Picking Up the Pieces (6 page)

The fuck you are.
“Is Tyler here?” I had to know what was going on with this kid. There were pictures scattered around the apartment of a boy. Some of the pictures even had Marnie in them. So she definitely had a son. But where the hell was he?

“Of course.
He’s in there.” She gestured toward one of the closed doors with her head, nearly throwing herself off balance.

“With the babysitter?”

“No, I sent her home.” Marnie began to stumble toward me, her shoulder still resting against the wall. She reminded me of the scary little girl in
The Ring.

“When?
I didn’t see her leave.”

Marnie stopped suddenly, her face taking on a glint of anger.
Well, as angry as it could look considering how plastered she was. “I told you I was getting rid of her. As soon as I walked in, she went out the front door.”

“Marnie, listen to me.
I know that didn’t happen. I would’ve seen her. Is Tyler really here?” I became hyper-aware of my surroundings, my paternal instincts kicking in. Something was very wrong here.

“Why are you so worried about him?
He’s fine. He’s always fine. I’m sure he’s sleeping soundly in his room.”

Always fine?
Jesus Christ. I suddenly realized that this probably wasn't the first time this crazy bitch left her autistic kid alone in his room while she went out, got hammered, and propositioned a virtual stranger. As her fingers reached up toward her breast to fondle her nipples, I realized I'd had enough. “Um, I need to make a phone call. I just want to check on Eva. I’ll, uh, I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll be right here, wet and ready,” she cooed.

I dry heaved at the image her words conjured.
Practically running onto her back patio, I slid the door closed behind me and fished my cell phone out of my pocket.

“911.
What’s your emergency?”

“Yes, hi, I . . . there’s a woman . . . I’m at her house, and I think . . . Listen, she’s totally fucked up and you need to get someone out here.”
I had no idea how to describe what had occurred over the past ten minutes.

“Sir, is this an emergency?
We don’t have time for prank calls tonight.” The operator sounded annoyed and seemed unsure if she believed what I was saying.

That makes two of us, sweetheart.
“Trust me, it’s an emergency. She’s bleeding profusely, heavily intoxicated, and I’m pretty sure she locked her special needs son in his bedroom. Oh, and she’s completely naked.”

“What’s the address?”

I was momentarily stunned at how the operator doubted my initial request for help, but completely believed the incredulous tale I had just told.
Probably because you can’t make up shit like this.

I gave the operator the information and waited outside for the police to arrive.
I had told her that I was around the back of the building, so I wasn't surprised when, about five minutes later, I saw the movements of flashlight beams.

The cops sauntered up to me, and the larger of the two began speaking.
“You the one who called 911?”

I nodded.

“Okay, so what’s your story?”

“I don’t have a
story
, officers. Everything I told the operator is the complete truth.”

“Well, then why don’t you tell us what you told the operator.”

I recounted the events of the night, and I could tell from their expressions that they didn’t believe me. I didn’t blame them. I wish I didn’t have to believe me either.

“Alright, stay here.
We’ll go check it out.”

They disappeared into the house, and I let out a deep breath.
Thank God this was about to become someone else’s problem. I was going to kill Frank and Claire for setting me up with this piece of work.

The shorter officer came back outside about two minutes later looking frazzled.
“Okay, sir. You can head home now.”

That was it?
They didn’t need me to make a statement? Nothing? “You don’t need me to do anything else? You sure?”

“Sir,” the cop interrupted sternly,
“trust me. Do yourself a favor and get out of here as quickly as possible.” He then turned around and went back inside.

No need to tell me twice
. And as I sprinted to my car and peeled out of the parking lot, I gave serious thought to taking a vow of celibacy.

***

The phone only rang twice before I heard the familiar, gruff, “Hello.”

“I’m going to fucking murder you.
Like a real murder. One that involves waterboarding and pliers.”

“Adam?
How ya doin’, buddy? I guess your date didn’t go so well last night. What? She didn’t put out?”

“Are you kidding me?
Have you ever even met that headcase? She should be locked up in an asylum for the criminally insane.”

“You serious?
I met her once. She’s smoking hot. And she looks like she knows her way around a dick.”

“I bet she does.
Lots and lots of dicks would be my guess.” I recounted the story for Frank, who listened with rapt attention. When I finally finished, he remained silent for a few seconds.

“That’s it?” he asked.

“That’s it? What do you mean, ‘That’s it’? Haven’t you been listening? You set me up with a fucking sociopath.”

“I think that’s a little dramatic, don’t you?”

“Um, fuck no, I don’t think it’s dramatic. What the hell is the matter with you?” I was beginning to wonder if I was the crazy one.

“So, you didn’t fuck her at all?
You didn’t even get a blowjob out of her or anything?”

“You are frightening me on so many levels right now, I don’t even know what to say.”

“How about you say that the next time a naked chick throws herself at your cock, you’ll fucking act like a man and screw her brains out.”

“I . . . have you been evaluated?
Because you may really benefit from some professional help.”

Frank let out a guffaw.
“Maybe I can visit the same person Marnie’s going to be court-ordered to see after you got her busted by the fuzz.”

“You’re making it sound like I did something wrong here.
I possibly saved a child’s life last night. I’m a fucking hero.” Okay, I may have gotten a little ahead of myself with the hero comment.

“Hero my ass, pal.
You call me up, and instead of giving me the vital information, like if her pussy's shaved, you go on about how you walked away from a hot, naked woman because
she’s
the crazy one.”

“I need to hang up.”

“I swear, you could fuck up a wet dream.”

And on that note, I clicked the end button on my phone and slinked back into my desk chair.
As my head spun from everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours, I knew only one thing for sure:
I needed new friends.

Chapter 7: Max

I glanced over at my alarm clock for what felt like the five hundredth time. 5:34. God, why couldn’t I sleep? I rarely ever had issues nodding off, but the previous night I’d been restless.
Fuck it.
I rolled out of bed and started to put my running gear on.
May as well be productive.

             
I had hoped that the run would tire me out a little, but it only energized me more. Well, maybe it wasn’t exactly the running that had my adrenaline spiking. Maybe it was a certain person who I would be seeing in a little more than twelve hours. I muttered a curse under my breath as I thought about how much she was still able to affect me. I hadn’t even seen her yet, but the prospect of being physically close to her, being able to smell her scent, and look into those beautiful hazel eyes was making me feel shaky and manic. Memories of her ran through my mind like an X-rated slideshow: her big, perky, and perfectly round tits that fit in my hands as though they were made to be there; her sculpted legs wrapped hungrily around my waist; and her beautiful face
brightened with light freckles that lit up with every smile she threw in my direction.
Shit.

             
My legs shook
and my chest burned when I returned home an hour later. I stripped from my sweaty clothes as I climbed the stairs and headed for the shower, turning the nozzle all the way to the right. Frigid water was exactly what I needed to quell the burning heat that was blazing within me. I had to push this shit out of my mind. I couldn’t meet her tonight with all of this running through my brain. As I placed my palm on the wall beneath the showerhead
and exhaled a deep breath, I started to force myself to relax.

             
I hope she wears something tight.

             
Dammit.

***

When I arrived, I chose a seat at the bar. A table felt too intimate and I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. Even with my back to the door, I still couldn’t resist the urge to turn around and look at it every thirty seconds. I pushed my beer bottle back and forth between my hands on the bar impatiently, stopping to glance down at my large Bulova watch. It was still a few minutes before 6:00; she wasn’t late yet. But I was annoyed anyway. Why was I the only one who had cared enough to be early? Why did I care at all? Lily had ripped my heart out and stomped all over it. I didn’t owe her this meeting. And I especially didn’t owe her an apology. What had I been thinking?

             
Suddenly, my body tensed and my skin prickled. I knew that when I turned around, she’d be there. I cocked my head to the side, looking at her out of the corner of my eye. She scanned the bar and stopped on me, her lips lifting to a small smile. Shiny and perfect, her hair looked as though she had just stepped out of a shampoo commercial. A fitted purple CrossFit T-shirt formed snuggly to her body, and her jeans settled casually on her hips. Suddenly, my annoyance turned to anger. How dare she look so fantastic. I had been a mess for the past five months, and she looked like a fucking model.
If there had been any question as to whether or not I had meant a damn thing to her, that question had been answered. If anything, she looked better. I guess kicking me out of her life had done wonders for her.
Fuck this.
I quickly turned back toward the bar, not acknowledging her approach. Thank God I had the wherewithal to meet her in a bar. I held up my beer bottle to the bartender, signaling for another.

             
“Hey, Max. Have you been here long?”

             
“No, not long,” I said simply. She had been there five seconds and I was already being a dick. But I didn’t care. The bartender set the bottle in front of me and I brought it directly to my lips and took a swig.

             
“Anything for you, miss?” the bartender asked.

             
Lily looked over at me for a split second. When I didn’t make any move to look back at her, she replied, “Just water for right now.”

             
“Comin’ right up.”

             
“So, what’s been going on?” Lily asked, discomfort evident in her voice.

             
“Nothin’ much. Just figuring some things out. What about you? I didn’t know you did CrossFit," I said with a snort.

             
She looked confused for a minute before looking down at her shirt. “Oh, yeah, I started it over the summer. One of our coaches was in a competition in the city today. I came right from there.”

             
“Huh. I didn’t peg you for a trendy exerciser.”

             
“What does that mean exactly?” She narrowed her eyes at me, probably trying to figure out what the hell my problem was.

             
Truth be told,
I
wasn’t sure what my problem was. I had been excited, and somewhat nervous, to see her all day. But now that she was there, I was pissed off and edgy. “It’s such a fad. I didn’t think you’d be someone who would buy into the hype.”

             
“I’m not sure how something that has been around since 2000 and has millions of participants can be considered a fad.”

             
“I just hate all of those people who act like CrossFit is the best thing that’s ever been invented. Like anyone really cares how many burpees you can do or how much weight you can jerk.”

“
Speaking of jerks, I thought I told you not to be an asshole.”

             
“You told me to
try
not to be one.”

             
“What’s your problem? You tell me you want to meet up so you can apologize, and I agree only to show up and have you be a complete dick for no reason?” Her face flushed as anger started to flood into her.
Now
we were on a level playing field.

             
“I’m being a dick for voicing my opinions? Aren’t you a teacher? Shouldn’t you be encouraging people to speak their minds?”

             
“Oh, you want us to speak our minds? No problem, playboy. Just let me order a drink, and maybe dinner and dessert, since I’ll probably be here a while. I have
plenty
to say to you.” She motioned to the bartender and ordered a gin and tonic.

             
What a bitch!
She’d ordered that drink on purpose; I knew she had.

             
When the bartender set it down in front of her, she brought it up to her lips, but turned toward me before taking a sip. “What’s the matter, Max? Bring back memories?”

             
I was immediately transported back to the plane. Back to how good it had felt to touch her, hear her breathing quicken, watch her chest rise and fall. I had even been turned on when she’d told the flight attendant to ignore the drink I’d ordered for her and to bring a gin and tonic instead. She’d been so pigheaded. I knew right away that I had to have her. It was this memory that reminded me of how much I had loved her once. But the way she threw this memory in my face made me hate her in that moment. “No good ones,” I retorted bitterly.

             
Lily’s face showed no sign that my comment had stung her, but I knew it had. Because I knew
her
. Better than anyone.

             
“So, what did you tell loverboy you were doing tonight? Since I’m sure you haven't suddenly developed a penchant for truth-telling in the past five months, I bet you came up with something interesting.” I hadn’t even thought about Adam until this moment. I was sure they had worked things out, but I hadn’t dwelled on it. And I’d been so consumed with thoughts of her for the past couple of weeks, that he hadn’t sparked a single moment of brain activity. Until now. Because now, I was bordering on rage, and the thought of him with Lily amplified it. I was starting to feel like Carrie at the prom, capable of wiping out every living being in this bar if it would make me feel better.

             
She drew back a little at my comment, and stared at me as though she were trying to figure something out. “Why would I tell him anything?” I could hear the caution in her voice.

She’s probably worried I’m having us filmed so that I can send him the footage.
Damn. That actually would’ve been a good idea.
“I guess you wouldn’t. Lying by omission is probably preferable to lying outright.”

             
“He doesn’t care where I am, Max. I have no reason to lie. I haven’t even spoken to him since April.”

             
Wait . . . What did she just say?
“You’re not with Adam?” My question had sounded more eager than I’d meant for it to.

             
She shook her head slowly as her eyes bore into me.

             
“Oh,” I said flippantly. “I guess I just assumed you were still together.” I didn’t want her to know how thrown I was by this information. I wasn’t exactly sure how I felt about it, but I definitely felt something. Relief maybe?

             
“Why the hell would you assume that? After the shit you pulled, what would ever make you think that he’d want to see me again?” She leaned slightly toward me, making it clear that she had no intention of backing down.