“You can also run,” Lee replied.
“Not in these sweats, I can’t. They’re seven sizes too big.”
Lee didn’t answer, he also didn’t put me down until we got to the passenger door. He pressed me inside, slammed the door and he and Tex put my stuff in the trunk.
Tex waved as we drove away.
Traitor.
I said nothing all the way to the condo. Once Lee pulled up the parking brake in the garage, I got out and shuffled on bare feet to the elevator, clutching the sweats at the waistband.
Lee grabbed the plastic bag filled with my Chinese Food clothes, my purse and my shopping bags from the trunk and followed me.
We remained silent all the way up the elevator and Lee let me in the condo. I went straight to the bedroom to the drawer where Judy the Housekeeper put my undies. I dropped the sweats, put on some panties, left the flannel shirt on and slid into bed, on my side, with my arm wrapped around the edge and my hand tucked between the mattress and box springs. I was holding on for dear life, there was going to be no cuddling tonight.
I heard laundry noises, obviously Lee was taking no chances with my Chinese Food clothes and was relegating them to the washing machine without delay.
I refused to be embarrassed by this.
Lee entered the room and I ignored him. I heard the rustling of clothes, I felt him get into bed and he settled. He didn’t touch me or pull me to him like he normally did. I stayed tense and waited, five minutes, ten. Then, when I was this close to falling asleep, his arm wrapped around my waist and he pulled me across the bed and half-pinned, half-spooned me.
I went rigid.
I felt him bury his face in the back of my hair and then he said, “I’m an ass. I shouldn’t have said that in front of Eddie. I’m sorry.”
Shit.
Shit, shit, shit.
Not only could you not be mad at someone who apologizes, straight out, you couldn’t hold a grudge either. It was a double whammy.
I kept silent, not being a bitch, I just didn’t know what to say.
“I really don’t like your flirting,” Lee continued.
“I’m getting that.”
His hand came up and brushed the hair away from my shoulder and neck. Then it slid down my arm until it encountered my hand and his fingers laced with mine.
“We aren’t doin’ very well at this, are we?” he asked.
“Not really,” I answered.
He sighed.
“I saw Cherry Blackwell tonight,” I told him.
Silence for a beat and then, “I heard.”
“She was in fine form.”
Silence.
“She said, right in front of your mother, that you like blow jobs in the morning.”
Another beat of silence.
“She’s wrong,” Lee finally said, “I like ‘em anytime.”