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I could tell by the tone of his voice that he meant business, and wasn’t above raising merry hell in front of my dad to get what he wanted.
“Hold on.” I stood up slowly, feeling like I literally had the weight of the world on my shoulders, and moved away from the door toward the bed. “Come in.”
As I moved to sit on the bed, I was suddenly overwhelmed by the significance of what was about to happen. The door was going to open, and in would walk Drew Cavanagh, not only invading my home, but in my room with me, a space that was uniquely mine, and uniquely me.
I wasn’t ready—actually, I probably never would be, it wasn’t like I’d invited him. Yet, there he was, moments later, larger than life, and as good looking as sin, towering over me, crowding me in, his laser-sharp eyes ablaze with emotions I didn’t know him well enough to read.
“Don’t stand me up again.”
“I didn’t stand you up. I didn’t agree to have dinner with you, if you’ll remember.”
“Semantics.”
“Not at all. There was no dinner date, ergo, I can’t have stood you up for what didn’t exist.”
“Don’t be cute ‘Little Miss Pre-Law’.” Was there nothing he didn’t know about me?
“I’ve used up all my Mr. Nice Guy credits making small talk with Papá out there, for what felt like one hundred and fifty years. All I’ve got left for you is a whole lot of pissed, the boner from hell, and zero patience, so don’t test me.”
I moved further onto the bed, suddenly aware of how small the space felt, when Drew seemed to take up so much of it, both figuratively, and literally. His hulking stature was one thing, but it was his intense vibe that was liable to suffocate me. I felt cornered like a wild animal.
Though I was ashamed to admit it, even to myself, I was also embarrassed about the way we lived. Our whole apartment could fit into one section of the suite at The Place, and though I knew he’d been there before, I was sure that apart from that, ours was the first walk-up in the Bronx he’d ever visited
“What are you even doing here?” I looked around surreptitiously, trying to see the room with fresh eyes. Drew’s eyes. It wasn’t pretty. . His fine features, well cut clothes and general air of class made the whole apartment seem…shabby, though if he’d noticed or cared, he was good at hiding it.
“I thought we’d established that.” He looked down at me as though I was feeble-minded.
“Waiting for you.”
“Yeah, on the face of it. But you could have done that in the car, or even better, not bothered at all, after I refused your invitation, so what’s your angle? Are you here to gloat at how successfully you’re managing to dismantle the building blocks of my life? First my home, and now my job. Is this supposed to demonstrate how you hold the power to crush me and leave me for dead in the gutter if you wanted to? Well you’re totally wasting your time. I already know all that.” Too well.
“Don’t you think people like me are born knowing we’re going to be screwed over in life by people like you? You didn’t have to barge in here and invade my personal space to make that clear.”
Chapter 20
Drew
She was right, I didn’t have to come into her space to make her aware of the power I had over her, but I sure as hell wanted to. Worse still, I needed to.
“No angle. We’re going to dinner tonight, and given your reaction when I first told you, I figured you’d need some ‘encouragement’, so I decided to remind you which one of us was the puppet and which one was pulling the strings. The fact is, we can do this the hard way, or the easy way, but no matter what, it all comes down to the same thing.” There was an extended pause while I let my words hang in the air for maximum impact.
“Which is?”
“Which is that in the end, we’ll be doing this my way. Now get dressed. Wear something nice, I’m taking you somewhere decent to celebrate.”
“Celebrate what?”
“For the love of God, do you have to ask so many questions? We’ve already missed our reservation, and they’re only holding the table because I can pull strings, but there’s only so long that’s good for, even for me.”
“So who are you dating tonight?”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“I was just wondering if you wanted Kevin, or Kik. Seems to me for someone who claims not to like guys, you enjoyed being with Kevin way too much.”
I knew she was just trying to claw back a little power in the situation by goading me, but as much as I tried not to let her words get under my skin, they still did.
“I’m happy to be him tonight for you, if you like, I can even strap on a piece...” She grabbed her crotch lewdly, as though I needed a demonstration to follow her meaning. “...or, I can throw on some heels and a dress and be all woman. So Kev, or Kik?”
