Or, rather, a neighborhood away.
Denali's the only reason I brought the girl home. She sat in the front row of the staff section during the performance, with the rest of the audience this time, and I watched her let a man flirt with her the whole performance. His hands fell on her shoulders, her arms, even her lap at one point. Still, she didn't rebuff him, so she must've been enjoying herself. I don't know why the thought of another man's hands on her felt so wrong, tore me up so badly inside, but I've done stupider things for nothing.
If Denali wants to enjoy the company of another man, she's allowed to. She's not mine, and I'm not hers. I can enjoy myself, too.
So I brought home the girl who'd been my show-provided stylist last night. She's a rehire, someone I've already worked with several times, and a woman who's been in my bed before now. As far as hookups go, she couldn't have been safer.
We left early, leaving Roger with Denali—who insisted she wanted to stay late into the afterparty, considering we didn't have anything on the schedule the next day—so that Anton could escort me home. Reese, my date for the evening, signed the NDA and happily bounced herself into my car, texting away as we drove back to my place. But no matter how much she wriggled on my lap in the backseat, getting hard wasn't in the cards.
That should have been my first red flag, but I acted like a colorblind bull and danced right past it. The second red flag of the night was when she came into my house, spotted Denali's spare shoes against the wall by the door, and instantly acted like a priss about it.
"Whose shoes are those?"
I laughed it off, told her my cousin is visiting from out of the country, and she won't bother us—a lie, but what does she need to know about my business?—and then led her to the bedroom, which she'd been in before.
It took me far longer than I'd like to admit to get it up for a pretty lady like Reese. Red flag number three. But I couldn't admit defeat. There was no reason at all why I couldn't have a little fun?—
But every time Reese climbed atop me, I went soft. She gave it a good try, sucking me off three separate times to get me going again, but none of it worked. In the end, I just went down on her, brought her to completion, and rolled off of her, claiming I was tired, that I'd had too much to drink.
She knew the way things worked here. She'd better be gone before I woke up the next morning.
Apparently, something happened to prevent her timely and expected departure, though, because I can quite clearly hear her in the next room, her annoyingly nasal voice echoing off the walls in my living room.
And then a second, familiar voice joins the fray, and I shoot out of bed knowing full well that what I did last night has come back to bite me in the ass.
When I find my pants, I don't bother with a shirt, or briefs, instead just barely managing not to zip myself up in my fly as I scurry out into the foyer, where Denali stands in her usual business attire, looking as sharp and put together as always, her arms crossed over her chest as she stares Reese down. Reese, who looks like she's trying to play lady of the manor, simply because I brought her back to my place one more time than I promised myself I would. Who had to sign an NDA just to get in my home. Who won't ever be coming back. Or working with me again, for that matter.
"Don't you know it's not professional to slink into your boss's house at dawn while he's with a guest? Is that how they run things in your company? I can't understand why he'd keep you around with an attitude like that."
"Well it always baffles me that he keeps youladiesaround, too, but here we are. Shouldn't you be on your way out the door?" She says the word like it's meant to be an insult, and I assume the other girl knows what it really means, because she huffs in annoyance at the comment. "The rules in the paperwork specifically states out by dawn. And last I checked, the sunshould start rising in the sky any minute now. Do you not know how to read the NDA I know you signed last night? Or are you hoping Kai will get up and ask you to hang around? I've got a news flash for you—he's not the breakfast and kissy face type of guy."
Denali knows how to hit where it hurts, and apparently, she's in a fighting mood. Unfortunately for her, so is Reese. The other woman screeches at her and lunges, but Denali's too quick, and steps out of the way as she lets the other girl's momentum carry her straight to the floor.
"Youbitch!"
"You're the idiot who tripped," she says smoothly, walking around the kitchen to put space between her and Reese. "You're causing a scene. You'd better leave before you wake Kai, or else you're not going to like what happens next."
"Who the hell areyouto tell me what's going to happen? You don't know what he's like withme?—"
"I have news for you, sweetie," Denali's voice is laced with ice and bitterness as she steps up to Reese, staring her down even though she's a few inches shorter than the other woman without her heels on. "You're not special. You are one more girl in aseaof women I've watched do the walk of shame from his apartment before breakfast. The only one of us here with staying power isme,not you. He's not the kind of man to keep a fling around. So if you had your heart set on making him fall for you, thinking you're special to him because you've been in his bed, I have news for you." Her finger extends out and lands square in the center of Reese's chest. "He'llneverlove you. Hecan't."
I don't like how my heart hurts when she says the wordsa sea of women,nor do I like the way it sounds like she's disgusted with me when she says it.She'sthe one who told me not to change my routine for her benefit. It washerwho said she had no problem seeing my one night stands out for me in themorning, while she made coffee and prepped my shit for the day. I'm not the one who?—
"You know what, it's not worth it," Reese spits finally, snarling as she storms toward the door. "I don't want a man who can't keep it hard for me and moans another woman's name in his sleep while he rubs himself against the sheets."
"Excuse me, Iwhatnow?"
I don't mean for the words to slip out; they just do. And suddenly, both women now know I'm here, and that I've been listening to the whole conversation.
"You,"Reese says with a sneer, pointing her finger at me now as Denali watches on in amusement, brow quirked and arms crossed as she watches the drama unfold, "moanedanother girl's namein your sleep. Youhumped the fucking sheetswhile you said it over and over, got harder thinking aboutherthan you did all night for me with my lips around your—mmmf!"
I slap my hand over her mouth and propel her toward the door, hoping she's already gathered her things. "I think it's time for you to go. Remember your copy of the NDA, should you think about repeating anything that happened here to the media." I'm done with her.I don't hump my bed in my sleep.That's preposterous. I'm a man, not someanimal,or a horny teenager.
Reese isn't done with me, though. And with Denali hot on our heels, there's no avoiding what happens next.
"Who is she, Kai? Who thefuckis the woman you dream about, and what's sospecialabouther?"
"None of your goddamned business;goodbye,Reese. Lose my number." I slam the door in her face, and I can hear Anton stepping in on the other side as I rest my palm against the door and sigh heavily. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that this morning," I say over my shoulder, turning around to face Denali?—
