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Chapter Twenty-Eight


I didn't dare to open my eyes. I'd been laying there in bed, conscious, for what felt like a century, pep-talking myself for the sight of an empty room. It'd been a dream, I told myself, or worse, I'd been a one-night stand gone wrong, a plot to seek revenge on Cora. I took a deep breath, and finally, finally allowed my eyelids to part, staring up at the ceiling. I turned my head slowly.

Not only was he stil lthere, but the sight of him took my breath away. It was like looking on a god, fallen from the sky. He lay there, the sheets around his waist, the sun streaming from the window shining across the topography of his physique, his bare torso exposed completely, arms up on the pillow, folded over his head. Even his arm pits were sexy, I thought in amazement. I'd never seen sexy arm pits before, but there they were.

"Oh God this is dangerous," I whispered to myself as I stared at him. I was too infatuated, this wasn't good. The level of power he now lorded over me, just by being, without even trying... it was terrifying. He had the power to break my heart.

It suddenly occurred to me that I was hearing my phone vibrating somewhere and I rolled over and found it in my purse on the floor by the bed. I pulled it out, saw it was Addison, grabbed my bathrobe, and snuck out of the room. Nick didn't even move. I pulled the door closed behind me and beelined for the living room.

"Addie," I gasped into the phone, as I swung the robe around me and tucked my legs under me on the couch, "You're never going to belie--"

"Sam, I have to tell you something," she said at the exact same time as I'd spoken.

We both paused.

"Go ahead," I said.

"Sam, I recorded a duet with Cora yesterday. A single. She's going to release it to promo the tour I'm going on with her. Did you know she's leaving on tour? The day after the party you're organizing for Nick? I bet that's why. I bet it's a secret going away party," Addison said.

"It might've started out that way, but I don't think it is anymore because ---" I started, but Addison spoke over me.

"Hugh thinks I'm going to be famous," she said, "Like more than Cora even. Z got me rights to this song that's hotter than hell, Sam, I'm serious. It's called Playing With Fire and it's amazing... It goes like this..." and she started humming this tune. She paused, "Z beat boxed it when he was telling me about it, it was way more impressive." She squealed, "Sam, I'm dizzy, it's happening so fast!"

"Speaking of things happening fast --" I tried again, but again Addison interrupted me.

"Hugh's a nice guy, you know?" she said. "I think Nick might be wrong about him cheating on Cora. I think he really loves her. He's such a nice guy, Sam."

"Well good," I blurted, "Because Cora gets to keep him."

"What?" Addison asked.

"Nick and Cora broke up last night," I said, pausing for dramatic effect. "They fought about me."

"They what?" Addison sounded shocked, "Oh my God, she must be heart broken."

"Heartbroken?" I laughed, "She accused him of cheating on her with me. That's real rich, isn't it? She's cheating on her husband and gets pissed off thinking Nick is cheating on her with me?"

Addison sniffed, "Well Nick's kind of a tool sometimes. You said so yourself."

"But he's not cheating on her with me," I said, "Or at least he wasn't before last night."

"What?" Addison now sounded angry. "You fucked him?"

"Well no," I said, "We slept - like literally sleeping slept - together last night. He kissed me. Addison, you'll never guess how it happened. I wanted to call you last night and tell you but things got going crazy after and I was gonna call you today when I got up... It was on the hood of his Escalade, Addie." I laughed, "Just like you guessed."

"And when is he planning on telling Cora all this?" she demaned.

"I told you, Cora broke up with him, it's no longer her business," I replied.

"He probably lied to you," Addison replied, "Cora wouldn't have broken up with him. She loves him."

"She doesn't even see him," I retorted, "She just sees him as a sex toy. He might as well be a vibrator for all she cares."

"How would you know? Nick's not exactly a credible source is he? He's just trying to get into your pants. You said he keeps going on and on about your ass. That's all you are to him."

"He's more credible than Cora is," I snapped. "And I heard what she said and did that night at the hotel. She didn't want to stay once they'd finished having sex, she was out of there faster than greased lightening!"

"Probably scared of the STDs she was collecting off the manwhore you're fucking," Addison's voice was dripping with disdain.

"If Nick has any STDs it's from the slutty bitch you're worshipping," I replied.

"I'm telling Cora about you and Nick," Addison said.

"Good! Tell her I'm more than happy to take him off her hands and that one day she'll see that he's the one that got away that she'll never get back."

"Nobody wants their garbage back once they throw it out," Addison snarled and she hung up.

I was so pissed I threw my cell phone across the couch, watched it bounce off the far arm rest, the accelerometer rotating so that Addison's stupid face spun around on the face of the phone. I let out a shrill noise of frustration and got up, fists balled and paced a couple times around the coffee table. "Take some fucking Midol, bitch," I muttered in the general direction of the phone.

"Are we angry at the couch?" Nick's voice echoed from the doorway and I jumped about a mile. He laughed, "Sorry, did I scare you?" He was still in just his tight fitting boxer-briefs. They were grey. He leaned against the door frame and smirked, bed head galore, eyes shining, arms folded, biceps big and beautiful.

"I didn't see you," I said.

"Do you usually start your mornings off calling your couch a bitch?" he smirked.

I picked up my phone, "Sorry. No. I just had an argument with Addison." I waved the phone for him to see.

Concern pinched his brow together, "A fight? About what?"

I didn't want to tell him it was about him and Cora and all that, so I shrugged, "Just... you know, girl stuff."

He nodded slowly. "I'm sure it'll work out," he said, "Right?"

"Yeah. It always does."

"That must be nice, having friends that can get over fights," he laughed. "God knows I don't have that with some of my friends..." A smile eeked its way across his face. "Some people don't know how to forget ancient history, you know?"

"Yeah," I replied.

He studied me for a second. "Go get dressed," he said.

"Why?"

"I'm taking you out for breakfast."

I laughed, "I have stuff for eggs here..."

"Yeah but it's a pancakes kind of morning. I can tell." He nodded. "C'mon."

I nodded. "Okay."