My Best Friend's Brother(17)

"No, asshat. We went to her place the second time."


"And you let her take the reins like that? This shit ain't like you at all."


"Ain't? Are you serious?" I asked. "And I know. I know it's not like me.  I took a shower and steamed myself. Couldn't get rid of her. Or my  thoughts about her. I walked around with a fucking hard-on for three  hours like a teenage boy before I broke down and called her."


"Who are you and what the hell have you done with Mason Baker?" he asked.


"We had lunch, we agreed to start over, and I actually got to know a lot about her. And guess what the fuck happened?"


"What?"


"She fucking left!"


Tony threw his head back and laughed, and after the alcohol hit my  system, I could see the hilarity in it, too. But I was honestly stumped.  If these were the kind of women I was going to encounter anywhere else  other than in L.A., then I was going to need to step up my game in a  serious way. I was going to travel the world, and if the women were half  as strong-willed as Sarah Williams, I'd have to know how to handle  them.


You know, after I could shake Sarah from my mind first.


"Dude, just let her go. Everyone's got a failed woman, and now you have  yours. You don't need that shit anyway. You're still rehabilitating your  image, remember? I don't get why you're chasing this girl down. So,  she's got a good head on her shoulders? Welcome to the women men  actually marry."


"It's fucking nuts, Tony. I don't know what to do," I said.


"Just stop," he said. "That's all you gotta do. You what? Fucked her  twice, you said? That's hardly a fail. All of this is unlike you. Once  we get out of Dallas and get back home, you'll have another chick on  your arm, and Sarah Williams will be a thing of the past."


"I'm not sure," I said.


"Look. There are plenty of women who want you. Women who throw  themselves at your feet. Go pick one of them. Get on top of someone  else, and fuck Sarah out of your system. Don't fuck Sarah. Not what I'm  saying. Get another woman's pussy on your cock, and you'll forget all  about her."         

     



 


"But there's something about her, Tony. I want to get to know her. I want to know why she's drawing me in so badly," I said.


"Because you're letting her, dude. Your ego got burned when she walked  out on you, so you turned it around on her. Turnabout is fair play, and  you got yours. Your mistake was calling her. You recognize it. Get over  it. Learn from your mistake," he said.


"I just don't get it," I said.


"Dude. Who the fuck cares? Quit bellyaching like a bitch and get over it," he said.


"Whatever."


"Excuse me?"


The sweetest little country drawl came cascading down my back. At any  other point in time, my cock would've trembled in anticipation. My skin  would've been crawling to have her lips painting my neck in my hotel bed  later tonight, but all I did was turn around and smile.


"Depends on who's asking," I said, grinning.


"Hi," she said sweetly. "I'm Andrea."


"Andrea, what a lovely name. It's a pleasure to meet you. Listen, I can  most certainly understand the absolute courage it took to come over here  and introduce yourself to someone like myself. Allow me to introduce  you to the best man I know, Tony Thomas."


"Hello," he said, grinning.


"Oh, is this the friend you talk about in all your interviews?" she asked.


"The one and only. You caught me at a horrendous time, but Tony here  will take wonderful care of whatever it was you might've needed from me.  I can assure you."


All I was met with was a giggle as I took her hand and brought it to my  lips. Even as I kissed the top of her skin, there was nothing. No pull  to take her to bed. No sexual want cascading through my bones. I handed  her hand over to Tony, who was giving me a quizzical look. I winked at  him before I slid off my seat, leaving my drink for him to pick up this  time. He owed me from the last time he stuck me with the tab anyway.


I walked back across the street and headed up to my hotel room. I pulled  out my cell phone to call Sarah and was relieved when it actually  started ringing. She didn't pick up, which was pretty typical of her,  but I knew if I called her back again she would.


And like clockwork, the phone clicked alive.


"What do you want?" she asked.


"I just want to talk. That's all."


"No," she said.


"Sarah. What's going on? What did I say? We agree to a fresh start, we  have a conversation where we actually learn quite a bit about one  another, and then you just leave. What happened? Just give me that."


"Do you not think your actions have consequences?" she asked.


"I'm not following."


"Just a general observation. Do you think you just walk this planet without consequence because you have money?" she asked.


"Nope. Can't say that's my mindset."


"Well, you sure as hell have a weird way of showing it."


"All right. Now that we're done playing Jeopardy, mind giving me the question to this answer you're spewing at me?" I asked.


"Who is Emma Nelson?"


The name froze me in my spot. My sister? She was pissed about my sister?


"Are you pissed that I stood up my sister?" I asked.


"No, I'm pissed that you stood up my best friend, who just happens to be your sister."


What? Holy fuck. Now it all made sense. Every single fucking thing about the dive bomb that was that lunch now made sense.


"Emma Nelson is your best friend," I said.


"Yep."


"Shit. Sarah, I had no idea."


"Neither did I, until you said her name. And then it all clicked. With  who you are and what you do to women. Do you know how many times I've  held Emma crying because you wouldn't take her calls?"


"All she wanted to talk about was rekindling things with Mom. I told her if she wanted to talk about anything else, go ahead."


"You can't do that if you don't take her fucking calls, Mason. Want to  know how many angry dinners I've had with her? Where she's had to choke  back tears just so she could eat because you kept canceling on her?" she  asked.


"I told you. I'm just not sure if I'm ready to travel that road yet," I said.


"You didn't even give her the courtesy of calling her this time, Mason!"  she exclaimed. "I had to watch my best friend cry into her fucking  plate of food because of you."


I honestly didn't know what to say. It made sense, but if she thought  she was going to guilt trip me into opening a door I wasn't ready to  open, Sarah was sorely mistaken. She might have the whole of Dallas in  the palm of her hand, but I wasn't a Dallas resident. She didn't have a  bit of influence in this world outside of her dinky little talk show,  and she was about to figure that shit out quickly.         

     



 


"That's why we can't be together," she said. "No phone calls. No dates.  Nothing. Emma wouldn't approve, and by the way you've treated her, I  can't say I do, either."


"That's bullshit, and you know it. All you've done is find an excuse to  push me away before I hurt you first. You admitted it over lunch, the  reason why you left after we slept together on our first date. I've  chased you down. Come to your studio. Blown up your phone. Hell, I let  you plan out the entire second date."


"Before you got revenge on me," she said.


"Looking back, not the best idea. So, we've both made some mistakes. But  I think I've made it pretty clear that I can't get you off my mind, no  matter what the hell I do."


She went silent on the other end of the phone, and I was hoping to hell and back that didn't mean she was about to hang up.


"You've made my best friend cry. On several occasions. I can't ignore that," she said.


"And I'd never expect you to. All I'm asking is for you to acknowledge the chemistry you know the two of us have."


"All right. Fine. Yes, I can admit we have chemistry," she said.


"Let me take you out one last time."


"No."


"Just once."


"No, Mason."


"If we go out one more time, and you don't feel the chemistry. If you  don't feel that pull, that tug at the pit of your gut that screams for  you to have just a little bit more, then I'll walk away. For good. No  phone calls, no showing up at your studio, no nothing."


"No nothing?" she asked.


"All of it. Gone."


"Can I get this in writing?" she asked.


"I'll sign it in blood," I said, grinning.


I heard her chuckle just slightly on her end of the line, and I knew I  had her. No woman could banter with me the way she could. No woman could  infuriate me and settle me the way she did. Even with only three dates,  I was hooked on something new. Something fierce. Something undeniably  powerful.


I needed to tread lightly, for both our sakes.