“Like a booty call?”
I wasn’t entirely familiar with the concept. “Sure.”
“Alright. I’ll settle for that.” She pulled out her phone and pushed it toward me. “Give me your number.”
I’d just told her I only wanted sex, and she was fine with it. My brother was right. It wasn’t that hard to get laid. Being married had made me forget what it was like to be single, to pick up a girl for one purpose. I entered my number.
She smiled as she took it back. Then she texted me.
I glanced at my phone, seeing a happy face emoji.
She got to her feet then moved her hand to my shoulder, her fingers digging into my shirt and muscles. “Call me.” She leaned down and kissed me on the mouth.
I kissed her back, only partially invested because I had more important things on my mind right now.
Then she pulled away, giving me a wink.
I watched her go.
Six
Deacon
I want to check out your place. Tucker’s message popped up on my phone.
I was in the back seat of the car, reading through my work on the commute home. I texted him back. I just hit the tunnel. My driver can pick you up on the way.
Ooh…your driver. Keep saying shit like that, and you’re gonna keep getting laid.
We pulled up to the curb outside the Four Seasons, and my driver opened the back door for him.
Tucker moved onto the seat beside me, my satchel between us.
I returned my papers to the folder and put everything away.
It was a short drive to my building, but it took fifteen minutes because of traffic.
Tucker got comfortable, stretching out his legs and resting his arm on the door. “So…you going to give me the details or what?”
I pulled my satchel close to me, never letting it leave my sight. “Dr. Gallagher and I decided to make a few changes to our—”
“No, not that,” he said quickly. “With Natalie.”
She’d slept over. Once it was over, I didn’t really think about it much. “Fine.”
“Fine?” he asked. “Was the sex good?”
“Yeah.”
“What position?”
I was not good at guy talk. “The sex was good. Do those details matter?”
“Didn’t take you as the gentleman type.”
“Gentleman?” I asked in confusion.
He was patient with me, but he sighed nonetheless. “When a guy fucks a girl and doesn’t dish about it, he’s considered to be a gentleman. You’re protecting her reputation.”
“She’s not married, so what reputation do I need to protect?”
Tucker dropped it. “Come on, tell me.”
I shrugged. “Missionary.”
He nodded. “Nice.”
“And then doggy.”
Now his eyes narrowed.
“And then she was on top.” I answered his questions, so maybe the conversation would stop now.
“You fucked her three times?” he asked incredulously.
I nodded. That was why I’d been so tired today. I didn’t usually need a lot of sleep, but a couple hours just wasn’t enough for me to really focus, to not get snappy with everyone around me.
He grinned and gripped my shoulder. “Welcome back, man.”
Being with another woman besides Valerie wasn’t difficult at all. I was indifferent to her, just as indifferent as I’d been when we were married, and the sex was much better.
“Told you it would be easy.”
“Yes, it was easy.”
“Because you’re hot, man. When you’re hot, you can get away with anything.”
I had to admit I wasn’t exactly delightful, but she wanted me anyway, like my personality didn’t matter at all.
“You can get laid anywhere, anytime.”
In college, I hadn’t been that interested in women, but I hooked up on the weekends. When I graduated, I did the same thing, but it wasn’t long before I met Valerie…and everything went to shit. It was a relief to have my bachelorhood back.
But I’d rather have my son.
We pulled up to the building, moved past the doorman, and then took the elevator to my floor.
“Wow, this place is already pretty nice,” Tucker said. “I haven’t even seen your condo yet.”
“How did your interview go?”
“Good. Wasn’t really much of an interview. Just a formality.”
The doors opened and revealed a spacious hallway with hardwood floors, a long rug down the center, and tables that held fresh flowers even though no one stuck around long enough to enjoy them.
I reached my door and unlocked it.
We stepped into the expansive living room. I was used to the view, had never really been impressed by it because inanimate objects were of little importance. I carried my satchel to the dining table and pulled out the laptop.
Tucker whistled loudly. “Jesus, this place is unbelievable.”
I’d been rich a long time. Wasn’t sure why it continued to surprise him.
He took a look around, examining the paintings, the fireplace, the eighty-inch TV, the sculptures, and everything else someone picked out. “Glad to see you still had some money left over after Valerie took her cut.”
I didn’t really care about that. She could have it all if she gave me Derek.