Page 55 of The Dom

I didn’t understand what she expected from me. I’d never claimed to be a nice guy – just the opposite in fact. She’d known what she was getting into.

She should have understood why I didn’t want to talk about what’d happened between Joshua and me, especially after Zed let it slip that my brother used to be a part of Unraveling. Well, not so much slip as announce. Which I assumed was also how he’d ‘shared’ that I’d slept with Calah.

Why couldn’t she have just accepted that it wasn’t anything she needed to know about? It was in the past, and I wasn’t planning on doing it again. It had nothing to do with her and me, but she didn’t seem to see it that way, and nothing I’d said had made a difference.

Not that I’d actually said anything. More like argued and barely kept from shouting. I knew better, and not just in hindsight either. I’d known it when the words were coming out of my mouth. Just like I’d known it before.

This was going to keep happening. It wasn’t a guess. I knew it because it’s who I was. I fucked up everything. From the outside, I looked like I had it all, and in business, I supposed I did. It was the one thing I knew how to do well, and I never fucked up.

I supposed this was where the choice came in. I could let her go, let what we had end the same way as every other relationship I’d ever had. Or I could try to figure out how to fix things.

I wanted the latter. At least, I knew that for certain.

Which meant I needed to get help from the only person I could count on. Sure, it made it awkward that Ashlee was Finley’s daughter, but it wasn’t like I planned to tell him details about what she and I had done to and with each other. I just needed someone who’d be honest with me but didn’t hate me. Sad to say, there weren’t many of those sorts of people in my life.

And if I’d fucked up too badly with Ashlee, there was one less.

“I’m assuming this visit isn’t because you’ve missed me,” Finley said as he stepped aside to let me in. “It’s still pretty early in the day, but you look like you could use a drink.”

“I’m half-tempted to ask for one,” I said as I headed for my usual chair. “But I should probably keep my head on straight. I make a fool of myself enough sober.”

“That doesn’t sound like you’re here for a friendly chat, or a business one either. Can I get you anything before I sit down?”

I shook my head. “I just need to pick your brain.”

He took the seat across from me. “I’m going to take a guess that you want to talk about Ashlee.” He smiled. “My daughter. Still feels strange to think it, let alone say it.”

“Is this going to be weird?” I asked. “Me talking to you about her?”

He shook his head. “Not unless you intend to get more descriptive about certain private aspects of your relationship than you have in the past.”

“I don’t.”

“Then I don’t think we’ll have a problem.”

I was relieved to hear it because I didn’t know who else I would’ve gone to about this. My relief must’ve shown because he chuckled.

“Sorry, kid. If you could’ve seen your face, you would’ve laughed too.”

He was probably right about that.

“Let me guess, you did something stupid. Again.”

I glared at him, but he wasn’t wrong. “I have absolutely no clue how to handle women. Women like Roma and the other ones I’ve been with over the years, those I understand. It was always simple with them. I knew what they wanted and what was expected of both of us. But with Ashlee, I don’t really know what to do. I don’t know what she wants.”

“You do realize you’re coming to a gay man to ask for advice about your girlfriend, right?” He crossed his arms. “I mean, I have a sister, but she’s more like the others than she is like Ashlee.”

“I didn’t know you had a sister.”

He waved a dismissive hand. “Not important. Tell me what’s got you so confused, though I suspect looking at it as ‘handling’ women is probably a good indication as to why you fucked up.”

He probably had a point there.

I went through the entire evening, not holding anything back. If I wanted an honest answer, I needed to be honest about everything that’d happened, even if it made me sound like an ass. When I finished, I looked at him expectantly, ready for whatever came next.

“You could’ve dealt with that better.”

“Tell me something I don’t know,” I said with a sigh.

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