Lawton's voice broke into my thoughts. "There. You happy now?"
"Thrilled," I said.
"Chloe," he said, reaching for my hand.
I yanked it away. "Well, that's really special," I said. "So here, you sleep with another girl – no, make thattwoother girls – what, an hour ago before I show up? And then, you get all hot and heavy with me like I was the first girl you'd seen in forever?" I shook my head. "It's messed up, you know that? Nice people don't do that."
His jaw tightened. "Yeah, well, haven't you heard? I'm not a nice person."
I looked down at my feet. "I don't believe that."
"If you say so."
Chucky was tugging at the leash, straining to move forward, and trying to tug Lawton with him. I started walking again, my head down, my thoughts cloudy. We didn't speak as we walked at an unsteady pace, passing one house, and then another.
I wouldn’t even call them houses. They were mansions, every one of them. They were all so impressive that I suddenly felt more out of place than normal. Sure, Ilookedlike I belonged here, but I didn't. Not in any sense of the word. And probably, I didn't belong with Lawton either, not that he'd actually offered.
Next to me, Lawton abruptly stopped moving. He turned to face me. Again, he reached out his free hand. When I didn't move away, his fingers closed around mine as Chucky bounded around his legs.
"Listen," he said. "The Brittney thing. Yeah, I see why you're mad. It's messed up. I know that. But she and I, yeah, and Amber too, we see it for what it is."
"Which is?" I asked.
"Nothing," he said.
"No, tell me."
"No," he said. "I mean literally, it's nothing."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
His voice was soft as he said, "They aren't you, Chloe." His gaze was intense as he continued. "If I'd had any idea you were coming over, any at all, I'd have made everyone leave. Shit, I did make everyone leave. The only person I wanted there was you. Don't you get that?"
My head was pounding, and so was my heart. "I don't know what to think." I gave him a hard look. "Is that how you operate? Just go from girl to girl, doing whatever with them until the next one shows up?"
His face froze, almost like he'd been slapped. But he didn't look away. "I didn't know you were showing up."
He was totally missing the point. "But even if I hadn't –" I shook my head, not sure where to begin.
"Alright, take Brittney," he said, his voice earnest. "You think I'm using her? Is that it?"
I bit my lip, considering my response. I loathed Brittney. But yeah, if I were being honest, I guess I did think he was using her. "A little," I muttered.
"Fine, I'm not gonna argue. But let me ask you something. How about Brittney? You think she's using me?"
I cleared my throat. "You mean, like for sex?"
He made a scoffing sound. "You think it's just about sex?" He opened his arms to encompass the neighborhood, the houses, all the grandeur that surrounded us. His tone grew mocking. "For this, to hang out here, to be seen with someone who's supposedly famous. To go to the hottest clubs and get inside without a wait. To get her ass kissed by people who don't know any better, and to feel good about herself for nothing more than taking off her clothes."
Well, that was an image I didn't need. "I don't want to hear this," I said.
His gaze bored into mine. "But you asked, so you're gonna," he said. "With girls like Brittney, it's never just sex, but that doesn't mean it's anything good."
From the look on his face, it was pretty obvious what he thought of the picture he'd just painted. "Yeah, well," I said, "I guess it's none of my business."
"Yes. It is," he said. "Because I want to make it your business."
Chucky whined, straining at the leash to keep moving. I felt like whining too.
