Page 13 of Love, Luck & Clusterf*ck

“At least Dre doesn’t cheat.”

“Neither do I. I don’t make false promises to anyone. But at least I make them happy.”

“What the hell does that mean?”

“It means that you haven’t looked too happy since you walked in with that loser. I can only assume he’s not doing a whole lot for you.”

“You’re fucking spying on me now?”

I clenched my fists and spun around. His current flavor was nearing the table, and I’d already stayed there way too long. I made brief eye contact with her before storming back.Take him. He’s all yours.

I found myself muttering under my breath the whole way. What an arrogant prick. There were tons of reasons for someone to be unhappy. What business was it of his to assume it had anything todo with Dre?

I got to my table, and before I could sit down, Dre grabbed my waist and trapped me between his legs. “That took a while.”

“Yeah, sorry about that.”

“No problem, baby.” He stroked underneath my shirt, slipping his fingers inside the waistband of my jeans. “I’m sorry about before. Can we just drop all that and pretend it never happened?”

“Sounds good.” It really did. I didn’t want to argue or be pissed off all night. I just wanted to be… happy.

He continued touching my bare skin while I leaned against him. It wasn’t turning me on, but it wasn’t bothering me either. I considered that a score. I rested my hands on the tops of his thighs and he smiled.

“Do you know what I want, baby?” I shook my head. “How do you feel about getting a tat?”

“You know I like them. I just wouldn’t know what to get.”

He ran his hand up my back. “I could decide for you. We could get one together.”

I laughed. “Don’t you have enough already?”

“Nah, I’m always looking for another, and this one would mean something different. I want it to show that we belong to each other.”

Okay, wow. What the hell was happening here? It suddenly felt a little too warm nestled between his legs—stifling even. I ducked out from his arms and went back to my chair, downing the rest of my drink.

Blech. It was warm. My tongue now had a nasty aftertaste all over it. I began digging through my purse for mints.

“Did I do something wrong?” he asked.

I didn’t look up. “Not wrong but…. You’re just moving a little fast, don’t you think?”

“Fast? We’ve known each other five years, Perry.”

“But not like this.”

This wasn’t the Dre I knew, and I’d have to get to know this side much better before even considering a tattoo. Something that permanent? My stomach churned.

“Just think about it and—”

“I can’t believe it!” His voice shocked me senseless and my purse tumbled off my lap. “It really is you.”

Fuck. Fuckety fuck fuck fuck.The contents spilled all over the ground. I gave him an ‘eat shit and die’ look and squatted to the floor.

“And you must be Dre. She’s mentioned you before.”

I flicked my eyes up and saw them shaking hands, Dre looking stupefied. He didn’t ask for his name, and it wasn’t offered. I didn’t know what game this man was playing, but if this was his way of making a woman happy….

“Let me help you with that.” He bent down and picked up a package of mints.Now those little fuckers decide to make an appearance?

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