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CHAPTER 1
Owen
“Earth to Owen.”
Billie, my buddy’s wife, waved her hand in front of my face.
I blinked a few times. “Sorry, what did you say?”
“I didn’t say anything.” She motioned to my phone. “But you’ve been on that damn thing for the last half hour. We’re at a bar for happy hour, and you didn’t even notice the woman who sidled up next to you and was trying to get your attention.”
I looked to my left. The seat was empty.
Billie shook her head. “She’s long gone, buddy. But what is so important on that phone?”
“Nothing really. Just catching up on work emails.”
“You know what you need?”
“What?”
“A tattoo, a nipple piercing, and a few shots of tequila.”
I chuckled. “First off, that list sounds like it’s in the wrong order. I’d need the tequila in order to even consider the other two, and it would have to be a hell of a lot more thana fewshots for me to get a nipple pierced. I’ve never understood the fascination.”
Billie shrugged. “It’s sexy.”
“What’s sexy?” My buddy Colby returned from the bathroom. He slung his arm around his wife’s neck. “It better be me you’re talking about.”
“I’m talking about nipple piercing.”
Colby grimaced. “It freaking hurt, man.”
My eyes bulged. “You, tight-ass Colby Lennon, got your nipple pierced?”
“The wife likes it. So why not?”
I shook my head. “Never thought I’d see the day, dude.”
Colby knocked back the rest of the beer in his glass. “Why are you two talking about nipple piercings, anyway?”
“Owen needs to get his nose out of his cell.” Billie motioned to the packed bar. “This place is filled with hot women, and he’s sitting here answering emails.”
While Billie was right, I just wasn’t in the mood to talk to women tonight. In fact, I hadn’t been in the mood a lot lately. No one sparked my interest. So I’d thrown myself into my work even more than usual the last few months.
“You know what you need to do?” Colby asked.
“Let me guess…a tattoo, a nipple piercing, and a few shots of tequila?”
Colby grinned. “Nah. You need to pay our bar tab. Because the little wifey and I only have the sitter for another half hour, and I’m going to ditch you to suck this beautiful woman’s face in the alley next door before we have to head home.”
I smiled. “You got it, man. Go enjoy. I’ll talk to you later.”
After we said goodbye, I tried to get the bartender’s attention to close out our tab, but he was busy. So I headed to the men’s room to get rid of some of the tequila and soda I’d drunk. The hallway that led to the restrooms had a long line of women waiting, but the men’s was practically empty. As I relieved myself, my phone rang. I dug it out of my pocket to answer, only to realize it hadn’t been my phone making noise after all. The one other guy in here had just left, so I zipped up and walked around the empty men’s room, looking for where the sound was coming from. I found the culprit in the second stall, on top of the toilet-paper holder.
Phones were a grand or more these days, so I figured it would be safer to give the cell to the bartender. Otherwise, some drunk guy might stick it in his pocket. But before I made it back to the bar, it started buzzing again. I thought maybe the owner was calling his phone to find out where he’d left it, so I swiped to answer.
“Hello?”
