Chapter 51
Ben, March 24
“Zach, seriously mate, 20 pounds to find out her bloody name? That’s your best offer?” I groan, hating every second of begging. Zach, on the other hand, is laughing his arse off.
“Are you gonna help me or what?” I snap. More laughter. “Aw, fuck it, I’ll ask Kyle.”
“Oh calm down, wanker. I’ll find out. Shit, can’t a bloke just take a second to appreciate the return of the fucking walk-of-shame champ?” Zach’s still chuckling as he ambles down the thin stairs from our kitchen. I grudgingly follow.
At the foot of the staircase, our sitting room comes into view. Sprawled out on her stomach on my couch, using my laptop and wearing my bathrobe, is a small-framed, sexy little brunette. Her hair is still damp from my shower, which she’d taken after waking up butt naked beside me.
Zach clears his throat theatrically. She glances up. He thrusts out his hand. “Hey, I’m Zach.”
She sits up, careful to hold the robe closed at her waist, though a generous amount of cleavage is visible. Clearly she’s still naked beneath the fabric. “Lindsey,” she replies happily.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Same.”
They shake. Zach winks at me as he exits toward his bedroom. “Have a good day,” he calls cheerfully.
“Thanks,” she says, turning her smile to me.
“So, I should probably get going,” she adds, somehow phrasing it as a question.
“Yeah, alright. It was a nice evening though, wasn’t it?” I turn up the charm, trying to mask the fact that I can’t remember a single detail of our night.
She laughs, the sound soft, delicate, and genuinely pleasant. “We did have fun, as you promised.” She stands and smacks me squarely on the ass as she passes. “You were good, lover.”
In remarkable time, she’s fully dressed and carrying a small purse. I perch on the edge of the couch.
“Thanks for a good night,” she calls, smiling. She heads for the front door.
“Yeah. I’ll call you, we’ll go out again sometime.” To my surprise, she laughs again, a little louder this time.
“Wouldn’t that break the rules?” she asks.
“Rules?” I frown, trying to follow.
“My, you were sloshed last night.” She brushes my cheek. “It’s okay. You owe me nothing. No strings attached, no relationship, no expectations. Just fun.”
“Lindsey, I…”
She presses a finger to my lips, silencing me mid-sentence. “Nope. We had a deal. Bye, lover.” Quick kiss, and she’s gone.
What the hell happened last night?
“Zach!” I bellow.
He pops his head out of his room. “What?”
“What the hell happened last night?”
“Alcohol.” He smirks and retreats.
“Obviously,” I mutter. Then louder, “Where did we go?”
“Pub,” he reappears, “then a strip club when you started on about a gal.”
“A gal?”
“Yeah, some chick from the States.”
“Shit. What did I say?” I worry. Zach is the type to hold any slip against me.
“Nothing really, just went on about some fucking wedding. We took your arse to the strippers and they sorted you out.”
I nod, heading toward the kitchen for coffee. Then it hits me. “Shit, man, was Lindsey a fucking stripper?”
Zach laughs again. “We only knew her as Radiance, man.” And disappears.
I shake my head. Oh well. At least I proved my point. Guess who’s still got game?