Page 55 of Bending The Rules

“Yeah?”

She finally looked at me, and a pang of guilt hit me in the chest when I saw that her eyes were glossy and red. “Yeah.”

“You want to get out of here?”

“Yeah.”

Instead of going back to the table, I shot Kita, EJ, and Rich a text to let them know we were leaving, then grabbed Toni by the hand to lead her to the covered waiting area for the valet. While we waited for them to bring my SUV, Toni wrapped her arms around herself. Instead of looking at me, she looked at her feet.

Even once we got in the car, she was quiet. As we made it back to our side of town, she was quiet. As I pulled onto the street that housed her hotel, she was quiet.

When I drove right past it, she stopped being quiet.

“Are you turning around or something,” she asked. I could feel her eyes on me, but kept my gaze focused ahead.

“Nope.”

“Did you realize you drove past the hotel?”

I nodded. “Yep.”

“So… what’s up?”

“Do you trust me, Toni?”

I turned to her as I pulled to a stop at a red light, waiting for her answer. Her eyes were still glossy when they met mine.

“Implicitly.”

“Okay,” I nodded. “Just enjoy the ride then.”

She stared at me for a few seconds before she shrugged, then turned to look out the window again. I pulled into a convenience store, and she waited in the car while I made a quick trip inside. When I climbed in again, I put two large, green apple flavored slushes in the cup holders, then handed her a paper bag.

While I strapped my seatbelt, Toni reached into the bag, laughing when she pulled out a little bottle of Grey Goose vodka.

“Go ahead and hook those up for us,” I said, grinning at her before I took us out of the parking lot, and back onto the street. “And remember—”

“Rule #62: Never let the cops see you with an open bottle.” She shook her head, laughing as she cracked the top on the vodka, then reached for one of the cups. “I’m ashamed that I remember.”

“Don’t be ashamed,” I laughed. “Be generous with that bottle in whichever of those cups you decide is mine. I need the shit to be strong, dealing with you.”

“Dealing withme?”

“Hell yes.” I nodded for emphasis. “You’re confusing the shit out of me Baby Girl.”

“How am I confusing you?” She asked, stirring the cup in her lap with the straw.

“You remember back at the club, how you bugged out on me because I supposedly don’t want you?”

“Yeah.”

“It was that. It wasdefinitelythat. That’s what confused me. You bugging on me, that’s why I’m confu—”

“I get it, asshole.”

“Okay, then explain it to me. I want to understand why you got so pissed. Do youwantme to want you as more than a friend?”

Toni let out a heavy sigh, but didn’t answer. Instead, she took a deep sip from the cup she held, then opened it and dumped more of the vodka in.

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