Chapter 49

I woke up with a blinding headache the next morning. Nauseated, I could just barely sit up without vomiting. I couldn’t even remember what happened the night before after I started using the barf bag.

Groaning, I looked at my phone. 10:30 a.m. Shit.

I was so late. The last time I was late was when my apartment flooded, and Arthur didn’t take it too well then. He certainly wouldn’t take a hangover from my best friend’s birthday party as a better excuse.

I checked my notifications. I already had four texts and two missed calls from Arthur. I would have so much explaining to do when I got to work.

I shot Arthur a quick text.

I’ll be there ASAP.

He replied inhumanly fast.

Please hurry. I’m lost without you.

It was a bit endearing and unnerving at the same time. I was used to having people depend on me—Bob’s family had piled all the housework on me all the time—but I wasn’t used to people actually admitting that they needed me. It was a new kind of pressure, but it also felt good to have my contributions acknowledged.

I rolled over onto my back and flung my arm out. Instead of hitting my soft mattress, I smack the firm flesh of another body.

My nausea and throbbing head suddenly my second biggest concern, I flipped over as quickly as I could only to find myself face-to-face with Barnett Cogsworth.

“Good morning,” he said with a half-sleepy, half-cocky smile on his face.

Oh God, I thought as I lay there, too stunned to respond. Oh God, oh God, oh God.

“Are you all right?” he asked, his look suddenly one of concern.

“Uh…yeah, just have a headache and some nausea, that’s all,” I said, trying to buy myself some time as I tried to figure everything out.

Barnett reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

“You should rest.”

I cringed as my temple throbbed.

“No…I need to go to work…”

“I’ll call Arthur and explain to him—”

“No!”

I blushed as I realized how sharply that came out, but I couldn’t let Barnett call Arthur for me. Then it would look like…I internally groaned as I realized that it would look like exactly what had happened: we had slept together.

“I will explain to him that you’re not feeling well and that Lily asked me to look in on you,” Barnett continued.

“I already told him that I’d be in ASAP—”

“And I’ll say that you were just too hopeful.”

I sighed. He really did have an answer for everything.

“Do you have any other clients scheduled for today?” he asked.

“No. I didn’t want to do anyone the day after Lily’s party, but Arthur insisted.”

Barnett’s jaw clenched at the mention of Arthur’s insistence, but he relaxed again almost as quickly.

“Smart. I’ll go make this call and be right back.”

I watched him slide out of bed, naked, and strut out of the room with his phone to his ear. I couldn’t help but watch his ass until it disappeared down the hall. Visions of last night’s love-making flashed through my mind, warming my cheeks, neck, and ears.

It was like everything out of my dreams and more—so much more.

I saw Barnett as he stripped his clothes off, slowly, doing a strip tease for me. Too impatient to wait, my hands went to his pants, as though of their own volition, and fumbled with his belt and zipper. As soon as his clothes were off, we worked on mine…

In another flash, all our clothes were off, and I knelt on the bed with Barnett standing in front of me. I kissed his neck, then his shoulders, his pecs, down his abs, and to the “V” of his hips. I nuzzled his member before taking it in my mouth…

Now, I saw Barnett push me back onto the bed. He touched his nose to mine and whispered against my lips, though I could not tell what he was saying. He pressed his lips to mine, snaking his tongue into my mouth as his member entered me.

My groin moistened as fragments of memory rushed back to me. I clutched the blankets and brought them up over my chest. It was as perfect as I could have imagined it, if only I could remember all of it.

Yet the one thing I knew it lacked was a condom. I didn’t have any in my house—why would I when I never had any men over?—and I didn’t think that Barnett had any on him. I knew that I should ask him, but the very thought churned my stomach.

Then there was—whatever this was going on between Barnett and me. I couldn’t let Barnett think that there could be anything romantic between us, not when I had an expiration date stamped on my forehead. But how could I get out of this without telling him about my diagnosis?

All too soon, he came back into the room.

“All right, that’s taken care of. He seemed surprisingly understanding—what’s wrong, Anna? Why are you crying?”

Startled, I lifted my fingers to my cheeks. I pulled them back to find that I had, indeed, been crying. I quickly wiped the tears away with the palms of my hands.

“It’s nothing,” I lied. “My head just really hurts, is all.”

“Oh. Well, let me go fix you something light to eat and get you some aspirin—”

“No. No, that’s not necessary, Barnett.”

I took a deep breath and steeled myself for what I was about to say.

“Look, I appreciate everything you’re doing for me, and I really appreciate you keeping me company last night, but I would rather act like nothing happened. I’m not looking for anything long-term right now, so I think that it would be for the best, for both of us.”

For a minute, I didn’t look at him, waiting for the worst. When nothing happened, I forced myself to turn his way.

His entire features had gone dark. Every one of his muscles clenched, and his eyes flashed dangerously. His fists furled so tightly that his knuckles paled.

“Fine,” Barnett spat.

He stormed around the room and started throwing on his clothes haphazardly.

“Fine. If that’s the way you want it, we’ll just act like we didn’t sleep together. Have it your fucking way, Anna.”

“Barnett—”

“No.” I could see the hurt in his eyes and hear it in his voice, but there was nothing I could say or do that would ease it now. “Just don’t even start.”

He dressed in his pants and undershirt, tucking his suit jacket under his arm and wrapping his tie around his hand. Then he slipped on his socks and shoes.

“Have a nice life, Anna.”

Barnett rushed out of my room quicker than I could respond. Before I knew it, the front door had slammed shut.

I stared at the spot on the bed where Barnett had been lying not fifteen minutes ago. I collapsed onto it and began to weep. Surely, our friendship was now ruined.