Setting the bowl on the coffee table, I flopped down into my chair—the one that was off-limits to everyone but me—and typed out a text to Gil.
What the hell were you thinking?
Setting the phone on my leg, I grabbed my bowl and took another bite while I waited for his response.
Shit. Sorry. She was supposed to leave.
What an asshole.
Before or after she molested Gavin?
I spooned more cereal in my mouth.
She molested Gavin? Damn, it must be good to be Gavin!
Jesus. He killed me sometimes.
Why would you think it was okay to leave a strange woman in the apartment?
Another bite, another few seconds.
She wasn’t strange last night. Well, unless you count that one thing she did with her…
Thank God he didn’t elaborate.
Save it. I don’t even want to know. What’s her name?
I heard the sound of the shower turn on.
No idea.
You’re a man whore, Gil Garner.
So you’ve said.
I snorted. There was no help for him. None.
I’d teased him in the past that I was going to make parting gifts for these chicks. A coffee mug and a T-shirt that said: I banged Gil Garner and he didn’t remember my name. Maybe I’d throw in some hand sanitizer, a package of condoms, and … oh, and a business card with his phone number on it.
It was safe to say he hadn’t been amused with the idea.
Oh, well.
Tossing my cell phone onto the cushion, I curled my legs beneath me and finished my cereal, waiting for Gil’s Saturday night conquest to go home. I damn sure couldn’t leave her in the condo alone. What the hell Gil was thinking, I seriously had no idea.
Not that I should’ve been surprised. It wasn’t the first time and probably wouldn’t be the last. The guy could crook a finger, and women’s panties melted right off, but he never bothered to get their names—or remember them if he had—and as far as I knew, he didn’t do repeat encounters, either.
Finally, twenty minutes later, as I flipped through channels on television, Gil’s overnight guest emerged from the bathroom, a cloud of steam following her. This time she was wearing a towel.
I watched her as she made the walk of shame back to Gil’s bedroom.
Luckily, a few minutes later, she returned, this time dressed in what was clearly last night’s outfit—a skin-tight, black spandex number that covered the bare essentials.
She was going to freeze her fucking ass off. Not that I cared.
“Would it be possible to get Gil’s phone number from you?”
See, the parting gift would’ve been perfect for her.
I contemplated that for a moment. It would serve him right if I gave this chick his number. He deserved that and more for being a man whore. But I wasn’t that much of a bitch. As much as I detested the revolving door he had with women, I knew he was up front with them, letting them know it was one night and that was it. This chick knew the score; I could tell by the hangdog look on her face.
“Sorry, honey.” I didn’t elaborate, didn’t feel the need to.
I wasn’t surprised when the girl snarled at me, then huffed and headed for the door, her heels dangling from her fingertips. I didn’t even flinch when she slammed the front door behind her.
Grabbing my phone, I shot Gil another text: I hate you.
The response that I got right before I locked the front door and made my way to my bathroom: Love you, too.
Asshole.
Chapter Twenty-One
Jake
For the first time in nearly a year, I was still geared up to write, not wanting the feeling to go away. I couldn’t stop thinking about Kora and Donovan, what they were getting ready to do, who they would piss off, how they would handle the aftermath.
I only knew that sitting down and getting some words on paper was crucial. For the moment, I was inspired, and if things went sideways, I wanted to have an idea of where this was going.
I grabbed my pen and my notebook and thought about Kora.
Kora wasn’t sure what had gotten into her when she’d made Donovan that offer, but it’d seemed like the thing to do at the time. And when Donovan had made his counteroffer, Kora knew she couldn’t resist. Hell, she didn’t even want to. What better way to put Sam in his place than to sneak off with the man he considered to be untouchable?
Not to mention, this guy revved her engine unlike any man she’d ever