“I have the glassware receipt for the party.”Drea fumbled around in her purse and pulled out the little plastic folder she kept all her party notes and receipts in.“You’ll need it when you pick it up on Saturday.”
The black T-shirt stretched as Cujo pulled it over his head.Drea said a silent good-bye to his abs.It was the closest she was ever going to get to a body like that.
He took the receipt.“Was there something else, because I need to get back to work.”He buckled his belt while looking straight at her, and Drea felt the air cool around them.
“I wanted to see how you’re doing.”
“I’m fine.Anything else?”Whatever had been building between them over the last couple of weeks was gone.
“No, that’s everything.”She zipped her purse closed.Drea turned to leave.
“Fuck,” Cujo cursed, and it stopped her in her tracks.“Don’t go.Stay.Wait for me to finish up.We can go for a drink and talk.”
Talk?Usually a euphemism for a depressingly bad conversation that ended with “It’s not you, it’s me.”And she had to be at the hotel in less than hour.If she didn’t get going, she wouldn’t make it on time in the heavy traffic.
“I can’t.There’s somewhere I need to be.”She wasn’t going to tell him about the job.The last thing she needed was his pity.He knew too much about her private life already.
“Ah, the dress,” he said, crossing his arms across his chest.“Hot date with Carter, huh?Well, you better hop to it, Skippy.Wouldn’t want to make you late.”
She could fight most things, but she’d never win against his indifference.She stared at him.Whatever they had was over.And she had a job to do.
***
Cujo watched Drea leave, desperately wishing he could take back everything he’d just said.Baiting Drea because he was still mad at his dad, and his mom, was juvenile.
Shit.The way she’d looked at him when she first arrived turned him on, his throbbing cock, proof.She’d looked sexy as fuck in the knit dress and little ankle boots.He should have started the conversation with that.Instead he’d given her the cold shoulder and sent her away like an ass.
“Knock, knock.”Trent walked in and looked around.“Did I miss Drea?”
Cujo folded the shirt he’d removed before putting it into his gym bag.“She just left, off on a hot date.”Just saying the words made him want to hit something.
“Who?Drea?”Trent looked confused.“She’s going to work.”
“Yeah, right.”Not that he cared.It was for the best anyway.Speaking to his dad yesterday had reminded him that love was a boatload of heartache.
“Dude, what did you say to her?She’s in a mess right now.You know that, right?”
He wasn’t in the mood for one of Trent’s speeches, so he started the drawing of a mountain lion he was doing for a guy from Iowa coming in tomorrow.
Trent rounded the table and sat on the sofa facing him.
“Back off, Trent,” he said, without shifting his focus from the piece of paper.
“What climbed up your ass?”
Cujo slammed the pen down and rubbed his hands over his face.A thousand thoughts raced through his brain.He needed a workout, loud music, and lots of alcohol.Preferably in that order.
“Did she tell you the bank turned her down?Not that it’s really my business to tell you.”Trent shifted.
“The bank?For what?”She hadn’t mentioned the bank, had she?
“Her mom’s meds and expenses are close to bankrupting her.She went to get a loan to cover the last couple of months of her mom’s care.But they turned her down.”
“Fuck.”
He’d kicked a fucking puppy.Drea was already down.He could help her out though.Call her up, apologize, maybe loan her the money.Take care of her.Not that Drea would ever accept a loan from him.The girl had too much pride.
“We offered to help her.She turned it down.”
