Page 36

“But you didn’t sleep with him, so there’s nothing to worry about.” Sylvie says chirpily as she eyes my cup of tea. “Are you ready for the big tour? I bet you haven’t seen the communal kitchen yet.”

12

KAIDEN

She may be just a woman, but to me she’s paradise in a place that’s Hell.

For the last three days, I’ve fought to get into a routine while mainly doing four things: eat, sleep, attend sessions with my counselor, and work out. My thoughts, however, have been occupied by the many ways I want to have her, be inside her, stilling my thirst that stretches as deep as a canyon. Every time I pass her room, I fight the very urge of knocking down her door to kiss her and carry her into my bed, where she should be.

A distraction is what I need—if only to clear my mind, get rid off the thoughts that have been plaguing me day and night. Thoughts that make no sense. Usually, I’m not someone who’s wasting his breath on a woman when there’s no way I’m hooking up with her as long as there’s a chance that I’m losing my seat on the company board. And yet here am I, fantasizing about a woman I’ve known less than three days.

A woman I can’t even say I like, which isn’t to say you need to like someone to engage in a good hookup with.

According to my schedule, love addicts have their therapy sessions in the morning. Ours are in the afternoon.

As soon as the door to the apartment closes, I check the hall to make sure she’s gone and indeed find to sign of her. Satisfied, I settle on the sofa in the living room and speed-dial the one number I know won’t let me down.

Cash might not be as responsible and word-savvy as my brother, but as a club owner and my best friend, he always knows what I need: a quick pep talk.

After three rings, he picks up. His voice is heavy with sleep as if I’ve just woken him up. “Kade? Is that you?”

“Who else would it be?”

“I didn’t realize you’d be calling so soon. I thought you’d be busy fucking all the nurses, andthencall me to tell me all about it.”

“Yeah, I thought so too, but life has a way of fucking up your plans when you least expect it.” As I fall silent, I make out the hushed voice of a woman.

I frown.

“Do you have someone over?” Oh wait. It’s not one voice. It’s two. I lean back, a wry smile on my face as I realize what I’m missing. “Am I interrupting your threesome?”

“No. To be honest, I expected your call. Give me a sec to get rid of them.” Hushed voices again and steps. Eventually, the sound of a door closing and a heavy chair being moved.

“Please don’t tell me your ass is back in California,” Cash is back on.

I let out a laugh. “Come on, man. I may be many things, but I’m not stupid enough to lose my seat. I worked my ass off for that company. I sure as fuck won’t be walking away just to chase some pussy. I’m not sure though how I feel about you having a party of three while I’m gone.”

“It wasn’t a party. I crashed a wedding and decided to take my desert home.”

“Two, huh?” I shake my head even though he can’t see me. “Been there, done that. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement. Make sure to wear a condom. Otherwise you’ll soon be paying for child support. Not that you couldn’t afford it.”

He lets out a laugh. “So, what’s up?”

“Not much. I’m good. Really good.”

“Yeah?” He sounds unconvinced.

“Once I’m done here, I might be quitting my job and become a counselor.” My words are rewarded with dead silence so I continue, “My first group session was nice. Lots of handholding. Plenty of support and understanding. I’ve come to realize I have a lot of issues and that I haven’t been the real me in a long time. My point is, having so much meaningless sex is blocking my spiritual path and yours as well. You should give rehab a try.”

“You are bullshitting me right now? There’s no way you’d give up your sex life.”

“Damn right, I wouldn’t. I was just quoting my counselor.” I lean back against the sofa and prop up my legs on the table. “Is the other half of the world doing okay without me?”

“Obviously, you’re being sorely missed, but I’ve vowed to make you proud. I was doing fine before you called.” There’s the unmistaken sound of a glass being set down on the table. “You managed to sneak in your phone.”

“Thanks to your invaluable advice, I did.”

Cash came up with the idea of hiding it in my boxers, assuring me that no one would pat me down. My boxers are tight enough without my smartphone, so the even more defined bulge earned me a few interested looks, but no one dared make a comment.