Chapter Nine #3
"I didn't know he was going to be that much of a douchebag. I didn't know he lied about his photos and I did not know that—" I sigh. "What does it matter? I just don't have good luck with guys."
"Well, maybe your luck will change."
"Maybe," I say, shrugging. "Anyway, let's get some drinks and get this party started because tonight, all I want to do is get fucked up.”
Chapter Ten
Kingston
Skye is pretending to laugh at something Angelica is saying, but I can tell that she’s uncomfortable. Her date, Camden, is an even bigger douche than he’d initially appeared, and I feel guilty for convincing her to stay. I’m not even sure why I did. Okay, maybe that’s a lie.
She’d taken my breath away when I saw her standing there in her white dress. I’ve never seen her looking quite like that. She’s beautiful no matter what she does with her hair or what she wears, but she’s absolutely stunning tonight. And it’s clearly wasted on Camden.
“So, I said to Nick, ‘you can’t hog all the coke, you’re not the only one that wants to get high.’” Camden slams his fist on the table as he laughs at his overly long story. “Then he turns to me and says, in his best Tony Montana voice.” He pauses and looks over at Skye. “He’s from Scarface.”
“I know who Tony Montana is,” she says through gritted teeth.
“He was played by Al Pacino.” Camden presses his fingers to his thumb and moves his hand up and down. “He—”
“So, Angelica, how was Europe?” I cut Camden off as I talk to my date. “Tell us about your latest trip.”
“I had so much fun in Prague.” She leans forward and plays with her long hair. “I met two men from Denmark, and they showed me what it means to be a Viking.” She presses her hand to her lips. “Oops, didn’t mean to make you jealous.” She winks. “Or did I?”
"Then the tall, sporty football player." Angelica pauses and licks her lips.
"He tells me to get on all fours." She purrs as she arches her back.
"Sorry. I'm not making you uncomfortable, am I Kingston?” She gives me fuck me eyes, and I want to tell her that we can all tell exactly what she’s trying to do, but I keep my mouth shut.
I look at her and don't say anything. I can see that Camden's eyes are glued to her and that he's absolutely loving the conversation.
I don't want to be rude and tell Angelica that I couldn't care less how many men she did in Prague.
I can tell from Skye's look that she's in shock and not sure what to think of the situation.
"Oh my gosh. Then what happened?" Camden asks, almost gawking. "Did you have a threesome?"
"Well, women don't tell their secrets," she answers coyly, playing with her blond hair and winking at him.
"Holy shit, Batman!" he exclaims. "I'd love to have a threesome, especially with someone as gorgeous as you."
"Well, I'm sure your friend here would be more than willing." She looks questioningly at Skye. "I do believe homely women are much more likely to—"
"She's not homely," I interrupt Angelica, and she frowns at me.
"Excuse me?"
"She's not homely." I look over at Skye. "She's a beautiful woman."
"I mean, if you like that sort." She scoffs. "Where did you get your dress?"
"Does it matter?" Skye asks.
"I'm just curious." Angelica sniffs. "I mean, you're at a nice restaurant in New York City with a very handsome man, and you chose to wear that? It looks like it came from Goodwill."
"Even if it did come from Goodwill, I see nothing wrong with that, but I got it on ."
"?" Angelica titters. "Like the website online? You bought a dress on ?"
"Yeah. Do you have a problem with that?" Skye says, starting to sound incensed.
"Who buys their dresses on an online website? What did that cost you, like five dollars?"
Skye presses her lips together and looks over at me as if to say, “I hate you.”
"That's enough, Angelica," I say, leering at my date. "That's uncalled for."
"What? I'm just saying maybe you should pay her a bit more if she can only afford to wear dresses like that."
"I wasn't going to say anything," Camden says. "But I was thinking you'd…" He pauses and sips some of his beer.
"You were thinking what?" Skye stands up. "You know what? Why don't the three of you enjoy your dinner and have a threesome or do whatever you want to do because I'm out of here." She stares daggers down at me. "And do not call me. Do not text me. I will see you in the office."
She leaves the table, and my eyes volley between Angelica and Camden. "Excuse me a second." I jump up and follow behind Skye. I grab her by the wrist and pull her to me.
"What are you doing?" she seethes, glaring at me, her eyes flashing.
"You're mad at me?” I realize I’m still holding her wrist. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to grab you like that.”
"Yeah, I'm mad at you. I should have just left as soon as I realized Camden was a dick. But no, you convinced me to stay, and now your stupid girlfriend has been insulting me the entire evening and—"
"She's not my girlfriend," I interrupt her.
"Well, you slept with her."
"Years ago."
"Yeah, and you're not going to bang her again tonight?"
I shake my head. "She's not the one I'm interested in banging," I say softly.
She gasps, her face going a delightful shade of red. "I know you're not trying to imply what I think you're trying to imply."
"What do you think I'm trying to imply?"
"You're not trying to say that you want to bang me, are you? Especially not after the conversation that we had just yesterday when you told me that—"
"Do you ever shut up, Skye?" I lean toward her, my lips so close to hers. I want to kiss her. I want to taste her.
"You can't talk to me like that."
"But I just did," I whisper.
"You're my boss. You can't…"
"I can't what? You can't tell me that you haven't thought about me kissing you at least once."
"Kingston Chase, are you crazy? Literally just yesterday—"
"Literally, just yesterday, I said something that I shouldn't have said, and tonight, I'm saying something else that I also probably shouldn't say.
But if you're upset because you think I'm going to take Angelica to my home and bang the living daylights out of her, that's not going to happen.
She's an old friend that I may or may not have hooked up with in the past, but she's not the one that I've been staring at all evening wondering what she tastes like. "
Skye licks her lips nervously. "Super unprofessional."
"I know, and that's why I'm not going to do anything about it. But you've had a shitty evening, and I figured, why not make you feel better about your night?"
"What? You think you telling me that you want to bang me is going to make me feel better about my disastrous date?" Her lips twist. "You are so full of yourself."
"But there's a little smile on your face," I say. My finger runs up her wrist, and I can feel her pulse racing. "It's okay to be attracted to me."
"I'm not attracted to you." She blinks.
"You know that's a telltale sign."
"What are you talking about? What's a telltale sign?"
"Every time you lie, you blink, look away, and your nose twitches every so slightly."
"My nose does not twitch."
"It does. Just like a little bunny rabbit," I say. "I've noticed it."
"You have?"
"Yeah. I am pretty observant. Just like I've noticed you checking me out."
"I'm not checking you out, Kingston. I…" She presses her lips together, and her nose twitches.
She glares at me. "Fine. I have perhaps admired the clothes that you wear.
The clothes, not you in particular. It could be any man in the clothes that you wear.
I just think that you have a nice sense of fashion. " She licks her lips again. "Sue me."
"I don't think it would be worth suing you, seeing as you don't have much money." I grin.
"Really?"
"Sorry. Too soon?"
"Yes." She takes a deep breath. "I'm not going back to that table, by the way. I'm leaving."
"But aren't you hungry?"
"Yeah. I'm going to grab a slice of pizza and go home and hang out with my roommate."
I look back at the table. Angelica and Camden seem to be flirting. "Let's go then."
"What?" Skye looks at me in shock. "What do you mean let's go? Your date is waiting on you."
"And maybe I am over the date."
"You're not going to tell her?"
"I can, or I can let them enjoy a date together."
“You would just leave your date like that?"
"She was rude to you. I don't like people being rude to those I…" I pause.
"To those you what?"
"To those who work for me," I say quickly. "You're my assistant, and as such, you deserve respect and no woman that I take on a dinner date is going to disrespect my assistant."
"Yeah. Okay," she says. "Just you then, huh?"
"I don't find that I disrespect you. I try to be honest with you."
"I guess." She shrugs and makes a little face, and a feeling of shame washes through me.
“If I have disrespected you and hurt your feelings, I’m sorry. I know I’m not perfect—”
“You can say that again.”
“I’m trying to be a better man.” I’m not going to say for you.
I’m not going to be some Hallmark Channel sap, but the sentiment is the same.
I feel like I’ve let my macho, chauvinistic humor allow me to treat her like a piece of meat, and I don’t want to be that man anymore.
I want to show her that while I find her sexy as hell, I still want to be the sort of man who sees her mind first.
“You’re not the worst man ever.” She grins. “I mean, you’re not the best, but you’re definitely not the worst.”
"Come on." I grab her by the arm, and we leave the restaurant. We step outside, and she doubles over with laughter.
"I cannot believe we just left them."
"Why not? They deserve each other."
"I guess so. So, you really didn't have any plans to sleep with her tonight?" she asks me.