My plan tonight was not to drink much and to finish early because I have quite a few emails I need to catch up on. Everything has been going according to plan. I’m only on my third drink when Sebastian whistles low.
“Don’t turn around, but that hunk of a man is behind you again,” he says just above a whisper.
Fuck, of course, he is.
“I’m ignoring him,” I tell both of them as they stare over my shoulder.
“Ignoring me? Now, Cora, is that what you do to someone after they make you scream in pleasure?” I clutch the glass in front of me as my friends watch on with wide eyes, as if they can’t believe what’s happening.
Neither can I.
“Hi, Arlo. Good to see you again so soon,” Sebastian says, and I kick him under the table. “Ouch, what was that for?” He eyes me. I shoot him a death glare, and he realizes he has just spoken to the enemy.
“May I sit?” Arlo asks.
At the same time I say, “No,” Delaney and Sebastian both say, “Yes.” I huff in exasperation as he sits next to me in the curved booth. Delaney is in the middle, and Sebastian and I are on either end.
A part of me had hoped I wouldn’t see him again, but a deeper part of me was left wondering if I would. Arlo’s presence makes me nervous because I never know what to expect from him.
“You’ve been avoiding me, Cora.” I feel his stare on me, but I’m too afraid to face him, scared of what I may succumb to if I do.
“She’s been busy,” Delaney says in my defense. I eye her, saying nothing. She hides her smile as she picks up her phone. “Oh, look, James wants to meet us. Would that be okay?”
“James wants to come for drinks?” I ask.
“Yes, is that okay? He said he is close by.”
Sebastian and I both say, “Yes,” as Arlo’s hand lands on my knee. Goosebumps ricochet all over my skin, and I have to remind myself that he is the enemy here. We had one great night together, and we should leave it at that. Besides, he was one of my clients, and now I’ve broken my own rule about not sleeping with a client. And while technically our business relationship concluded before we fucked, it still makes me feel dirty in a way. But at the same time, it was the best sex I’ve ever experienced, and every fucking night, I dream about it.
“My boyfriend is coming,” Delaney says to Arlo.
“Come home with me,” he says, ignoring her, as his hand slides up my thigh. I make no move to stop it.
I should.
It would be the smart thing to do.
“No,” I tell him, still not looking his way.
I am not falling prey to his seductive ways again.
“So, Arlo, how have you been since I last saw you?” Delaney, the ever-so-sweet one, asks him as I sit there and continue to ignore him.
“Good, though I could be better. I have been seeing someone who is currently denying her needs. For the simple fact that she can’t place me in a box that makes sense to her. Which she finds irritating.” His hand flexes on my leg.
“Oh? Sebastian says you’re a therapist.”
I can see Arlo nodding in my peripheral vision.
“Yes, that is correct.” He squeezes my leg again.
“So, what do you do when she doesn’t realize what she wants?” Delaney pushes.
I narrow my eyes at her, hoping she’ll stop talking to him. The more she talks, the longer he’ll stay.
I don’t want him here.
“James is here,” Delaney announces happily.
