Clean.
“She’s a very cute girl, Damien.”
“Why do you think I’m fucking her?” I stuffed the paper back into the envelope and slipped it into my back pocket.
“And she’s lovely.”
“That isn’t really why I’m fucking her, but I’m glad you think so.”
“Shut up, Damien,” she said with a laugh. “I liked her a lot. I’m going to offer her the job.”
They’d met yesterday, and I hadn’t spoken to Annabella since. When I was at the office, I expected Hades to scream at me for getting chummy with his wife, but he chose to ignore me instead. Then I had to handle distribution to our biggest clients in Greece all night. “You don’t have to do that for me. You know that, right?”
“I know. I really liked her.”
I liked her a lot too…enough to keep my dick in my pants. “Thanks for doing that. I want her to have an easier life.”
“I can tell she thinks the world of you.”
“Yeah?” I leaned against my car and grinned. She was always eager for my dick and such an incredible lover that I figured that out on my own.
“She actually thinks you’re a good person…which is a first.”
I chuckled. “She doesn’t know me that well.”
“It sounds like it does. She said you’ve been seeing each other for a while…”
I recognized that tone. “It’s not serious, Sofia. I told you that.”
“But I know you don’t see the same woman more than a few times, right?”
“Doesn’t mean anything.”
“Sure about that?”
Annabella asked for my fidelity, but she also made it clear it didn’t mean anything. She was still carrying baggage from her divorce, still navigating this new life of independence. I was just a rebound—a really good rebound. The monogamy was temporary, and it would allow us to have even better sex—which was good for me. “A hundred percent.”
I’d just gotten out of the shower when Annabella texted me. Are you in the mood for pizza?
I’m in the mood for you.
If you order the Annabella special, you can get both.
I faced the bathroom mirror with a towel around my waist, grinning as I stared down at the phone. That’s one hell of a deal.
Does that mean I can come over?
I can come get you.
I just left the pizza place. I’ll grab a taxi.
I didn’t like her getting around on her own because I knew what kind of monsters plagued these streets. To everyone else, it was just a beautiful city with stunning cathedrals and a rich culture. I was one of the few who knew the truth. But I knew Annabella wasn’t my problem, that she needed to have the independence to survive on her own because I wouldn’t be around forever.
I pulled on my boxers and waited for her to walk inside. Didn’t see the point in getting dressed when all those clothes would end up on the floor anyway.
Minutes later, she let herself inside with a pizza box under her arm.
“I’m not gonna be sexy anymore if I keep eating pizza like this.”
“I doubt it would make much of a difference.” She smiled as she walked up to me and kissed me.
I kissed her back, my mind immediately wondering if she’d completed her tests. I pulled away then reached for the pizza.
“Whoa…not so fast.” She kept it out of my reach. “You’re gonna have to work for it.”
“Yeah? Getting you a job wasn’t enough?”
“You said that was all her. And hold on, I got the job?”
I grinned. “Congratulations.”
“Yes!” She fist-pumped the air. “I’m throwing my apron in the dumpster when I get home.” She moved the box back to me. “In that case, we should celebrate. There’s no better trophy than cheese and crust.”
“What about sex?” I opened the lid and took out a slice.
“We’ll get to that.” She grabbed a piece and placed the corner in her mouth so she could take a small bite. “Pizza and sex…sounds like a really good book title.”
“I’d read that.”
We moved to the living room and sat together on the couch. Our relationship was physical and intimate, but when that wasn’t happening, it really felt like we were friends who actually liked each other. I’d been with women I could hardly tolerate when the sex was over. They were either rude or way too opinionated. But when my hormones were extinguished, Annabella was a good friend.
“So…what did she say about me?” She leaned against the armrest on the opposite side of the couch, her knees pulled to her chest as she ate her slice. She was in little cutoff shorts and a pink t-shirt, refusing to let summer leave. Her long legs were tanned from the sunny season we’d just experienced, toned and kissable.
“That’s confidential.”
“Oh, come on.” She gave me a playful nudge with her foot.
“She said you were cute.”
She took a bite with her eyebrow raised. “I don’t think cuteness was a qualification she was looking for.”