to trap him in this lie without an excuse so that it would be easy to believe he was just a fake, a bastard pretending to be a good guy.
“I’ll give you that,” I had to concede before I moved on to the big issue. “But you also said it was a coincidence that we ended up at the club at the same time.”
I paused, waiting to see if he’d incriminate himself or lie again. He did neither.
“You knew I’d be there.” My voice grew tight as the betrayal cut through me again. “You knew because your employee, Jeff, told you that I would be. He told you because you hired him to stalk my roommate and use her to get to me.”
“Carrie, that’s not–”
I interrupted, my temper overcoming my logic as my hurt strengthened my anger. “It’s bad enough you kept tabs on me, but to have someone follow my friend and pretend to like her? They slept together, you know. You paid your employee to fuck my friend. Do you know what that makes you?”
“Hold on!” Gavin raised his voice, cutting off my tirade. “That’s not what happened.”
“So you’re calling Krissy a liar? Or was it just Jeff who’s lying?”
“No,” Gavin said. “That’s not – I mean...” He sighed. “I did have Jeff get to know Krissy and invite her to the Club. I asked him to suggest she bring you, but I never told him to sleep with her. In fact, I told him just the opposite. He could flirt, but he wasn’t supposed to have sex with her.”
“Excuse me if I don’t believe a word you say.” I pulled my legs up underneath me. Part of me wanted to curl up in a ball here on the couch and cry, but I couldn’t do that. Not until I knew the truth.
“Look, from the moment I met you at Huggins, I was drawn to you.” Gavin’s voice took on an almost desperate note. “I kept waiting for your call, and when you didn’t make one, I thought maybe I’d done something wrong. I got curious. I had to know more about you, find you so I could figure out what happened. I did go back to the bar to ask about you. It’s the truth. It wasn’t until after we went to lunch that I realized I had to be a bit more creative if I wanted to learn more about you. Getting Jeff to invite you both to the club seemed like a good idea at the time. It was stupid, I know, but I was desperate. I needed to know more.”
“So you hired someone to stalk my best friend?” I ignored the way my stomach squirmed when he talked about needing me.
“What better way to get to know someone than to talk to the person who knows them best?”
That was actually pretty smart, I thought.
“I’m so sorry, Carrie. And please tell Krissy that I never meant for her to get caught in this. It was just supposed to be a few drinks. I didn’t know Jeff was going to sleep with her.”
That wasn’t going to happen. “You’re going to have to make right with her on your own. I’m not playing your go-between.”
“Fair enough,” Gavin said. His voice softened. “Please believe me, Carrie. I just wanted to see you, to get to know you. I was an idiot who went way too far, but I get...obsessive when there’s something I want. And I want you.”
I swallowed hard as my body responded to his words. I wanted him too. Badly. But could I trust him? Trust wasn’t really an issue for a fling, but if it was ever going to be anything more than that one time – okay, technically two times – I had to know that he was being honest with me.
“You lied.”
He was silent for a moment. “No more lies. I swear. Please, forgive me. Let me see you again. I promise to make it up to you.” He sounded more insecure than I’d have thought possible. “Forgive me.”
I wanted to, and the words were on the tip of my tongue to say. Just a few little words and I could be with him. But my heart still stung with his betrayal, and no matter how good he was in bed, or how enamored with him I was, it wasn’t enough to soothe the pain.
“I don’t think I can.”
I hung up before he could plead his
“I’ll give you that,” I had to concede before I moved on to the big issue. “But you also said it was a coincidence that we ended up at the club at the same time.”
I paused, waiting to see if he’d incriminate himself or lie again. He did neither.
“You knew I’d be there.” My voice grew tight as the betrayal cut through me again. “You knew because your employee, Jeff, told you that I would be. He told you because you hired him to stalk my roommate and use her to get to me.”
“Carrie, that’s not–”
I interrupted, my temper overcoming my logic as my hurt strengthened my anger. “It’s bad enough you kept tabs on me, but to have someone follow my friend and pretend to like her? They slept together, you know. You paid your employee to fuck my friend. Do you know what that makes you?”
“Hold on!” Gavin raised his voice, cutting off my tirade. “That’s not what happened.”
“So you’re calling Krissy a liar? Or was it just Jeff who’s lying?”
“No,” Gavin said. “That’s not – I mean...” He sighed. “I did have Jeff get to know Krissy and invite her to the Club. I asked him to suggest she bring you, but I never told him to sleep with her. In fact, I told him just the opposite. He could flirt, but he wasn’t supposed to have sex with her.”
“Excuse me if I don’t believe a word you say.” I pulled my legs up underneath me. Part of me wanted to curl up in a ball here on the couch and cry, but I couldn’t do that. Not until I knew the truth.
“Look, from the moment I met you at Huggins, I was drawn to you.” Gavin’s voice took on an almost desperate note. “I kept waiting for your call, and when you didn’t make one, I thought maybe I’d done something wrong. I got curious. I had to know more about you, find you so I could figure out what happened. I did go back to the bar to ask about you. It’s the truth. It wasn’t until after we went to lunch that I realized I had to be a bit more creative if I wanted to learn more about you. Getting Jeff to invite you both to the club seemed like a good idea at the time. It was stupid, I know, but I was desperate. I needed to know more.”
“So you hired someone to stalk my best friend?” I ignored the way my stomach squirmed when he talked about needing me.
“What better way to get to know someone than to talk to the person who knows them best?”
That was actually pretty smart, I thought.
“I’m so sorry, Carrie. And please tell Krissy that I never meant for her to get caught in this. It was just supposed to be a few drinks. I didn’t know Jeff was going to sleep with her.”
That wasn’t going to happen. “You’re going to have to make right with her on your own. I’m not playing your go-between.”
“Fair enough,” Gavin said. His voice softened. “Please believe me, Carrie. I just wanted to see you, to get to know you. I was an idiot who went way too far, but I get...obsessive when there’s something I want. And I want you.”
I swallowed hard as my body responded to his words. I wanted him too. Badly. But could I trust him? Trust wasn’t really an issue for a fling, but if it was ever going to be anything more than that one time – okay, technically two times – I had to know that he was being honest with me.
“You lied.”
He was silent for a moment. “No more lies. I swear. Please, forgive me. Let me see you again. I promise to make it up to you.” He sounded more insecure than I’d have thought possible. “Forgive me.”
I wanted to, and the words were on the tip of my tongue to say. Just a few little words and I could be with him. But my heart still stung with his betrayal, and no matter how good he was in bed, or how enamored with him I was, it wasn’t enough to soothe the pain.
“I don’t think I can.”
I hung up before he could plead his
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