Play - Scott Kylie - Страница 35
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“Can’t stop now.” He rested his forehead against mine. “We really fucking need to have sex, Anne.”
“Yes. But things don’t have to change if we start sleeping together.”
“They don’t?”
“No. It’ll be fine.” God didn’t smite me. Who knew, it could even be the truth.
“Cool,” he said, cocky grin back in full force. He held one big hand aloft, waiting for me to high-five him. “Damn, we’re good.”
I slapped our palms together, before slipping my fingers between his and holding on tight. “We so are.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
When it came to his parents’ visit, Mal went all out.
He threw on dry clothes and mopped out the bathroom while I hid in the tub behind the curtain. All in all, he got his parents out of the apartment quite quickly. I heard his mom asking about my decimated bed (because the bedroom doors were wide open too). Our on-and-off, real-and-fake relationship was slowly destroying my apartment and its contents. Though hopefully the water spillage hadn’t done too much damage.
Mal mumbled an explanation about the bed and his father changed the topic of conversation. What the hell had he told them? Now they probably thought I was some sort of sex fiend, knowing him. Though the real reason, that we’d been jumping on the bed like a pair of idiots, wasn’t something I wanted his parents knowing either.
I got dried and finished up the mopping. Fifteen minutes later Mal texted me.
Mal: Car will b there in 15
Anne: Where are we going?
Mal: Surprise
Anne: I don’t like surprises. Where are we going?
Anne: Answer me or I will hurt you while you sleep. I need to know what to wear etc
Mal: Wear nothing
Anne: …Try again
Mal: Restaurant in town. Wear a skirt
Mal: Plz?
Anne: Your wish is my command
Mal: HAHA I fucking wish
I stood on the curb, freezing my knees off in the bitter cold wind. Also panicking ever so slightly about what his parents would think of me, barely educated and broke. Then a sleek stretch limousine pulled up.
Oh, wow.
My eyes had to be as wide as the wheels. This was a first for me. I’d missed out on prom. I’d missed out on a lot of things. My first boyfriend had moved on to someone who had time to go to games and after-parties.
A young man in a snazzy gray suit and hat stepped out.
“Miss Rollins?” he asked.
“Yes.” I pulled open the door, eager to check out the inside. Then paused. “Crap. I was supposed to let you do that, wasn’t I?”
“That’s alright, miss.” He took up his position by the door, waiting for me to get in. Luckily my skirt went to my knees. Given the size of the vehicle, there wasn’t really any dainty way to make an entrance.
Glossy leather and a shining crystal decanter and glasses set greeted me. Talk about luxury. The limo dropped me at an up-market steak place in the Pearl District. We always seemed to end up in that part of town. I’d never been to the restaurant before, but I’d heard all about it. Once upon a time, Reece had taken a woman there in hopes of impressing her. It did the job. This place reeked of style, with its red booths and low lighting. Honestly, the lighting fixtures looked more like art installations. There were these giant, sparkly orb-type things. I really needed one for home just as soon as I made my first million.
I mentioned Mal’s name and the cool guy acting as the host gave me several once-overs. Though I guess after the first time, the look ceased to be a once-over and turned plain rude.
“Whenever you’re ready,” I said, not bothering with friendly.
Mal was sitting with his back to the room, his hair in a short ponytail. Asking him if his mom had made him tidy it up was tempting but in any teasing war of words, I usually wound up the loser. My nerves were frayed enough from meeting his parents so I kept my mouth shut and admired the cut of his cheekbones.
“Here she is.” The pride in Mal’s voice both startled and warmed me in turn. He slid out of the booth and put an arm around my waist. “Mom, Dad, this is Anne.”
Mal’s mom was petite and her smile lit up her entire face. Neil, Mal’s dad, stood at my approach. Tall with golden blond hair, he appeared to have Viking blood in him. It made sense once you’d seen the son.
“Lovely to meet you,” I said, trying my best to project bright, bubbly, trustworthy … shit like that. I’d never been introduced to a man’s parents before. Mal and I were forging new ground. Fingers crossed, I didn’t let him down.
His mom held her delicate hand out to me. The bones in her fingers felt fragile, obvious to the touch. “Hi, Anne. I’m Lori. And this is Neil. We’re so happy to meet you.”
“Hi, Lori. Nice to meet you too.”
Pleasantries done with, I slid into the booth, Mal following close behind me. His jeans-clad thigh pressed against the length of mine and a hand covered my bare knee. After dithering around in my wardrobe, I’d gone with a navy knit dress and ankle boots. A touch of conservative mixed in with a dash of ass kicking for good measure. Maybe it’d been a poor choice. What did I know about the families of rock stars? Neil wore a dress shirt and tie, Lori a white linen top and pants. I hadn’t exactly expected piercings and leather, but white linen? I’d have spilled something on myself within the first two minutes given the way my hands were shaking.
“Hey,” Mal said, leaning closer.
I definitely didn’t want to fuck this up, but a heavy lump of dread sat in my stomach. Things weren’t great with my own mother, so what were the chances I’d manage to charm his? My hands were clammy, sticky with sweat. Honestly, put me in a stressful situation and I could rival a rhino for perspiration issues. Assuming rhino’s had perspiration issues.
Mal laid a gentle kiss beneath my ear. “Breathe, pumpkin. All good.”
“Yep.” I gave him two thumbs up.
“Yeah, okay. Not good.” He looked around, held out a hand. A waiter rushed over. “Hi. Can you get her a … look, whatever you’ve got that’s potent, okay?”
“How about Rocket Fuel, sir?”
Mal clapped his hands together. “Why, that sounds delightful! Excellent, Rocket Fuel it is. Make it a double.”
The waiter’s eyes went wide. “Uh, yes, sir.”
Photos had been spread across the table, a veritable sea of blond-haired babies. Chubby faces and starfish hands were abundant. Lori gave me another warm smile. “These are all our grandchildren.”
“I didn’t realize Mal was an uncle.”
“Eight times over, sweetie.” His mother started pointing out faces, naming names. Given his three sisters were such prolific breeders I made a mental note to stock up on condoms. Wherever he and I were at, we definitely weren’t ready for Mal Junior, despite his joking. I didn’t even know if I wanted to have children. They fell firmly under the ‘maybe someday’ label.
Lori’s anecdotes about her grandchildren saw us right through ordering and dinner. She talked while we all ate. Sips of Rocket Fuel loosened me up considerably. So far as I could taste, it consisted of every kind of white liquor with a dash of lemonade. The drink should probably be either illegal or set on fire to burn off some of the alcohol. I laid off it after an inch or two, leaving it for Mal. He stole from my plate and sipped from my drink and I loved it, the intimacy and sense of togetherness. It probably was just plain old thievery but the way he did it, fake distracting me with a smile or wink, made the game worthwhile.
I was so easy for him.
“So you have three older sisters,” I said. “You know, I can definitely see you as the youngest child.”
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