Noah sits across from me, drinking from his glass and staring at me like he has something to say. It’s almost too obvious with that confused look in his eyes.
He slides his empty glass back onto the table. The bar is still pretty empty, and I cannot stop thinking about our pool table fun ten minutes ago. But now, things seem different. Almost weird.
“What is it?” I ask impatiently. It’s obvious you want to say something, so just say it.
“Is it true?” He questions softly and looks away. “Did you stab your ex-boyfriend?”
I scoff with disgust. “Oh, not this shit. I forgot Jackson worked for you. And now the story between you and me is starting to get out there. And so, he knows and he's jealous.”
He raises his eyebrows with a look in his eyes. His look reminds me of when I used to argue with my mother, and she’d disagree with me, but instead of arguing, she’d just turn her head…like he just did.
This is going to turn into a fight, and I don’t want to fight with him.
I roll my eyes and scoff with disappointment. “So, you fucked me on your pool table with customers in your bar and then first. Then you figured we’d fight. You wanted to make sure you got your cock wet before throwing me off like a piece of trash.”
“Okay!” He interjects. “Settle the fuck down. Number one, I never said we were going to fight. Number two, YOU were the one who ignited that massive fire between us. I was fine. And I don’t give a fuck what you say, I was against fucking in an open bar with people actively inside of it.”
“Then why did you?” I ask, my tone growing louder and my eyes digging deeper into his soul. “I may have been the one who slid your fingers into me, but you kept them there, and not only did you not pull them out, but you continued pleasuring me…while believing some asshat employee that I am crazy. Then you bent me over the pool table and fucked me until my legs gave out…can you guess? Once again, while believing I am some crazed fucking psychopath. Now here we are after the facts, and now you want to ask. That sounds just as fucking sadistic as the rumors about me stabbing my ex.”
“Is it true?” He’s quick to ask while leaning in, widening his eyes, and looking for an answer.
“Yes, Noah! It’s fucking true. I stabbed a guy. But I’m sitting here right now at the young age of twenty-two and not in prison. So, what fucking question do you have?”
He lowers his head, trying to act professionally but failing. “Why did you stab him, and I’ve known his brother for the past few years, so why did his brother say all that shit about you?”
“Because his brother is a dick, and they don’t like me because they both were actively stalking me together. Jackson is not a good person. I’m not going into detail, but let’s say I had a night with Jackson. Then Rory found out, punched Jackson, and broke up with me.”
“How did it come to stalking?” He asks, raising his empty glass for a server to come over. “Finally, Veronica is here. She’s been late three times this week.”
“Veronica?” I question and look back at one of his employees. “Oh wow. She’s pretty.”
He shrugs. “She is. But she’s lazy and doesn’t care about work. That almost tells me she doesn’t care for herself as she should.”
Her smile throws me off. It’s an inviting smile. Her deep brown eyes and shoulder-length dark brown hair bring out this aura from her. It’s like she’s the perfect sex scene and that’s the only way for me to explain…Oh my God!
“Oh, my God!” I gasp. “She’s stunning. But she’s Veronica, isn’t she!”
He shakes his head. “Let’s not get off subject. And no. She’s not my character. I used her name because I didn’t want to use Ivy’s name.”
“No!” I argue. “This makes sense. You said Ivy would let you sleep with other women. There was a small part in the book that almost seemed like it wasn’t supposed to be there. And then there was that night that I saw you with Veronica and didn’t think anything of it. Ivy might have found someone else. But you were the ignitor, weren’t you?”
“No!” He snaps. “Stop trying to make a random story up in your head. We are talking about you, Harper. We are discussing how you stabbed a man and why we should continue this…this…thing between us. I want to know more about you and Rory. You’re trying to cloak our conversation with some maddening theory because I have a waitress named Veronica.”
“Fine,” I say unamused, and tilt my head the slightest bit. “You’re right. But answer me this. Have you and Veronica ever slept together…Because I wasn’t born yesterday.”
I watch as Veronica quickly drops off his drink and leaves just as fast, refusing to look at me. Noah is shaking his head with an annoyed look growing in his expression. “We are getting off subject. Why did you stab Rory, and what do you mean Jackson and Rory stalked you? And did you sleep with Jackson?”
“Answer my question first,” I argue, my hand gripping my fork tighter.
He looks away, running his hand along his mouth and jaw with his annoyed look only seeming to grow. “Why are you being so difficult? This isn’t about me. You were quick to make some random shit up in your head while I was investigating your issue. It’s simple, Harper. Just answer my questions.”
“And it’s simple for you,” I argue back. “Answer my question.”
He slams his fist on the table, alerting the attention of the few people in this bar. “I am not doing this with you. I feel like I am arguing with a child, right?”
I grit my teeth, growing angry. “I hate being called a child. And I asked the question first.”
“Don’t want to be called a child?” He asks while also gritting his teeth, showing his strong jawline. “Then don’t act like one.”
“Fuck off!” I roar in anger. “I stabbed him because they tried sleeping with me at the same time. Rory wanted me back. I believed him. I met up with him. Jackson was there. They both blamed me for cheating on Rory with Jackson. They both thought it would be a fun game to have a fucking threesome. I ‘noped’ it the fuck out of there but not before Jackson wrapped his hands around my waist. It was clear they were hungry for me. So, before they had any chance…I reached for the knife sitting on the kitchen countertop and swung it at Jackson, and without even realizing it, sliding it into Rory’s stomach.”
“Was that so fucking hard?” He asks, his eyes still waving with anger. “They tried assaulting you, and you stopped it by stabbing one of them. The other got…why did Jackson get let free and Rory get locked up?”
“Because Rory had raped all of his exes and when news spread in my tiny town, the girls saw I wasn’t afraid, so they all came forward. It wasn’t just one. It was many.”
He takes a drink from his glass while looking at Veronica. “I believe you, Harper. But it’s your story. I want something between us. But not if you’re a full-blown psycho. I would never accuse you of lying or making shit up. But I don’t know the whole story behind all of this. So, thanks to my status, I will dig into this and find out more. As of now, I believe you over Jackson.”
“As you fucking should,” I say with disappointment.
He exhales. “I lied a little. I mentioned to you when Ivy and I were together how she wanted to have a somewhat open relationship. I was against it. She got me horribly drunk one night and convinced me, since I was becoming a pro at what she was teaching me, to show other women what it would be like to fuck a man like me. She was showing me off like a trophy.”
I glance over at Veronica, growing angry, knowing what he is about to say. But why am I angry? It’s the past and it’s not now.
“Continue,” I say, waving my hands in a gesturing motion for him to continue.
He exhales a defeated-sounding breath. “I was wasted. Ivy was hell-bent on me sleeping with other women and her sleeping with other men. I was against it. And then she decided to have a small party at our house. I never made this part of my book for good reason. She invited Veronica and two of Veronica's friends. While I was intoxicated, I knew what I was doing, but Ivy always managed to shut my self-control off.”
Why do I feel like I know where this is going?
“Ivy ripped my clothes off me in our bedroom and went down on me. She knew how to get me to the point of no return, and there was no stopping me…something only she could do…until today with you and the pool table.”
“I feel honored,” I interject jokingly.
“As you should.” He says sternly with a serious look on his face. “Ivy was the only woman to ever do that to me. I always believed no other woman would be able to do that…until you did today.”
“I’m still pissed at you,” I say, feeling the anger still radiating inside of me. “But I’m grateful I was able to do that. Now continue with the story.”
“Ivy had the girls come into the room, showing me off like a trophy while I was drunk and ravenously hungry for sex. Veronica and her two friends had no idea what they were getting into. I didn’t even know. The next thing I remember was all three girls on my bed, two of them bent over and one lying on her back. Each girl moaned like it was the first time they fucked someone. It wasn’t, and all of them were only four years younger than me. But it was the first time I had slept with another girl… multiple girls at once. Between my fingers, my tongue, and my cock, all three girls couldn’t walk the next day. And I am not fucking joking.
Ivy planned it all out to where she knew I’d fuck them. She wanted me to. All while she could fuck another guy. We both got tested regularly, but it turned into both of us sleeping with other people. And it got to the point where it wasn’t with each other as much as it was with other people. But when she came crawling for me to sleep with her, it was the best sex ever. Each time we went for it, it only seemed to get wilder and better. It’s like the more I slept with other women, the more I wanted to sleep with my wife. I loved her and didn’t think I’d ever lose her. But she created this version of me, and it’s the reason why she started cheating.”
“How is it cheating?” I ask softly. “If you two were allowing each other to sleep with other people, how was it cheating?”
“Because.” He says in a defeated-sounding tone. “I told her no more. I was done with that shit, and we needed to stop. She agreed. She promised never again. And not to mention, she was sleeping with multiple different men while I was mostly stuck to the same woman. And I don’t know how I didn’t end up cheating on her. Veronica was the only girl I slept with, mostly…mostly. And when we stopped, we became good friends. She and I still talk, and she’s a great person. Neither one of us even misses sleeping together.”
I nod, acknowledging something he said previously in the past. “And that’s why you had no problems being friends with benefits. You’re that rare type of person who can have sex with someone without strings attached.”
He nods again. “I was. And then you came along. I figured after losing Ivy, there would be no one ever and I would just jump from woman to woman. Instead, you stopped me from even starting. And now…now I don’t know what to think.”
“Do you believe me or Jackson?” I ask.
He swallows. “I said I believe you for now until I dig into more of it.”
“I don’t believe you’re telling me the truth,” I argue, not even wanting to fight anymore. “Come find me when you find the truth. Until then, you can go back to sleeping with Veronica. You can’t see your eyes, Noah, but you don’t believe me. And it pisses me off. Goodbye.”
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