Chapter 24
"Bang Bang," Jessie J. featuring Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj
Cruz
“Cruz! What are you doing here?” Mallory screeched, lifting on her toes to peek into Victoria’s apartment. Kate’s surprise shifted into a teasing grin.
Victoria would be mortified if I shared about the noise complaint, or how she'd been a heartbroken mess.
Or how after she’d thrown up, I guided her to the bathroom and held her hair while she puked.
I’d turned on her shower and removed her messy shirt and mine, encouraging her to rinse off while I tossed our clothes in her washer.
When I returned to the bathroom, she was slumped over, half passed out on the tile floor in just her lacy bra and her wool trousers.
I’d helped her upright and coaxed her out of the pants, revealing a tiny thong that barely covered anything and … oh, sweet baby Jesus in a manger.
She slurred a threat: “If you call me Firecrotch, I’ll have you murdered.”
I bit my knuckle, meeting her eyes with a vow. “Never.”
Her lids narrowed with a murmured, “No, you wouldn’t, would you?”
I wouldn’t tell them about how she turned around to show me that juicy ass as she climbed in the shower and … just stood there, leaning against the wall. Shit, was she falling asleep?
I took a deep breath, dropped my jeans and climbed in after her, trying my best to stay unaffected as she leaned into my chest to keep herself upright. It wasn’t easy, with her moaning along to every press of my fingers into her scalp, murmuring, “Fuck, maybe I could come just from this.”
“Not now, Cobrita,” I begged. She was sick, but I would struggle to keep my touch above her neck if her hand dropped below her waist.
I wouldn’t tell them how once I got her safely into bed, I thought maybe I could go back downstairs and jerk off to the R-rated memories playing on a loop: the wet hair down her back, the gentle curve of her tits, the flare of her hips and the plump swell of her ass.
I was ready to leave her alone in bed, a bucket beside her nightstand … until her fingertips touched the inside of my wrist. “Can you stay? Please?”
She pulled back the blankets and patted the sheets until I slid in. She curled up on my chest, made me promise to come back after class and fell asleep.
Nope, I wouldn’t tell Kate and Mallory any of that. But what could I say?
When I turned to the kitchen to gauge Victoria’s reaction, her stool had toppled on the floor in front of her closed bedroom door.
“I think we both know why he’s here,” Kate pressed her index finger into my chest. My bare chest.
Damn, I’d enjoyed Victoria’s not-so-covert ogling, towel-drying my hair during a reverse strip tease. But now this looked way less innocent than it was.
“We know Grace put her in a cab last night after celebrating,” Mallory said, hand on the doorknob.
“We brought provisions,” Kate said, shifting a garment bag in her arms to press a brown paper sack into my hands. I looked inside at the coconut water, ibuprofen and peppermint tea. “She must be up for company if you’re here.”
“Victoria,” I hollered as they pressed in, setting the bag on the counter. “You’ve got visitors.”
“Ho-lee shit,” Mallory said, mouth agape as she walked into the perfectly styled living room. “This place is incredible.”
Kate meandered through the kitchen, stirring my pan on the stove, clearly recognizing my chilaquiles. I avoided the question in her eye, scooping up the cat before she ate the jalapeno Victoria dropped in her escape. I’d cleaned up enough puke, thanks.
“Oh my god, is that Jurisprudence?” Mallory said in shock at the fluffy grey ball that passed for a cat. “She was just a kitten at Alex and Victoria’s law school graduation, right after they adopted her.”
My stomach soured at the idea of Victoria living with that asshole. Mallory made a kissing noise and reached out her palm.
“Gosh, you’re beautiful,” Mallory praised, receiving a tentative sniff of her fingertips. “I wondered what happened to her when they split. How do you think the breakup went? Did they have a relationship contract to rescind?”
“Technically it was a breach of contract,” Victoria’s dry voice answered. The air in the room shifted as we all spun to look at her.
She’d completely morphed. Minutes ago, her cute freckles were on display, her red waves loose past the shoulders of my oversized shirt and her silk pants.
Now makeup covered her freckles and darkened her eyelashes. Her hair was twisted back and she was casually styled in a silk blouse and wool trousers. When she wore that at work, I’d viewed her as polished. But slapping it on in her own home helped me see it for what it was: a tailored shield.
She stood in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest, reminiscent of the first time I saw her with that commanding expression, power cord dangling from her fingertips.
Then, I thought she felt cold indifference.
Now that I knew her better, I read her simmering discomfort.
Before speaking, she’d placed my folded shirt on the island. I scrambled to pull it on, hoping Kate wouldn’t notice it smelled like Chanel No. 5, or that my hair smelled like her luxury citrus shampoo. Adriana would be pleased, my hair never felt silkier.
Mallory released the cat as Kate faltered with a slotted spoon.
Victoria raised a cool brow. “Mallory, Katherine. To what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit?”
They exchanged a fearful look then both spoke at once. “My brother finally told you—”
“—heard you drank—”
“—thought you might need—”
“—before they decide—”
Victoria held up a hand, and they fell silent.
She glanced between them, tilting her chin at Kate to speak. That was unexpected. She’d known Mallory for a decade versus just meeting Kate three months ago … and now she gave her the floor first. How had Kate earned her respect?
Kate’s breath hitched before she forced out, “We want to join forces for our bridesmaid dress strategy.”
“You know I love Grace,” Mallory added, “but her style can be conservative. We wanted to be a united front about wearing something sexy.”
I saw the gesture for what it was: an offer of friendship. Kate and Mallory would wear whatever they wanted and Grace would never say a word. But would Victoria see their interest as not wanting her to feel awkward and left out, or just as meddling?
Victoria silently assessed their faces and said flatly, “I’m a groomswoman, not a bridesmaid. Nick called this morning to discuss our plans.”
When Kate and Mallory both stiffened, I lowered my arm so Jurisprudence could drop to the floor and inched backwards.
Victoria’s head faced Mallory, but her eyes traveled to me. I hitched my thumb towards the door, a silent request to leave. I saw a flutter of panic and a nearly indiscernible head shake, covered up quickly. I stilled.
Kate noticed and turned, silently pleading for my intercession.
“Well, I vote for sexy dresses, no matter your title,” I said, lifting my hands nonchalantly. “What’s in the bag, Kate?”
Kate unzipped an A-line halter dress. “When Bec and I found it in Rome, we named it lo vestito incantato, the magic dress. Everybody looks amazing in it. I was hoping we could look for this shape, but wanted your input since you tend to go for a more tailored style.”
Victoria’s calculating eyes examined the dress, top to bottom.
“I’ll make more breakfast,” I said in a friendly tone. “I bet Kate would love to check your shoe closet for something to go with that dress.”
War waged behind those silver eyes.
When I nudged Kate’s foot, she said, “I’ve always admired your shoes, but can never find anything in size 11.” She threw an annoyed glance at Mallory. “And that bitch is no help, she could wear Barbie shoes.”
Victoria’s lip quirked. “I special order them.” She turned on a dime and walked back into her bedroom, leaving the door open behind her.
Kate grinned gratefully, mouthed ‘Oh my god’ to Mallory and followed Victoria into the closet.
A moment later I heard her amazed voice, “Is this Heaven?”
Mallory sauntered over to join me in the kitchen … and I knew I was in for it. I gestured with my spatula. “You don’t want to join the closet tour?”
Mallory sat cross-legged on the countertop. “So you and Victoria, huh?”
“I told you, it’s not like that,” I said, shifting a tortilla around the pan. “She hired me for a VIP training package. We were planning our workout schedule when you got here.”
That was true … even if I wouldn't take her money.
Mallory nodded skeptically. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed that the night you met her is the last night we saw you out.”
“I was only out that night for Pike’s going away party. You’re welcome for his enthusiasm, by the way.”
“Just doing my patriotic duty,” she smirked.
“Thank you for your service.” I gave a sarcastic salute, transferring the tortillas to a baking sheet and sliding them into the oven before slicing another tomato. “And since then I’ve been working on my business.”
Mallory arched her brow but decided to give me the out, untying her top knot then finger combing her hair. “What’d they tell you to do?”
I thought back on my conversation with Victoria and Alex after they observed my class, accompanied by 20 pages of detailed, prioritized recommendations. “The full list?”
“Nah, I’ve got dinner plans,” she teased, and I wondered how long her document was. “Give me the top two.”
“YouTube, to build my brand.”
“I got that one too,” she said, and we fist bumped. “They said to upload yoga classes and record guided meditations, but not give away trade secrets. Apparently we’re building a whole recording set-up into the hot yoga studio for live streaming. You can use it to record yours.”
“Thanks,” I said, appreciative of the unexpected offer.
“How would that work for you, if you want people to come to your boot camp instead of just watching online for free?”
I’d wondered the same. “They want me to do self-defense videos, like a public service. They said it shows my teaching style without the boot camp experience.”