clothes and shoes, except for my underwear, which was nowhere to be found. Movement from one of the bodies in the bed propelled me out the door without them and without Cherise. Easing the door closed, I winced at the chill of the wet concrete under my feet.
It had rained last night, the type of rain that left everything fresh and clean, or as fresh and clean as Houston ever got. That only made me feel worse. Hell, from the sound of it even the fucking birds were happy.
I eased down the stairs to the sidewalk while rubbing my aching head and wondering where the hell I’d parked my car. Disengaging the alarm helped me find it. I gave a prayer of thanks I hadn’t wrecked it or killed someone, because I’d been in no shape to drive last night.
I’d never been so relieved to be home. I locked the door and turned off the phone’s ringer, then stripped and showered. I’d have to take my clothes to the basement laundry room later today. I didn’t feel right washing those clothes in my mother’s washer. I was too embarrassed to see her right now anyway, or my dad.
By the time I climbed out of the shower, all the hot water was gone, but I didn’t feel much better. I brushed my teeth three times, gargled twice, then threw on some pajama bottoms Mom had gotten me for Christmas. Under the cool, clean sheets of my own bed, I stretched out and tried to force myself to sleep. It was almost impossible with the scratches on my back stinging and a raging hangover. It only got worse as more bits and pieces of last night came back to me, and I realized just how far down I’d let Cherise drag me. Yeah, I knew I’d let her. I was just as responsible as her.
And no, hell no, I didn’t feel bad for leaving Cherise behind. She was a big girl and could take care of herself, probably better than I could. Okay, I felt a little bad after the fact, but all I’d been able to think about was getting the hell out of that hotel room.
I’d just dozed off when a pounding at the door had me grumpily sliding from the bed. In my disoriented, half-asleep, blind-from-late-morning-sunshine state, I hadn’t even figured out who it was when they pushed their way inside, hollering at the top of their lungs. “Man, where the fuck you been? You don’t call, you don’t write? What’s a brother gotta do?”
Kevin.
Fatigue, a hangover, and remorse weighing heavily on me, I slumped against the wall and pushed the door closed. Rubbing my eyes, I forced myself to focus on my friend.
Kevin headed for the couch, his mouth working nonstop. “Fuckin’ even your mama don’t know where you are anymore. Not that she’d tell me if she did. She hates my ass.” His grin slowly disappeared as he looked me over.
I shuffled into the living room behind him and pretty much fell into the leather easy chair, at a loss for words. “I think I’m in trouble,” I muttered.
“Well you look like shit. What’d that white chick do to you?”
“She’s a fucking freak. A major freak,” I croaked, sinking deeper in the chair, “and, apparently, so am I.”
“Aw hell,” he drawled. He sat up and propped his elbows on his knees, ready to hear every dirty detail.
“Be right back.” I got us both a Coke from the fridge and three ibuprofen for my head, then filled him in on just how far I’d sunk. By the time I finished, it even sounded bad to me. Worse than bad. Though I wasn’t really sure what qualified as worse than bad.
“You had sex with three other people? With another man ?” Seeing Kevin speechless was almost worth my misery.
“Four,” I said hoarsely, part of me glad I couldn’t remember everything that had happened the previous night. “And technically I just had sex with another man in the room .” With another man’s wife and probably another woman.
Kevin burped, excused himself, and then scrubbed at his forehead with the palm of his hand before smoothing it across his bald head. A sure sign of frustration. “I don’t know
It had rained last night, the type of rain that left everything fresh and clean, or as fresh and clean as Houston ever got. That only made me feel worse. Hell, from the sound of it even the fucking birds were happy.
I eased down the stairs to the sidewalk while rubbing my aching head and wondering where the hell I’d parked my car. Disengaging the alarm helped me find it. I gave a prayer of thanks I hadn’t wrecked it or killed someone, because I’d been in no shape to drive last night.
I’d never been so relieved to be home. I locked the door and turned off the phone’s ringer, then stripped and showered. I’d have to take my clothes to the basement laundry room later today. I didn’t feel right washing those clothes in my mother’s washer. I was too embarrassed to see her right now anyway, or my dad.
By the time I climbed out of the shower, all the hot water was gone, but I didn’t feel much better. I brushed my teeth three times, gargled twice, then threw on some pajama bottoms Mom had gotten me for Christmas. Under the cool, clean sheets of my own bed, I stretched out and tried to force myself to sleep. It was almost impossible with the scratches on my back stinging and a raging hangover. It only got worse as more bits and pieces of last night came back to me, and I realized just how far down I’d let Cherise drag me. Yeah, I knew I’d let her. I was just as responsible as her.
And no, hell no, I didn’t feel bad for leaving Cherise behind. She was a big girl and could take care of herself, probably better than I could. Okay, I felt a little bad after the fact, but all I’d been able to think about was getting the hell out of that hotel room.
I’d just dozed off when a pounding at the door had me grumpily sliding from the bed. In my disoriented, half-asleep, blind-from-late-morning-sunshine state, I hadn’t even figured out who it was when they pushed their way inside, hollering at the top of their lungs. “Man, where the fuck you been? You don’t call, you don’t write? What’s a brother gotta do?”
Kevin.
Fatigue, a hangover, and remorse weighing heavily on me, I slumped against the wall and pushed the door closed. Rubbing my eyes, I forced myself to focus on my friend.
Kevin headed for the couch, his mouth working nonstop. “Fuckin’ even your mama don’t know where you are anymore. Not that she’d tell me if she did. She hates my ass.” His grin slowly disappeared as he looked me over.
I shuffled into the living room behind him and pretty much fell into the leather easy chair, at a loss for words. “I think I’m in trouble,” I muttered.
“Well you look like shit. What’d that white chick do to you?”
“She’s a fucking freak. A major freak,” I croaked, sinking deeper in the chair, “and, apparently, so am I.”
“Aw hell,” he drawled. He sat up and propped his elbows on his knees, ready to hear every dirty detail.
“Be right back.” I got us both a Coke from the fridge and three ibuprofen for my head, then filled him in on just how far I’d sunk. By the time I finished, it even sounded bad to me. Worse than bad. Though I wasn’t really sure what qualified as worse than bad.
“You had sex with three other people? With another man ?” Seeing Kevin speechless was almost worth my misery.
“Four,” I said hoarsely, part of me glad I couldn’t remember everything that had happened the previous night. “And technically I just had sex with another man in the room .” With another man’s wife and probably another woman.
Kevin burped, excused himself, and then scrubbed at his forehead with the palm of his hand before smoothing it across his bald head. A sure sign of frustration. “I don’t know
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