Blessed

"Bye CJ—we'll talk again soon—promise," I blurt out and end our call in a swift click of a button. The screen, and CJ's face, vanishes.

Good.

I have way more important things to attend to.

I turn my attention back to the sexy goddess in the doorway.

"Good morning to you," I say, getting up from my chair and walking toward her.

This is going to be one hell of a morning, I smile to myself.

All I can tell you, babe, is I hope you’re not sitting in public as you’re reading this.

Abby

"What was that all about?" I ask him with a yawn, my eyes already roaming over his body. He’s shirtless, a pair of jeans the only clothing on his body. And thank God for that; there’s nothing better than to wake up to a view like that.

I stirred in my sleep the moment I heard his voice and, for a moment, I thought there was actually someone else in the apartment. But then I heard CJ talking, and I started noticing the slightly distorted sound of her voice. I lay in bed for a while, trying not to listen to the two of them, but then curiosity got the best of me and I ambled down the corridor to see what was going on. I stood there, just a few feet away from Aidan, listening CJ chiding him for sleeping with me. The worry in her voice was palpable; I knew that Aidan had a reputation, but judging by the way CJ was talking I guess the rabbit hole goes deeper than I thought.

"Spying on me, are you?" he asks me as he swivels around in his chair. He gets up and comes up to me with a flicker in his eyes. "And stealing my clothes too." His eyes roam up and down my body, and I can almost see the hunger growing there. This is going to be an interesting morning, alright.

I should be checking in with Cheryl; I had six missed calls from her this morning, but I knew she’d want to know about how the night ended, and I didn’t feel like talking about it while still inside Aidan’s apartment.

"Well, you stole my virginity, sir, so I guess it’s only fair," I purr teasingly, pulling down on the hem of his shirt as if I was trying to hide my nakedness.

"Very funny, Abby," he takes another step toward me, and I bite my lower lip as I feel my pulse speeding up hastily. I can’t believe that I’ve just woken up and I’m already as wet as an Olympic swimming pool.

"But, really, what was that all about?" I ask again, curiosity creeping over me. I mean, it’s not like we’ve entered a relationship, right? So why is CJ so worried about me spending the night here with Aidan?

"CJ worries," he tells me. "A lot," he then adds, exhaling and looking down as if he’s trying to look for the right words. "Look, you know I have a reputation."

"A man that fucks like you do has to have a reputation," I blurt out, feeling warm blood rushing to my cheeks. I can’t believe that I’ve just put it out like this, but it’s the truth nonetheless; you can’t become a god between the sheets without getting a reputation along the way, can you? It’s not like I expected him to be a choirboy.

"Well," he shrugs, "I guess CJ is just worried… She doesn’t want me to fuck this up. Again."

"Jesus, it’s not like you’re a complete fuck up, Aidan."

"Yeah, tell that to all the authors and photographers that have me blacklisted," he says unapologetically, turning away from me and sitting back down on his chair. He props his feet up on the desk and, lacing his arms behind his head, he leans back and sighs.

"Hey, I get it, Aidan. I’m not easy as well," I say, having no idea about why I feel so comfortable talking openly with him. He just snorts, though, as if I’m telling some kind of joke.

"What? Don’t tell me you’ve ruined your publishing deal because you like cocks too much," he chuckles. I fold my arms over my chest and stare him down until he realizes I’m being serious.

"It’s not like that. Although you could say I lost my publishing deal because my boyfriend liked women too much," I say. He narrows his eyes, and I can almost see the gears inside of his head turning. "Sorry, I mean, my ex-boyfriend," I add, and that easy smile of his returns to his face.

"Some men just can’t keep it in their pants, I guess" he shrugs, but then his smile turns into a wicked grin. "I’m one of these guys, I guess. Although I’d never cheat on a girl. That’s fucked up."

"It is, but… I guess it was my fault too."

"Your fault? What did you do to the poor guy, beat him up every day?"

"No, of course not. Who do you think I am?" I blurt out before I even realize that he’s joking. "But perhaps I should have—he totally deserved it. Anyway, I’m not saying that it was my fault. Not exactly. What I mean is that… well, I don’t trust men. In fact, I don’t even like them."

"You know, you moaned pretty hard for a lesbian, if you don’t mind me saying," he grins, leaning further back on his chair.

"I’m not a lesbian, asshole, in case you didn’t notice," I start tapping my foot against the floor in impatience, but I can’t stop myself now. I’ve started telling him all about this, and now I’ll finish it. "What I mean is that I don’t trust men, and I don’t like them more than I have to. It might sound cold, but I didn’t love Grady, my ex. I just… I don’t know, I tolerated him, I guess." I stop, trying to look for the right words, but I don’t find any. "I don’t expect much from men, Aidan. Because men will always hurt you."

"That’s pretty cold, coming from someone who comes up with happy endings for a living," he says, and this time he isn’t mocking me.