“Nope. No way in hell I’m a douche because I don’t want my nuts tied down.”
“Yeah, you pretty much are. I’m not even sure how you get chicks in the first place, but I promise you this, you’re the last person I would take relationship advice from.” I start picking up the heap of wood and cleaning up the results of my temper tantrum.
“You’re going about it all wrong, Brother. I’m going to give you some free, Coop ‘the Cooter King’ special advice. You need to make her see what she’s missing. Right now, she’s playing hard to get. You know . . . Working the power of the pussy. She thinks she has you wrapped around her little finger. Make her see you aren’t her bitch.”
“Did you just refer to yourself as the Cooter King? Jesus Christ, what the hell is wrong with you?”
He just shrugs his shoulders. I shake my head and continue cleaning up. As ridiculous as it is to take advice from him, I’ve got to give him some credit. He makes a little sense.
He finishes his beer before letting himself in my house, calling over his shoulder that he’s using my shower AND my shit to get ready to go out tonight.
I keep cleaning up and continue thinking about what he just spewed out. Normally, when Coop starts running his mouth, we all just roll our eyes and ignore him. But, what if he’s right? What if Dee is just playing hard to get?
My whole body feels the charge of determination. It’s game on time. Coop might be full of shit most of the time, but he really has a point. All Dee sees is me, waiting and chasing. She hasn’t even seen me look at another woman. Hell, I’m not even interested in another woman.
I can see it in her eyes when we’re in the same room. She wants this just as badly as I do.
Well, Denise Roberts . . . get ready, because I’m coming for you.
*
After Coop finished primping like a damn woman, we headed off to Heavy’s to meet up with everyone. I feel like I’ve been pounding energy drinks all day. The anticipation of making some headway with Dee has my senses going haywire.
My body craves her. And ever since she’s cut me off and started avoiding me, I feel like I’ve been living in hell on earth.
Coop laughs when he sees me check my phone, again, to see if she texted me back yet. Her messages earlier today were more of the same.
Me: Why did you run out of the office before I could see you?
Dee: Needed to take care of some work things.
Me: Really? Using work as an excuse again?
Dee: Yeah, sorry just really busy.
Me: You coming to Heavy’s tonight? I get that you’re busy but I would like to spend some time together where I’m not chasing you around like some stalker.
Dee: Funny, Beck. I’ll be there but not sure if I’ll stay long.
Me: Save me a dance?
Dee: We’ll see.
Me: We could always go out tomorrow night. Like we used to.
That’s all it takes for her to go back to her silence. The second I mention just the two of us doing something, she turns cold. It’s been almost a month, and she hasn’t made it possible to be alone in the same room with her. It’s as if Izzy’s attack turned some switch in her brain that has her afraid of her own shadow.
When the light turns green, I throw my phone into the cup holder. Coop is rambling on about this new bartender at Heavy’s, something about how he just knows she is the one. Yeah, the same douchebag that was talking about not being tied down earlier is now convinced there is one woman that he would spend some extra time with.
Sure, maybe he would devote an extra day to her.
“You know, you could actually make an effort with one? Test the waters. It isn’t a hardship to enjoy the company of the same woman. I don’t know, maybe grow a real relationship?” He snorts, rolls his eyes, and then continues on.
“You know, I’ve tried every trick in the book, and she won’t budge. Not an inch. I’m going to enjoy breaking this one.”
“How are we friends?” Shaking my head, I laugh when I think just how different Coop and I are. Don’t get me wrong. I love the little shit like a brother, but we couldn’t be more different.
“Because I’m the king of the fucking world?”
“You’re delusional.”
I turn the radio on to distract myself and to try to calm the anticipation fueling my nerves. It’s time to make my woman understand she wants me.
*
Heavy’s is packed when we arrive. When we walk in the door, Izzy waves us over, and we begin picking our way through the crowd. Ever since the girls brought us here the first time, this has become the place of choice when we all want to get together for a little ‘family dinner.’ Of course, that always turns into pitchers and pitchers of beer, and before we know it, someone is being carried out.