He stood, and I did the same. “Let’s find you a locker and introduce you to Agnes.”
I stared at his broad back as he walked toward the door and one thought raced through my head.
I’m in.
chaptertwo
Callum
“You1need toget fucked, man.” My best friend, Reed,2stated this like a decree.
I bit back my initial response, which was that I wished that I could, and grunted instead. I was in no mood to encourage him. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to work.
“You’ve been so damn focused on your job.”
“I like my job.”
Reed took a long pull from his beer bottle, eyeing me with skepticism. I mimicked his motions and held his stare with one of my own.
“I don’t know why you didn’t take that bigwig job back in Cali when we graduated. I mean, I know I’m pretty, but you didn’t have to stay here for me.”
Nothing would ever get me back to California. I got out of that state as soon as I could. My parents still lived there, but they knew my stipulations and came to visit me instead. They knew my demons wouldn’t let me rest if I ever went back.3
“I like it here,” I said, defending my decision. “It’s too sunny and there’s no snow in California. At least not in Sacramento. Cincinnati4suits me.”
“I suppose I just sweeten the deal,” he joked.
“Nah, I’m really just here for your wife and her delicious meals.”
He rolled his eyes. “Speaking of Karen,5she told me you gave her friend a peck on the cheek and bolted after your date.” He said it like I’d made her tuck and roll out of the car. “Listen, Cal. I say this with all the love, but Lucy is Karen’s slutty friend. The woman loves sex, and I was sure you would’ve taken her home.”
I nudged my spoon up to better line up with the knife centered on the napkin6as I thought about how to answer. Reed had been my best friend since college, but he didn’t know everything there was to know about me. He didn’t know my secrets, and I wanted to keep it that way.
“She was nice. Just because we went on a date doesn’t mean we need to have sex.”
“How long has it been, Cal? A year? More?”
“Reed,” I said, my tone warning him to drop it. I didn’t want to answer that question because it had been a lot longer.
“It’s been more than a year since you broke up with what’s-her-face. I know you’ve dated, but when have you gotten laid?”
I took another drink of my beer, looking around at the other patrons of the restaurant avoiding meeting Reed’s eyes.
“You. Need. To. Get. Laid,” he said again.
“I get plenty of action.” I didn’t need to explain what kind of action I was referring to.
“No, youseeplenty of action.”
“We all have our kinks,” I said avoiding that topic. “I’m sure you let Karen tie you up all the time.”
He didn’t take the bait and pushed on, letting out a growl, throwing his hands up. “You frustrate me, man. Look at you.” Reed gestured to me across the table. “Women flock to you. They dig all those muscles you go to the gym for. Karen raves to me about your eyes.” He fluttered his lashes and put on a woman’s breathy voice. “Callum’s eyes are so blue. They’re so bright.”
I laughed. “Jealous?”
“Yeah right. I satisfy my wife plenty. You’re just an enigma.” His eyes flicked to his left before leaning back. “I bet you don’t even realize the girl approaching our table has been watching you the whole time. She’s probably just coming over to be disappointed when she asks you out and you say no.”
I may not have been eager to be intimate with women, but that didn’t mean I didn’t date and appreciate a woman’s company. It didn’t mean I wasn’t attracted to them. I’d noticed the blonde across the room almost as soon as she walked in. My lips twitched when I thought about how I was going to make Reed eat his words.
