I’m not going to stand there and let these two have their little spat without saying what they really think. I slept with Cody once. One night, and already he’s acting possessive over me. Plus, Axel, I just met!
See, this is why I don’t date anymore,I grumble to myself as I slide into a bathroom stall, taking extra-long to calm myself down, think clearly about my next move before returning to my date with Axel. If I had any thoughts of going home with him tonight, they went out the window the moment he tried to Victor his territory with Cody.
I don’t do the whole controlling thing anymore.
Not since Vance.
Not since I survived the hell that’s a man controlling what I do and where I go.
Finally, I let out my breath, remind myself that Axel isn’t Vance, fix my lipstick and return to the table where he’s back to seated, the check placed casually next to him on the table.
"Look, Axel," I start as I slide into the chair across from him.
He chuckles. "That doesn’t sound good."
"I was having a nice time with you, but I have to admit, I’m not ready to get back into the whole dating world. My life is complicated right now with work and my daughter. I think we should go ahead and call it a night."
He nods in understanding. "This doesn’t have anything to do with the guy at the bar who looked and spoke about youpossessively?"
I bite my lip nervously. Unsure how exactly to respond to that and wanting to be fair because it isn’t just about Cody. It’s about Axel too and not feeling suffocated by a man’s presence in my life. If I’m going to seriously date again, I want it to be with someone who allows me to be myself and doesn’t control any aspect of who I am.
"Cody Cameron and I have a… complicated past. He acted completely inappropriately back there. I apologize.”
"Sure," he says, standing to meet me. He leans in to give me a kiss on the cheek and a small hug. "Let me know when you figure out that there isn't a future with him. I think we’d have a fun time. Call me sometime.”
I nod politely as he walks me out to the curb where my Uber is waiting. And when I slip inside of the car, watching as it pulls away from the curb and the restaurant, I know in my heart that was the right decision regardless of what place Cody holds in my future.
Chapter 17: Mae
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Sienna says, folding her arms across her chest. She’s seated on a barstool in my kitchen while I knock back another glass of whiskey.
“Why not? He wanted to mark his territory with Axel and ruined my date,” I respond.
“Yes, but what good will come from you going to his apartment and telling him off him? He’s a client too. Remember?”
I rake a hand through my hair, frustrated, as I pour another shot and sip it slower this time. Whiskey always seems to do the trick when it comes to messy things for me. And right now, I’m being incredibly messy while I plot just how I’m going to tell off Cody that he had no right speaking over me like that while I was on a date. But before I can finish my next thought, the doorbell chimes.
Sienna raises a brow. “Who could that be?”
I stalk towards the door, liquid courage coursing through my blood. Checking the peephole, I see Cody standing outside wearing the same damn baseball cap from the restaurant tonight.
“Shit!” I hiss and drop to the ground as if he can see me through the peep hole.
“Who is it?” Sienna stage whispers.
“It’s Cody,” I whisper back, waving my arms like a lunatic as if that’s going to make us both disappear.
Sienna’s eyes widen as she looks at me, then grabs her purse and smiles.
“On second thought, you should call him out. Really lay into him. Elsie is gone for the next two weeks. I know he’s a client, but maybe you deserve to have some fun and bang it out with a guy you used to love.”
Love.
That word alone has my heart doing some strange, skipping motion—like it can’t decide whether to race or stop altogether—leaving me both nauseous and exhilarated.
And the truth?
I haven’t been in love with anyone since Cody.
