Page 11 of Touch Me Not

“Everything okay?” Lily started cleaning up the nail polish she’d left scattered on her desk. She really needed a makeup case just for her nail polish.

“I think so.” Janet frowned. “He’s being very secretive. I’d almost think he was cheating if I didn’t know him better.”

“Cheating?” Lily turned and looked at Janet. “Mike wouldn’t do that to you, Jan. He respects you too much. He’d break up with you before he went out with someone else.”

“I guess.” She sighed unhappily.

“I know,” Lily said firmly. “Trust me. He loves you. When you broke up with him last year, I got the full-on Mike meltdown. If you’d seen what that did to him, you’d never doubt him again.”

“I’m surprised he didn’t go cry on Adam’s shoulder,” Janet said ruefully.

“Oh, he went there first,” Lily confessed, “but Adam and Sue had just gotten engaged the week before, if you’ll remember. Not the best place for poor, jilted Mikey to get some sympathy. Besides, he and I bonded overTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”

“That’s what you guys did that whole week?” Janet asked, curious.

“I supplied him with beer, chips, and cartoons.” Lily smiled. “Then he got drunk, laughed at Michelangelo and Donatello, and told me all about why you broke up with him, how much of a jerk he was, and his cockamamie scheme to win you back.”

“Which consisted of him storming the sorority house drunk off his ass, busting out his Ninja Turtle moves, and confessing his undying love for me.” Janet giggled. “He promised to try not to be such a jerk, emphasis on the word ‘try.’”

“Mikey’s a good guy.”

“He is,” Janet agreed and flopped over on her side. “Why are you going out with Nikoli, anyway? Adam is really freaking out.”

Whiplash on the subject change, Lily thought to herself. “He said if I went to dinner with him, he’d leave me alone for the rest of the year. Apparently, he thinks a little alone time with me will be all he needs to charm his way into my panties. And Adam can go piss off. This is none of his business.”

“He’s only worried about you, Lils,” Janet said softly. “He’s over at the frat house beating himself up right now because he thinks he hurt you with some idiot thing he said.”

Lily sighed. “Did he send you over here to try to get me to cancel my date?”

“Maybe,” Janet hedged.

“No offense, Jan, but…butt out,” Lily told her friend. “Adam has no right sending you over here to try to do what he couldn’t.”

“What was the idiotic thing he said, anyway?”

“Didn’t tell you that, did he?” Lily bit out. “He insinuated I’m not good enough for Nikoli, that I’m too far out of his league to ever even catch his eye.”

“Well, dressed like that…” Janet grinned.

“Shut it,” Lily snapped. “I don’t need you reminding me I’m not worth his time too.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Janet sat up. “Lily, if anything,you’retoo good for the manwhore. He doesn’t deserve someone like you. I’m sure Adam didn’t mean…”

“Can we not talk about Adam?” Lily asked, suddenly tired. “For once, I’d just like to forget Adam exists and have some fun.”

Janet gave her the pitying look Lily hated with all her heart. Mikey knew how she felt about Adam, and Janet knew because Mikey knew. Why the hell had she let herself get drunk and confess to Mikey she was in love with Adam?

“Look, I just want to get this over with. He should be here in a minute. I told him I’d meet him out front. You can tell Adam to mind his own damn business.”

Lily grabbed her purse and pointed at the door. Janet frowned but followed Lily out. “Want to come wait with me so you can see his face when he gets a load of me dressed like this?”

Janet nodded, an evil grin appearing. The two of them laughed as they took the elevator down to the first floor and then outside to wait on the steps for the manwhore of the hour.

They didn’t have long to wait, and when he pulled in, Lily gasped in delight. It had nothing to do with Nikoli and everything to do with the car he got out of. It was a black 1970 Plymouth Barracuda. She hadn’t seen a car like that since the one her dad owned when she was a kid. He’d adored that car as much as he had her.

She gave a squeal of delight, much to Janet’s chagrin, and ran over to the car. Nikoli gaped at her as she lovingly ran her fingers just above the body of the car as she examined it. You didn’t touch them with your fingers. Luther shook his head as he pulled himself out of the passenger seat.

“Are you running a 440 or a 426?” she asked as she squatted and inspected the rims.

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