Page 33 of Sizzle

And this is the third time this afternoon I’ve had this conversation with myself. Once again, instead of sending the damn text, I delete it all. Again. Alex is a grown ass man, capable of taking care of himself.

Leaving things to others isn’t really my style, so I pick up the phone again.

To say what?

Hey dude, remember that time you made a girl come while I watched? Let’s pick a day and do that again.

“Something funny, boss?” says Jimmy at my loud snort.

“Just laughing at myself, Jimmy. If I don’t, who will?”

The rest of the kitchen crew chimes right in with jibes and laughs, as I’d hoped. To hell with it all. As soon as I’m done here, I’ll track Alex down one way or another. It’s not like he’s going to be hard to find.

11

Alex

There’s a bite to the air that wasn’t there when I left for the conference the other day. Guess that thunderstorm brought winter with it. Among other things.

I stall the thought before it can spin out of control, grabbing my luggage from the trunk and hauling everything inside. If I remember his schedule right, Elliot won’t be home for another hour or so, which means I’ve got an hour to get my head on straight about what happened the other night.

We haven’t spoken since then, but I know we’re going to have to soon. He’s not one to let something like this go.

Truth be told, I don’t want to let it go either. I don’t know if it’s Joelle, or the fact that Elliot was there watching us, but I feel like I’ve been walking through thick fog for the last year and it’s finally starting to clear. That’s a helluva thing to lay at the feet of a woman I’ve only just met, but I can’t bring myself to give a damn. It feels so good to be able to see again.

My head tells me I really ought to be more worried about my friend and the fallout on his end. But my gut is telling me it’s not a big deal.

What a fucked up thought. Elliot’s not exactly the sharing, flexible type. Despite how hot it was for me—and something obviously worked for Joelle too—to get her off in front of Elliot, I have no idea how he’s feeling about the whole thing. Which should worry me.

Maybe he doesn’t care about her as much as I thought. Maybe that’s why he was so into watching us together. Or maybe he’s got a thing for watching in general, but I don’t think that’s it. There’d been plenty of opportunities for that back in college. I mean, people can change, I guess.

But mostly they don’t. And Elliot’s definitely not the changing type.

I need to get my head on straight—hah—before he gets home. Just because my friend got hot watching me make out with the girl he likes doesn’t mean he got hot for me.

I need to remember that.

And God only knows what it means for Joelle. It’s killing me that I didn’t at least ask for her number that night. I make a note to ask Elliot to pass mine on, then smack my forehead. What is this, middle school?

I’m digging for my keys so I can go to the restaurant to see her—I don’t even know when she’s working—when I hear a car pull up in the driveway.

I hadn’t yet bothered to turn on any lights when I got home, but Elliot has to know I’m here since he’s parked behind me. I set my keys down and head to the liquor cabinet, thinking maybe I’ll open that scotch I’ve been saving. This conversation is going to require some focus, but the scotch might help.

Right. Because that’s totally how it works.

I uncork the bottle anyway, pouring a short glass over ice as I listen for the door. I’m still listening for it when I head back to the living room, taking a seat in a chair by the window.

I can see Elliot through the sheer curtains. He’s just sitting there behind the wheel, staring at his phone.

The sound of my own phone ringing cuts through the darkness. I set down the glass and pull the device out of my pocket only to see the caller is Elliot.

“Hey,” I answer.

“Hey. How’s it going?”

“Okay. Where you at?”

“On my way home,” he says. Interesting. “Did you make it back from the conference?”