Page 58 of Trick or Treat

“Good?” He tipped his head toward her drink.

“Delicious.”

Someone Cami knew stopped behind them and started talking to her and Jenna, which left Lindsey talking to Kurtis on her own. “What happened to your neck?”

“My neck?” He frowned, unsure what she was talking about.

“The scratches?”

“Oh. That. My neighbor’s cat was stuck in a drainpipe. When I pulled it out, it went all psycho on me, hissing and scratching. Unfortunately, she nailed me a couple of times before I could turn her loose. She was quite the wild cat.” He laughed at his own joke. Lindsey chuckled along with him, not quite getting it.

“Did you get your business straightened out last night when you left?” She took another drink of her Cosmo and waited for him to reply.

“Oh, yeah. It was a business associate wanting to let me know he liked the merchandise I got for him last time and placed another order. I was already able to find one of the things he wants.”

Kurtis’s smile gave Lindsey the willies. It was smug and a little smarmy and it didn’t reach his eyes. She somehow felt like he was telling an inside joke that she wasn’t privy to. It left her confused and even more uncomfortable around him. She was saved from fidgeting under his scrutiny at the sound of his phone ringing.

He pulled it from his pocket and checked caller ID. “Damn it. It’s work again. I’d think about getting another job, but it pays so damn well, I talk myself out of it. Plus, it’s got some amazing perks.”

The song “Right Round” by Flo Rida came on. Cami and Jenna squealed and jostled her around. “Come on!” Cami shouted. “Let’s go dance!”

“Go ahead. I need to call this person back. I’ll catch up with you when you’re done.” Kurtis leaned over and kissed her cheek before she knew what his intention was. Before she could respond, he was walking away, presumably to find somewhere quiet enough to make his call.

She tossed the rest of her drink back and followed Cami and Jenna to the dance floor and let the music take her away. Away from Kurtis and how much he gave her a bad feeling. Away from thoughts about Trick and how much she missed him. And about how much lonelier her life was without Trick in it than it was before she ever met him. She raised her hands in the air, dancing and swaying to the beat. It felt freeing. It felt liberating. It felt like she could just relax and have a good time with her friends. No worries.

She danced to three more songs before they decided they all needed another drink. She was dying of thirst. She was halfway to the bar when Kurtis stopped her. His hands were on her arms and he was leaning down to talk in her ear to be heard above the music. “I hate to do this to you again, but I need to go take care of something. I’ll call you and we’ll set something up for just the two of us.”

He didn’t give her a chance to respond one way or the other. He leaned back far enough to settle his lips on hers. One hand held her head still while the other pulled her hips into his. There was no mistaking the erection pinned between them. He held her and kissed her as if he were staking his claim over her in front of everyone in the bar. She didn’t like it and would have told him so if he hadn’t placed a quick kiss on her forehead and left her standing there.

“What the hell was that?” Cami’s eyes rounded, clearly surprised by Kurtis’s actions.

“I have no idea but I didn’t like it.” Lindsey frowned, watching his back retreat down the hall toward the front door. She was confused. Why would he do that? They were just supposed to be friends. Did he still have a thing for her and this was him making his move? It didn’t matter. There was no spark or hint of attraction to him in a boyfriend/sexual way. In fact, the thought of having sex with him felt horribly wrong.

She wondered if she would have that same reaction with every man that kissed her that wasn’t Trick. One thing she did know was it felt really off with Kurtis and she did not want a repeat.

“What did he say to you before he kissed you?” Jenna’s eyes followed Kurtis’s departure.

“That he’d call me and we’d set something up for just the two of us.” The more she thought about his high-handedness, the more pissed off she got. Why did he feel it was okay to kiss her and manhandle her? She wasn’t giving off any vibes saying she was interested in him as anything other than a friend. She’d purposely kept things on a friend level. Heck, she’d barely tolerated him as a friend before. She wouldn’t have even come here tonight if it wasn’t for the fact that Cami and Jenna were coming with her.

Lindsey really wasn’t in the mood to stay any longer. She just wanted to go home, put on her pajamas, have a glass of wine and go to bed. She rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

“Do you want to go?” Cami asked, clearly seeing the night was ruined for Lindsey.

“You guys wouldn’t mind if we leave? We could pick up some wine and go to my house, if you don’t care?”

“You bet, babe. Let’s go.” Cami looped her arm through one of Lindsey’s, following behind Jenna as she pushed her way through the crowd. Her friends were amazing. No matter how much they’d been looking forward to coming to Bliss, their need to take care of their friend took precedence.

“Are you going to go out with him?” Cami asked once they were outside. Jenna looped her arm through Lindsey’s on the other side, the three of them huddled together against the cold.

“No. Definitely not.” In fact, she would be avoiding his calls from now on.

“That was awful decisive.” Jenna held her key fob up, pressing the automatic start button. If they were lucky, it would be a little warmer than outside by the time they got in.

“I can’t explain it, but every time I’m around him, something feels off.”

“Off how?” Cami asked, waving at someone across the street yelling her name as they waited in line to get inside the night club they’d just left.

“You know when you’re around someone and this little voice inside nags at you to keep away? This person is bad?” They’d made it to Jenna’s car. She popped the locks and they all piled in, Lindsey taking the backseat.

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