No Strings Attached Read online

  “We won’t talk about it, ever again.”

  “As you wish. Are you going to stay here or shall I drag your drunk bones to the guest room.”

  “I don’t really care,” I mumbled, taking a small pillow from the nearest chair and then I put it under my head. “I’ll be fine,” I said, knowing that Dominick was still standing there, watching me.

  “Just don’t puke on my carpet, okay?”

  “Can’t promise you anything.”

  “Fine. Just… Stay here then, and try to get some sleep.”

  “Aha.”

  I passed out in no time. But it felt that no more than a few seconds passed before I heard Dom’s voice again. He was talking to someone on the phone.

  “Yeah, he’s here,” I couldn’t hear the voice on the other end, but he replied, “No, I don’t think so.” Pause. “Okay, I’ll try.” Then he hung up the phone.

  “What time is it?” I asked, sleepily, my surroundings still blurring in front of my eyes.

  “Almost ten.”

  “Why are you still at home?”

  “It’s Saturday.”

  “Oh, right.” I tried to sit up, and immediately regretted the movement; my head hurt as if it had been hit with something very heavy.

  “Coffee?” Dom asked.

  “Yeah, that would be great. But first, I need a shower. I smell like a trash can.”

  “How do you feel?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? Like shit.”

  “I need your help with something today, so do me a favor and be ready in half an hour.”

  “Are you nuts? I can’t go out when I can barely stand on my feet.”

  “That’s exactly why I need you to go out. Because I know that if I leave you here, you will empty my bar before I manage to get back home. And I’m so not thrilled with the idea of calling an ambulance, or worse – watching you turn up your toes.”

  “Ugh, please, do you really think I will be able to drink again, any time soon?”

  “Anything is possible. Hurry up, I’m waiting.”

  What an ass, I thought to myself, heading for the bathroom.

  I knew that my brother worried about me, he always did. Even when I was in high school, and in college, he always enjoyed playing that big-brother role of his.

  My mind still refused to think straight, and I don’t think it would be able to do so any time soon, that’s why I was kind of grateful to Dom for making me go out and breathe some fresh air.

  “Where are we going?” I asked, as I put on my sunglasses and fastened the seat belt, hoping the heat and the sun wouldn’t finish me off today.

  “I need to buy Scarlett a wedding present, and I need your help choosing it.”

  “Do you know what you want to buy her?”

  “I was thinking about a bracelet, or a pair of earrings.”

  “Sounds so fucking boring.”

  He laughed. “Okay, what would you suggest?”

  “Why don’t you buy her a bike?”

  “A what?”

  “A bike, a motorcycle, you know?”

  “What for?”

  “Well, you could buy one for yourself as well, and you could go on a bike trip with her. Go to another state and just enjoy the wind, blowing into your face, and the sun, warming your cheeks, and think about nothing but the woman you love.”

  I could feel Dominick’s eyes on me.

  “What?” I asked, turning to him.

  “When you said you were screwed, I didn’t know you were that screwed.”

  “Fuck off, Dom. I’m not in the mood to get back to last night’s conversation.”

  “Okay, but can I ask you something?”

  “Go ahead.”

  “Do you still want to be with Jillian?”

  I hesitated for a moment. “I don’t know. I really don’t know. Maybe she’s too good for me. Time will show me.”

  “And how much time exactly are you planning to sit and do nothing?”

  “Did you hear what I said before? I don’t want to talk about her now! Is that clear?”

  “I will still give you a piece of advice, Bro. The more time you spend away from her, the sooner she will find someone else to warm her sheets.”

  “I don’t give a damn. She’s free to do whatever she wants, with whoever she wants.”

  Dom shook his head for what felt like a hundredth time in one morning, but said nothing.

  I looked out of the window, thinking about what to do next. Obviously, I couldn’t stay in Scarlett’s apartment any longer. So I thought I would go there later today, when I knew Jill and Scarlett would be out for Scarlett’s bridal shower. I needed to bring my things back to my place. I hoped I would finally be able to move back in there. I was seriously sick and tired of having a roommate. After all, living alone had always been one of the best things in my hopelessly fucked-up life…

  Chapter 13

  Jillian

  The club was dark, it was filled with white cigarette smoke, loud music and writhing bodies.

  “Whose idea was it to come here?” I asked Scarlett, semi-irritably.

  It was the night of her bridal shower, but despite the fact that I was her maid of honour and best friend, and I was supposed to enjoy the night, I was so not in the mood for anything but getting back home and falling asleep. First, because I had lived through one hell of a week, with meetings and work that I thought would never stop. And to make things even worse, I couldn’t stop thinking about Oliver. He didn’t come back home last night, and I didn’t know where he was or who he was with for that matter.

  Was he angry at me or something?

  His words about being friends sounded more than weird to me, considering that he was the very person who asked if he could join me in my bed. Surely, you don’t just slip into the bed of your friend who you fucked the day before, and then want to do nothing but fall asleep, embracing her. I mean, what the hell was all of that shit about?

  I didn’t know the answer to that question, and frankly, I didn’t know if I really wanted to know anyway. That’s why I thought that it was time to just stop whatever was going on between Oliver and me. He could keep slipping into my bed as much as he wished, but I was not going to let him break me, or worse – leave me crying in my pillow. That’s exactly why I thought that being friends with him, with no benefits, would be just fine. I could live through the next couple of days that he needed to move back into his own apartment.

  “Josseline said that it was one of the best places in the city,” Scarlett said, walking over to a private area where we had a table reserved. She was wearing a short, pink bridal veil, combined with a matching school-girl-style mini-skirt, her shirt was tied in a knot under her breasts, she even had the knee-high socks, and pink high heels that she and I both were totally crazy about.

  I looked down at my own outfit that was not much different from Scar’s, the only difference really was that mine was blue instead of pink.

  I grimaced. “I feel like a high school stripper,” I said, taking a seat on a small couch that was near a round table.

  “That’s the whole point of tonight,” Josseline said, joining us. “It’s the last night that our beautiful bride has when she can be all wild and reckless, so why don’t we forget about everything and everyone and have some fun, ladies?” She kissed both Scarlett and me on our cheeks and turned to the dance floor. “Let get this party started!” By the way, her outfit was all red, and the length of her skirt didn’t really leave much to the imagination. Fortunately, I was shorter than she was, so at least I could be sure that my skirt was long enough to cover my ass.

  “Oh, God, I don’t think I can handle this,” I said, reaching for a glass of orange juice.

  “Did you hear what she said? It’s an all-about-fun night! Come on, Jill, what the hell is going on with you? You used to love partying!”

  “Yeah, it’s just that I had so much work to do during the last two days, I feel like I’m still at work, with the only difference that I d
on’t dress up like a prostitute to go to work.”

  Scarlett laughed. “Don’t be moody, go order some margaritas and try to relax a little. I’m going to join Joss on the dance floor, are you coming?”

  “Go, I’ll join you later.”

  Maybe Scarlett was right and I really needed a few margaritas before I would be able to relax and have fun. So I went to the bar and ordered drinks for the three of us.

  There were so many people in the club, getting back to the table with my hands full of drinks was not easy. I only hoped I would be able to get at least one sip of my drink before it spilled all over the floor.

  “Excuse me!” I shouted, hoping the guy standing with his back to me, would hear me through the music. He turned around and I felt my eyes go wide. “Jeremy, what are you doing here?”

  He smiled, obviously happy to see me, took the two glasses from my hands and said, “Hey, Beautiful, let me help you.” I nodded to the table that the girls and I were sharing, and Jeremy followed me there.

  “A friend of mine invited me,” he said, and then put the glasses down on the table.

  “You mean a girlfriend?” I smirked, taking a sip of my drink. Ah, it tasted like heaven.

  He smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, Sheila, remember her?”

  “Your neighbour, right? I thought she was married.”

  “Not anymore.”

  “Oh, I see. I hope you were not the reason for her divorce?”

  “No, I didn’t have anything to do with it.”

  “Well, anyway, good to know that you have finally given up on the crazy idea of getting me back.”

  “After I saw you and that guy, Oliver, kissing, I thought that… It was time to move on.”

  “Uh, stop playing that all-good-and-decent-guy role of yours. I bet you have slept with at least two dozen different girls since the day we broke up, so there’s no point in trying to impress me, Jer. Seriously, I know you too well to believe that you have been living like a monk for more than a year.”

  I think in my situation, even a few sips of a Margarita were enough to help me get back to my old self. I didn’t really care if Jeremy was offended to hear my words, I just wanted to get rid of his company as soon as possible, and maybe even go find someone else to spend the night with.

  “Have a good time!” I said, leaving my drink on the table and heading for the dance floor where Scarlett and Joss had already been waiting for me.

  “Shall we dance, Gorgeous?” I turned around to the sound of a rich voice.

  “Hell, yeah!” The guy was maybe just a few years older than me, with curly, dark-brown hair and the eyes of the same color. His accent sounded a little funny. Was he a Brit? But surprisingly enough, I felt like I had agreed to dance with him just because I was a little desperate and a little tipsy.

  Jeez, why would I meet a pants-dropping handsome man just a day after I swore I would stay away from men for as long as my body and mind would allow me to, and now I’m dancing with a guy who I’m sure could make the dirtiest of my dreams come true, and I feel nothing but a desire to end this dance as soon as possible... My fate was a hilarious bitch.

  “I’m Rob, by the way, and you are-”

  “Ji-” The moment I was about to answer his question, my eyes met those that I had thought would never make my knees tremble again.

  “What is it?” Rob asked, looking around, as if trying to see the reason for my sudden speechlessness.

  “Sorry, my friend is looking for me,” I said, breaking free of his embrace.

  It can’t be possible, it can’t be possible… What the hell is he doing here?

  I looked frantically around to make sure that neither Rob nor the reason for my sudden escape followed me. Then I shoved my way back to the table, feeling my heart beating wildly in my chest.

  Why did Oliver show up here tonight? Did he know that I would be here too? Did he come to see me?

  “Hey, you okay?” Scarlett asked, catching me by the hand.

  I swallowed hard, scared to death. For a second, I thought that it was Oliver, who had found me. Until now, I didn’t realize that I didn’t go to the table at all, but to the darkest corner of the club, apparently hoping he would think he was seeing things and that he had mistaken someone else for me.

  “Yeah, it’s just that guy who asked me for a dance. I think he wanted something so much more than that.”

  “You look as if you have just seen a ghost.”

  “Damn close to the truth,” I muttered. “I mean, I’m fine. Just thought I would stay out of his sight for a while. Hey, um… Did you tell anyone we would be here tonight?”

  “Of course. Dom knows we are here, why? Do you want him to come and take you home?”

  “Oh, no. I just wanted to make sure that someone knows where to find us.”

  “You sure you are okay? Do you want to go outside to breathe some fresh air?”

  “Great idea. I’ll go outside.”

  “Want me to go with you?”

  “No, that’s okay, I’ll be fine.” I forced a smile and headed for the exit, hoping I wouldn’t run into Oliver on my way there. No such luck. Crap…

  He was standing right in front of me, with that sexy half smile that always made me want to kiss his delicious lips senseless.

  “Going somewhere?” He asked, taking a step closer to me. Unfortunately, there were too many people standing and dancing around us to put some more distance between us.

  “Out,” I said, stepping aside and trying to go around him.

  “Wait.” He caught me by the hand and pulled me closer to his chest. “Dance with me.” He looked down at me, and within seconds, I felt boneless, mindless, my blood pumping in my ears and my hatred for him gone in no time flat.

  I couldn’t hate him, I didn’t want to. All I wanted now, was to be with him again, lost in the scent of his cologne, his warmth, with his knowing lips and hands all over my me.

  It’s all your fault, damn you Margarita!

  And damn Oliver, who immediately knew that my defenses had shattered. Still smiling, he pulled me to the center of the dance floor, that had just a few other couples dancing to some slow song. Wrapping his hands around my waist, he bent down to my ear, saying, “Your outfit makes me think about things that I’m sure you would have never approved of.” His breath felt hot on my skin, sending waves of heat down my body, exactly where I needed him most.

  I looked up at him, trying to figure out if there was anything that would or could stop me from saying what I was about to say next. Nope…

  “Who said I wouldn’t approve of what you have on that dirty mind of yours.” Oh, crap, I couldn’t believe I was falling into the same trap again, but… Damn you Margarita, you and your alcoholic therapy; I couldn’t help myself.

  Oliver’s hands slid down my back and under the hem of my tied shirt, just enough that I could feel the fire of his touch on my skin.

  “I want you, I want you right now,” he breathed into my lips. I could smell alcohol, so I wasn’t sure which had affected us more, our drinks or the twenty four hours that we had spent apart.

  “Well then, what are you waiting for?” I said, looking up into his eyes. He closed them for a second, taking a deep breath.

  “You awake the worst in me, Jillian.”

  “I can say the same thing about you.”

  Then, before I even realized what was happening, his lips were on mine, heating every inch of me, burning me to ashes and making the desire to be with him stronger and simply impossible to resist.

  The kiss didn’t last long, but it was long enough for me to realize that I still craved him. A satisfied smile spread across his full lips, his palms slipped deeper under my shirt, untying it and giving him a better access to whatever he wanted to touch next.

  “Do you know what I want most now?”

  “What?”

  He turned me around, pressing my back to his chest. With his lips caressing my earlobe, he said, “I want to take you right here, on the
dance floor, with all those people around us to watch us, taking each other to heights where we could no longer remember our names. I would unfasten your bra, and toss it the floor, wrapping my lips around one of your hardened nipples, sucking and biting it slowly, teasingly. Then I would run my lips all the way to where I could taste your sweetness again, slipping my finger inside you, and enjoying the view of your back arching from my touch.” His palms slipped a little higher, under the hem of my bra, his lips sucked on my neck. “And then, I would tie your hands with this blue veil of yours and put you on your knees, embracing you from behind and guiding myself deep inside your wet pussy.” Oh, Lord, could he just stop talking and take me somewhere we could repeat everything he had just said for real? “I would make you scream, loud enough to be heard by everyone inside and outside this club. I would wrap one hand around your hip and touch your clit, slowing down and waiting for you to beg for more. And you would beg, I swear you would. Because I know how much you love coming for me. And when you come, you look so stunning, I want nothing but to fuck you, over and over again, just to see that look of euphoria blinding your eyes. And then, I would give you the best orgasm in your life, pulling in and out of you until we could no longer breathe or think.”

  I swallowed hard, not knowing what to say in response, because I was already too damn close to coming just from his words alone, and I bet he knew it as well as I did.

  “Why did you come here?” I asked out of the blue, because suddenly, it all felt too much, too much to handle; Oliver’s words, the feel of his touch on my skin, and my own feelings were just too overwhelming, I needed to know where this was going. I certainly didn’t need my heart broken, and I wasn’t going to let it just happen.

  “I wanted to see you.”

  “What for?” I turned around and looked into his eyes. Somehow, I felt like whatever Oliver was saying before just wasn’t real, it was like he simply wanted to tease me, to show me how much I was missing by pushing him away from me.

  “I wanted you to know how much I missed you.” He paused, running his fingertips across my lower lip. “I spent a week away from you last night. I also wanted to know if maybe you missed me too, even if it was just a little bit. And now, I can see that you did.”