Page 19 of Addicted

He smiles, “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“I have to go. I’m meeting my friends at Ryan’s Place for drinks in thirty minutes.”

“Aren’t you the least bit afraid that I’ll show up now that I know where you’re going?” he says, “Or was that the point, Stella?”

He moves closer to my face. His scent is intoxicating.

I bring my lips to his, and he is surprised, but his tongue is urgently searching for mine. Putting my hands in his hair, I pull him closer to me, our chests touching.

He runs his hands up and down my body while he moans slightly. He pulls back and stares at me, “Stella.”

In nearly a whisper I say, “Jamie.”

“I don’t want to keep you from your friends. I’ll go.”

“Bye, Jamie.”

“Fuck you, later, Stella.”

Four

CHAPTER 4

Upon arriving at Ryan’s Place for girls’ night, I checked the time, two minutes early. Even though I’m here early, my girls are all here. Scarlet, April, Holly, and my agent, Bethany. We ordered a pitcher of margaritas.

April yells, “And four shots of tequila!”

Looking at Scarlet she said, “No tequila for the preggo!”

Holly regales us with her string of dates that lead absolutely nowhere. Well, sometimes there’s sex, but never a second date. April and Scarlet are so lost in love with their men that I think they have forgotten what it’s like to date. Are we dating? I don’t know what this is. No. I don’t date. It’s only sex.

Bethany chimes in, “How’s Jamie?”

I gasp, “Bethany!”

April says, “Ohhhh, who is Jamie, Stella? Spill. We want to know EVERYTHING!”

“There is nothing to say. He’s an author. I’m staying away from him. I don’t need any complications. Whatever it was, that’s done now.”

April jumps up, “Alexander’s brother? That Jamie?”

I rolled my eyes, “Yes, April.”

“Oh, he’s sexy,” she said.

Bethany glances across the table and says, “You should see the way he looks at her.”

She shakes her head.

Holly says, “What kind of books does he write?”

I say, “Suspense. Can we talk about something, someone, anything else?”

They are all laughing at my expense.

Bethany says, “So you didn’t sleep with him?”

“I don’t sleep with anyone.” I’m not telling her that he slept in my bed.

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