THE DEFIANT LADY (26 page)

“Matt’s not that good in bed.”

Annie blinked. “You thought the solution to ‘bad in bed’ was to move in together?”

“Well, now I know why he’s bad in bed. I’m missing a vital piece of anatomy that turns him on.” I shook my head. “It was stupid. We’d been together a year, and we were at that point…”

“Gun point? Because that’s the only way I’d ever move in with a guy.”

“Doesn’t the endless bout of one night stands get old?” I demanded. I was secretly jealous. Or not so secretly jealous. Annie didn’t do relationships and she didn’t care; and neither did the guys she regularly slept with.

“You should try it,” Annie said. “And now you can.”

“Ah, the bright side. Never date a guy who waxes his chest.”

“Noted. So, you’re feeling okay about Matt. Is that the tequila or are you just really fast at processing stuff?”

“Tequila. It numbs everything—even feelings. Truth be told, I think I’m sadder about the job. I got to wear jeans and Converse to work.”

“I know.”

“And even though it wasn’t very creative work, I was still writing.”

“I know.”

“Stop saying ‘I know’!” I yelled.

Annie looked completely unfazed by my outburst. “When life hands you lemons…”

“Rub them all over my open wounds and laugh?”

“Whoa, with the drama.”

“Stick it in a memo and fax it,” I groused.

“What’s a fax?”

“Really?”

“Oh, that was a boring office job reference, right?”

After our falafels, we stepped out onto 1
^st
Avenue and she linker her arm with mine. “You don’t have to have anything figured out tonight.”

“Good, because I plan on drinking a lot of tequila and you know I can’t think when I drink tequila.”

“Let’s just get plastered and pretend we’re still in college. We can muddle through your crappy life tomorrow—with colossal hangovers.”

“My life isn’t that crappy,” I protested weakly.

She sighed. “Yes. It is.”

Chapter 2

Grappa [grah-pa]

1. Distilled fermented grape skins, seeds, and stalks left over from the winemaking process.

2. Italian moonshine. It’s like drinking rocket fuel.

I didn’t remember the name of the bar we were in, but we were somewhere on 2
^nd
 
Avenue, still on the Upper East Side. I knew this because the bartenders recognized Annie and we got drinks fast and the pool table even faster. Even though I was already swaying, I pounded tequila like it was coconut water.

“New life plan: professional tequila drinker,” I said, trying to form words with a heavy tongue.

“That’s not a thing. Another game of pool?” Annie asked.

“Sure. I’m so gonna beat you this time,” I stated.

“Doubtful. Despite what you think, tequila does not give you super powers.”

“Oh, yes it does,” I said, dropping the plastic triangle on the floor. Annie laughed as she scooped up the triangle and racked the balls.
 

Ha. Balls.

“Am I more or less coherent than you?” I demanded.

“Less.”

“How is that possible? You’ve been matching me drink for drink.”

“I’ve been drinking Bud Light.”

“Oooooh. Maybe I should slow down?”

“That might be a good idea.”

“I’ll go get a water.” I sifted through the crowd towards the bar and a few minutes later I was back at the pool table.

Annie broke and sank a color ball in the corner pocket, and then leaned over to take another shot.

“Ugh, I’m gonna have to update my LinkedIn profile.”

“LinkedIn is stupid and worthless.”

“Not if you work in the office environment. Oh, man. What do I say?”

“You can’t tell people you were fired, that’s for sure.”

“I didn’t get fired; I was laid off. There’s a difference.”

“Okay.”

“And I have to change my Facebook relationship status to ‘single’. I’m a failure on so many levels,” I wailed.

“Facebook: almost as worthless as LinkedIn. Who says you have to update anything?”

I could hear the eye roll in her tone. “Am I as pathetic as I sound?” I demanded.

“The truth will hurt.”

“Sad. How am I gonna get another job if I don’t update my LinkedIn profile?”

“Your turn,” Annie said.

“I need another job. Did you hear me?”

“Yeah, I heard you,” she groused. “The whole damn bar heard you. Now take your shot.”

I set my water down on the corner of the pool table. I tried to line up my pool cue, but I was having difficulty, since I was seeing the blurry outlines of things.
 

“Need some help?”

I looked over my shoulder at the voice.

Oh. Wow.

Six foot something guy. Dark shaggy hair. Scruff. Because of the dim bar, I couldn’t tell the color of the eyes. And not wearing a polo. Flannel. He wore flannel.

My sluggish mind wondered if I’d been transported to Brooklyn before remembering I was on the Upper East Side playing pool. Or trying to.

“No,” I rebuffed his offer, trying to focus on the shot.

I scratched.

The guy laughed. “I think you need a lesson in pool.”

I straightened and glared at him. “Actually, I need another drink.” I took a step towards the bar.

“What are you drinking?” the guy asked.

“Tequila pineapple,” Annie piped up from beside me.

I shot her a glare, but the guy smiled and left. “What are you doing?” I hissed at her.

She shrugged. “Time to get back on the horse. And the horse is hot. And he just went to buy you a drink. And he’s wearing a flannel saddle! Totally your type!”

“He’s not a horse.”

“You’re right—he’s a
stallion
.”

I scowled at my best friend.

“Rebound guy,” she went on. “He could be your rebound guy.”

“I want nothing to do with guys. I’m not ready for that.”

“Why not? Matt moved on while you guys were still together—with a dude. Tit for tat, I say.”

“Two guys don’t make a right.”

“Two guys makes a gay couple,” she fired back.

I continued to glower at her even as the horse, I mean, hot guy came back from the bar, carting a draft beer and my tequila pineapple.

“Thanks,” I said, taking it.

“No problem. You can make it up to me by losing to me in a game of pool.”

I tried to sputter a witty reply, but after the day I’d had, along with what felt like an entire bottle of tequila, my neurons were no longer firing.
 

Annie to my rescue. “Sibby would love that.” She handed the guy her pool cue, took her drink, and moved away to sit on a bar stool, throwing herself into conversation with a guy wearing a Red Sox hat.

With no real choice, I said to the horse, “You can break.”

“I’m Aidan,” Hot Guy said.

“Of course you are,” I muttered.
 

Hot name for a hot guy.
 

“Sibby.”

“Nice to meet you, Sibby.” He grinned and took a swig of his beer, then set it down so he could rack. He lined up his shot to break and maybe it was the tequila, or maybe it was because he was really hot, but I found myself getting a bit warm.

He looked over at me and grinned. Without taking his eyes off me, he broke.

Jeez. Really?
Really?

Two balls found their way into pockets. “You’re solids,” he called.

“Okay.” I stepped towards the pool table, moving around it to try and find a decent shot. There wasn’t one. I leaned over, trying to angle my pool cue.

“You’re doing it wrong,” Aidan said with an insufferable grin.

“I am not,” I clipped. In frustration, I let my pool cue rip and missed the ball completely.

“Told ya.”

“What, are you a pool shark or something?”

“Yes.” He walked close to me and whispered, “Excuse me.”

“Huh?” I said stupidly. My brain went to a dopey place when Aidan’s hand gently settled on my waist and moved me out of his way so he could bend over and take his shot.

I was still in a fog as he sank two more balls.

He grinned at me. “Offer still stands.”

“What offer would that be?”

“Pool tips.”

“Can you commence beating me quickly so I can get back to my night with my friend?” I looked over in the direction of Annie who was no longer speaking to the guy in a Red Sox hat—she was making out with him.

“Great,” I muttered.

“Are you always this cheerful?” Aidan asked me with a lopsided grin. It would’ve been adorable if I hadn’t had such a shitty day. Who was I kidding? That smile was cute with a capital OHMYGOD.

And I wanted to steer clear of it.

“I had a rough day, okay? So, I’m sorry if I’m not Miss Congeniality tonight.”

He continued to grin.

“Are your friends mad that you ditched them to hang out with an angry hipster girl?”

Aidan laughed—I’d thought his grin was adorable, but it had nothing on his laugh.

Damn it.
 

“My friend is the guy in the Red Sox hat making out with your friend.”

“Then he’s definitely not upset that you ditched him,” I said.

“It wouldn’t appear that way, no.” He cocked his head to one side as he rested his pool cue against the table. He went to one of the stools in the corner and took a seat. “Why are you having a bad day?”

I wasn’t going to shout across the table to him about my pathetic existence, so I had no choice but to move to the vacant stool next to him. Something inside told me I was never going to see Aidan again, so I figured what the hell, might as well spill my guts.

“I got fired this morning—on a Monday—and when I went home, I walked in on my boyfriend cheating on me!” I took a long sip of my drink, and then followed it up with another couple of swallows. Buzzy tequila head felt like such a safe place.

“Hence the tequila.” He set his beer down on the ledge behind us and stood up.

“Where are you going?”

“Tequila shots. Pool can’t help with that kind of day but more tequila can.”

Like I needed more tequila.

Before I could say anything, Aidan left and a few minutes later came back with a tray of shots.

“All for me?” I asked sarcastically. There were at least ten shots.

He laughed. “Caleb!”

The guy in the Red Sox hat managed to pull himself away from Annie’s mouth just long enough to look at his friend. “What? I’m busy.”

“Shots,” Aidan said. “Sibby’s had a bad day. You in?”

“Yeah!”

“What about you?” Aidan asked Annie. Caleb and Annie slid off their stools and joined us. We all lifted shots and downed them.

“I kinda can’t feel my face,” I slurred as I pressed my fingertips to my cheeks.

“Really?” Aidan breathed.

“How many shots did we do? I’ve lost my ability to do math.”

“Four each.”

I looked over at Annie and Caleb, now a tangle of arms, legs, and mouths, like a weird sea creature with many tentacles. “They’re not coming up for air any time soon,” I said. “And I’m supposed to sleep on her futon. I can’t go home. Matt is home. Matt and that guy. They were doing it on my brand new fucking sheets!”

“Wait, what? He was with a dude?” Aidan asked in surprise.

“Yeah. Did I forget to mention that part?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Shouldn’t matter,” I stated. “Cheating is cheating, but catching him with a guy adds a whole new layer of complexity to my emotional issues.”

“I get it.” Aidan looked back at our friends and shook his head. “You can stay with me. I live just a couple of blocks from here.”

“I don’t even know you.”

“We’ve done shots. I think that makes us friends or something.”

“Or something. I’m not having sex with you just because you bought us shots. Which was—thanks.”

He grinned. “Did I ask you to have sex with me?”

“Dude—I still can’t feel my face and I have no idea where this conversation is going.”

“Caleb is my roommate. I really don’t want to hear him going at it with your friend. Solution: you come home with me—he goes home with her.”

“That makes a strange sort of sense.”

“Tequila does that. I’ll take the couch and you can have my bed. No funny business, I promise.

I looked at Annie and the last thing I wanted to do was interrupt the face sucking. “Okay, let’s go.”