Davis looked at his watch. “I have to be at the airport at five a.m. for work, so I’m going to take off.”
The three of us made plans for next month’s dinner, and he gave Ava a hug goodbye before turning to me. Only he didn’t let go after my hug. Instead, he took both of my hands in his.
“Think about it. Okay?”
I had no idea what to say, so I simply nodded and smiled. Then he was gone.
The minute he was out the door, Ava turned to me. “What the hell was that all about?”
“He wants to take me out on a date.”
“And how do you feel about that?”
“I have no idea. I’m so confused right now.”
“You know what will make things clearer?” She smiled.
“What?”
“Let’s get stinking drunk.”
Rachel
“He has the most amazing ass.”
Well, that’s what I intended to say, but what actually came out of my mouth was, “He has lemony lass.”
Luckily, Ava had joined me in my binge, so my slur sounded perfectly fine to her.
“Who are we talking about? Davis or the professor.”
I sighed. “The professor. Davis’s is nice, but I never had the urge to bite it.”
Ava quirked a brow. “You want to bite the pompous professor’s ass?”
“I do. Is that strange?”
She smirked and lifted her drink to her lips. “Not at all. Well, the biting part isn’t strange. I like a little biting during sex myself, but biting his ass when you’re not sleeping with him might be a little strange. Especially if you do it during a class while he’s lecturing.”
“He’s just so frustrating. So infuriating.”
“So maybe you should give Davis another chance?”
I sucked back the remaining contents of my third drink and held the empty glass up, dangling it between my thumb and pointer. “Time for a refill, waitress.”
Ava laughed. “I was done an hour ago…but I’ll get your refill because I’m not sure you could make it the ten feet to the bar.” She stood and took the glass from my hand. “You’re cut off after this one, though.”
While Ava was behind the bar, I dug my phone out of my purse. I had no idea why, but I wanted to scroll through Davis’s Facebook account. I remembered he’d posted a few pictures with the same woman a few months back, and I wondered if he’d dated her since things ended with us.
When my phone illuminated, I was surprised to find I’d missed two texts from Caine.
Caine: Could you possibly cover my afternoon class tomorrow at three?
A few minutes later, another text came in.
Caine: Sorry about the last-minute notice. Something important came up.
What a jerk.
Of course, he wasn’t really a jerk. He was just not interested in me the same way I was him and didn’t want to lead me on, so that made him a jerk in my drunken, emotional head. I should have turned off my phone and ignored him, responded to my boss when I was in the right frame of mind, but the alcohol had other ideas. I typed back.
Rachel: Sure. I’ll do your job so you and Professor Pink can go back to your office and do whatever it is you do…again.
I watched the dots start to jump around, then stop, then start again.
Caine: What are you talking about?
I rolled my eyes.
Rachel: Your ass isn’t that great anyway.
In that moment, the text made complete sense to me.
Caine typed back immediately.
Caine: Excuse me?
I snorted. Loud. What a jerk. And then, my texting went downhill.
Rachel: I bet she doesn’t come late.
I was holding my phone, but I’d been expecting a text, so I jumped in my seat and dropped it on the table when the damn thing started to ring. Caine’s name was flashing, and that just pissed me off even more.
I swiped to answer. “What?”
“Rachel?”
“That’s me, your lowly TA.”
Something dawned on me, and I thought it was a pretty clever pun. In fact, I was damn proud of myself for coming up with something so witty.
“I’m your lowly TA, who has great T&A, only you’re too full of yourself to notice.”
“Have you been drinking?”
“Have you?”
“No, Rachel, I haven’t been drinking.”
“Well, you don’t know what you’re missing. Because after the first one, everything that’s been jumbled in your brain becomes so clear.”
Ava returned with our drinks to find me on the phone. “Who are you talking to?”
I did a half-assed job of covering the receiver. “It’s Professor Tight Buns.”
Ava’s eyes flared wide and then she shut them briefly. When she reopened them, she took the phone from my hand.
“Hi, Professor Tight…umm…Professor West. This is Rachel’s friend, Ava.”
She paused to listen.
“Yes. She’s fine. I’ll take care of her.”
Another pause.
“Yes, I’m sure. We’re at O’Leary’s, and I’ll take her home in a cab and make sure she gets inside safely.”
After she swiped to end the call, she put the phone in her purse. “I’m keeping this so you don’t do anything else stupid.”
“What? All I did was answer the phone. It’s not my fault he’s a big, fat jerk.”
“Please tell me you didn’t call him that.”
“I don’t remember.”
Ava let me ramble on for another forty minutes as I sipped my drink. Either I’d grown accustomed to the foul-tasting liquor, or the last Tanqueray and tonic tasted more like tonic than Tanqueray. Since I was still able to speak, I was guessing it was the latter. Ava had watered down my drink.
“So what are you going to do about Davis?”
“I don’t know. He’s a great guy. He really is.”
Ava’s eyes turned to saucers.
“What? Don’t look so shocked. He’s a nice guy. And God knows I haven’t had sex in forever.”
“Oh no. Professor West.”
“Well, obviously I’d rather have sex with him. But maybe that’s all it is. Maybe I’m just really sexually frustrated, and my attraction to Caine is only physical.”
“No, Rachel. Professor West.” She motioned to the other side of the bar. “He came for you.”
Unfortunately, I was lost in my little alcohol-marinated brain and not paying attention. I hadn’t even realized she was actually pointing to something…or someone. In fact, I thought we were still having the same conversation.
“He’d better come for me. It may have been almost a year, but I think I still know how to use my vagina.” I paused. “Do you think my vagina is re-virginized from not having sex for so long?”
I brought my drink to my lips and closed my eyes as I tipped my head back to finish it. When I opened them, I thought I was dreaming. In fact, I was certain of it. I blinked a few times to snap myself out of it.
Caine did that stupid sexy lip twitch thing as he stood next to our table. “Still here.”
Ava was a traitor. Caine asked her if he could have a few minutes alone with me, and I’d said no at the same exact time she said yes. She’d shot me a warning look before promptly slipping from our table to make room for Caine.
“What are you doing here?” I scowled.
“Making sure I’m the only man you talk to about coming while you’re in this intoxicated state.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “Davis wants me.”
The muscle in Caine’s jaw ticked. “That’s nice. Who’s Davis?”
“My ex. Well…sort of. We had dinner tonight. He wants me back.”
“So that’s what this is about?”
“Well, it’s not about you,” I lied.
“Really? He sat back with an arrogant smirk. “Because it sounded on the phone like it was about me. Well, about Professor Tight Buns anyway.”
There was at least one good thing about alcohol; it kept me from flushing when I should have been embarrassed. In fact, it kept me from even realizing I should have been embarrassed.