“Inception,” I murmured. “All those tailored suits.”
“Exactly. And that still averages to like, once a year,” Sara pointed out. “Yet in the past eight texts and two minutes of conversation with me you’ve dropped ‘crazy hot’ at least three times and there was also mention of…” She trailed off while undoubtedly scrolling through our texts. “‘Pecs the size of my face.’ So… maybe all this is a sign? I mean it really feels like God’s dropping some major hints tonight.”
I snorted as I went over to the mirror and stared at my reflection. “First off, leave God out of this mess. Second, getting back into the dating game and having sex with my womanizing prick of a neighbor are two very different things.”
“How do you know he’s a womanizer?”
“I looked at him, Sara. And then I heard him talk.”
“Maybe he’s not as bad as you think.”
“I think I’m going to spend the next month listening to him take a new girl home every night.”
“Because you’re a pessimist when it comes to men and relationships and all that jazz. But you are attracted to him, right?”
“Physically.” I trudged toward the bed and plopped myself down. “But I feel like I had no choice in the matter. He’s like… aggressively good-looking. I swear every single muscle on his body is an attention whore. They keep flexing and rippling when all he’s doing is standing there and crossing his arms. It’s stupid.”
“Well, it still counts,” Sara laughed. “So I say try and end this night on a positive note. I mean if he’s related to Tess, there’s gotta be a nice guy somewhere under there.”
“I wouldn’t count on it.”
“Well, I would. Matter of fact – I’ll bet you your cab ride that if you stick around and talk it out with him, you’ll find there’s actually a decent person under all that sexy muscle,” Sara said, ever the optimist. “It beats hating your home life for the next four weeks, right? You know I’m right.”
“Yeah, yeah, fair enough. I’m calling a car in about five, okay? See you soon,” I sighed before hanging up, taking in a deep breath and heading for the door.
But I was barely halfway down the stairs when I stifled a gasp and ducked behind the wall. Because standing at the front door with Lukas was a beautiful blonde – in a trench coat pulled open to show off her bright, red lingerie.
“What the fuck?” I whispered under my breath, stumbling backward and contorting my face over the fact that I was right. I was fucking right! I’d barely just hung up with Sara and I’d already proved the different-woman-a-night theory true.
Crouched at the top of the steps, I clasped a hand over my mouth, leaning against the wall to listen to the murmured conversation. I was expecting the filthiest of dirty talk but to my surprise, when I heard Lukas speak, his voice was steely – tinged with more than a hint of annoyance.
“I told you not to come.”
“You also told me you wouldn’t open the door if I did, yet here we are.”
“Noelle, go home.”
“But Nadia and I wanted to give you a housewarming gift. She’ll be here in a couple minutes – and she’ll be wearing your favorite little red thing. You always prefer us in matching colors, right?”
No fucking way.
And just like that, my different-woman-a-night-theory became the two-different-women-a-night-at-the-same-time theory. Oh my God. Fuck my life, I cursed as I pictured a month of waking up to rowdy sex parties and choruses of orgasmic moans.
“Lukie…”
“This is not a drill, Noelle. I need you to go home.”
“What the fuck, Lukas. Do not embarrass me tonight,” the woman hissed, though she promptly softened her voice. “I need your cock now. I’ve been wet for you all day and we might as well take advantage of poor Tessie being gone, right?” she simpered mockingly. “You know how much she whines and bitches when you fuck her friends.”
I peeked past the wall in time to see Lukas clenching his jaw at her remark. “Goodnight,” he said, closing the door. She pushed it back open with surprising force.
“Lukas – ”
“I have someone over,” he said.
My eyebrows jumped high as I watched Noelle stop and stare with hurt. But she recovered quickly.
“Well… if I don’t hear her she must not be very much fun,” she scoffed. “And if you haven’t taken your dick out yet, she must not be all that cute.”