Page 98 of Strictly the Worst

“Because you’re the one who keeps me awake at night,” he says simply. “I can’t stop thinking about you and that’s never happened to me before.”

He lets go of my waist and walks out onto the mezzanine floor, leaning over the rail to shout at Zoe.

“Hey Zo, wanna get some more pizza and watch me play Grand Theft Auto?”

“Hell yeah!”

I take a deep breath. This is going to be a long night.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-FOUR

LINC

“Oh my God, I can’t believe you’re so bad at this,” Zoe says, laughing as she wins again. Much to her disappointment I didn’t load up GTA, though I’m still kind of chuckling at the way it sent Tessa over the top.

Instead, we’ve spent the night eating pizza and playing Super Mario Kart, while Tessa does some work at the kitchen counter, because she’s a Miss Goody Two Shoes and we’re the wayward kids having a Saturday night blast.

“It’s almost ten,” Tessa calls out, peering over the top of her laptop screen. “Time to get ready for bed.”

“I’m usually allowed to stay up until twelve,” I tell her and Zoe snorts out a laugh.

Tessa’s eyes catch mine and I give her the dirtiest sex look I can muster. Because I have plans for midnight. Plans that involve being firmly inside Carmichael. Quietly, of course.

“Can’t I stay up for a while longer?” Zoe asks. “Linc is just getting good at this.”

“Thank you for your encouragement,” I tell her, deadpan.

“No. You have homework to do in the morning and then you’re going to your dad’s,” Tessa reminds her. “And I have to go home and get things ready for the contractor on Monday.”

Zoe mutters something under her breath, then hands the controller to me.

“Conceding defeat?” I ask her, low enough so Carmichael can’t hear.

“You gotta learn to pick your battles,” Zoe tells me, sounding so much like her mom it makes me want to laugh.

“True that.”

She and Tessa disappear for a while. I assume they’re having a chat as Zoe gets ready for bed, so I turn off the console and reply to some emails that have been filling my inbox all week. I check my schedule for next week. Roman’s requested a meeting. I accept it, knowing that he’s still pissed with me for not traveling.

But fuck, I’m glad I didn’t. If I had I wouldn’t have gone over to Carmichael’s place today. And she wouldn’t have given me the best blow job in living history.

And she wouldn’t be sleeping in the room next to mine tonight.

It’s weird having people stay in the apartment. I know that Tessa thinks I have a conveyer belt of women coming in and out of here purely for my carnal pleasure, but it’s not true.

“Just getting a glass of water,” Zoe says. She’s in her pajamas. I smile because they are black patterned pants and a white top with the slogan – Eat, Sleep, Anime, Repeat.

“Use the dispenser on the refrigerator, the water’s filtered.”

“On it.” She grabs a glass and fills it up. Then she puts it on the counter and walks over to me. “Thank you for letting us stay.”

Before I can say anything she leans down to kiss my cheek. She smells of soap and fabric softener.

And for some reason, that little gesture makes my throat tighten.

“It’s a pleasure, kid. Have a good sleep.”

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