Chapter 2

Lance

I was finally home, and I was pissed. No matter what I did, I couldn't relax. I felt like my head was going to explode. Who did she think she was walking out on me like that? If it wasn't bad enough that she was telling some Jackson guy she loved him, I had to find the damn note with Eric's number on it. It was pretty obvious that my dick hadn't worked magic on her. She was jumping from one dick to the next. Before you say it, I knew I wasn't much better, but that shit didn't matter. I wouldn't be played like some punk in high school. It was over. I was done.

When my mom called and invited me to dinner, I took her up on it. There was no reason to sit at home thinking about Lauren. All that would have done was pissed me off even more. Not five minutes after walking into my parents' house, Sammie was on my ass.

“You okay?” she asked.

“Fine,” I grumbled.

“What are you so cranky for? Did something bad happen during the meeting?” she asked just as we all sat down around the table.

“Was the flight okay?” my dad asked.

“It was fine. I'm happy to be home and away from there,” I said.

“Isn't that your ultimate goal?” he asked. “Don't you want to move there?”

“Of course I want to be there, who wouldn't?” I asked as if he was out of his mind.

“I can't believe you'd even consider leaving us,” Sammie said with her lips all pouty.

“Somehow, I don't think I could get rid of you if I tried,” I said roughly.

“Whatever,” she said. “I bet you being a grump has something to do with her.”

“With who?” my dad asked.

“With the competition,” Sammie said with a smile. “Lance met her in the bar and did her the night before he found out who she really was.”

“Lance,” my mom snapped.

I looked over to see the biggest grin on my dad's face.

“Since we're just blurting shit out,” I began but stopped myself when James kicked me under the table before giving me a please don't look.

If my dad would have given Sammie shit over what I had to say, I would've finished my sentence, but that wasn't the case. My dad would have given James all the crap. His precious little girl wouldn't be at fault for keeping such a secret. It would have to be her husband's fault. It was a load of crap, but there was nothing I could do about it.

“I'm going home,” I said, as I pushed my chair back and stood up.

“You just got here,” my mom said.

“You're better off if I'm not here right now. I just need some time to think. Then I need to blast through my work before she does. There is no way I'm letting her ass beat me.”

I turned around and walked out of the house without even saying goodbye to my little niece. My head was a mess, and I really needed to get it together. They hadn't done anything wrong. None of them deserved the attitude I'd given them, nobody but Sammie that is. She was definitely going to hear about it later.

I was sitting at my desk, looking between my laptop screen and the paper with Eric's number on it. It had been over an hour since I'd been home, and I'd gotten nothing done. The more I told myself I didn't care who she fucked, the more I wanted to beat her ass. I'd been with her twice, once more than my usual, but that didn't give me claim to her. She could do what she wanted, so why was it bothering me so much? Did I really think I was that special that she'd give up sex for one go every three months with me? I knew I was being unreasonable, but that didn't change just how strong I felt about it.

When I heard the knock at my door, I let out a huff and stood up. It was Sammie, and I was going to let her know exactly how I felt about that little stunt she pulled. I didn't need my mom thinking I was some kind of loser. By the look on my dad's face, it hadn't bothered him at all. I almost felt like he was mentally giving me a high five. When I reached for the knob and pulled the door open, I was shocked. It wasn't Sammie at all. It was my dad. He walked through with a case of beer in his hand. I looked out into the hallway for my mom, but she wasn't there.

“Does mom know you brought that here?” I asked in a confused tone.

My mom would never ever encourage drinking, especially not with me involved. She'd lost her first husband to a drunk driver, and I couldn't tell you how many times I heard her call me no matter what speech.

“Who do think dropped me off?” he asked, as he put the beer in my fridge. “I'd be on the couch for months if I drove home after this.”

He grabbed a beer out for each of us and handed me one before walking over and plopping down on my couch. What the heck was going on, I wondered? I couldn't believe he was there.

“Don't give me that look,” he said. “Sit your ass down and have a beer with your old man. You met a girl in a bar, so I know your ass has had a beer or two. From the sounds of it, you could use one.”

Once I sat down and threw back a couple of beers, I let it all out. He knew I expected the enemy to be a guy. I left out a few details about the night of the bar, but I did tell him I left and she was late the next day. He laughed when I told him about the meeting. Then I explained the three months that followed that first meeting. When he asked about the meeting I'd just come home from, I told him almost everything. He was my dad. We were close, but not close enough to share certain things with.

“So you did her again,” he said, and I nodded. “You knew who she was, Lance. There's no explaining that away.”

“I know it,” I said. “What pisses me off the most is that she took off in the middle of the night and was completely gone by the time I was up.”

“Why does that bother you?” he asked. “You did the same shit to her before.”

“I don't know,” I said. “I've never had anyone walk out on me.”

“You're definitely my boy,” he said with a laugh. “Believe me, I was a cocky asshole before I met your mother.”

“I might be drinking with you, but please don't over share,” I said.

He burst into laughter, and I instantly felt a tiny bit better. My dad was awesome, and I knew he'd do anything for me. Him being there, talking to me about my problems, was actually pretty cool.

“I was a star player,” he said. “I thought I could have any woman, I could really. The moment I met her, she knocked me on my ass. I wanted to beat her ass for the way she talked to me. No woman had ever treated me like that. She treated me like she would anyone else. I think that was what got to me the most. We were both stubborn and strong willed. Neither of us was going to let the other win. That woman did things to me. I can't explain it. She took up residence in my head, and she never left. As much as we both tried to fight, there was no way we were going to walk away from each other.”

“It's not like that,” I said. “I can't stand her. She is so damn cocky. It drives me crazy. She fucks with me on a daily basis. It takes all I have not to lose my shit with her. We could never be together. I'd never put up with that crap in person. When I was with her, I needed to relieve some stress. That's all it was.”

“Then why'd you do it again?” he asked.

“I wasn't going to,” I said. “I had no intention of being with her again. She showed up at my door saying we needed to talk.”

“Did you talk?” he asked.

“No,” I said. “That's what drives me crazy. I don't want to be with her. I don't want to be with anyone. I have goals. All that lovey family shit has to wait until I've reached all of them. She's not good for me. I heard her telling some guy she loved him on the phone, but I didn't turn her away when she showed up. That's not good. I'm not someone's second choice. Fuck that! There's just something that drives me crazy about her. I've been with other woman, I've just never been with the same one twice.”

“Son,” he interrupted.

“Before you give me shit, listen for a second,” I said. “I'm not a jerk. It's not like I sleep with every woman that walks by. I haven't been with that many. When I need a stress reliever, I take care of it. It doesn't happen often. I just don't want anyone getting attached. I don't want to sit around and have sweet conversations and romance. Like I said, that shit has to wait. Of course I want the whole family thing one day. I just don't want it yet, not for a long time. When I've been with women, it's been about relieving the stress and nothing more. A quick, go through the motions, so I get what I need kind of thing. Shit! I can't believe I'm saying this to you.”

“I get it,” he said.

“It's different with her,” I continued. “I don't know how to say this.”

“Just spit the shit out, Son,” he said.

“It's not calm and relaxed. It's not just about getting that release. It's different.”

“How so?” he asked with a confused look on his face.

“I don't know,” I said. “It's just different. When I'm with her, I feel like a different man. I have to control every single thing that happens. Shit! I think about things with her that I haven't thought about before. Please don't make me explain. She fucks with my head the entire time, and she doesn't even know it. Let me just say, I'm rougher than normal. I want to show her I'm the one in charge. I don't know if it's because she messes with me so much daily and I want to feel like I have control somewhere. I can't explain it. All I can say is it has never been like that when I've been with someone before. I don't think it's normal. I think I didn't turn her away the second time because I wanted to see if it was just a one time thing or if I'd feel the same way again.”

“And,” he said.

“It wasn't just a one time thing,” I said, as I shook my head.

“Do you have feelings for her, Lance?” he asked in a serious tone.

“Not good ones,” I said. “On top of it all, she had one of the guys' numbers in her pocket, and it fell out on my floor when she took off.”

“That pisses you off?” he asked.

“Of course it does,” I said louder than I should have. “Was she going to do him just to get ahead? If so, that's total bullshit.”

“Are you sure that's why it pissed you off?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said. “Of course it is. I already told you that I can't stand her. If you met her, you'd know exactly what I mean. You want to watch a movie?”

“Really?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said. “I'm done talking about her. I just want to relax. My ass has to get to work in the morning. There's no way I'm letting someone like her win this.”

“Okay,” he said, with a shake of his head. “Turn on a movie.”

It was actually pretty cool spending time with my dad like that. I knew I was totally going to regret the things I'd said, but I did feel a bit better getting some of it off my chest. Having bro time with my dad wasn't so bad. We didn't have baseball or anything else connecting us. When we were talking and hanging out together, it felt good. It was definitely something I wanted to do again.

When he finally left, I walked into my office and sat down in front of my laptop. As soon as it came to life, I saw the message.

Lauren: I'm sorry.

I felt the rumble in my chest before I heard the growl escape me. The paper with Eric's number kept drawing me to it. Should I say something back, I wondered? She wasn't screwing with me. I wasn't that guy, and there was no way I was going to be either.

“Fuck that,” I said, as I deleted the message and shut my laptop. “I'm going to bed.”