Page 18 of Embrace the Darkness

I grinned.Oh, Louie.“I don’t have the chest of an eighteen-year-old anymore!” I shouted.

“Thank God for that!” Louie laughed.

I rolled my eyes and poked my head out of the closet. “I need my bra from the bathroom. Can one of you grab it from the laundry basket for me?”

Louie was the one who hopped up and disappeared into the bathroom.

“Why didn’t you pack any clothes?” Jamie asked.

“You told me to pack what I couldn’t live without. I didn’t know you were going to burn my house down. Also, I thought I had clothes here that fit but apparently my body has changed in the past six years. You should see how many pairs of jeans I just tried on.”

“We’ll stop somewhere on the way home and get you some new clothes.”

“You’re going to take me bra shopping?” I asked incredulously. Jamie hated shopping.

“Bra shopping? Will there be modeling involved?” Louie teased, giving me a dirty smirk while he dangled my nude colored bra by one finger.Cue eye roll.

He handed over my bra and I rushed to finish getting dressed. I found a black blouse that fit nicely and really cute nude peep-toe boots among my old shoe collection.

After I was dressed, I found a hair tie and mascara in my purse. I used them to put my hair up into a messy bun and add a little volume to my lashes.

“Okay, let’s go!”

CHAPTER 9

Paco’s Tacos had the best tacos in the world. I hadn’t been there in years. I was so excited; I was bouncing in my seat as I looked over the menu.

“Calm down. They’re just tacos,” Jamie said as he read his own menu next to me.

“They’re not just tacos. They’re orgasmic tacos. Anyone would be excited for an orgasm.” I could tell he was fighting to hold back a smile and a triumphant smirk pulled at my lips when he failed.

Returning from the bathroom, Louie took a seat across from us. “What about orgasms?”

“Want to share an order of nachos?” I deflected. I hadn’t realized until we’d gotten here that I hadn’t eaten in two whole days. Going days without eating wasn’t unusual for me. I tended to forget to eat when stressed, like during finals week or finding my ex banging someone else. The longest I’d ever gone without eating was five days and that had been seven years ago. With all the yummy smells surrounding me right now,oh man, I was practically drooling.

“I thought you wanted tacos?” Louie questioned.

“I’m getting those, too. Oh! Their burritos look good. I’m so hungry, I want everything.” I dramatically sighed as if this was the hardest decision ever, and of course, the waitress chose that moment to show up.

“Welcome to Paco’s. My name is Sara. What can I get for you?” Her attention was solely on Louie. She stared at him like he was a tall glass of ice water and she'd been lost in the hot desert for a week.

Louie realized it too, but he didn’t encourage her. He looked to me. “Why don’t you order first, Maura?”

Did he just blow her off?

Wide-eyed, I tilted my head at him.Are there pigs flying outside?This was not typical Louie behavior. He’d normally be all over this waitress. She was totally his type. One, she had a vagina, and two, she showed interest—the only two things he looked for in a woman. Her being cute was just a perk.

Is he ill?

Normal Louie would have monopolized her attention and been screwing her in the bathroom before we were done eating. How did I know this? Because he’d done it before.Five times!

I handed over my menu to the waitress. “I’ll take three steak tacos, a supreme nachos, a margarita, and two shots of tequila.”

Both of the guys stared at me for a moment before placing their orders.

“A margarita and two shots?” Louie chuckled.

I shrugged. “When I’m in a shitty mood, I drink whiskey. When I want to have a good time, I drink tequila. I couldn’t decide how I wanted it prepared, so I got both.”