Champagne stands in the hall, her shy grin at odds with the cupless bra displaying her pierced nipples.
“Hey, Qwest.” She wiggles her fingers, and her words are directed to Qwest, but her eyes are on me.
“Come on in.” Qwest steps back, looking at me like I should be thanking her. “Voila.”
“Sorry?” I run a hand over the back of my neck. “What is this?”
“It’s your surprise.” Qwest locks the door, stalking over to me and dragging Champagne with her. She leans up, kissing my neck, and nods to Champagne to get to work on the other side. Champagne’s overachieving ass reaches straight for my dick, running her hand up and down my stiffening erection. I’ve had my share of threesomes, but having sex with Qwest hasn’t solved anything. Having sex with Qwest and some random stripper certainly won’t. I know how to fix this, and as much as it may hurt Qwest, I’m fixing this tonight.
“Whoa.” I step out of their clutches. “What the hell? This isn’t happening. Qwest, we need to talk.”
“Not happening?” Champagne pushes out her bottom lip. “You promised I’d get to fuck Grip.”
“Well, Grip didn’t promise that you’d get to fuck Grip.” I walk swiftly to the door, wrenching it open and gesturing to the hall. “Bye, Champagne.”
“But will I still get—”
“See my boy Will out front.” Qwest sighs, watching me as if I were a house pet who just bit her. “He’ll pay you.”
Once Champagne leaves, there’s just Qwest and me, and all the things I need to say that may hurt her.
“I’m sorry.” She walks over and loops her arms at the back of my neck. “I just thought when you couldn’t get it up on the plane—”
“Hey. Don’t be telling people I couldn’t get it up.” A sharp laugh slices the corners of my mouth. “That’s how rumors get started.”
“Sorry.” Her smile makes a brief appearance before disappearing again. “What’s going on?”
“Let’s sit down.” I lead her over to the plush couch in the center of the room, never letting go of her hands. “Qwest, you’re an amazing girl. You’re smart, funny, talented. Total package.”
“If there’s one thing I know,” Qwest says, her full lips twisting wryly. “It’s big butts, and I hear a huge but coming.”
“But.” I pause meaningfully and squeeze her hand. “This isn’t gonna work between us.”
“Why?” The dismay and hurt on her face drives a knife into my heart, making me feel like an even bigger jerk. “Things have been good, haven’t they?”
“Yeah, but it’s going so . . . fast.” I shrug and look at her apologetically. “Once the media got ahold of us, it just went so damn fast. And before I knew it, we were being hashtagged and shipped and made into something other than what we said we would be. Bigger than what we said we would be.”
>
I look at her frankly.
“I was honest from the beginning that I wasn’t sure we should do this.”
“But we’re so good together.” Tears stand in her brown eyes. “I thought we were . . . that maybe things had changed.”
She bows her head, swiping at a tear.
“Things changed for me, Grip,” she whispers. “I love you.”
Even though my mom warned me, even sensing it myself, to actually hear her confirm it makes me feel worse.
“I told you not to do that, Qwest. You know I don’t feel that way.”
“You also know the heart doesn’t always do what we tell it to.” She lifts her head, eyes wide. “That’s what this is about. It’s that other bitch?”
Anger sparks life in her dulled eyes. “Grip, if you cheated on me—”
“No, I wouldn’t do that to you.”