Page 116 of Ruthless Ambition
“He help you to an orgasm?”
I spat my hot water all over Onyx’s couch, and she cackled with laughter. “Jesus, Chrissy!” I grumbled as I dabbed at my mouth. “It’s not like that.”
“Okay, so you haven’t had sex with him in the last . . . week?”
I gave her a flat stare.
“Exactly, so you and him are bumping uglies.” She looked triumphant. “Now tell me about this creep who’s fucking it up.”
As I told her what had been happening, I took comfort from her being here. We had parted ways at the end of college on lukewarm terms. Chrissy and Jer had hooked up not long after he came to our dorm to apologize to me for the bet. They had both become newly single and met at yet another stupid party where Jer had caught Chrissy when she ran during the Devils’ Mayhem, and he kept hold of her.
I hadn’t wanted to be in the same room as him when he came over, although he was always polite. I took it personally that Chrissy was willing to forgive him for his involvement. She was supposed to be on my side, not happy to have bagged herself an elusive Devil.
They started spending more and more time at the football house, and I saw less and less of her. When I did see her, I didn’t want to hear about her boyfriend, and she didn’t want to hear about my toils with Onyx. It became stilted and awkward, and eventually we just stopped trying so hard.
We’d kept in contact over the years, but I hadn’t attended her wedding, but I had sent gift baskets for the birth of her children. Jer, I’d seen several times since. He was usually at sporting events, and we had reached an amicable friendship.
But as we sat on the couch, and I told her all the things, it was as if the clock had been rewound six years and we were in our old college dorm, sitting on the ratty old sofa, gossiping about boys and classes.
When I was finished, she looked at me and sucked on her fruit. “That’s all kinds of fucked up.”
“It sounds bad when I say it out loud,” I admitted.
“He had a knife to your throat, while you were sleeping,” Chrissy said bluntly. “I don’t think it can sound better.”
“Well, yeah, that wasn’t good,” I reasoned.
“And covering your bed in his spunk?” She shook her head. “Fucking pervert.”
“I can’t remember his age. I’m sure he was still in school,” I told her. “I really didn’t pay attention to him. He could pass me in the street, and I wouldn’t notice.”
“Well, that’s terrifying.”
“He’s just a kid,” I reiterated. I looked over to where the kitchen was, and the three of their heads bent together. “They need to remember he’s a boy.”
“You need to remember thisboyheld a knife to your throat and sent you death threats.” When I turned back to her, she was focused on the kitchen. “When did Coop get here?” she asked me. “Yo! Coop! Get your mighty fine ass over here and give me sugar!”
Cooper turned, and even from here, I could see his wide, genuine grin.
“You like Cooper now?” I asked in disbelief.
“Hell yeah, he’s currently my youngest’s godfather, and God, you should see how competitive he and Onyx are on the girls’ birthday gifts. Ridiculous.”
“I’m the best godfather,” he said as he swooped down and hugged her tight. “You look beautiful,” he said with a chaste kiss to her cheek. “You feeling okay?”
Who the hell wasthisguy? I knew I was staring at him in wonder, and I knew I got caught by Chrissy for doing so. Cooper followed her look and simply did what he did best — ignored me.
“I’m okay. Why haven’t you got this shithead yet?” she demanded of him.
“Chrissy,” I protested as Cooper moved her legs to make room for himself, and then he gently picked up her feet and started rubbing her calves.
“You look like a cow,” he said playfully. “Your cankles are now just elephant’s feet.”
“I know, Coop, my evil husband doesn’t do it right,” she whined at him, and he snickered as he rubbed her feet and ankles.
“Water retention,” he told me when he saw me staring. “This helps.” He nodded to the pitcher of water. “As does water. Drink, Chrissy.”
She dutifully did as she was told, and then the two of them chatted about her pregnancy, and I just felt more and more lost.
