Page 12 of Dirty Deceptions

She sighed. Okay, he wasn’t going to push. That’s a good thing. Right? Suddenly, she wasn’t so sure. After a minute of contemplating that she sent:

I PROMISE XO

When nothing else came she set the phone down and headed into the kitchen. Coffee and Chloe. That’s what she needed. Twenty minutes later, Chloe came through the door carrying a box from their favorite bakery. She had on a pair of heather-grey lounge pants and an oversized black t-shirt. Her blonde hair was piled on top of her head and she had circles under her eyes. Lauren suspected she could blame Ward for those.

She snatched the box from Chloe’s hands. “You’re an angel,” she said as the smell of sugary delight hit the air.

Chloe followed her into the kitchen, grumbling under her breath about the early hour. When she sat at the little round table—the same chair Alex had used only hours earlier—and prodded, “Okay, spill. What’s got you all riled up?”

“A guy,” she quickly answered as she placed a steaming cup of black coffee in front of her friend. “I think I might have screwed up.”

Her friend opened the box and grabbed a glazed donut. “How? Is this about Jake?”

God, she’d already forgotten him. Did that make her a horrible person? Probably. “We broke up.”

“Good, I didn’t like him,” she muttered as she took a bite. “Then who are we talking about? I need more information. And talk slowly. I may have my eyes open but trust me I’m still asleep.”

Lauren took out a donut for herself, although she wasn’t hungry. She placed it on a napkin in front of her before explaining, “I met a guy at Rooney’s Friday night.” She paused, letting her friend digest that tidbit of news, before adding, “And he just left.”

Chloe dropped her donut onto the table, scattering little bits of glaze. “You brought a stranger home and had sex with him? Are you pranking me?”

“No, it definitely happened.” Lauren shot to her feet and began to pace. She was too wound up to sit and be calm. Calm wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. “We had sex. A lot of amazing sex. I’m kind of freaking out about the whole thing.”

Chloe quirked a brow at her as she reached for her coffee. “Uh, okay, yeah. I guess you would be. You’ve never done that before, right? Like ever?”

Lauren rounded on her friend. “Brought a guy home from a bar? Jesus, Chloe, of course not! You know me, it took a month before I went to bed with Jake the first time.” Now that she thought about it she realized their first time together paled in comparison to the fireworks she’d shared with Alex.

She took a sip of her coffee, then asked, “I take it the guy performed well in the bedroom?”

Lauren let out a heavy sigh, then plopped into the chair. “Yes. Very well. He wants to see me again.”

Chloe reached for her and patted her hand. “Sweetie, this is a good thing. Why are you all worked up? Did he not use protection?”

“No, no, nothing like that.”

“Okay. What’s the problem then?”

“I think I’m falling for the guy, Chloe. He’s sexy as hell, attentive to my needs, and I think he likes me too. He’s already texted me.”

“Damn, now I’m jealous. Ward blows into my life once every few months, we go at it like rabbits, then he’s gone. No text. No phone calls. Nothing.”

At the mention of the asshole of the year, Lauren said, “We’ve discussed Ward to death. You need to give him the boot. He treats you like dirt. Why do you put up with that? You aren’t a pushover, Chloe. I don’t understand the hold he has on you.”

Chloe bit her lower lip and stared down at her unfinished donut. “This might be the last time I see him. I’m kind of over it.”

Shock rolled through her. “I’ve never heard you say that before. What’s changed?”

“I have,” she admitted. “For a while it was nice. No strings, no commitments. I liked the thrill of it all. But I’m getting too old for that nonsense. I’m ready to find a guy who wants more than just sex. I want a relationship, damn it.”

Lauren smiled. “You deserve those things. I’m proud of you.”

Chloe nodded, then sat up a little straighter. “So, back to you. If the guy wants to see you again and you want to see him, then let it happen. You overthink things. Maybe this time just go with the flow. What could it hurt?”

“You don’t think I’m an idiot? I mean, we just met and I’m falling for the guy. I feel like I’m setting myself up for heartbreak.”

“And you might be, but if you don’t give him a chance then you could be walking away from a really great thing.”

“I hadn’t thought of it that way. I’ve been so focused on not getting my heartbroken that I hadn’t considered the idea of a happy ending.”

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