Page 14 of Inked Nights

If she could figure out what to do about Derek, that was.

“Remember what I couldn’t talk about before?”

“I do. Are you ready now?”

“I think I have to be. But if you’re working—”

“I’m always working. Same as you. But I’m here for you. Talk, Olivia. What’s wrong?”

And that was the thing about her friend. They both worked far too much for their own reasons, but Alice’s husband supported the time she put into the career that was part of both of their lives. Olivia only had herself and her own timelines to worry about.

And that seemed to be enough for her. Or, at least, it had been.

“I met a man.”

“Oh?”

“I…well, I met this man, Derek, four years ago.” Olivia pinched the bridge of her nose. She still couldn’t quite believe that it had been four years since she first saw the man who would change her life, even if she didn’t realize it at the time.

“Derek? I like the name. Very hero worthy.”

“You could say that. Only I didn’t know his name was Derek until a little less than a month ago.” She paused while Alice went silent. So quiet, and so unlike the other woman that Olivia was afraid she’d shocked her. “Alice?”

“I’m waiting for the rest. You just found out his name? Interesting. Now, tell me. Everything. Okay? Just let it all out, and I promise not to judge. But it sounds to me like you’re going around the main issue because you’re scared and you don’t know what to do with the pieces you have. I’m your author. You’re my editor. I’m usually the one who gives you the pieces while you help me arrange them. How about we switch it up for now?”

And this was why she’d called Alice. Her friend understood, even if Olivia didn’t.

“I met Derek in a hotel bar four years ago. I’d been out on a blind date that ended ten minutes in when I found out he was married. The fact that it was a blind date at a four-star restaurant in a hotel seems a bit slimy now, but for some reason, I didn’t think it was weird then. The woman that set me up—a friend who is no longer a friend—had thought the divorce was final. Not so much. So, I took myself to the bar after throwing my martini in the guy’s face. I needed a second drink at that point and just wanted some peace to try and forget men and their horrible ways and just be before I headed home.”

“Asshole.”

“Indeed. I have no idea if the guy is still married or not, but it doesn’t matter anyway. He’s out of my life, and I hope his wife is okay because he really was an asshole. Where was I? Oh, yeah, so I was at the bar, and a man in dark jeans, a blue Henley, and a sexy beard comes up to me, taking the last seat at the bar. He was broad-shouldered, sexy as hell, and had a deep voice that went straight to the right places.”

Alice gave a smoky laugh, and Olivia realized exactly how detailed she’d been just then. Apparently, Derek brought that out in her even when he wasn’t near.

“We didn’t speak for a few moments until he finally turned and smiled.” She paused, remembering even as her heart ached. She loved that smile. Loved him if she were being honest. And she could never see him again. “I don’t remember exactly what we said that first time. But we talked for over an hour and had more than a few drinks. He said he was visiting, though I didn’t ask from where.” She figured now that he’d most likely been at the hotel traveling for his job, but she really didn’t know. She hadn’t asked and was afraid she never would. Though now that she thought about it, there had been a tattoo convention near, so maybe he’d been staying for that and not just the shop?

“Somehow, we ended up in his hotel room.”

“Damn, girl.”

“I know. It was so unlike me. It’s still so unlike me. And when we were through with each other, he said he wanted to see me again but couldn’t until he came back to town. So we promised to meet again the next month. Same time. Same place. We made our promises to ourselves, no names, just sex, just time. And we kept with it for four years without missing a month. I can’t believe we made it last as long as we did without finding out more about each other, but we did. And now…and now it’s crazy.”

“You called him Derek. So you must know his name now.”

“He asked me to call him by his name this last time.” She paused. “And that’s how I realized I knew him.”

Alice paused. “You know him? Of course you do. You’ve been sleeping with him for four years. I’m not judging. You know I wouldn’t because what you’re doing is damn hot and I know you’re being careful because you wouldn’t be Olivia if you weren’t, so there must be something to it.”

“I know him from when I was younger. Much younger. I didn’t realize it was him because of the beard and, honestly, I never thought I’d see the Derek I knew again. He doesn’t recognize me, though. I don’t know why he would. It’s been so long.”

“And that means you can’t see him again? Because, from the way you’re sounding, I have a feeling you want to run away from him and what you could have.”

Alice knew her far too well. “There are things…there are things I need to tell him before I tell anyone else. Reasons why I never should have been with him. Why I can’t be with him again. I’ll tell him. I have to. But I just don’t know how.”

Then she told Alice about the fact that Derek knew her neighbor and how he’d come over and that everything seemed to be falling apart around her. She was her own undoing, and she had to figure out the next step.

“Damn, girl. You have your work cut out for you. You sound like someone I’d write. And you know what the next page would be?”