Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Eloise
“I’m going to need details on this.” Penny waves something black in her hand above her head. “I’m talking all the details.”
It takes me a moment to realize she’s holding the mask I wore to the private party at Club Skyn.
I curse inwardly because I dragged the damn thing out of a box last week as a token of remembrance of what was and what will never be again.
I thought about tossing it in the trash, but instead, I rested it carefully on a chair in the corner of my bedroom and glanced at it each day. Every time I did that, another memory of that night swept over me.
Everything from Dr. Morgan’s whiskey-scented kiss to the way his fingers felt as they seductively slid over my inner thigh before dipping under my lace panties ran through my mind.
“Oh, that,” I try and pass it off as nothing. “I wore that to a party eons ago.”
She holds it against her face. The red and green stones that adorn it dance in the overhead light.
Dusk has set over Manhattan now, and with it, the ambiance of this apartment has changed. I rarely close the curtains in the living room because a beam of light from a streetlight shines through the window like a beacon.
I love turning off all of my lights and watching a show with only that light illuminating the room.
It’s cozy with a touch of romantic lure. I once tried to cuddle up next to Philip on the couch with all the lights out while we watched a movie of his choosing. He flipped on the lamp on the table next to him twenty seconds into the first scene.
“What kind of party?” She asks with a smirk.
A wild sex party where I blew Dr. Morgan’s world.
That’s part truth (the first part) with a whole lot of wishful thinking added to it.
I’m sure he’s been the recipient of many stellar blowjobs over the years. I’m curious about whether I rank in the top five, but that’s a question a woman should never ask a man, especially one who doesn’t realize she’s had her lips wrapped around his big, beautiful cock.
It was a looker or is a looker, but the chances of me ever seeing the doctor’s dick again are slim to none.
“A fun one,” I answer with a subdued smile.
She carefully places the mask on my coffee table. “If there’s another fun party soon, you should slap that mask back on and go.”
I snuck into Club Skyn with an invitation I received more than two years ago. I doubt like hell it would get me in the door now. I’m not even sure I have the courage to revisit that place.
“I don’t think so.” I point at the pizza box. “Are you ready to eat?”
I put the pizza in the oven at a low temperature after it was delivered. I thought it would hang out there for no more than twenty minutes, but once I started taking Pen’s measurements, we lost track of time.
Over an hour passed before she mentioned the pizza on her way to my bedroom to change back into her white jeans and denim shirt.
Once she was out of view, I grabbed the pizza, two plates, and napkins and refilled her water glass while she was changing.
“I’m ready. I’m going to head over to Daxton’s after I eat a slice if that’s all right with you.” She smiles. “Did I tell you that he asked me for a redo of our first date? We’re going back to Atlas 22 tomorrow night.”
A smile slides over my lips. “Good. I’m really glad.”
Her gaze drops to the mask again. “Since you dumped Phil, now is the time to jump back into the fray.”
I take a seat on the couch next to the table. “I’m not ready for that leap quite yet.”
She plops down beside me, reaching for a slice of the pepperoni pie. “You do know that the best way to get over someone is to…”
“Get under someone else,” I interrupt.
“No.” She laughs. “I was going to tell you the best way to get over someone is to fuck a hot guy’s brains out.”
I laugh, too. I laugh harder than I have in a long time.
“Phil was dragging you down, Els.” She points at the pizza. “Eat up. You’re going to need energy if you put on that mask and head to a party tonight.”
I take her advice and go for a slice, resting it on a plate. “Maybe I’ll stop by the venue tomorrow night and see if there’s a party. That’s a big maybe, though.”
It’s not a solid plan yet. It’s just an idea brewing in the deepest recesses of my mind.
“I’ll check back in on Saturday to see how sore you are.” She winks. “I’m talking sore in all the right places.”
I found courage in a few sips of a cosmopolitan the first and only time I went to Club Skyn. I’m not sure a half dozen shots of tequila would be enough to bury my inhibitions now, so I’d follow another man into a private room.
Penny taps my knee. “Before I forget, let’s sort out the payment for the dress.”
I want to wave it off to another time, but she’s offering right now, so I accept with a smile. “I’ll grab my phone, and we can do it now.”
“Good.” She sighs. “My boss says it’s bad luck to plan too far ahead, but I know this dress will bring all the good things into my life. It already has. Just look at us. We’re friends. We’re good friends, right?”
It’s beginning to feel that way, so I nod. “We are.”