* * *
Brielle sits back in her seat and frowns. “Hang on, go back. I’m lost.”
I blow out a breath. I haven’t seen Brielle to tell her that I had even seen Alastar, let alone been sleeping with him. Last thing she knew was the fight we had at the pub last weekend about Thomas texting him in the middle of the night. We are in a restaurant now having coffee, and it’s Saturday morning.
I sigh as I rest my cheek on my hand. “He turned up at work on Wednesday and marched into my office.”
She frowns. “He just turned up?”
“No. Actually, he rang first and demanded I come downstairs, but when I wouldn’t, he came up and caused a scene.”
Her eyes widen and she sips her coffee. “Oh.”
Our breakfast arrives. “Thank you.” We both smile.
Brielle cuts into her eggs benedict. “Then what?’
I bite into my toast. “This sounds so lame, even to my ears. He told me that he wasn’t married and he couldn’t see me because he had things going on and—”
“Wait, why did Thomas text him then?” She cuts me off.
I shrug. “Apparently they were going away and Thomas didn’t know where he was.” I continue to chew my toast. “And then I did something stupid.”
“What?”
“I told him I was looking for casual sex.” She smirks as she chews. “Since when are you looking for casual anything?”
I shake my head as I cut into my breakfast. “I don’t know. I guess it sounded cool at the time.”
“What did he say?”
“What do you think?”
She laughs. “Yeah, right. What guy knocks back casual sex?”
I chew my bacon in disgust at myself. “So, anyway...” I frown. Shit, this really is ridiculous when I hear myself say it. “We spent every night together since then.”
She screws up her face. “That’s not very casual.”
“I know.”
“What’s he like?”
I shake my head. “Gorgeous.”
She raises her brow in question.
“I’m not even joking. Like, gorgeous, sexy, gorgeous.”
She purses her lips as she thinks. “Hmm, okay. Go on.”
“So, last night I went out to dinner with Mark to tell him that we as a couple are a no go.”
“Yes.”
“And his parents came.”
She frowns. “Why?”
I shake my head. “‘Cause he’s an idiot. Anyway, they were really nice and halfway through the meal a waiter comes over with a tray of tequila and cream.”
She stops eating as she stares at me.
“It was sent by Alastar. The smartass was saying that the Emmaline cream was unavailable for purchase, so he sent an alternative.”
“I don’t get it.”
“Tequila with a cream chaser?” I widen my eyes. “To signify the tequila sex drinking game… and the cream chaser is what he was rewarded with for going down on me?”
Brielle chokes on her coffee and it flies all over the table as she coughs. “Holy fuck!” she splutters.
“I know, right?”
“He was there?” she asks.
“Sitting at the bar watching us.”
Her eyes widen.
“So, I go to the toilet and he just barges in. Then we fight and I tell him that I need three hours to tell Mark it’s not happening between us.”
She nods as she eats.
“Then Alastar sits at the bar chatting up some hot red head for the whole time and I get, like, fuming mad.”
She smiles broadly and shakes her head.
“Then finally Marks parents leave and Mark instantly picks up my hand and starts frigging kissing it. Alastar storms over to the table like the Hulk and goes all caveman, telling Mark to get his fucking hands off of his girlfriend.”
Her eyes widen in horror. “But I thought you said it was casual.”
“It’s supposed to be!” I snap. “Oh, and that’s not the worst of it. He told Mark I was handing in my resignation.”
“What?” she gasps as she puts her hand over her mouth in horror.
“I know. So, I leave, Alastar follows me, then I lose my shit.”
“Understandably.”
“And we have this huge yelling match in the street which makes him go all weird, and he turns around and tells me that it’s probably better this way because he had to let me go anyway.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I don’t fucking know.” I bite into my breakfast with renewed vigor. “And then he said something to me and I got the weirdest sense of déjà vu which weirded me out.”
She frowns. “That’s still happening?”
I nod. “Worse than ever.”
“God, this is like The Vampire Diaries on crack,” she mutters into her coffee.
I nod. “Then he more or less told me to go back to Mark because he was giving me my freedom back.”
She frowns as she chews. “Didn’t he just go ape and demand Mark get his hands off his girlfriend?”
“Yep.”
“Fucking hell. I’m confused.”
“Join the club.”
“What are you going to do?”
I shrug. “Go to work and beg for my job back.”
“Fuck.”