Page 72 of The Bet
“I was under the impression that it was urgent,” said Izzy.
No, he thought, raking his hand through his hair. Nothing was as urgent as his need to get laid. It had been over two dry months and his manhood was at risk of shriveling up and dropping off through misuse. It might well have done, for all the action it hadn’t gotten lately.
“It’s notthaturgent.” He noticed a honey blonde coming out through the doors. They made eye contact and he flashed her a smile. Jesus Christ, some days, he was so tempted to ditch this goddamn bet and be done with it. He could feel a stirring in his boxer briefs.
“Forget the work, and concentrate on your exams. I gotta go.” He hung up, suddenly recognizing the blonde in front of him.
“Kay?” he called out as she walked past.
She turned around and squinted. It had been well over a month since he’d last seen her. An awkward silence opened up between them.
He was reminded of that evening before his brother’s wedding, when they’d been kissing. When he’d been tempted to jump into bed with her, but had stopped to briefly consider that it might be inappropriate.
Would he have, if Tobias hadn’t found them? Kay hadn’t seemed keen to stop kissing, either.
“Xavier?”
“Yeah. What are you doing here?”
“I was at the bar,” she pointed up, indicating. “The Oasis. You must know it?”
“Pretty well. My friend owns the place, you know Luke, from the wedding?”
She nodded, remaining silent, not saying or moving the conversation along. He was about to ask her how she was when she said, “Nice seeing you again. I have to go.”
“Wait,” he said, suddenly needing to know. “Have I offended or upset you in any way?”
“If you don’t know, then I wouldn’t worry about it.” Her words were as icy as her tone.
“I did offend you?” he asked, surprised, because he hadn’t expected her to agree so readily.
“Let’s just leave it.”
“No. I’d like to know. If I’ve done something to upset you, you need to tell me.”
He wondered, at the same time, how he could make it up to her, and whether she would come back to the bar with him.
She’d been a good kisser. And maybe,maybe,they could see how things progressed this evening? He was more than happy to drop the bet.Again.Izzy was working for him, and filling a need. An admin need. Not the type of need that required his immediate fixing.
“You really don’t know have a clue, do you?”
“About what?” If she was pissed that nothing further had happened between them, he was sorry. “Look, I didn’t mean to leave the island without talking to you.”
“It’s not always about you, Xavier.” There she went again, looking pissed as hell.
“I need to catch this cab. ‘Bye.” She rushed towards the kerb, and put her hand out for a cab, leaving him standing there, wondering what he’d done wrong.
The hell it wasn’t about him.
She was pissed. Pissed that he hadn’t called her, or spoken to her after that night at the wedding. The next time he saw her, when she would have hopefully calmed down, he would remind her that she was the one who had cold-shouldered him.
Women.
They were incredibly difficult to understand.
He rode the elevator to the rooftop, and was early, just as he had planned. Luke was at the bar talking to one of his guys, and he looked super smart this evening. Black blazer, black jeans, looking like god’s gift to women, as usual.
“What’s this in aid of?” he asked, gesturing at his friend’s attire, when Luke walked up to him.
