Page 144 of The Bad Husband

She purses her lips, a thoughtful look on her face.

“Was it Frankie by any chance?”

I press my lips together, while she sinks back into her seat.

“It was, wasn’t it? He always likes to run his mouth.”

“Isn’t it public knowledge?’

“Yes, it is. But he’s the only man who dares to talk about it. He still can’t get over it.”

“Over what?”

“Frankie and I had slept together,” she says, smiling, and my eyebrows move up.

“Isn’t he a little younger for you?”

She chuckles, amused.

“Does it matter? He’s not much younger. And sex was good. Like Damon, Frankie was never interested in anything other than having fun. And fun we had. Perhaps too much. Damon couldn’t stand him. Although Damon wasn’t a saint either. Why do you think we fought so much? For one, the makeup sex was out of this world, and we both knew it. And then, I couldn’t stand all the female attention that he got. Every evening, some bimbo followed him around; I nearly burst a vessel. He was never a free-for-all type of man, but he indulged from time to time, especially when his needs got wild, and he was looking for some relief. We fucked a lot, fought a lot. What could I say? We did everything, except falling for each other.”

“So you’re saying this thing was mutual? Not falling for each other?”

“I’m saying we were both tough players. I knew who he was. And he knew who I was. Had we fallen for each other, one of us, if not both, would’ve had their heart broken. We’re not that kind of people. We don’t care about getting broken over someone, and this is the first thing you need to know about him.”

“Hmm…”

I ponder for a second.

“Let’s say I knew that.”

She flashes an incredulous grin.

“Did you?”

“Yes, I did. I’m not the kind of person who falls in love either.”

“Right.”

“What? You don’t believe me?”

“Listen, sweetie, you forget an important detail. I was married to your father. I know a thing or two about you, aside from what I saw with my own eyes. You couldn’t handle school and having a boyfriend. How do you think you can handle someone like Damon?”

“I don’t need to handle Damon.”

“So you’d like to believe. Of course you don’t have to. His life will suck you in and spit you out like an old piece of chewed gum. He probably likes that you’re so genuine and inexperienced. You follow your heart. And not only is that safe for him, but it’s also entertaining. It’s new to him, too. And it’s also part of…” She smiles again, making a real effort to get on my nerves.

“Are you telling me he’s interested in me because he wants to rile you up?”

“He is riling me up in case you haven’t noticed. And he absolutely knows how infuriating he can be by showing you so much interest.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“You believe what you want to believe. I can’t stop you.”

“So, in your view, someone can control their feelings toward another person.”

“They absolutely can.’