That I was going to find a guy around my age—you know, because I’m really not into the whole ‘daddy’ thing—” Wow, Viv. “That want to date me and my kid.”
“That’s fucking creepy, Viv.”
She rolls her eyes. “No. It’s true.” She places a hand between her very full tits that are still pushed up and on display in that fucking dress. “I’m a package deal. And guys our age, they want to go to parties on the weekend. And vacation in Europe or Cancun in the summer. Not go to Sea World or Legoland.”
I take another small drink, actually hating the taste, but she’s giving me a fucking headache. “Legoland is the shit.”
She laughs, and her hands drop to her side, looking too heavy for her at the moment. She’s had way too much fucking wine for her small body. “You know, maybe I should just get on Tinder.”
“Do you even know what that is? It’s an app solely to hook up.”
“Yes. Exactly. I mean, that’s what I do, right? My only sexual experience was just a hookup. Colt and I weren’t dating. We weren’t in love. He just used me and then left.” Great, now I want to punch my dead brother. “And you know what, Ash?” I don’t have to ask her to tell me. “I liked it. I mean, it hurt because I was a virgin. But the randomness of it, the lack of control and just letting myself go. I loved it. ”
I stare at her, unsure if I’m actually hearing these words and try to shake them off. “Whew, okay. You’re telling me a lot of things. You a lightweight?”
“Well, I don’t drink often.” Yeah, she’s drunk. “But I really think I need that app. Just random hookups, that’s my future.”
“No, you don’t. You’re not a Tinder girl.”
Her eyes meet mine, and she huffs. “Do you have it?”
“Maybe.” Yeah. I do.
“See.” She pokes my chest with her finger. “You’re a Tinder boy. I can be a Tinder girl.”
“No, you can’t. Stop, okay? You’ll find someone. You don’t need a cheap, random hookup.”
She scoots closer to me and lays her head on my shoulder. “I do. Trust me, my body is craving to be touched.”
I swallow, leaning my head back against the kitchen cabinet, trying to get my brain to focus on anything else.
She. Is. Drunk.
She doesn’t know what the fuck she’s saying.
“Viv.”
“Seriously, it’s been what?” She lifts her head and looks into my eyes. “Like, four years since I’ve had sex or even kissed someone else?”
“Yeah. I can’t hear this.” I stand up, putting the wine bottle on the counter and reaching my hand down to Viv, pulling her up. “Let’s get you to bed.”
She braces herself by putting her hands on my shoulders. “You’ll go with me?”
She’s looking up at me in a daze, but I can see something stirring in those eyes of hers. Something that fucking terrifies me because I’m not sure if I’m strong enough to tell her no. “I’ll walk you up the stairs to make sure you don’t break your neck.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Is it fucking hot in here? I think it is. Her breasts press against my chest as she moves in, her lips hovering over mine as she stands tall on her tiptoes. “I can’t.”
“Why? Because I’m a mom?”
My hands grab her hips when she sways, and I hold her in place. “Because you’re Sebastian’s mom. ”
“So? You hook up with random girls all the time. That’s what I need. A random hookup.”
“With you and me, it wouldn’t be random.”
Please come to your senses. She looks way too fucking beautiful, and I can’t stop staring at her full lips, wanting so fucking badly to taste them.
“I can handle it.”
“No. You can’t. Come on, Viv. Let’s get you to bed.”
She shoves me away, her face now only showing fury, and it’s not something I’m used to with Viv. “Don’t. If you’re not going to be any real help to me in bed, then don’t bother.”
“Vivienne, let me help you up the stairs.”
She brushes me off and takes off for the stairs with me quickly following. She’s more pissed-off than I’ve seen her, and she doesn’t look behind her as she tries her best to get me to leave her alone. “Go away, Asher.”
I ignore her and follow her up the stairs, holding my breath when she almost slips, but recovers, grabbing the railing. “I don’t need your help.”
We reach the top of the stairs and she turns to face me, her cheeks red from the alcohol.
“I’m sorry, I think you’ll see it more clearly tomorrow.”
“You can fuck that bitch, Bianca, but not me? Seriously?”
She turns and goes to her room, and I follow stupidly, not able to let that go as we walk into her bedroom, me on her heels. She turns around, placing a hand on her hip.
“What?”
“You and Bianca aren’t the same.”
“Right. She has plastic tits. That’s what you need, Asher? Huh?” She gestures out from her chest. “Huge boobs.”
My eyes instinctively go to her chest and nod in approval. “Nope. That’s not the reason.”
“Then why? Just tell me why you can have sex with that vapid bitch and not with me?”
I have to remind myself again that she’s drunk, and if she wasn’t, we would never be having this conversation. “You really want to know why?”
Her toes touch mine as she lifts her chin. “Yes. ”
“She’s easy. Incredibly fucking easy. I can be a total fucking dick to her, put no effort into it, and she doesn’t give a fuck. She’ll spread her fucking legs for me any time I want it. And that’s the disgusting truth.”
Viv’s eyes meet mine, searching mine, and I don’t like it. I hate the way she makes me feel. Vulnerable. “I’m being pretty easy tonight.” Her mouth slides over my jaw, and I feel her lips caress my ear. “I’ll spread my legs for you.”
Fuck. Me.
“Viv.” I place my hands on her shoulder, pulling her away from me, giving my brain some space to think because right now it’s my dick that wants to do all the thinking. “You may think you’re easy tonight, but you’re not. You’re complicated as fuck, and that’s not a bad thing.”
“Because I’m a mom.”
“Not just that. You’re complicated for so many fucking reasons.”
She moves out of my hold, walking over to her dresser and taking her earrings out of her lobes, looking at me through the reflection in the mirror over her dresser. “Just get out.”
I nod, moving slowly to the door, not wanting to leave, but forcing myself to do just that.
I know she’s pissed right now, but she’ll thank me tomorrow.