"You’ll meet him soon," he said wryly. "You’ll understand then."
"Not sure that worked as a deterrent," Jen retorted with a grin.
He snorted. "If you could see how starstruck you look right now..."
"She’s weird, isn’t she?" Jen teased. "Who on earth gets a lady boner over the—" Her voice lowered. "—Irish Mob?"
I elbowed her in the side. "Fuck off."
"There’ll be none of that in these heels." She arched her foot beneath the glass table and pouted. "To think, I bought new Louboutins to impress the fucker and he isn’t going to show."
"Aren’t they expensive?" Aidan asked with a frown that had the waitress’s arm jolting and rattling the tray as she served us our drinks.
"They are," she confirmed, after he’d asked the server to bring another glass over to the table.
"So, let me see if I get your logic. You’re about to be fined, what is it? Seventy? Eighty grand? And you go and spend two grand on a pair of shoes."
Jen clucked her tongue. "But the shoes do wonders for my ass, and that might have made him lower the settlement. Hence they’d have been a smart investment."
Aidan rolled his eyes. "What kind of ass-backward logic is that?"
"You’ve never appreciated my butt," Jen sniped. "So you wouldn’t get it."
At their bickering, I chuckled. "Are you two always like this?" Christ, no wonder Aidan didn’t have the hots for Jen.
"Mostly always," Jen said with a pout. "It sucks as well, because he’s Finn’s best friend and I’m Aoife’s. We’re also their kid’s godparents, not that I’d wish that dire fate on any child but she trusts me for some reason." Jen folded her arms across her chest. "Aoife makes us go into the kitchen to get away from him, which is really bad for me because she bakes like she’s the star of a wet dream."
"She’s the star of Finn’s wet dreams," Aidan pointed out dryly as he poured himself a measure of whiskey.
"Yeah, they’re so in love it’s sickening."
I cackled. "Well, that’s nice."
She pulled a face. "It is actually." Her sigh was a lot more poignant than I thought she knew. "If you two are a thing now... and let’s face it, after that entrance, I’m not sure anyone in Manhattan can think otherwise, you’ll get to meet her. She’s really cool. I’d have introduced you to her but Finn’s mean."
"He is?" He hadn’t been mean to me yesterday.
"No, he just can’t let any fucking waif and stray into his apartment because Jen’s got her panties in a bunch." Aidan took a deep sip of whiskey and I watched as the tension in his shoulders eased some.
I wanted to warn him that in the Twelve Steps, they told addicts not to imbibe any alcohol for fear of them getting hooked on that, but we’d already argued once today about his knee, and I didn’t want to compound that, especially not in public.
Deciding instead that I’d keep an eye on him, I watched his throat work as he swallowed, then cast a look at Jen who was eying the crowd, evidently on the hunt for her man.
No, I didn’t have any reason to be jealous, I recognized. They were more fraternal than anything else.
Because I really needed the bathroom, and because I wasn’t concerned about leaving them alone together, I said, "I’m just going to head to the restroom." I motioned at Jen to move, and she shuffled out from the table, revealing a dress so short she might as well have covered herself up with a handkerchief.
I was pretty sure her ex, if he did show up, would fuck her because that was what she was offering, but I didn’t think he’d lower the settlement. Why would he? Getting off wouldn’t change the fact his Ferrari was scratched. Still, I didn’t want to argue with her. She’d just call me a prude.
Again.
"I’ll come with," she declared, hooking my arm through hers. As we strode off together, she whispered, "Oh, my God, you two are so hot together."
Butterflies filled my stomach. "Right?"
"I can see why he’s fried your brain. At least he looks as intense as you so I don’t think you have any fear on that front." She shivered. "You strolled in like you owned the fucking place.
"Mind you, he probably does," Jen tacked on wryly, "but still, you don’t own Manhattan. Not yet. Not until Sr. dies." She shot me a quick glance as we ducked into the restroom where there was an attendant waiting with a smile. Jen ignored her and hauled me over to a corner where there was a vanity section. "You might want to reapply your lipstick. Did he kiss it off?"
"Sort of."
She sighed. "That’s hot." Her fingers drifted to my throat where a hickey still managed to peep through the layers of make-up I’d coated over it. "Nice concealer job."
Cautiously, I asked, "You jealous?"
"Maybe." She winked at me in the mirror to tell me she was joking. "Wouldn’t have warned you about the lipstick if I wanted to sabotage you though.
"I’m going to look forward to you bringing him to his knees. Aidan’s got a stick shoved so far up his ass, they could dangle him on the top of the White House as a flag."
"Nice imagery." I snickered.
She wafted a hand. "There’s never been anything between us," she reassured me, "but we’ve spent a lot of time together just because of Finn and Aoife."
I nodded. "I get it." And I did.
As I touched up my foundation and concealer, then added some balm to my lips, she asked, "You want to borrow my lipstick? It’d look awesome with the suit.
"Damn, you look hot tonight. I’m almost proud of you."
"Thanks, but no. I’m cool with the balm, especially if we’re going to eat."
"Do you think Aidan will cover the tab?"
"I’m pretty sure he will." I arched a brow, then tutted. "Jen, if money’s so damn tight, then why did you buy those shoes?"
"They were on credit," she defended. "Plus they might have saved me the costs of a court case.’
Rolling my eyes, I grumbled, "How are you a feminist?"
"I’m not against using men’s dicks against them. That, to me, is a form of feminism."
"More like misandry."
"Whichever way you call it, if they’re dumb enough to want to fuck me because I’m hot, then they’re dumb enough for me to manipulate."
"Ouch." I cast her a look, wondering if she recognized what she’d said there, how much she’d revealed about her relationships with men.
Jen had never known her dad because he’d run off while her mom was pregnant, but even if I hadn’t known about her past, I’d have understood everything then and there with that one declaration.
She didn’t respect the men she fucked, and they, in turn, didn’t respect her.
Wondering if she knew how toxic that was, I decided not to lecture her when she had a lot going on. Instead, I told her, "If Aidan doesn’t, I will, and if you promise not to waste the money on fucking shoes, I’ll lend you whatever you need. I keep offering, Jen, because you’re my friend, and I don’t want you to be concerned about bills or paying rent."