Page 30 of Vicious Arrangement
“Oh my god, Asher,” Katie says, who’s clearly a world-class flirt as she puts her hand on his arm and flutters her eyelashes at him. “Did you hear how they met?”
Asher’s a fucking goner, he’s all goofy smiles and leaning into her. “She spilled water on his crotch.”
“And,” Katie says, “made things grow. I hear he’s got quite the package.”
“Katie!” Aria squeals. “I didn’t say that.”
They both ignore her.
“I haven’t had the privilege of checking it out. Not that I want to, but for science’s sake…” Asher looks at me and smiles, ignoring my I’m going to kill you look, “Drop your pants and show us.”
“We’re in a restaurant,” I say.
“The corner,” he says.
Katie nods. “No one can see you.”
“I didn’t say that. I said I tried to clean him up and then realized where I’d spilled.” Aria stops, misery on her face, humor too. Like she knows she walked into something.
Then again, I get it, these two are setting minefields.
“He said she felt him up.”
“Asher? Shut up,” I say.
They dissolve into laughter, and Aria starts too, touching my leg as she does so. I smile, I like her hand there. I like this afternoon.
It’s the most relaxed I’ve been in forever. Hands down.
So I settle back and do something I don’t usually do outside of time with just Asher and Josh. I let myself have fun.
Chapter Nine
NOAH
A few hours later,toasty and buzzed, Asher ends the so-called celebrations.
“Gotta get Joshy from daycare. Shit. Am I drunk? Am I bad parent?”
“Where’s daycare?”
“It’s not far, and we live on Leonard,” he says.
“I’m the most sober,” Katie says, sending eye daggers at her friend, who snickers, and I find myself grinning. “We’ll Uber, I’ll be your assistant, and you stay in the car, wave, and Josh will come on out.” She pulls out mints. “Or we all have mints and just go. Then I drop you guys off, and I go home to Greenpoint.”
They argue all through their goodbyes and when they go, I pay the check, then I look at Aria, my bride. Who looks like a bride. The world’s hottest bride.
Fuck. People are coming in, looking at us like we’re some living insta photo—I’ve heard I’ve starred in a few, but I don’t really bother with social media. So I call a car, it’ll be the one we tookhere as he’ll wait around for me… after all he’s on the payroll, and waiting and driving is his job.
“I’ll take you home.”
For a moment, I think she’s going to argue, but she doesn’t. Aria rises, brushing against me, and it’s like a thousand fireflies spark in my flesh.
“Whoa.” She wobbles. “I had more to drink than I thought.”
I rise too, and slip my hand under her arm, ignoring the phones that point our way. She doesn’t even notice them. Someone’s probably recognized me. Others think this is good fodder for their socials, one of those “In New York” accounts my assistant talks about.
“You had less to eat than you thought, too. The waiter took most of your meal away.”
