His jaw clenched with impatience. “Are you so lonely, so desperate, that you’d go out and sleep with the first guy you meet, some guy you barely know?”
Brain-drain twitch, but she covered it up quickly with a smile. “If I remember correctly, you did the same thing with Candy. Name ring a bell? Pretty blonde girl from Vegas.”
That statement instantly had his blood boiling. “Oh, so this is some sort of payback?”
“No. I don’t care about what happened between the two of you. I’m just pointing out that a one-night stand wouldn’t make medesperate. If you can do it, so can I. Like you said, if I wanna go butt-wild and experiment, I should.”
He knew that conversation would come back to bite him and the fact that she kept her tone polite was grinding his nerves raw. He just wished that she would react like a normal person. Shout, get mad, do anything that would make him feel like he wasn’t the only one going insane over this shit. But she made it seem like she felt nothing when he was losing his fucking mind.
Bob:Moving swiftly along to option four: raging asshole.
“So is that why you threw yourself at me?” He shifted off the bed and stood up. “To experiment? A few nights ago you were so ready to spread your legs for me and invite me in, and because I said no, you’re just gonna go out and fuck someone else, offer the invitation to anyone who will accept it.”
Bob:Oh, snap! To make a virgin feel so cheap? That must’ve hurt. Ten points! He’s on a roll tonight. I’ve lostcount of how many nails she has in her log. He’s just hammering in hole after hole.
Dan:That one got her good, Bob. A few more low blows like that and the Asshole of the Year Award is in the bag.
Another brain-drain twitch, but she didn’t dignify that with a response. Instead, she turned her back to him and began chucking her makeup back into her purse.
“Is that all I am to you?” he asked, moving to stand behind her. “A walking cock to fulfill number three on your list?”
She immediately spun around to face him and he finally got the reaction he was waiting for. “Fuck you, Kevin! You don’t get to toss me aside like I mean nothing to you and then you still want to bespecialto me. Fuck. You! As you pointed out before, you could be anyone. So to answer your question, you mean nothing to me…and that’s whatyouwanted.”
Dan:Ohhhh! And a ruthless recovery by Jasmin. That one stung him to his core. You gotta love this girl.
Bob:He’s running out of options, Dan.
Dan:He’s still got a few more. Let’s see how option five pans out: flat-out desperation.
She pulled on a thick jacket and her scarf and started heading for the door, but he cut in front of her. “What are you trying to do, Jazz? Are you…are you trying to make me jealous?”
“J-jealous?” Her eyebrows creased as if it was the most absurd thing she’d ever heard. “Are you even listening to yourself? How could I possibly make you jealous? You don’t even want me. That’s what you said, right? You want a real woman, not a little girl.”
Bob:Ooh! Another brain-drain twitch.
Dan:Wait for it…Wait…for…it…Perky smile.
“Well, good chat, Kevin. See you in the morning.” She nudged past him and walked straight out the door.
Watching the door slam shut in front of him sent an unsettling ripple right through him. He’d pushed and pushed, making the distance between them grow bigger each time, and now she was completely out of his reach.
Bob:He never did use option six.
Dan:What was that again?
Bob:Begging. And he wanted to. He wanted to beg her to stay with every fiber of his being.
Dan:But he didn’t, Bob, because this asshole has too much pride for his own fucking good.
*****
Jasmin walked out and slammed the door shut behind her. Fucking hypocritical asshole! The nerve, the sheer audacity of him. She didn’t even like Brad. She had no intention of sleeping with anyone, so the whole fight was unnecessary. But the fact that he thought he couldtellher what to do made her retaliate. How dare he dictate to her when he’d done the same thing? Who the hell did he think he was? After the way he treated her, he had no right to expect or demand anything from her.
He’d changed over the last few days, become an entirely different person. Something snapped inside him a few nights ago. Something was bugging him, hurting him, and she wanted to be empathetic, but how could she when he was such an asshole!
She was in no mood for a party now, but a part of her wanted to do exactly what he’d said. Go out and have a one-night stand just to spite him.
She saw Brad’s car pull into the open parking lot and forced a smile as she got in. “Hi.”
