Off the Record (Off #3)(4)
Nix grins at me. “No, you moron. There’s no rules whether I even have to ask him or not. It’s just...I want his approval. For Emily’s sake. That’s all.”
“So, again, I ask...why don’t you just call?”
The devious smirk that tilts Nix’s lips is hilarious to me, and I know he’s getting ready to say something epic. “Because...I’m going to threaten him with bodily harm if he says no. That is much more effective in person.”
I guffaw loudly. Only my brother would threaten a U.S. Congressman and possible next President of the United States. Nix lives by his own rules. It’s a quality I admire and actually try to replicate as much as I can. I look up to my big brother in more ways than I can even count.
“Linc!”
I look over to see who is calling me. One of my teammates is holding up a full bag of garbage in his hand.
“What’s up?”
“I’m going to throw this in the dumpster for you but we are out of garbage bags. You got some more upstairs?”
I stand up from my chair. “Yup. I’ll go get ‘em.”
Turning to Nix, I say, “I’ll catch up with you later after Emily gets here.”
Heading into my building, I stop briefly at the mailbox and grab its contents. I shuffle through the stack as I head up in the elevator. Smiling, I open the letter from Teton Realty and quickly scan it. It’s the confirmation of my reservation for a cabin in Jackson, Wyoming. I take my summer vacation there every year and I am stoked about heading there soon.
I dump the mail on my kitchen counter and reach under the sink for some more garbage bags. When I straighten back up, I’m momentarily shocked when two female arms circle me from behind. My first instinct is to step away, because trust me, I’ve had my share of crazies that have made some pretty overt moves on me. But then I smell the familiar perfume and I know it’s just Brenda. I relax slightly.
Turning in her arms and dropping the bags to the floor, I rest my hands lightly at her waist. “It’s about time you showed up.”
She laughs huskily. “So, you’ve been looking for me, huh?”
I shrug my shoulders non-committally. I invited Brenda here as my “date” and I use that term loosely. Brenda and I were introduced a few months ago by a mutual friend. Our relationship, if you could call it that, consists solely of booty calls.
When I took her on our first and only date, which was a blind setup by said mutual friend, I recognized an instant attraction to her. She is simply stunning, as well she should be. She’s a model and her work varies from high end editorial work to hotter than hot swimsuit spreads.
The attraction on her part was mutual and we barely made it to the bedroom when I brought her home at the end of that date. Since then, we hook up whenever she’s in town, which isn’t all that often. Still, I like her. I mean...I like her as a person. Not for any type of deep relationship or anything, because I am definitely not looking for that at this point in my life. Luckily, neither is she. Neither of us expects monogamy and about the only thing that we mutually insist on is using a condom every time we f*ck.
She leans in and sneaks a kiss. She’s super tall, coming in just a few inches shorter than me, which makes for some amazingly convenient oral sex when we want to sixty-nine it.
As if she could read my thoughts, Brenda slips her hand down and fondles me through my shorts. “We could slip into your room for a quickie right now.”
I grab her hand and tug it away. I’m not one for exhibitionism and anyone could walk through my condo at any time. “As tempting as that sounds, I have guests and a ton of things to take care of. But tonight...don’t plan on getting any sleep. Can you stay the night?”
She smiles at me, not in the least put off by my refusal to f*ck her right now. “Of course, sugar. I’ll hold you to it though.”
Brenda turns and walks out of the kitchen. I assume she’s heading down to the party.
I pick up the garbage bags and before I head back down, I decide to give my dad a call. He’s been down with a bad cold, otherwise he’d be here at the party. I just need to check on him and head toward my bedroom for some privacy.
As I turn down the hall, a gaggle of giggling women come out of the guest bathroom. They are young and I doubt they are much over twenty-one, if that. They must have been invited by some of my single teammates, but hell, for all I know they could be crashing. There are three of them and they are all wearing bikini tops that don’t leave much to the imagination and shorts that are so short, I wonder why they bother.
I nod politely at them and they all start giggling even louder. I make sure my back is turned on them before I roll my eyes. I don’t know why, but I’ve never been one for women that are overt in their sexual appearance. Don’t get me wrong. I love the naked female body. I could look at it for hours...days...even years. I could make a career out of running my hands and lips across a naked woman. But I like a little mystery. I like to wonder what lies beyond. I like to have to work for it.
Shutting my bedroom door, I pull out my cell phone and dial my dad. He answers on the second ring.
“How’s it going, kiddo?”
My dad punctuates the question by a deep, hacking cough and I wince. “It’s going fine. You, however, are sounding horrible. Did you go to the doctor?”