Page 51 of Something Good
“Not tonight, sweetheart.”
“Aww. Tease.” I could hear the pout in his tone, but it seemed playful rather than angry.
I turned and looked at him. He was several inches shorter than me, his body tight and compact. He wore black booty shorts over fishnets, accessorized by black combat boots and rainbow suspenders. His dark hair hung artfully over one heavily linedeye, and he wore a touch of shimmer high on his cheekbone. He was gorgeous but not my type. Besides, I was here with Jimmy, and I wasn’t about to leave him by himself. Too bad. Type or not, a bathroom blowie sounded awfully appealing, and I was pretty sure this guy knew what he was doing in that department.
“You’re beautiful. I’m sure you’ll have no problem finding someone else.”
He preened at the compliment. “Damn right, baby. Damn. Right.”
I pressed a kiss to his cheek, winked at him, and then moved on, sighing as I approached the tall table where Jimmy was perched on a stool. His head was buried in his phone, his thumbs moving rapidly across the screen, clearly texting someone. His ex, probably.
I set his seltzer down in front of him, took the phone right out of his hands, and without looking at it, shoved it into the back pocket of my skinny jeans.
“Hey!” He lunged forward, nearly falling off his stool, but his hands came up with nothing but air as I edged around to the other side of the table. I took a pull off my beer bottle, ignoring the glare he shot my way.
“You need to stop texting that asshole. He’s just gonna talk you into telling him where you are, and next thing you know, he’ll be down here, begging you to take him back. You’ll cave—because you always do—and we’ll be right back here in two weeks with you nursing another seltzer after he ghosts your ass for the seventy-fifth time.”
Guilt washed over his face, and he refused to make eye contact, just like a dog caught stealing cheese off the kitchen counter.
“You already told him where we are, didn’t you?”
“Maybe.”
“Dammit, Jimmy. When are you gonna learn?”
“Fuck off, Sammy. You’re not exactly the model of successful relationships.”
“You’re damn right.” I pointed at him, still holding the bottle in my hand. “I don’t need to ride some fucked up merry-go-round of on-again-off-again bullshit like you do.”
Jimmy sipped his seltzer, hurt in his eyes, and I felt like a dick. But I stood by what I said. I wasn’t interested in a relationship. I’d had exactly one of those in my life, and that had been enough to teach me that all people did was hurt each other. It wasn’t worth it.
“Aren’t you tired of it?”
I paused with my beer halfway to my mouth. “Tired of what?”
“Of pretending.”
I snorted out a laugh. “Of pretending? Pretending what?”
“Like you’re okay being alone. Like you don’t need anyone.”
“Iamokay, and Idon’tneed anyone.”
He shook his head at me, sadness written all over his face like he felt sorry for me. I drained the rest of my beer.
“You’re so full of shit, Sammy. Everyone needs someone. We aren’t meant to spend our lives alone.”
“I’m not alone. I have you.” I flashed him a grin, and he shook his head, but I saw a little bit of a smile tug the corners of his mouth. My own smile faded as I took another pull of my beer, spotting Jimmy’s ex, Steven, making his way toward us. I chugged the rest and slammed it down on the table a little harder than intended.
“You sure about this, Jimmy?” I asked, not taking my eyes off the asshole weaving his way through the crowd. Steven’s eyes found mine, and with a little smirk, he paused a moment to grind against the nearest twink, rubbing his hands up and down the lithe body pressed against him, then continued his path toward where we were sitting. It was a clear message to me thathe’d do whatever he pleased because Jimmy would always take him back. “It’s not too late to head out the back.”
Tracking the direction of my glare, Jimmy turned, and Steven’s smile transformed from smirk to contrite while my hands fisted at my side. I wanted to beat the shit out of him, but I’d promised Jimmy last year that I wouldn’t start any more fights with the guys he dated.
“Baby.” He leaned in and kissed Jimmy on the cheek. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here sooner.”
“You weren’t invited,” I grit out through clenched teeth.
He shot me a look but continued in that smarmy tone Jimmy never seemed to hear. “I would have been happy to come out tonight if you’d called me.” He ran a finger down Jimmy’s cheek. “You shouldn’t be here alone.”
