Off the Record (Off #3)(51)

Now, I’ve been with my share of women, but calling a strange woman that hands me their number is something I’ve never done. There are too many loonies out there. But before I can respond, a small hand reaches out and snatches the paper. I look down, and Ever is standing beside me, holding the phone number.

She hands it back to the woman. “No, thanks. He’s not interested.” Her tone brooks no nonsense and she’s looking at the woman like she wants to punch her lights out.

I want to break out into laughter and jump around in joy over this glorious display of jealousy that Ever is exhibiting. It must mean that she cares.

I look back to the woman and she’s not even looking at Ever. She’s looking at me like Ever doesn’t even matter. She’s expecting me to accept the number.

Sorry, lady. No can do.

“She’s right,” I speak to the lady although I’m looking at Ever. Holding her blue eyes I say, “I’m only interested in one woman.”

I have no clue what the woman does and I assume she walks away. Because I’m entranced by the way that my girl’s eyes flare with wonderment that I would proclaim that. I don’t know why she wouldn’t think I would, but she needs to learn that she’s hooked my heart.

I reach my hand out and cup her face. She closes her eyes and I take the opportunity to bend down and lightly run my lips across hers.

“I didn’t know you had such jealous bones,” I tease her.

Her eyes pop open and flash hot. “I was not jealous.”

I just cock an eyebrow at her.

“I wasn’t. I was just...just...saving me the trouble of having to write something negative about you.”

I throw my head back and laugh, and I can hear Nix and Emily snickering behind us. “Whatever you say, baby.”





The night has been fantastic, hanging out with Ever, Nix and Emily. It saddens me that if I get traded, these nights will be no more. Never have Nix and I been in relationships that were serious, and it’s really fun spending time together as couples.

I told Nix and Emily about the possible trade, and whether it was consciously or sub-consciously, I could care less, but Ever reached over and held my hand while I told them what was going on.

She cares about me...I know she does.

After we pay our bill, we say our goodbyes. Ever and I head inside to the restrooms to use one more time before we start the three block walk back to the car.

I finish before Ever does and wait in the hallway for her. I’m considering where I want to f*ck her when we get home. I don’t think we’ve tried her bed yet. Or maybe the balcony, as we watch the twinkling lights of Manhattan across the river. I can stand behind her while she braces herself against the railing. I start to get hard just thinking about it.

“Don’t you walk away from me, you bitch!”

I turn swiftly to see Ever dashing out of the women’s restroom with three women on her heels. One is reaching for Ever’s shoulder and says, “Didn’t you hear me...I said come here, you f*cking bitch.”

I act before I think and I lunge forward, pushing Ever behind me before the woman can touch her. When the woman looks up and sees me, she comes to a dead halt and her jaw hangs open. The two women behind her stand equally shocked, and one even whispers, “It’s Linc Caldwell” in an awestruck voice.

“What the hell is going on here?” They do nothing but stare at me, mouths still hanging open. I turn to Ever.

Her face is pale and her bottom lip is trembling. I put my hand under her chin, raising her gaze to meet mine. “What happened?”

She takes a deep breath and gives me a tremulous smile. “It seems your fans recognized my picture from The Post article I wrote about you and took some exception to it.”

“What did they do to you?”

She shakes her head. “Nothing. But I think they wanted to kick my ass, so I made a run for it.”

I drop my hands and flip around to glare at the women. They are still standing there with their mouths hanging open.

“Please tell me my girlfriend is wrong. That you weren’t getting ready to attack her for that article.”

Their jaws drop open further and it suddenly occurs to me that they may be too stupid to respond. They don’t have the grace to look embarrassed, but they don’t have the smarts to know that I am boiling mad right now. If they weren’t women, I would seriously be lashing out physically.

Finally, one of them gasps, “Your girlfriend?”

I can’t help the sarcasm that drips through my voice. “That’s right. Apparently you might have some brain cells beneath that bleached, blond hair.”

They are apparently still too dumbstruck to understand the fury behind my words. “But...but...she wrote those nasty things about you. We were just defending you.”

“By ganging up on someone...three to one? You ladies are about as classless as I have ever seen. But just for the record, half the things she wrote about me were true. I’m just thankful she’s given me a chance to show her that’s not all there is to me.”

Finally, their mouths snap shut and my insults against them finally hit their mark.

“You’re an *, Linc Caldwell,” one of the women says, and they all three flounce off.

I turn to Ever and she’s standing there with her mouth hanging open. What is this? Catch a fly in your mouth day?