Cheater (Curious Liaisons 1)

“If you would just relax and lean back, this will be over with before you know it!” Dr. Dupper patted my leg with his latex glove. He then pulled a curtain around the examination table so that I was partially blocked from Lucas’s view, for which I was grateful.

Shaking, I tried to go to my happy place, but I was miserable. Lucas had said the three words I’d dreamed of him saying to me when I still wasn’t over my crush in high school—and he’d looked like he meant them.

I’d rather be rejected than given a taste of what it would feel like to be loved by him, only to realize two seconds later that it wasn’t real.

I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for the inevitable, but Lucas peeked from around the curtain and whispered in my ear, “This will be funny tomorrow, I promise.”

I opened one eye. “You aren’t the one with your legs spread.”

He looked down at my legs and smirked. He couldn’t see anything, but it was still horrifying for me.

“I can at least appreciate the flexibility.” He winked.

I smiled. “Really? That’s what you’re going to say?”

“Beautiful,” Dr. Dupper commented.

I frowned and propped myself up on my elbows. “Excuse me?”

He peered up at us in confusion. “Oh, I just appreciate it when a woman takes care of her health.” He winked.

Lucas cursed on the other side of the curtain. “More doing, less talking, Doc.”

The doctor snapped back at him, “Please don’t tell me how to do my job.”

“Lucas . . .” I shook my head slowly even though he couldn’t see me. “Just leave it.”

“He called your parts ‘beautiful’!” Lucas hissed as if he was actually angry that a doctor was doing his job.

I burst out laughing. “So?”

“So!” He swore violently and then gripped the edge of the curtain like he was getting ready to tear it down. “Just, that’s not . . . professional.”

“Okay, big guy.” I patted the part of his arm that was visible and then let out a little whimper.

“What?” He poked his face around the curtain, his eyes locking on mine. “What’s wrong? What did the bastard do?”

“You know I can hear both of you, right?” Dr. Dupper asked in a detached voice. “And, Avery, I need you to stop clenching or it’s going to hurt a lot worse.”

“THEN STOP DOING IT!” Lucas yelled.

The doctor ignored him and shoved the metal thingy further in. I clutched the paper sheet and started to sweat.

By this point the curtain was long gone and Lucas was at my side, gripping my hand like I was getting ready to pop out a kid.

“What do I do?” Lucas looked like he was ready to pass out.

“You could have just told the truth to begin with instead of making me go through with dinner last night,” I said through gritted teeth.

“And miss this amazing team-building opportunity?” he joked. “Never.”

“You’re a jackass and should burn in hell.”

“Thanks, sweetie.” He patted my head. I swatted his hand away and swore.

“Almost there,” the doctor said for what felt like the fifth time.

“He’s said that at least twice, right?” My eyes were watering. “Never again. I’m never going to the doctor again.”

Finally, Dr. Dupper, the doctor of death, pulled the metal thingy away and stood. “You can sit up now.”

I jerked the paper sheet over my lap.

I almost burst into tears with relief, until he locked eyes with me and said, “Is there something you’d like to discuss with me, Avery?”

I frowned and then shivered. “Um, no, I don’t think so.”

Lucas’s hand on my arm tightened.

Dr. Dupper looked between the two of us. “Your hymen is still intact.”

I looked up at Lucas and grinned, suddenly feeling quite pleased with the whole situation when I answered, “Well, he’s really small.”

Dr. Dupper burst out laughing.

And suddenly? The whole trip to the gyno?

Worth it.

Chapter Twenty-Three

AVERY

After the gyno adventure, we decided to skip having lunch together and sent Lucas’s mom on her way. I told her I was traumatized, and Lucas looked traumatized, so it worked. I whistled the entire afternoon at work—not because I’d had such a stellar start to my day but because I had every intention of going back to a certain doctor and getting a date.

That was, once I flushed Lucas Thorn down the toilet with all the penile enlargement pamphlets Dr. Dupper had given him. Hey, there was a thought. Instead of flowers at his burial, I’d litter the casket with those. Perfect. And he said I was evil for making fun of his small penis!

At least I can still be thoughtful!

“Lunch.” Lucas rapped his knuckles on my desk. “What do you want? Hot dog? Hamburger?”

“Gee.” I pretended to think about it. “How big is this hot dog?” I held two fingers an inch apart. “Would you say it’s this big? Or”—I moved them two inches apart—“this big?”

He glowered. “I’m never living this down, am I?”

“It was one of my favorite life moments,” I answered sweetly. “Ever.”

“That makes one of us. The bastard gave me pamphlets for a penile enlargement. He looked genuinely concerned, Avery. Think of what that does to a man! He thinks I can’t please you!”

I laughed. “And why does that bother you? You’ll never please me. Think of it that way.”

“But I could,” he pointed out. “And put your fingers down. It’s embarrassing how little you know about hot dogs—mine especially.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Oh?”

“Careful.” He leaned over the desk and whispered, “Your innocence is showing.”

“Is not.” Mature, Avery. Well done.

“You’re blushing.”

“It’s hot in here.” I made a fan motion in front of my face to deflect his attention.

He eyed me up and down. “Yup, I see what you mean, very hot. Hot enough to give you a nice flush down your neck—hey, where’s that sweater from?”

I ignored him and pretended that I was checking my email so he’d leave. It didn’t help that my fingers shook a bit over the computer keyboard. “I’d like a hamburger. I think I’ve had enough hot dog talk for the day.”

“Done.” He nodded and started to walk away but then backtracked and scratched his head, like he was nervous. “When Chelsea gets here, can you show her to my office?”

My hands froze over the keyboard. I could only nod and mutter out a “Yup.”

“Thanks.”

Fortunately, my embarrassm

ent at the doctor’s office was trumped by Lucas’s, so he hadn’t even touched on the subject of me being technically a virgin. I can only imagine how that conversation would go, especially since by some miracle of God the only guy I’d had sex with hadn’t really done his job.

Needing to busy myself, I reviewed the calendar for the next few weeks. We had app training four times a week in addition to two more school visits this week before I could be done with work, which meant basically every day of my life—both business and personal—was with Lucas.

I exhaled and tried to get myself to think of anything but Lucas.

And the way he had held my hand.

And said he loved me.

And kissed me.

The pencil I was holding snapped in half. My phone lit up the minute the pencil tip nearly impaled my thigh.

Kayla.

Ah!

“Hi!” I answered on the first ring, my voice breathy and high. “What’s up?”

“You,” she sniffled. “You.”

“Me?” I started to have that dizzy feeling you get when you know that you’re in trouble and something bad is about to happen. I knew that the moms would talk. I just assumed they wouldn’t break the news to Kayla, of all people, that quickly. “Me, what?”

“Y-you and Lucas are g-getting married?” she shrieked. Loudly.

Oh no.

I wished I could blame Austin and Thatch and the stupid wine at his house, but this was all me.

All me and my stupid need to save Lucas from his parents’ wrath and possibly mend my own parents’ hearts in the process.

I quickly tried to think of a way I could lie my way out of it.

“Kayla, calm down.”

“CALM DOWN?”

“I mean, what I mean is, you don’t know all the details, and—”

“He cheated on me!” she wailed. “With our SISTER!”

Hah! Wondered what she’d do if she knew he always cheated on everyone. Would that make her feel better or worse? Decisions, decisions.

“Kayla.” I wondered if the day could get any gnarlier. “Look, I can explain—why don’t we meet for dinner tonight?”

Not only did I have absolutely no money, but now I’d have to sit across from my amazing sister and make her believe that I was in love with her ex-fiancé and that he’d turned over a new leaf—though none of it was actually true.