The Last Boyfriend (20 page)

“Lucky.” I
smiled.

“Lucia Lucky?” She
sneered. “That’s an odd name.”

“No, my name’s lucky.” I
kept the smile plastered on my face.

“Oh, is it
Irish?”

“Is what Irish?” I asked
confused.

“Your name? I thought
Lucia was Italian, but if you say it’s Irish, I suppose I’ll have
to believe you.”

“My name is Lucky, not
Lucia.” I sighed and tried not to roll my eyes.

“You are an annoying girl,
aren’t you Lucia?” Gina took a swig of champagne and sneered at me.
“Though I suppose you have a good enough body, under your ugly
clothes.”

“Excuse me?” I leaned
forward, not sure I had heard her correctly.

“There you are, Lucky.”
Zane walked up to me and handed me a drink. “I’ve been looking for
you.”

“I was
just getting to know your friend, Zane, she’s
so
quaint.” Gina
grinned at him and linked his arm.

“Lucky is working on the
documentary with me.” He smiled at me warmly, and I felt a warm
tingling in my belly as he stared at me. He was wearing a crisp
blue and white shirt with a pair of black jeans and all I could
think about while staring at him was being able to rip his clothes
off.

“Oh, are you a secretary?”
Gina smiled at me, and I wanted to slap her.

“I’m actually a history
major.”

“Oh, you’re still in
school?” She laughed. “How cute, dear Zane, you went and got
yourself an intern.”

“Be nice, Gina.” Zane
shook his head and laughed, and I felt angry with him for not
putting her in her place.

“Oh, Zane. I’m always
nice.” She pulled him towards her again and kissed him on the lips.
“You remember, don’t you?”

I stared at them aghast,
and Zane looked at me and rolled his eyes. He detangled himself
from her, and whispered in my ear, “Are you having fun?”

“I will be later,” I
whispered back at him and winked.

He grinned and I felt his
hand on my ass again. “Don’t make me promises you can’t keep, Ms.
Morgan.”

“Oh I’ll be keeping them.”
I grinned back at him, suddenly happy again. I was about to tell
him exactly what I was going to do to him, but the doorbell
rang.

“Oh that must be Angelique
and Braydon,” Gina cried out excitedly. “I hope you don’t mind, but
I knew you wouldn’t. They just got into town today.” She giggled
and Zane frowned.

“Why would you invite
Braydon and Angelique, Gina?”

“I know, I know.” She
rolled her eyes. “But you have to get over it some time, Zane.
Angelique was in love. She wasn’t in love. It’s a woman’s
prerogative. You can’t hold it against her forever.”

“You know I’m talking
about Braydon.”

“Oh, Zane. Get over it.”
She sighed. “Braydon is one of us.”

“No, no he’s not.” Zane
walked to the front door, and I followed him with my heart in my
mouth.

“Zane, darling.” Angelique
sailed through the door, and gave him a hug. “It looks as good as I
remember it.” She smiled, as she looked around the
house.

“Thanks.” Zane smiled and
rubbed his head. “It’s good to see you.”

“And me I hope?” Braydon
stumbled through the door, slightly drunk and looked around the
room. “Lucky, there you are.” He beamed as he saw me. “Lucky, I’ve
been calling you.”

“Hi Braydon.” I smiled at
him weakly, aware that Zane was staring at me.

“Did you get my text?” He
hugged me tightly. “I’ve been missing you.”

“I got it.” I nodded.
“Sorry, I was busy.”

“Well, I hope Hollywood
hasn’t been tempting you too much.” He kissed my cheek, and I saw
Zane coming towards us out of the corner of my eye.

“How dare you show up
here, Braydon?” Zane’s voice was angry.

“Gina told Angelique and
me that it would be fine.” Braydon smiled, and stood next to me.
“Plus, I wanted to see Lucky. I promised her a date when I got into
town.”

“That’s Lucky’s business,
and you can figure out a time for a date outside of my house.” Zane
avoided eye contact with me and turned back around. “Would you like
a drink, Angelique?”

“Actually, do you mind if
I go upstairs and lie down,” She purred prettily. “My head is
killing me.”

“Sure.” Zane looked
concerned. “Do you need anything?”

“No love.” She smiled at
him and rubbed his arm. “I know the way. I’ll just head upstairs.
Come find me in an hour if I’m not downstairs.”

“Okay, take care.” I
watched Zane give her a quick hug and kiss on the cheek, and a
knife twisted in my heart. The look that Zane was giving her was as
close to love as I had seen on his face.

“Thanks, my love.”
Angelique smiled and walked up the stairs. It was obvious to me
that she had been here before. I felt disappointment flood in me. I
wasn’t the first girl that had been here. I wasn’t his first
guest.

“So Lucky, what are you
doing tomorrow?” Braydon whispered in my ear, and I giggled
slightly as his breath tickled me.

“Lucky, do you think you
can come and help me in the kitchen, please?” Zane grabbed my arm
and pulled me with him. “If you want to date Braydon, I can’t stop
you, but don’t do it in front of my face.” He hissed.

“What are you talking
about?” I frowned, and yanked my arm away from him.

“I know you lied about
Leeza texting you earlier.” He pushed me against the counter in the
kitchen. “If you are interested in Braydon, there is no need to
lie.”

“I never—”

“We’re not exclusive. You
can do what you need to do.” He brought his face up against mine.
“If you want to date a guy who brought another girl to a
party.”

“I—”

“He doesn’t deserve
Angelique.” He laughed bitterly. “She is way too beautiful for
him.”

“Well, maybe.”

“I don’t know how she can
date him.” He shook his head. “I swear you women are really dumb
sometimes.”

“Why
don’t you go and talk to Angelique if it is bothering you
so
much.”

“I’m not going to go and
bother Angelique.” He shook his head, and his voice softened.
“She’s not feeling well.”

“Well, if she’s not
feeling well.” What about how I’m feeling right now? What about
caring about me? I wanted to shout at Zane. I wanted him to care
about me as much as I did about him. I wanted our relationship to
be about more than sex. I bit my lip as I felt his hands on me
again.

“I want to pull your skirt
up and fuck you right here.” Zane growled in my ear and pulled me
close to him. “You’re so hot.” He slid his hands up my legs and
pulled my skirt up.

“Zane, no.” I pulled away
from him slightly. “There are people right around the
corner.”

“They wouldn’t be
scandalized if they heard you screaming out my name.” His fingers
slid inside my legs and up my inner thigh. “In fact, why don’t we
see?”

“Zane.” I hissed as his
fingers found my sweet spot.

“Are you wearing a thong
for me Lucky?” He grinned.

“No.” I shook my head,
blushing.

“Feel me.” He brought my
hand against him, and pressed my palm into him hard. “We could be
done in minutes.”

“That’s not a good thing.”
I laughed and he pushed me back against the counter.

“What’s
not?” He leaned down to kiss me, and I felt his hand creep up under
my shirt and caress my breast.

“Zane.” I put my arms
around him and closed my eyes. Why couldn’t we always have moments
like this? Why did real life always have to get in the way and make
things complicated?

“Lucky,
are you in here?” I pushed Zane away from me as Braydon walked into
the kitchen. My face was flushed, and I looked at him guiltily. I
really needed to have an honest conversation with Braydon.

“Hey.” I smiled at him,
and grabbed a glass. “I was just getting a drink.”

“Oh, I thought Zane was
warning you away from me.” Braydon laughed, and Zane glowered. “Cos
I’m a big bad wolf and all.”

“Braydon, I’ll meet you in
the garden in a minute, okay?” I pushed him towards the French
doors. “Go back to the back yard. I’ll be out in a
moment.”

“I’ll be waiting, sugar
lips.” Braydon laughed and walked out.

“Hey,” I turned around,
and faced Zane. “I can’t wait for tonight.” I sidled up next to him
and he pushed me away.

“I don’t want you talking
to Braydon any more, Lucky.” He frowned, his eyes looking
distant.

“You
can’t just ban me.”

“Do not go outside and
talk to him.” His face looked stern. “I’m not going to tell you
again.”

“Why not?”

“He’s bad
news.”

“Why is
he bad news?” I shook my head, befuddled.

“Just listen to me.” His
voice was sharp. “I don’t have to explain myself.”

“Because it is always on
your terms right?” My voice caught. “I can’t keep playing this
game, Zane. You can’t choose to tell me only what you want. It’s
not fair.”

“I told you about my
brother today, Lucky.” His voice was pained. “That was a big move
for me.”

“And I’m glad you told me,
but it didn’t have to be a secret, Zane. I told you about my
parents. You knew I would understand. I know how badly it hurts.”
My breath caught.

“You do not understand.”
He looked at me angrily. “We are not the same, Lucky.”

“I’m not
saying we are the same. I’m just saying I know what it feels like
to lose someone you love.”

“I don’t know what you
want from me, Lucky.” Zane’s eyes were bleak. “I don’t know you
well enough to share my deepest darkest secrets with you. I’m
sorry. That’s not who I am.”

“I didn’t say I expected
that.” I bit my lip and sighed. “Look, you have guests out there,
we don’t have to talk about this now.”

“Lucky, I’m waiting.”
Braydon called out to me from the doors and I walked out to him,
averting my gaze from Zane as I left.

“I hope I didn’t get you
in trouble.” Braydon frowned as I joined him. “Zane hates
me.”

“Why did you come if you
knew he didn’t like you?”

“I wanted to see you.” He
smiled impishly. “I missed you and I was worried about
you.”

“Why were you
worried?”

“Zane’s a little crazy.”
He shook his head. “I would feel horribly if something happened to
you.”

“Nothing’s going to happen to me.” I sighed. All of a sudden
I was dreadfully tired. It had been another really long day and I
was emotionally exhausted.

“Zane has anger issues.”
Braydon looked at me seriously. “Look, maybe I shouldn’t tell you
this, but Zane has it out for me.”

“What?”

“I know,
it sounds crazy, but he is really crazy. You know he dates every
girl I’m interested in.”

“Huh?”

“Zane has taken out all of
my exes.” He pulled out his phone. “That’s one of the reasons I
have been trying to contact you. I care about you. I don’t want him
using you.”

“What are you talking
about, Braydon?”

“Look.” He opened up the
photo gallery on his phone and started showing me photos. “You see
all these girls? These are all girls I’ve dated at one
time.”

“And?” I was so annoyed
that I didn’t even look at the photos.

“Just take a look.” He
pushed the phone in my face and I looked down.

“Okay and?” I was about to
tell him to leave when I saw the next photo on the screen. “Wait,
let me see that.” I frowned and grabbed his phone. I scrolled
through all the photos quickly, and I felt my heart freeze. I
recognized at least 10 of the women on the camera as Friday night
dates of Zane’s. “How do you know these girls?”

“They are all girls I
dated.” Braydon leaned towards me. “I don’t want to make you
jealous, Lucky. I’m not interested in them now. They were all
good-time girls, I want a real commitment now, with someone like
you.”

“You dated all these
girls?”

“Well, you know.” He
grinned. “Slept with, spent a few weeks with, that sort of thing.”
And then he frowned. “But then Zane always took them away from
me.”

“He stole your
girlfriends?” I frowned. “Why would he do that?”

“He’s crazy man.” He shook
his head. “And now he’s after you. But you’re special to me, Lucky.
I can’t let him get you as well.”

“I know some of those
girls.” I shook my head in disbelief. “I’ve seen him with some of
them in the diner.”

“I’m sorry, Lucky. I
didn’t mean to make your life a Hollywood movie.”

“I need to go, Braydon.” I
stood up. “Thanks for telling me everything.”