Something Reckless(74)
“Smells amazing,” he says, nodding to the table.
“It is. My sister is the absolute best at what she does.” The smile falls from my face when I see his serious expression. “Is everything okay, Mr. Bradshaw?”
He tucks his hands into his pockets and steps into the room. “I couldn’t help but notice how happy you were on Sam’s arm on Saturday.” He grabs the Indianapolis Star from the table and opens it to the politics section, where there’s a picture of Sam and me together. “You make a beautiful couple. The camera loves you.”
Then why do you look so unhappy? “But . . .?”
He lifts his gaze from the paper and meets my eyes. “I don’t want there to be a but, Liz.”
“And yet here we are.”
“Connor told me that it was more than a photo op. He said there’s something going on between you two.”
My stomach goes sour. “Connor?”
“He’s just worried about you. And I guess I am, too. Sam doesn’t exactly have a reputation for long-lasting romances, but eventually he and Sabrina are bound to end up together.”
Sabrina? Mr. Bradshaw’s words are a punch in the gut, and my mind fills with the image of Sam and Sabrina dancing at the gala. Was there something between them?
Mr. Bradshaw gives me an apologetic smile. “Some things are just inevitable. I don’t want your efforts to help his image resulting in you getting hurt.”
“You don’t need to worry about me.” I force a smile. “I know there’s no future for me and Sam. It’s not like that between us. We’re friends, and sometimes we go to weddings and political events together.” And other times we fuck like bunnies into all hours of the night.
He nods, satisfied. “You certainly impressed the governor.”
“You think so?”
“I think she’s going to try to steal you away from us.”
“Would you forgive me?” I ask. “If I got the opportunity to work on her campaign, that is? I mean, I don’t presume that I will, but if I did . . .”
“You keep doing such good work here,” he says, “and I’ll make sure she finds a spot for you.”
* * *
To: Elizabeth Thompson
From: Something Real Reminders
Subject: You Have a Message Waiting for You
Just a reminder that Riverrat69 sent you the following message and you haven’t replied:
This is me not buying you a dog. You said you want a man who knows when you need a dog. And I know you don’t need a dog right now. You need a man. One who knows exactly what you like in bed and isn’t afraid to deliver. One who can satisfy you. You need me. And I’m here. When you’re ready.
“Liz?” Nix says. “I was at the bar and didn’t see you come in. Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I was waiting for Nix to meet me at Brady’s when I saw the email alert flashing on my phone. Like an idiot, I opened it without thinking, and now I’m paying the price in the form of guilt, and stomach-gnawing fretting. “I’m fine. I just need a drink.”
“I recommend the tequila,” Nix says, holding up her empty shot glass. “It’s been the best part of my day. Seriously, let me go get us a round.”
“I’ll take two.”
She goes back up to the bar, and my eyes settle on the woman by the pool tables with Sam. Sabrina Guy. She’s a dead ringer for her mother, as if the governor managed to replicate instead of procreate. The fact that Governor Guy seems to have the secret of youth doesn’t hurt either.
I’m tucked into a booth, and Sam hasn’t even noticed I’m here. Seeing them together makes my chest ache like it did two years ago when I saw him kissing Asia. It’s been a couple of years, but I’ll never forget how much it hurt to see Sam being so tender with someone else right after he’d spent the night using my body in every conceivable way.
Déjà fucking vu.
Except not. Because while Sabrina’s hanging on his arm tonight, he doesn’t look tender, or happy, or even amused. He looks pissed.
I let him take me to the gala last weekend. I told myself it was more about work than pleasure, but he proved me wrong—multiple times. Then there was his dad’s warning this morning, on top of my own dumb mistake remembering a conversation I had with River as one I had with Sam.
I’ve earned this tequila.
“Two shots,” Nix says, setting the glasses in front of me. “Drink them quick and get that scowl off your face.”
I tear my gaze off Sabrina and take my first shot. It hits my empty stomach like a ball of fire.