Page 61 of Nothing to You
The open-plan kitchen and living space presented a balcony beyond.A little skinny one, but a balcony all the same.The bedroom, bathroom, and closet were grouped through the door just next to the couch.
She was on the floor, paper spread out on the coffee table above her outstretched legs.
“You can’t walk ten feet or pick up a phone?And I didn’t take it away.It’s still in the parking lot wherever you left it.”
“You’re here now.What’s the problem?”she asked, finishing the last of her wine.“Did you bring wine?”
“Did I bring wine?”he asked, fake offended, and went back to the bag he’d dumped on the breakfast bar while taking off his jacket.He produced two bottles, showed both, and then brought them to the table.“I want to get laid later.”
“So you brought the panty loosening stuff?”
“Cheap and potent, just like you.”
“You and I have different opinions on what’s cheap.”
“Us?”He feigned surprise.“Opposing opinions?That’ll be a first.”
And she wasn’t going to laugh despite the joke.“Open one.Now.Please.”Her sickly smile was totally false and didn’t pretend not to be.His snit lifted to a snicker when she batted her eyes too.He went off into the kitchen.“We have an appointment for a tour with a residential facility tomorrow.For my mom.”
“Okay.”
“AndRoxie thinks we should have our Hope party in LA.”
Opening drawers, he sought something.A corkscrew, no doubt.
“You don’t like LA?”
“I know very little about LA other than it’s full of pretty, rich people, but will that be a problem for Mosaic?”
“Will pretty, rich people be a problem for Mosaic?”he asked and gave up, slamming a drawer.“Where the fuck is your corkscrew?”Sliding aside a file, she picked it up from the table beside her.“You couldn’t have told me you had it?”
“You didn’t ask.”
“If you had it, why do I need to open it?”
Although he asked, he came to take it from her to twist it into the cork.
“Why have a dog and bark myself?”she asked, showing his glare another manufactured smile.“It amuses me to make you feel needed.Though, my ex-boyfriend had one of those utility knife things.Carried it everywhere.”
The cork popped from the bottle.
He opened his arms wide, bottle in one hand, corkscrew in the other.“Look around, beautiful.I own absolutely every single thing you can see.You want that or a utility knife?”
Taking her focus back to the files, she raised her brow and inhaled.“Things I don’t care about,” she muttered under her breath.“Your dick iswaybigger than his; that was the choice I made.Screw ownership, I know where to get mine.”
He filled her glass.“Good girl.”
Her eyes slunk up to his.Not another muscle moved, but their exchange told him plenty.
As he retreated into the kitchen, she shifted onto her knees.“Roxie said we can use the club.Crimson.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard of it.”
“You ever heard sarcasm is the lowest form of wit?”
“Must be why you’re so good at it,” he said.
She wasn’t going to smile.Nope.“Is Crimson respectable?Can we invite rich people?”
