think I’d turned into a total sexual deviant overnight.
She’d been traumatized enough for one evening.
On that note, I decided it was time for me to take off. One, I wanted to see Cary, like stat, and before I got so wasted I couldn’t function.
And two, I had a phone call to make.
I texted Liam to let him know I was ready to leave. A few minutes later, when he texted back to let me know he was waiting outside, I finally broke it to Danica that I was heading out.
Her face fell. “What? You can’t go yet.”
“I know. I should stay. But I’m kinda tired.” Honestly, I would’ve stayed out a little longer, despite the sexting. It was ladies’ night, after all. But I didn’t want her to know the real reason I was taking off a bit early. I had to take care of this, and it felt like I needed to do it in a timely manner.
She narrowed her eyes at me. “You’re going home to have sex with your hot boss, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” I couldn’t exactly lie to her face.
She studied me, drunkenly.
“What?”
“You know, I thought maybe you’d be good for him,” she said gently. Seriously. “But what I see is you getting pulled more and more into his world. I’m a little worried.”
“You don’t need to worry,” I told her. “I’m having fun with him, I promise. It’s all good.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
She softened. “Okay. Then go have fun.” She gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and once I’d said good night to the other girls, I headed outside. Liam was waiting curbside and opened my door for me.
“Where to next, Ms. Lawson?” he asked me, as he slid into the front.
“Home,” I said, then caught myself. “I mean, to Cary’s place.”
He smiled at me in the rear view mirror. “Yes, ma’am.”
As we pulled into traffic, I pulled out my phone and dug up Matt Brohmer’s phone number. I’d never called him or anything, but I had his number. It was on a contact list Cary gave me, important numbers of everyone in the band and at the studio, etcetera. I found the list and called Matt.
He didn’t answer.
And as it rang, I considered again the fact that when Danica called him, right after he received that pussy pic from her, he answered.
But of course he didn’t pick up now. He was a rock star. He wasn’t going to answer a call from some number he didn’t recognize.
So I texted him instead.
Me: This is Taylor. I’m trying to call you from my phone. Can you please call this number? Right now.
Maybe that wasn’t the friendliest text he’d ever received, but whatever. This was serious shit. I programmed his number into my phone and waited.
A few minutes later, it rang.
Matt.
“Hey,” I answered.
“Hey,” he said. “What’s up.”
Like he didn’t know what was up.
“Did you delete that photo?” I demanded.
“Yeah,” he said, but it took way too long for him to say it. Long enough for him to ponder his lie and if I was gonna buy it.
Nope. Not buying it at all.
“You better delete it,” I told him. And yes, I knew Liam could hear this, but I knew he wasn’t the nosy type. If he was, Cary wouldn’t keep him around. “It is not cool to keep a picture of a woman’s privates on your phone that she did not mean for you to receive.”
“I get that.”
“And it’s also not cool for you to lie about it.”
“And you’re not lying?”
“What?”
“I know it’s not you, Taylor,” he said, and I realized he sounded a little drunk himself. It was Saturday night, after all. Oh, God. Was he drinking with Ash right now? “I can see Danica’s rings. You know, her wedding ring and such?”
Oh, Christ. Her fingers were in the photo.
Was she really spreading herself open? I did not need that mental image in my brain.
But worse, she sure as hell didn’t need it on Matt’s phone.
“Delete the pic,” I said, in my I’m-not-fucking-around voice. “This is not Cary Clarke’s assistant speaking to you right now, you understand? It’s Danica’s best friend. And Danica is mortified.”
“Okay. Consider it deleted.”
“Good. Then consider yourself off my shit list. And let’s never speak of this again.”
“Fine by me.”
I hung up on him, wondering if Liam would say anything, and he did. “Everything okay?” he asked me, sounding like a concerned father, which I supposed he was.
“Yup. Sometimes a girl’s just gotta put the boys in their place, you