Pulling out her phone, Shelly texted Lena.
Need to talk…NOW.
Almost immediately, she received a response.
Lena: Are you okay?
Shelly shook her head, and then noticed out of the corner of her eye Josh was walking around the truck. Looking down at her phone, Shelly texted back quickly.
Will call in thirty minutes to talk.
The driver’s door was pulled opened, and Josh climbed inside the truck. Mutley whined and sat up on the back seat.
“Shelly…” Josh started hesitantly.
Turning to face him, Shelly plastered on the most painfully fake smile she had ever given.
She responded, “Josh…”
He sighed, shaking his head. “Are you going to talk to me about this?”
“Nope,” she answered and stared out the window, avoiding his gaze.
That was when she noticed the leggy brunette leaning up against the little Ford again, glaring at them. So, Shelly gave in to a sudden impulse and offered her a perky little wave that screamed, I’m in the car with your man, biotch.
“She doesn’t mean anything,” Josh told her as he started up the truck.
Shelly rolled her head along the headrest, so she was facing him. “Really? To me either,” she told him, her voice dripping with saccharine sweetness.
“Why are you being like this?” Josh questioned, pulling the truck away from the curb.
Shelly looked back out the window and muttered. “I’m not being like anything.”
***
Josh looked at the silent woman sitting beside him. Gone was the soft country Georgia he had been with all weekend, and in her place was Man-Eater Monroe. She wouldn’t look at him, she wouldn’t talk to him, and he had to believe that as she sat there staring out at nothing in particular, she sure as hell wouldn’t let him touch her either.
How could this morning have gone so wrong? He had been five minutes away from having a naked Shelly beneath him, over him, all around him, and then Melissa had happened. As if this weekend hadn’t been stressful enough, the arrival of his ex had to top it off.
There was no way Shelly was going to let this go, especially after her parents’ confessions on the delicate subject of cheating. The real kicker, however, was that even though she knew Melissa was his ex, being confronted with another woman was not what she was ready to deal with now.
Josh turned to look at her again. She was beautiful in her silence as she stared, fuming out the window. Hell, he thought, she is beautiful all the time, including the moment she confessed her feelings to him down by the river.
“Are you really going to sit there and pretend I don’t exist?” he asked her, no longer able to bare the silence. How did this woman slip under his skin so damn quickly?
“I’m not pretending you don’t exist. In fact, I am very aware you are right there. I am pointedly ignoring you.” She told him while she continued to stare at nothing.
“Is that right?” Josh asked, starting to get annoyed.
“Yes, it is. I don’t understand what you expect me to say,” she told him, finally turning to face him. “Is she leaving?” she asked.
Josh knew his answer was not going to be what she wanted to hear, but he wasn’t going to lie.
“No, she wants to talk to me,” he told her.
Then, he watched as she rolled her eyes.
“What?” he questioned.
“Nothing.”
Josh stopped at a red light and looked to Shelly. “Tell me.”
“That’s what all women say when they want to get a guy back,” she informed.
Josh sighed, moving the car forward when the light turned green. “Well, I don’t want her back. I left her, remember?” he told her pointedly.
As he sat there waiting for her response, he thought this was probably a good time to confess about owning the construction business, too. After all, she was already pissed. Probably best to get it out and just let her get over all the bad at once. Then, we can focus on the good, right?
“Look, I don’t want Melissa. She has some stupid idea that she wants to discuss things with me. Shelly, she cheated on me. Why would I go back?”
“But you’re going to go and talk to her?” she asked again as if driving home a point.
“Yes. I told her I would.”
“Fine,” she responded and went back to silently looking out the window.
He drove them the rest of the way without saying a word. When he pulled up at the parking zone in front of her building, he parked the truck and watched as she unlatched the door. She seemed ready to get out without saying a word to him.
Josh suddenly felt it was crucial to stop her. For some reason, it seemed imperative that he make her talk to him now before he drove away. He didn’t know why, but he felt as though something was slipping away from him.
“Wait,” he told her.
Josh watched as she stopped her movements.
“What, Josh?” she asked coolly.
Josh swallowed. What the hell? I’m already in the bad books, might as well lay it all on the table. Here goes nothing… “If this weekend meant anything to you, anything at all, then please let me take care of this, and then come and get you.”
***
Shelly pushed open the truck door and climbed out without answering him. Her chest felt tight, and she wanted to scream, It meant everything! However, as her feet hit the pavement and she walked to the end of the truck, all she could think of was her mother’s sad face as she told her how she loved a man who didn’t love her. Then, as she banished that thought, she was swamped with visuals of her father calmly telling her that it was an arrangement between them, like it was some damn contract.
Now, here she was, standing on the curb in front of her building, with a man who had to leave her to go and appease another woman. No, thank you! That was not what she had in mind for herself—not ever.
She watched as Josh pulled her bag out of the truck and put it down in front of her, extending the handle. Reaching out, Shelly gripped it, and suddenly, he put his hand on top of hers. Looking up at him, his anxious eyes gazed down at her, but Shelly steeled herself against it.
“Don’t end us like this,” he said softly.
Standing tall, Shelly swallowed and asked, “End what, Josh? Nothing began. We had a fling.”
He stood back. Removing his hand from hers, he lifted it and ran it through his hair. “Wow. Just like that, huh?” He paused, and then bent down to get nose to nose with her. “You sure don’t have any trouble writing off people as you judge them, do you?”
Shelly raised a brow. “Excuse me?”
“I was worried you’d be pissed when I told you about my job. But I didn’t even need to do that because you’re pissed for no reason at all, aren’t you?” he asked in angry disbelief.
Shelly straightened her spine and tilted her head. “What about your job? You don’t work in construction now?”
He shook his head at her. “What do you care, Shelly? You’re done with me, isn’t that right?” He questioned.
Shelly felt her heart clench. Am I really done with him?
However, before she could even answer herself, he continued.
“Fine, go ahead and keep lying to yourself. Go and date Dr. Drab and the most boring men you can find because I tell you what—any man worth his weight would not stand here and be judged for something he didn’t do.”
He went to move around her, to walk away, but he stopped beside her, telling her softly, “I own the construction business Mason hired, and this weekend meant everything to me. Have a nice life, Shelly Monroe, and do me a favor—lose my number.”
Shelly watched him march over to his truck’s door, haul it open, and get in. Just as he pulled out from the curb, that stupid mutt poked his goofy head out the window. Shelly tried to remind herself that this was all Josh’s fault, but as they drove away, she was finding it harder and harder to convince herself.
She was peri
lously close to feeling sorry for herself when her phone rang. Pulling it out, she flipped it open where she stood on the sidewalk.
“Okay, what happened?” Lena asked without any kind of preamble.
Shelly sighed, trying to push Josh’s parting words and the thought of him going back to Melissa from her head.
“I need to get drunk.”
“Tell me what happened,” Lena requested again.
“Josh Daniels happened, and I need alcohol to recover.”
There was silence, and then Lena suggested. “Rachel has been bugging me about this place she goes to. She says it’s off-the-chain wild.”
See, this is what I need—a night with the girls.
“If it’s Rachel I’m sure it will be, count me in.” Shelly paused, and then asked, “What’s this place called?”
Lena laughed, and Shelly groaned, knowing it was going to be some crazy place no one had ever heard of.
“I believe she said it’s called Whipped.”
Shelly paused. What the hell?It could be fun. “Okay, call me with details.”
“Will do. Hey, Shelly?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you going to be okay?”
“Sure,” she said in a soft voice. “Just don’t ever fix me up again. You suck at it.”
With that, she hung up, wheeled her bag to the lobby door, and went inside to try and sleep the horrible morning away.
***
Josh was fuming while he made his way back to his house. He couldn’t believe Shelly had reduced their weekend to a fling.
A fling!
The woman was so pig-headed and stubborn that she couldn’t even see what was in front of her—which, of course, was him. Well, not anymore. He was not going to be one of those guys who waited around for a woman, who in the end said no, thanks and wiped her hands clean. He wanted a partner—someone to share his life with.
The problem was he also wanted Shelly.
Turning into his street, he saw the blue car still parked in his driveway. He had been hoping that maybe, just maybe, Melissa would have left.
He parked the truck into the spare space beside his home and got out, opening the door for Mutley. Melissa smiled over at him as she got out of her little car.
Josh walked over to her and demanded, “Okay, what do you want, Melissa?”
She smiled at him, reaching out to touch his arm. It was almost strange how much he wanted to pull away.
“I told you, Joshua. I want to try again.”
Josh looked to the sky and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, and then looked back to Melissa, focusing on her.
“I don’t understand. It’s been months, Melissa. Why now?”
He watched as she stepped closer, and he just waited, not moving.
“Can’t we go inside?”
Clenching his jaw, Josh shook his head once. “No, we can’t go inside. You can tell me why you’ve turned up here. Did you run out of money?”
Josh watched as her brown eyes widened in feigned shock, and he couldn’t help but compare them to a startling blue pair he had come to adore. Melissa’s were suddenly lacking.
“No. What a horrible thing to say to me!”
Raising a hand, Josh ran it through his hair. “Look, Melissa. I’m tired, annoyed, and just want to go inside and get some sleep. Stop jerking me around and tell me what you want.” He paused, and then added in an annoyed tone. “Or leave.”
She looked around, and then finally her eyes came back to his. “Fine. A friend of ours saw you the other day with the blonde.”
Josh blinked once slowly, trying to comprehend what she was telling him, and then he shook his head again. “Are you serious? You came all the way here because someone told you I was out with another woman?” Beyond incredulous now, Josh demanded, “Where did they even see me? No, wait a minute. Who cares? Tell me you didn’t come back here because of that.”
She bit her bottom lip in a gesture that had once worked every time, but suddenly, all Josh could think of was a certain man-eater.
What the fuck is wrong with me? He internally berated himself and his poor choices in women. He was obviously delirious from lack of sleep.
“Well, I’ve been thinking about it for a while—how much I missed you—”
“That must have been when Dave was at home with his wife, right?” Josh asked coolly.
“Being an asshole doesn’t suit you, Joshua.”
“Well, I didn’t think being a cheater would suit you, but you made it work,” he told her, watching as she registered his words. Then, he said what he had wanted to say for years. “I wanted a life with you, Melissa. I wanted to make it work. Hell, I moved across the country to try and make it work.” Shaking his head, he looked over his shoulder and whistled at Mutley. He watched his dog’s ears prick up, and then he trotted over and sat by his legs. “It was you who chose otherwise. So, please don’t come back here, pretending to care because you heard I might be moving on. Get in your car, drive away, and please don’t ever look back.”
“But, Josh—”
“No,” he said, effectively cutting her off. “There’s nothing else to say except goodbye.”
He spun on his heel without waiting for an answer and made his way to his door. When he got there, he turned and watched as Melissa, the first woman he thought he had loved, reversed down the driveway. As she pulled away from the curb, he realized he felt nothing as she drove away. He wondered if that had anything to do with the fact that he’d left his broken heart at a certain blonde’s feet as he had driven away from her not even an hour earlier.
***
It had just turned 10:00 p.m. when Shelly’s intercom sounded.
Buzzing the girls up, she applied one last coat of gloss to her lips, and then headed to the door to unlock it. Several minutes later, the door opened and in walked Lena and Rachel. Shelly tried to smile at them both.
With her hair flowing over her shoulders, Lena was dressed in a tight black dress and bright red shoes. It was her go-to dress as Lena liked to joke. Hey, it works, and she looks gorgeous.
Then, Rachel moved from behind Lena and shook her head as she looked over Shelly. “No,” she told her pointedly.
“No?” Shelly questioned, looking down at her black strappy top and flirty pink skirt. “What’s wrong with it?”
Rachel rolled her eyes, shaking her head.
She was dressed tonight in a black backless halter top and skintight black leather pants. Her dark hair was pulled up in a tight, high ponytail, and the purple tips were brushing the nape of her neck.
As Rachel walked around her, Shelly noticed for the first time a wicked-looking tattoo, running vertically along the length of her spine and disappearing beneath her leather pants.
Shelly looked over to Lena, mouth hanging open, and her friend shook her head.
“I didn’t know she had it either.” Lena paused, and then chuckled. “She has a whole bunch. She was showing me on the way over here.”
Shelly turned back to look at Rachel, who was still frowning at her.
“What’s wrong with my outfit?”
“You look like you’re going to a high school dance,” Rachel told her with a smirk.
Shelly tried not to be offended. She decided if Rachel was going to turn up looking like the sexiest version of a goth dominatrix, then she needed a drink to deal with the fashion advice.
Most of the time Shelly was the one handing out the opinions. Tonight, apparently, it appeared she was totally out of her depth.
Moving to the kitchen, Shelly poured them all a lemon-drop martini. She then turned, handing the drinks to the girls, and looked over at Goth Barbie in the corner.
“Well, I’m sorry I don’t know how to dress appropriately for a place called Whip Me.”
Lena laughed as Rachel raised a brow.
“It’s Whipped, Monroe, and don’t be so quick to judge. I hear your nickname is Man-Eater,” Rachel said with a grin.
Shelly felt
her mouth drop, and then she shut it, shooting a quick glare to Lena. “I’m killing Mason. Next time I see him, he’s dead.”
Lena gave her a pretend pout as Shelly turned back to face this morphed version of Rachel. Gone was the fun-loving pastry chef, and in her place seemed someone slightly detached and cool.
Almost as though she was removed from the entire discussion, Rachel looked over Shelly. “You want to bring sex.”
Shelly raised a brow and put a hand on her hip. “Excuse me? This isn’t sexy?”
Rachel nodded. “It is. But it’s not the right tone. You want dirty sex.”
Narrowing her eyes at Rachel, Shelly turned to Lena, who was grinning like a fool.
“Does Mason know where we are going tonight?” Shelly asked Lena.
“Um...he knows we’re going clubbing,” Lena answered with a smile, and then tacked on, “Plus, Rachel doesn’t want him in her business.”
Shelly turned back to Rachel. “What is this place? You’re freaking me out, Rach.”
Rachel took a sip of her martini, and then told Shelly. “Just a place I go to escape. It’s nothing illegal or bad. I just don’t want my big brother there. Is that cool?”
Shelly shrugged but sensed there was more to this than she knew. The three of them had been out before and had even gone out with Mason. Heck, they had all been to the Blue Moon that night with Josh.
Yes, that amazing night in the parking lot with—no! She was not going to think about him tonight.
Instead, she focused on Rachel. Usually, she was relaxed, happy, and fun. Tonight, she seemed edgy and wired, almost as though she was going to explode if the fuse was lit.
Shelly raised her glass, toasting them. “Tonight is a girls’ night out! No men allowed!”
They clinked their glasses and gulped down the rest of their drinks.
Shelly turned to Rachel and tried for a real smile this time.
“Okay, come and find me a dress that screams dirty sex, Rach.”
***
Josh was climbing into bed at around 10:30 p.m. when the phone rang. Reaching out, he picked it up, almost hoping it was Shelly.