Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
DEIDRE
“D eidre and Luke sitting in a tree f-u-c-k-i?—”
“That’s not how the song goes,” I correct.
“Fine,” Mandy says snidely. “K-i-s-s?—”
“You’re not funny,” I interrupt. “Besides, we’re just friends.”
“Could be friends with a little action,” she argues.
“Not happening. He’s Mike’s best friend. He’s like a brother.”
“A very hot, fuckable brother,” she says.
“No,” I object. “Luke is a friend. We’re just two friends hanging out. Besides, it would be weird even if it did happen.”
Do I find Luke attractive? Hell, yeah. Does that mean I want to sleep with him? Hell, yeah. Does that mean that I should? Hell, no. There are all kinds of things wrong with me wanting to sleep with him. Mike would freak the fuck out for starters.
“So, you have thought about it,” she proclaims.
“Thought about what?” I turn away so she doesn’t see my expression. She’ll know that I have if she sees my face.
“Sex with Luke,” she giggles.
“No, I haven’t.”
“Yes, you have, bitch,” Mandy says smugly, laying with Vix on my bed. “I know you.”
“Did not.”
“Anyone…male or female who gets a glance at him would instantly say that Luke is fuckable. And they would fuck him if they had the chance,” she states.
“Not me.”
She laughs. “Bullshit.”
“We’re just friends and that’s all it will be. You know I can’t do relationships.”
“Why do you equate sex with relationships?” Mandy asks. “I’m just talking about sex.”
“It would just be weird, okay.”
“You never know…” Mandy begins but stops.
“Know what?” When she doesn’t answer, I look at her.
“Luke just might be…the one ,” she teases. “Which is why you’re afraid to sleep with him.”
“No fucking way,” I laugh, brushing it aside.
Did I have a crush on Luke when we were younger? Uh, yeah. How could a girl not have a crush when he was her first kiss? I know that any hesitation or desire to act stems from when I was fourteen.
“Maybe I should come along…you know, to chaperon,” Mandy states.
“What?!”
“Nervous?” she giggles.
“No,” I lie. “Want to come?”
“Nah.” She draws circles over my comforter with her finger. “I don’t want to get in the way of you possibly coming .”
“Nasty bitch,” I laugh, zipping my bag shut and leave the room.
“You like it,” she says, following after me.
“Sometimes.”
“All the time,” she insists, following me out to the car where Tony’s waiting for me. “Have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“That’s not saying much.”
“Exactly,” she muses. “I better not see you until Sunday…even better, Monday.”
“You know I’ve got events to attend for work,” I remind.
“Is Victoria going to be at any of them?”
“No,” I say.
“Then, you can say you were there and not go.”
I roll my eyes since we’ve had this conversation several times. “She’d check with the people there.”
“Then, show up, take a few pictures, and then leave,” she suggests.
“Bye,” I say, climbing into the car.
“You’re allowed to have a life,” she shouts as I close the door.
Forty-five minutes later, I text Luke that we’re only about five minutes away.
There’s no traffic like Friday traffic in California which brings everything to a standstill.
I tried to convince Tony to drop me off at the station so I could take the train into town, but he objected.
Despite seeing Luke from a distance at the wedding, Tony said he’s not taking any chances with my security and public transportation.
As Tony pulls up to the building, I see Luke waiting just outside the doors for me, so I text him.
Here
All I see is a big guy getting out of an SUV.
I open the door, not waiting for Tony, which Tony doesn’t like. He prefers for me to wait while he checks the surroundings. “Hey.”
“I did not expect you to be driven,” Luke states.
“It’s kind of a new thing because of work.”
“I understand,” he replies.
“Do you mind?” I ask, lifting Vix.
“For her to tag along? Not at all.”
“You sure?”
“I’m a dog guy,” Luke states.
“Beastiality,” Tony mumbles. “I didn’t think of that.”
“Cool it,” I say with a smirk.
“Excuse me?” Luke inquires nervously.
“Don’t pay attention to him,” I direct.
“Uh, okay,” Luke huffs.
“Do you have a car?”
“Yeah,” Luke replies.
“Cool.”
“You’re not driving anywhere without me,” Tony reminds.
“You’re off duty for the whole weekend.”
“You have a few appointments,” he reminds.
“They’re nothing,” I lie.
“Do you have work?” Luke asks.
“Yes,” Tony confirms.
“Nope,” I lie. “Tony’s just mixing up the weekends.”
“That’ll cost you,” Tony warns.
I offer an apologetic smile, but it seems not to affect him.
“I don’t like this, Deidre,” Tony challenges.
“Luke is a friend…a childhood friend,” I remind. “We’ve been over this. I know that Luke isn’t a serial killer.”
“He could be,” Tony argues.
“He’s not Jeffrey Dahmer.”
“That’s still up for debate,” Tony challenges with a smirk as he stares Luke down.
“What am I missing?” Luke asks nervously.
“When we were little, Luke wouldn’t kill bugs that were in my room. He’d always scoop them up and carry them outside.”
“One of the only things that made you girly,” Luke teases.
“The joke is on you. I can handle bugs now.”
“I have my eye on you,” Tony directs to Luke. “And, you, too.”
“Go, or else you’re fired,” I tease.
“Have a good weekend,” Tony bids. He leans close. “I will be keeping my eye on you.”
“I know,” I return with a smile. “Thank you.”
Tony nods, gets back in the vehicle, and drives away.
“He’s a little bit intimidating,” Luke admits.
“That’s his job.” I reach for my bags, but Luke gets to them first.
“I got them,” he says, pulling away from me. “I didn’t know drivers were so protective.”
“He’s more than a driver.”
“Boyfriend?” Luke asks, holding the door open.
With a laugh, I reply, “No.”
“He doesn’t seem like your type.”
“My type?” I eye him suspiciously.
“What?”
“How would you know what my type is?” I ask.
Luke shrugs and pushes the button for the elevator.
My eye twitches. “Hoping for a chance?”
“I’m on the fourth floor.” A ding goes off and Luke gets in the elevator. “Great view of the ocean. Follow me."
I don’t comment and follow after him.
He holds up my bags. “So, should I ask what all this is?”
“Well, if I’m here to celebrate, it’s going to take more than one night.”
“Staying the night?” Luke muses with a grin. “Now, who’s the one trying to get laid?”
“Funny,” I reply. “Mandy says hi, by the way.”
“Tell her hi when you see her.”
“She thinks you’re cute.”
Luke leans against the wall. “What do you think?”
I don’t reply as the elevator comes to a stop. The moment the door opens, I get out.
Luke shows me around the apartment, mentioning that he’ll be giving me the bedroom while he takes the couch.
I argue, thinking he would have had a two-bedroom and offer to get a room at the hotel just around the corner.
Luke objects, placing my bags in the walk-in closet before closing it.
I try to say I need something out of them, but he doesn’t believe me.
Since it’s still early for the one thing I had planned, I take Luke to one of the local restaurants that’s within walking distance.
We sample each other’s food and laugh most of the time as we recount stories from when we were little.
Half of the time, we’re making fun of some of the stupid shit he, my brother, and their friends would do.
I make sure to toast to his successful business meeting, and when I do, I swear he blushes at the attention.
By the time we finish eating, I object to dessert, telling him I have something planned. Following my lead, Luke, Vix, and I make our way on the sidewalk, hailing a driver to cut the distance we need to walk to where we’re going. Just a few miles away, we hop out at our destination.
“What’s this?” Luke asks in amazement.
“Movie night. They’ve got some great dessert trucks here. And you’re going to die when you find out what movie they’re playing.”
“What is it?” Luke asks like a little kid.
“ Labyrinth .”
“Are you shitting me?!” he gasps.
“Nope."
“We don’t have chairs,” he states.
“I brought a blanket,” I inform. “That’s why I needed the bigger purse.”
We get settled close to the screen off to the left. We’re a little early, but seats always fill up fast. Luke offers to find us a snack, so Vix and I hang out on the blanket while we wait. When he returns, he also has some Cali sweaters in hand.
“What are those for?”
“It’s getting chilly and thought we might need them,” he admits, handing me mine after setting the food down.
“Wuss,” I tease.
“Well, it was either the sweatshirts and blanket, blanket only, or nothing at all but us snuggling up together to keep warm,” he states slyly.
“You took the safe route. Smart.”
“I was seriously considering making you suffer.”
“Vix will keep me warm.” I pet her. “Won’t you, Vix?”
“She’s not that big of a space heater.”
Despite the flirting, our conversations are natural as we relax and eat our dessert.
We end up using the sweaters since there’s a cool ocean breeze.
Luke moves closer, covering us both with the blanket while Vix places herself between our legs.
While the movie plays, we sing along to a few of the songs just like we did when we were little.
Once the movie ends, we get a ride and take it back into town, just a few blocks from his place.
I schlep him into a local bar for a drink or two to relax.
“Can I ask you something?” Luke asks as we start our second round.
“Sure.”
“How the hell did you drink as much as you did at the bachelor party without falling over?”
I laugh. “I always kiss my shot with a beer.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means that I don’t really do the shot. The beer bottle is empty, so I spit the liquor into it.”
“Neat trick,” Luke praises.
“Something I picked up with the parties I have to attend for business.”
“I’m guessing by Tony’s response earlier that you’re avoiding one…maybe more?”
I shrug. “I’ve been going to so many every week for I don’t know how long now that missing one or two isn’t a big deal.”
“What exactly is your business?” he asks.
I chew on my lip for a second. “I created a dating app.”
“A dating app,” he repeats.
“Yeah. It’s gained a lot of popularity. More so since we’ve made a lot of marketing changes which have increased our users’ activity and the amount our advertisers pay.”
“What’s it called?” he asks.
“Why?”
“Just curious.”
I fidget in my seat. “ Flirt .”
“I’ve heard about that one,” Luke chuckles. “A few of the guys I know use it.”
“Cool,” I reply nonchalantly.
“So, do you use it?”
“I have to,” I admit. “I don’t like to, but it’s required to some extent. It’s good for business.”
“How do I find you?” he asks, pulling out his phone.
“It’s not that easy to find me. There’s a specific?—”
“There you are,” he states suddenly.
I snatch his phone from his hand. “How? Oh.”
“Oh, what?”
“Most people can’t find me because of the way the algorithm works…plus the added barriers I put up for my account,” I inform. “We must be connected online somehow more than I thought.”
“Well, we are friends on Facebook since the wedding,” he reminds.
“I know. But that’s not the only way you can Flirt with someone.”
“You’ve built in some security and anti-stalker stuff?” he states more than questions.
“Yeah.”
“So, how does it work?”
I explain enough of the typical use of the app, and Luke seems pretty impressed.
“So, since we’re connected, I can flirt with you?” he asks with a devious grin.
“Yes,” I affirm speculatively. “But you can also get disconnected from me, too.”
“How?”
“If you become creeper-ish.”
“I’ll be sure to stay on your good side then,” he chuckles.
Luke and I stay well past one in the bar, losing track of time like we always have. He offers to carry Vix as we walk back to his place. Once I change in the bedroom, I open the door so he can get ready. Feeling devilish, I slip under the blankets on the couch with Vix as Luke's in the bathroom.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
I almost gawk when I look up and see him wearing only sweatpants. “Going to bed.” My throat dries as my eyes quickly scan his bare chest before rising back to his eyes.
“I told you that you’re taking the bed.”
I pull the edge of the blanket under my chin. “I’m comfortable here.”
“Either you get up and go to bed, or else I’ll carry you."
“No,” I object, settling into the couch more. “I like it here.”
“Argue with me again, and we’ll both be in that bed together,” Luke states calmly.
‘I’m not?—”
Luke scoops me up, causing me to squeal.
“Put me down!” I protest.
Two seconds later, Luke drops me on the mattress, and my body bounces slightly. He picks Vix up off the floor, tosses her on, pulls back the covers, and gets under them.
“What the hell are you doing?” I balk.
“I warned you, Tyson.”
“I’m not sleeping with you.”
“You should have thought about that when you argued with me,” he returns slyly.
“You didn’t give me a chance to?—”
“Deal with it,” he laughs, turning off the light. “Besides, we aren’t sleeping together.”
I gesture to the furniture. “We’re sharing a bed.”
“Sharing a bed and sleeping together are two different things,” he claims. “Here.” Luke places a pillow between the two of us. “You’ve got a barrier…not like this king isn’t big enough for both of us.”
I stew, trying to think of something to say or do, even a good enough reason or the gumption to get out and head back to the couch. My brain is empty. I shift to get up, but Luke pulls me back down.
“Hey,” I whine.
“If it bothers you that much, I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“It’s okay,” I huff, pretending like it bothers me.
It doesn’t really, but it is kind of weird because of the attraction I feel.
“You sure?”
“Yeah,” I say, fixing the pillow.
“Oh, and cute pajamas,” he snickers.
I yank the covers up since I’m only wearing a tank top and shorts. “At least I’m wearing some.”
“These are pajama bottoms,” he states.
“And where’s your top?”
“Be happy with the bottoms,” he says. “I usually sleep naked.”
My mouth opens, but not a single sound comes out. I lay back, getting comfortable as Vix snuggles into my side.
“Goodnight, Tyson.”