Beautiful Mistake(29)

When my phone illuminated, I was surprised to find I’d missed two texts from Caine.

Caine: Could you possibly cover my afternoon class tomorrow at three?

A few minutes later, another text came in.

Caine: Sorry about the last-minute notice. Something important came up.

What a jerk.

Of course, he wasn’t really a jerk. He was just not interested in me the same way I was him and didn’t want to lead me on, so that made him a jerk in my drunken, emotional head. I should have turned off my phone and ignored him, responded to my boss when I was in the right frame of mind, but the alcohol had other ideas. I typed back.

Rachel: Sure. I’ll do your job so you and Professor Pink can go back to your office and do whatever it is you do…again.

I watched the dots start to jump around, then stop, then start again.

Caine: What are you talking about?

I rolled my eyes.

Rachel: Your ass isn’t that great anyway.

In that moment, the text made complete sense to me.

Caine typed back immediately.

Caine: Excuse me?

I snorted. Loud. What a jerk. And then, my texting went downhill.

Rachel: I bet she doesn’t come late.

I was holding my phone, but I’d been expecting a text, so I jumped in my seat and dropped it on the table when the damn thing started to ring. Caine’s name was flashing, and that just pissed me off even more.

I swiped to answer. “What?”

“Rachel?”

“That’s me, your lowly TA.”

Something dawned on me, and I thought it was a pretty clever pun. In fact, I was damn proud of myself for coming up with something so witty.

“I’m your lowly TA, who has great T&A, only you’re too full of yourself to notice.”

“Have you been drinking?”

“Have you?”

“No, Rachel, I haven’t been drinking.”

“Well, you don’t know what you’re missing. Because after the first one, everything that’s been jumbled in your brain becomes so clear.”

Ava returned with our drinks to find me on the phone. “Who are you talking to?”

I did a half-assed job of covering the receiver. “It’s Professor Tight Buns.”

Ava’s eyes flared wide and then she shut them briefly. When she reopened them, she took the phone from my hand.

“Hi, Professor Tight…umm…Professor West. This is Rachel’s friend, Ava.”

She paused to listen.

“Yes. She’s fine. I’ll take care of her.”

Another pause.

“Yes, I’m sure. We’re at O’Leary’s, and I’ll take her home in a cab and make sure she gets inside safely.”

After she swiped to end the call, she put the phone in her purse. “I’m keeping this so you don’t do anything else stupid.”

“What? All I did was answer the phone. It’s not my fault he’s a big, fat jerk.”

“Please tell me you didn’t call him that.”

“I don’t remember.”

Ava let me ramble on for another forty minutes as I sipped my drink. Either I’d grown accustomed to the foul-tasting liquor, or the last Tanqueray and tonic tasted more like tonic than Tanqueray. Since I was still able to speak, I was guessing it was the latter. Ava had watered down my drink.

“So what are you going to do about Davis?”

“I don’t know. He’s a great guy. He really is.”

Ava’s eyes turned to saucers.

“What? Don’t look so shocked. He’s a nice guy. And God knows I haven’t had sex in forever.”

“Oh no. Professor West.”

“Well, obviously I’d rather have sex with him. But maybe that’s all it is. Maybe I’m just really sexually frustrated, and my attraction to Caine is only physical.”

“No, Rachel. Professor West.” She motioned to the other side of the bar. “He came for you.”

Unfortunately, I was lost in my little alcohol-marinated brain and not paying attention. I hadn’t even realized she was actually pointing to something…or someone. In fact, I thought we were still having the same conversation.

“He’d better come for me. It may have been almost a year, but I think I still know how to use my vagina.” I paused. “Do you think my vagina is re-virginized from not having sex for so long?”

I brought my drink to my lips and closed my eyes as I tipped my head back to finish it. When I opened them, I thought I was dreaming. In fact, I was certain of it. I blinked a few times to snap myself out of it.

Caine did that stupid sexy lip twitch thing as he stood next to our table. “Still here.”





Ava was a traitor. Caine asked her if he could have a few minutes alone with me, and I’d said no at the same exact time she said yes. She’d shot me a warning look before promptly slipping from our table to make room for Caine.

“What are you doing here?” I scowled.

“Making sure I’m the only man you talk to about coming while you’re in this intoxicated state.”

I folded my arms across my chest. “Davis wants me.”

The muscle in Caine’s jaw ticked. “That’s nice. Who’s Davis?”