He sits in bed next to me, both of us with our backs against the headboard. “So we’re still friends?” He takes a bite of his toast.
“No. We’re BFFs and breakfast soul mates.”
He nods with a grin, and instead of the usual head shake and eye roll that accompanies my acronyms, his body relaxes. I think he needs my words as much as I needed him to bring me this breakfast in bed instead of being in the other room drawing.
“I love the way you hum when you eat your eggs and jellied toast.”
I furrow my brow. “What are you talking about?”
He chuckles. “That fact that you don’t even know you do it makes me love it that much more.”
I roll my eyes. “I don’t hum when I eat.” Taking a bite, the strangest thing happens. I hum. Holy crap! I hum when I eat. How have I never noticed?
Trick laughs. “My God, I love you.”
I grin, but as quickly as the moment happened it ends and our smiles fade. It’s the memory of yesterday haunting today. Our laughter only covers the pain that’s still there. After a few minutes of silence, Trick leaves the room. I continue eating my breakfast trying not to hum. My phone chimes.
Trick: BFF?
Me: Always
Trick: I hurt my wife yesterday and I feel gutted inside.
I suck in a shaky breath as my eyes fill with tears.
Me: Why?
Trick: I wanted to protect her from my past, from the vision that has haunted me for the past week. I had to get the vision out of my head and the only way to do it was to put it on paper. I thought the woman I drew would bring it back.
Me: Bring what back?
Trick: My memory.
I wipe a few stray tears for him, for the demons that must haunt him. And then I shed a few more for the guilt I feel. He needed me to do what I do best—show compassion, Instead … I gut him.
Me: Come.
He stops in the doorway. I wipe my cheeks and set my plate aside. “Tell me about her.”
His teeth dig into his bottom lip. “I don’t know how I drew her … I just did. She’s so familiar, yet I don’t remember her.”
I nod and take a deep swallow. “Why did you draw her naked?” I whisper. The words hurt.
His face pulls tight into a pained expression. “It’s just the vision I had. I couldn’t put clothes on her … she wasn’t wearing any.” His eyes meet mine. “I know how painful this must be for you. It means I was with her … like that.”
I laugh, eyes still dripping a few tears. “It’s so stupid. I’m jealous of a drawing.” Shaking my head, I continue to laugh at the absurdity of my jealousy. “She had you when I wanted you. She took away my time with you. Hell, I was jealous of myself when I thought you were spending all that time drawing me.”
Trick moves to the bed and pulls me on his lap so I’m straddling his legs. “I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted to draw you.” He rubs his nose against mine, sliding his hands up the back of my satin nightgown. “I’ll always want you.” He kisses my lips with reverence. “I want you now.” His hands slide around until his thumbs brush over my nipples. “Can I have my wife … now?”
My heavy eyelids close as I nod.
*
Two days later my BFF texts me. He says he’s too afraid to ask his wife for an hour to finish his drawing, but if she agrees to it he promises to take it into town and sell it. Less than an hour later my BFF texts me, thanking me for putting in a good word with his wife. He’s finished and ready to take it into town.
“What price do you want to put on it?” The guy at the gallery asks after he tears his eyes away from the drawing.
I see Trick getting ready to put a ridiculously low price on it.
“How about you display it for a week and take bids on it. Then sell it to the highest bidder when the week is up.”
The guy looks back down at the drawing, shaking his head. “You really drew this?”
Trick chuckles. “Yes.” He points to the corner. “And that’s my signature.”
The guy nods once.
“Five hundred, tops,” Trick says as we get in the car.
I fasten my seatbelt. “Five grand, minimum.”
He raises an eyebrow at me. “Shall we make it interesting?”
I slide my sunglasses down my nose, looking at him over the frames. “What did you have in mind?”
“I win, you watch the video with me … naked.”
“The security video?” My eyes go wide.
He nods with a devilish grin.
I stare, actually glare, at him then slide my glasses back up my nose. “Fine. But when I win you’re going to erase the footage in front of me … naked.”