Donovan (Face-Off 3)

“I have best friend super powers,” she jokes, laughing to herself. “What are you having trouble with this time? Do you need another word for cock? You know Tyler still hasn’t let me live that one down. I doubt he ever will.”

Because of me, Kennedy had asked Tyler over the phone, before they had ever met, for another word for cock. Because he’s a gentleman, he gave her a few words before she had the chance to cut him off. She thought he was some random pervert. That was their first interaction.

He said he knew she was a keeper after that night. Or at least that’s what he said a while after they started dating. The two of them are weird and quirky, and that sort of thing works for them. Kind of like Carter and me.

I envy the relationship Kennedy has built with Tyler. It all happened so fast. What had started out as just hot sex had turned into a lot more than they had expected. Tyler was, I guess you could say, broken before my Kennedy got a hold of him. She has a way of fixing people who need help. Kennedy sure as shit did it with me back in high school. To this day, she still thinks I saved her, but I was the one who needed saving.

“No, I think I have enough words for cock saved in my arsenal at this point. It’s Carter.” I suck in a deep breath and let it out, gazing out the window of my office. “He infuriates me.”

All day I zoned out, contemplating my relationship with Carter. Should I give in?

“I don’t know what to do about Carter,” I confess.

“What’s there to think about?” She says this as if dating a professional hockey player is the easiest choice for me. I have enough attention directed at me because of my romance novels. “He’s hot, probably amazing in bed, and you like him. I don’t see the problem, Syd. This should be a no-brainer for you.”

She’s right. Kennedy is always right when it comes to dating and my love life. Too bad I never listen to anyone. I am a stubborn ass and even more so when it comes to men. Despite what people may think based on my personal appearance, I do not have my shit together. And I certainly do not have it all figured out when it comes to the opposite sex.

For as many men fall at my feet, gushing over me, the other half use me for sex or a date for a charity event. That’s the part most people don’t see—Kennedy included. She has me placed so high up on a pedestal that even my best friend thinks of me as above other women. Except I have no fucking clue what I am doing. I just make shit up as I go along. And playing games, like the one I have going with Carter, is the only way I know how to safeguard my heart.

That’s my superpower. As long as I can keep my defenses up, no one can get through the impenetrable wall I have built around myself. It works for me, and while not everyone will understand, it’s the only thing I have ever known.

“I like him.” I sigh because I hate to admit it aloud. “Carter is hot and built and everything I would usually go for, but I’m also afraid he just wants sex. He’ll bail as soon as I give in.”

“He definitely wants sex.” I cringe at her words. “Last night, he stopped by the house after your date and complained to Tyler and me for about an hour.” She chuckles, apparently finding this amusing. I wish I did. “What did you do to him? He was really pissed.”

Last night, we actually watched TV and didn’t touch each other once. It was weird, but I still had a good time. Carter refused to open up to me again, so I bought a movie on cable, and we watched it in almost silence. After that stunt he pulled the other night, he deserved the cold shoulder. I finally gave into him, allowed him to kiss and touch me, and then he wouldn’t even let me come. I was not about to set myself up for that failure again.

“See, I knew that was all he was looking for out of me,” I tell Kennedy, annoyed. “You know I am getting so sick and tired of all the expectations. Just because I write romance novels for a living doesn’t mean I walk around without panties and flash my pussy to the first guy who glances in my direction.”

Kennedy laughs in my ear before composing herself. “I think you’re overacting, Syd. Yes, he wants sex. He’s a man. They’re pretty much hardwired to think that way. But I also believe he likes you. In the time I have known Tyler, I have yet to hear Carter bitch about a woman he was dating. In fact, I have never heard him mention a single girl until you. That tells me you are getting under his skin. I think he’ll play along with you, but at some point, you will need to bend a little.”

“I told him I would make it worth the wait.” My tone is so defensive I almost don’t recognize my voice. Then, I feel sorry for taking out my frustration on Kennedy. “He needs to wait and see what I have in store for him. It will be worth every second. I just…” I have no idea what else there is to say about my predicament with Carter.

Why do I feel the need to justify why I am doing this? Is it not obvious to my best friend, the one person in this world who really understands me?

“Oh, I don’t doubt that.” Kennedy snorts as she laughs. “You’ll work your Sydney Voodoo and have Carter begging for more by the time you’re through with him.”

I roll my eyes as I kick my feet up on the desk and lean back in my chair. “While that may be true, I’m not so sure if Carter will play the game with me much longer. He was acting weird last night. It could be fun, maybe even heighten our sexual experience, if he follows my lead. But I think he’s losing interest.”

“Based on the part of the conversation I heard between Tyler and Carter, I would say you are wrong. As long as you’re clear about what you expect of him and how this will go down, he’ll hang in there for the long haul. Just bend some. Otherwise, you might break him. Tyler said he’s never seen Carter this interested in a girl he just met. I would say that’s a good sign for you.”

“I miss you, K,” I breathe into the phone. “We need to hang out soon. Tyler stole you away, and I want you back, even if it’s only for a day. We need to work out an agreement. You’re stuck in the middle, the two of us playing tug-a-war with you.”

“He didn’t steal me.” Her voice is soft, calm.

“Yes, he did,” I spit back. “Tyler is the ultimate cunt blocker. I don’t like how much of your time he snatches from you. We have things we could be doing. Like planning our blog posts for the next month. That time would be better spent with me, of course.”

“Of course,” she says, matter-of-fact. “How about we meet in the city this week? I have an interview scheduled with the Sixers general manager, and I will be in town for a few hours. I can hang out with you after I’m finished. Would that work?”

“Fine,” I huff, “I will take what I can get. But I’m serious about working out a schedule. We have a lot to cover for the blog. Between our schedules and the men drama, our posts have gone out later than normal. Our followers are going to hate us if we don’t get our shit together.”

“I’m sure they are doing fine without us.” I’m shocked by the seriousness in her voice. “They’ve been with us long enough that they will hang in there until we find more time to write and schedule our posts.”

Before Tyler came crashing into her life, Kennedy loved writing articles for the blog, found a certain amount of enjoyment from entertaining our readers. Things have changed so much over time that I have yet to come to terms with it. I know this is for the best for Kennedy. But the selfish side of me wants my bestie all to myself. No one can fault me for that.

“I happen to know some of our followers wait each week for our posts, and I for one, do not want to disappoint them. Whatever you have going on with Tyler is fine by me, but you need to get it together, babe. Get your head out of your ass and back into our writing. We have a shit ton of stuff to go over this week.”

The line is silent for a few seconds, causing me to wonder if she hung up. I check the phone, and the call is still connected. “Hello. Are you there?”