“I’ll set the record straight. I have no life aside from work. I don’t really have time for anything else,” she admits truthfully. “New York may be the city that never sleeps, but I’m sleeping alone every goddamn night.”
“But you’re here,” I remind her, turning my head to glance at her profile. She’s simplistic yet beautiful at the same time. “Is this not for pleasure?”
She smiles, loosening her grip on the steering wheel. “That depends. We’ve been chatting for nearly an hour, and you haven’t asked me out.”
Good point. Smart and sassy. I’m not the type of guy who asks a woman out. I don’t date, I fuck. That’s all I do. I’m not interested in relationships. After all, I’m only twenty-eight and still in my prime.
“I’ve been instructed to stay clear of any women associated with Charlie.”
Kate laughs at my comment. “Charlie is a simple woman. She’s relationship-oriented. She never grasped the concept of having fun. You know… letting loose.”
“Please don’t talk to me about my cousin letting loose.” I shake my head while scowling. “She’s still the girl who stayed at our house during summer vacation and made me watch Clueless on repeat.”
“If it’s any consolation, she’s a happily married woman now. A mother.”
“Unless she’s a nun, can we please change the subject?”
A Porsche cuts us off, prompting Kate to mouth off at the driver. “I should flip him the bird, the arrogant asshole!” Letting out a frustrated breath of air, she continues to drive while calming herself down. “So tonight, what are you doing?”
I’m still processing her road rage. She’s asking me out. A straightforward thinker. If only I hadn’t overheard the conversation between Kate and Charlie or noticed that she glances at her cell every two seconds as she attempts to drive and battle the traffic.
“Nothing tonight. I’ve only been here for three days, so I haven’t had a chance to do anything that doesn’t involve tea parties or playing dress-up.”
You’re such a fucking liar. You were eating pussy hard last night. Did you forget that?
“All right, time to take you out to play with the grownups. We need to get around Lex and Charlie. Otherwise, they’ll make a big deal out of nothing.”
“I’ll just meet you wherever you want to go,” I suggest.
“Okay, there’s this new bar out in Malibu. Let’s meet around eight. Do you have a ride?”
“I’m sure Charlie will lend me her car. Otherwise, I’ll find a way,” I tell her. Of course, she will, and if she doesn’t, I’ll remind her that yesterday Ava got a red marker on my expensive shirt, which resulted in a last-minute dry cleaning so I could wear it today.
The traffic moves forward, and we continue talking about life in LA. Due to her time spent in New York, Kate is very anti-California. She dislikes the heat and the traffic. She often refers to Los Angeles as a fame-driven money pit. It occurs to me somewhere during a rant about the smoggy air that this British girl is extremely homesick.
“I can tell you miss home.”
“I miss the cold weather, and my mummy’s fish and chips with the mushy peas on the side.”
“Excuse me? Mushy peas on the side of fish and chips?” I almost gag at the thought.
“Yes, it’s my favorite dish. Don’t you like peas?”
“Uh… I don’t mind them, but together with fish? No, thanks.”
“Such an arrogant Yank. You think that’s gross, but you eat peanut butter and jelly.”
Taken aback by her disrespect for one of the classics, I wonder how anyone could possibly knock a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
“Are you comparing mushy peas to a PB & J?” I ask loudly with a confused face.
“Oh, please, it’s weird, okay?” She cringes.
A horn honking breaks our argument, and in return, Kate slams her hand on her car’s horn, cursing along with it. “Did you see that? He flipped me the damn bird!”
She looks hot when she’s angry. I wonder what would happen if I flipped her my bird?
“We’re here,” she announces, parking the car at the front of the building.