“No,” I tell him. “I wasn’t interested. I don’t care that you left with her.”
Relief crosses his face. “Oh, okay. Good. Then what’s the problem? Did Trix turn into a clinger or something?”
A clinger? Yeah, fucking right. Farthest from the truth. “No, Trix isn’t a clinger.”
“Then what the hell is going on with you? You’ve been an even bigger prick than you normally are.”
I sigh and run a hand down my face. He’s right. I have been an even bigger asshole than usual, and that’s saying something. Even my secretary, who’s used to my moods, has been avoiding me like the plague.
I grimace as my next words drop out of my mouth. “I brought Trix home that night.”
Harvey’s blue eyes widen almost comically. “No shit?”
I shake my head. “I didn’t fuck her, so don’t even ask. She started throwing up as soon as you guys left. I didn’t know where to drop her off, and she wasn’t exactly in the state to tell me, so I had no choice.”
“No choice,” he repeats evenly. Harvey looks at me like I have two heads. “So you’re telling me that you took Trix to your house because she was sick? And you...what? Took care of her?”
I bristle. “You act like you think I’m an uncaring bastard. What was I supposed to do? Shove her into the first piss-covered cab and make her fend for herself? I may be a hard ass, but I’m not that much of a shithead.”
Harvey holds up his hands in surrender. “Whoa, dude. I wasn’t saying that like you’re a piece of shit. I’m just surprised. You’ve never taken a girl to your house. Ever.”
He’s right. Not even Marla May. When I meet women, I always take them to one of the hotels I own and get a suite for the night. I don’t like people in my personal space. Never have.
Which was why I confused myself that night when I didn’t take her to a hotel. I could have. It would’ve been a closer drive and definitely more convenient. I don’t even know Trix, so a hotel would’ve been smarter. But for some reason, instinct just had me take her home, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
“Okay… That still doesn’t explain why you’ve been so pissed all week. Did something happen?” Harvey asks, watching me carefully.
“Not a fucking thing,” I mutter.
Harvey leans back in surprise. “Holy shit. You like her,” he says with shock lacing his tone.
I glower over at him, like I’m offended. “What? No. I don’t like her. She’s obnoxious. Flighty. Completely not my type.”
Harvey snorts. “Good. Your usual type is a bunch of bitchy poodles. They’re wrong for you, War. You need someone light and fun to pull you out of your damn ass.”
“What the fuck is this? A therapy session?”
Harvey lifts a shoulder. “Just saying.”
/> “I don’t need your opinion on the women I fuck.”
Unimpressed with me, Harvey crosses his arms. “Fine. Then if she’s not your type, what happened?”
I grind my jaw. “Like I said, nothing. I spent all goddamn night taking care of that girl, and she thanked me in the morning by proposing to set me up on another joke of a date. I wasn’t interested.”
Harvey watches me carefully, and then a slow smile spreads across his face. “I never thought I’d live to see the day.”
I narrow my eyes, because I know exactly what he’s saying. “You’re off the mark, Harvey.”
But my friend shakes his head in denial. “No, I don’t think that I am. You felt a connection with this girl, but instead of her trying to jump your bones like most girls do to you, she wanted to set you up with someone else. She didn’t show any interest, even after you showed her your other side and took care of her. You opened yourself up, but she didn’t react the way you hoped. And that pissed you off.”
My jaw clenches. My finger taps against my desk. The fucker has me, and he knows it.
“You’ve never been rejected,” he goes on. “Not only did your ego take a hit, but the fact that you actually like her made it ten times worse.”
I’m getting more and more pissed off by the second. Because he’s right. Every fucking pathetic thing he just said is completely accurate, and it makes me more infuriated than I know how to fathom.
“Doesn’t matter. She’s absolutely wrong for me, and I’m not looking for a relationship.”