‘No,’ Callum grunts, short and sharp.
‘Then why the fuck are you here?’
‘Because I’ve never in my life seen a woman so drunk, and I figured it was dangerous.’
‘Because she wasn’t sober enough to give you her consent?’
‘Fuck you,’ Callum snaps, shoving his feet into his shoes as he points at me.
I recoil. ‘What the hell have I got to do with it?’
Callum smiles tightly. ‘She’s your mate. You like her, and Theo likes you. Which means should anything happen to her, you’ll wail, Theo will have to deal with it, and I will get earache as a result.’
My eyebrows are high and surprised, and Theo bursts into a fit of laughter across the room. I look at him like he’s lost his mind, because it sounds like he has. I’ve never heard him laugh so hard. ‘You’re a twat, Callum Tyler.’ Theo chuckles around his insult. ‘A fucking twat.’
Callum grabs his car keys. ‘Again, fuck you.’
‘When was the last time you got some?’
‘Fuck you.’ He strides out of the room.
‘A while, then?’ Theo shouts to his back. ‘Why would that be, Callum? There are plenty of women willing to drop their knickers for you.’
‘Fuck you.’ The door slams, and Theo continues falling to pieces in the chair, rubbing at his eyes.
‘What was all that about?’ I ask.
He breathes some calm back into him, letting the odd chuckle slip here and there. ‘He likes her,’ he finally says.
I scoff, marching out of the room to find Jess. ‘Could have fooled me.’ I swing her bedroom door open and find her half dangling off her bed, dribbling into the pillow. ‘Jess.’ I shake her, dodging the flailing arm that swipes at me. ‘Jess, wake up.’
‘Go away.’
‘Callum just left. Did you know he stayed?’
She lunges upward like she could have been electrocuted, her wild hair covering most of her face. She brushes it away and finds me. ‘What?’
‘Callum, he just left. He stayed?’
‘I don’t know, did he?’ She scans the bed, her forehead heavy, clearly trying to rewind through her memories and find the information she needs. ‘Oh, no. Please, no.’
‘What?’
‘I threw up.’ She heaves, like she could vomit again. ‘And I might have told him I had an orgasm when he carried me over that puddle.’
‘You didn’t?’ I’m as horrified as she is, praying she dreamed that part.
She fake-cries, falling to the mattress and burying her face. ‘I fucking did.’
I shake my head at her in disappointment. But I’m laughing on the inside. My cool, together friend has been bamboozled by a man. I never thought I’d see the day. ‘You twat.’
‘I am. I’m a twat.’
‘I need to get changed. And you need to get all that alcohol out of your system before you start your shift tonight.’
Her head shoots up, panicked, her blonde hair sticking out here and there haphazardly. ‘He’s gone?’
‘Yep. And he hasn’t had any for a while, despite there being plenty on offer.’ I waggle a suggestive eyebrow at her. ‘Just thought you should know.’
She blows a raspberry and plumps the pillow under her head. ‘I guarantee he’s heading straight back to the Playground to let off some steam with one of the strippers.’
‘Dancers,’ I correct.
‘Do they put out?’
‘Sounds like it, but I think he likes you.’
‘What makes you say that?’ she asks. ‘The vomit on my chin?’
‘And your fetching hairdo this morning,’ I say with a smile as Jess pats down her wild locks. ‘I’m heading out with Theo.’
‘How are things?’
I shrug. ‘Well, I won’t be arrested, by all accounts, and my job is still mine if I want it. But I need to think about what I do next. I can’t stroll back in there like nothing happened.’
‘And Theo?’
I back away from the bed. ‘The man has me dancing on the edge of frustration and complete heaven.’ Reaching the door, I take the handle, mirroring Jess’s soft smile. ‘Catch you later.’
I make my way to my room, and once I’m dressed and ready, I find Theo still looking out of place in the floral chintz chair, his phone to his ear. I pull on my leather jacket as he looks me up and down, clearly approving of the baggy shirt and ripped jeans I’ve thrown on. ‘Half-hour?’ he says into the phone and nods before hanging up and gazing at me thoughtfully.
‘What?’ I ask, beginning to fidget under his concentrated stare.
He gets up from the chair and comes over to collect me, leading me out of my apartment. ‘I was just trying to comprehend how much I adore you.’
Good Lord, he’s sure making up for his stupidity. Does adore equal love? I quickly bat those thoughts away. ‘Where are we going?’
‘Somewhere.’ He helps me into the car, leaving me in a high state of curiosity. Where’s somewhere?*Somewhere is a back street in Soho. Theo pulls his Bentley up to the kerb, and I get out, looking around for any clue as to where we’re heading. There’s nothing obvious – no shops, restaurants or bars. I throw my bag on to my shoulder and eye Theo as he pulls off his shades. His silence is beginning to get under my skin. A few long easy strides have him by my side, collecting me and pushing on down the street. I let him direct me until we arrive at some steps that lead down to a glossy black door, and I look for a sign that might tell me where we are. Nothing.