Cheaters Anonymous (11 page)

“Brad? What are you doing here?” I asked, trying to remember whether he lived in the area. My apartment wasn’t far from my old neighborhood and was about a thirty-minute walk from Huntington Hospital, where I worked.

“Small world. I guess we don’t live that far apart from each other.”

Lowering my leg off the bench I asked warily, “Do you run here often?” Was it odd that I’ve been here at least three times per week, and hadn’t seen him before now?

“Just started recently.”

How recently? And why did I get the feeling that our meeting wasn’t one of chance?

“Oh, well, I should get going. I have plans with my sister, and she’s waiting for me,” I blabbered. Of course it was a lie that I had plans with Zoey – she was probably still in bed and would remain there until at least noon. But at that moment, all I wanted was to get away, and I didn’t even know why.

“I’m actually glad I ran into you. I wanted to apologize for the past weekend. I had a few drinks and was a dick.”

I couldn’t argue with that. “No apologies needed, Brad. No harm done.”

“Well, when you upset a lady the way I upset you, they are needed. I want to make it up to you.”

“Really, there’s no need.”

Actually, I should have said that I didn’t want to run into him again, ever, but I was afraid that would only give him unnecessary ammunition. And the last thing an unstable person like Brad needed was a loaded gun.

“I must insist.”

How did he get so close to me again?

Okay, let me try a different approach.
“Well, then, whatever way you’re thinking of making up to me, it would have to be for three people. I’m dating Scar now.”

That, of course was only partly true, because we had agreed to wait until after the weekend to finalize our decision. Yet at that moment, I wanted nothing more than Scar at my side, as my boyfriend and protector, so that he could ruin Brad’s nose job all over again if there was a need. I knew how to throw a punch, but I was afraid it would be my hand breaking against any part of Brad’s body before he even bruised. And I really needed my hands functional for my job. Where were those CSI guys when you needed them?

Brad had a weird look in his eyes, as if perhaps the mention of a man who’d broken his nose meant nothing.

“He was supposed to meet me here, but he got a business call,” I added.

“Then I’m a lucky man that he got that call.”

Oh, I so didn’t like this. I was sure if I said,
“Get the fuck away from me,”
he still wouldn’t get the hint. This surprising reunion was giving me the creeps. Before I could turn away, Brad reached for me and touched my shoulder. I jumped up, ready to scream, but he lifted his hands in the air in a defensive position.

“Whoa! Relax, Julia. I just wanted to ask you if tomorrow night would work. I doubt I’ll get a chance to run into a beautiful woman like you again.”

I wanted to believe that this meeting was innocent, but it was more likely I’d hear truth in a politician’s campaign promise. If I never saw Brad again, I’d have to check my ass to see if someone stuck a horseshoe there. Because honestly, at this point luck had totally abandoned me. And wasn’t he supposed to be engaged? The weird vibes coming from Brad were off the charts.

“Where’s your fiancée?” I asked. “Wouldn’t she be jealous of you hitting on other women?”

“Is that what you think I’m doing?” he laughed. “Sweetheart, I don’t need to hit on women who don’t give a fuck about me. Most of them drop on their knees to suck me off without having to ask.”

What the hell?
His foul mouth sent the nerves tingling over my nape and I stepped back.

“Then I guess your fiancée must be very proud of you.”

“We have an open relationship.”

Translation:
I do whatever I want.

“Look, I may be blunt saying this, but nothing would make me happier if I never saw you again. Forget about the weekend or any kind of offense you think you may have caused. I’m not interested. Let’s just forget about it and move on.”

Darkness shadowed his eyes. They sparked with anger and disappointment before turning to determined vengeance. Now I really wished that Scar was here.

“You work at Huntington Hospital, don’t you?”

“Yes, how...”

“I found one of your business cards by the booth at the club, but you were already gone.” I remembered dropping my purse that night and spilling its contents onto the floor. Unfortunately his explanation did nothing to relieve the anxiety I was feeling inside. Brad was as creepy as they got.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t accept any patients. It’s on an emergency walk-in basis only.”

Though I was pretty sure Brad would benefit from mental treatment, I didn’t even want to keep in touch with him to recommend one.

“Understandable. So, maybe we could make it up sometimes?”

Couldn’t this guy take no for an answer? “Like I said, I don’t think that’s such a great idea.”

“Oh, come on. A friendly dinner wouldn’t hurt. I’m sure we can find some time when Scar is working and get together.”

I don’t think so.
Was he actually asking me to cheat on my boyfriend who wasn’t even my boyfriend?

“I think I’d better leave before I say or do something we both will regret.”

“Listen, bitch.” He grasped me by my wrist tightly enough that I felt its burn. “I’m just trying to be nice, and you’re making it very difficult. What will it take for you to agree to a coffee at least?”

Definitely not this.
If I were smart, I’d have taken the self-defense class my sister joined a year ago and squished Brad’s balls into an omelet. Or maybe I should have re-watched that episode of CSI where the kick-ass agent flipped the suspect onto his back.

“Go to hell.” I bared my teeth, hoping to somehow scare him off, but from the look in his eyes, I doubted there was much in this world Brad was afraid of.

“Only if you join me there,” he winked.

I ripped my hand away from his and set off running. Looking back once in a while like that girl in
Scream
everyone knew would eventually be killed, I made sure he didn’t follow me. There was no way I would run in this park again; at least not on my own. I had a bad feeling about Brad, and most of all, I was afraid that this wouldn’t be the last time I saw him.

C
HAPTER
10

My legs were already aching so much that I knew I’d have a difficult time walking the next day. When I got home, Zoey was sitting on the couch, eating a tub of ice cream. It was way too early for her to be up. I looked over my sister’s somber face. Her shoulders slouched and lip curled. Whoever had pissed in her morning cereal, they put her in such a mood that it would take a tug boat to pull her out. In the afternoons Zoey usually disappeared to do whatever it was Zoey did, which probably included another guy. I was beginning to worry about her, and promised myself to have the chat with her that my mother should have had a long time ago. I grabbed a spoon from the kitchen drawer and plopped down at her side, digging into the partially melted cookie dough ice cream.

“How are you?” I asked.

“What? Fine.” She shrugged. “You stink of sweat.”

“I was out on a run. Maybe you should join me sometime.”

She shrugged again. Yup, actually, it would take at least ten trucks to drag out whatever was bothering her.

“Zoey, I know I’ve been busy, but I’m here for you. For whatever you need. I can ask around the hospital for a job...”

“I’m not going to work at the hospital.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Did Mom put you up to this?” She held her body more defensively when all I wanted to do was hug her..

Zoey hadn’t been getting along with Mom for the past month or so. Whatever was happening between them, it wasn’t good. I for one was happy that Sid, Mom’s husband, had gotten a job in New York around the same time I did, and they moved to Long Island with us. It gave us a chance to be closer. After nearly causing their break up six years ago, when I’d asked Scar to tempt Mom to cheat on Sid, I felt guilty and was now her current husband’s biggest supporter. While they had no clue that I was the one who had put Scar up to the task (he’d paid his brother Ace to kiss Mom when Sid walked in on them), I would never forgive myself. It was selfish and silly. I should have let them be, and now nothing made me happier than knowing she’d finally found the one man who was worthy of her.

“No, she didn’t. What’s going on with you? Are you and Mom still fighting?”

“Yes. I feel like she’s constantly breathing down my neck about getting a new job.” She twisted uncomfortably in her seat.

Well, there goes my conversation about Zoey finding a new job.

But I had to at least try.

“How is the job hunt going? You have a unique career as a dancer. I know it can’t be easy,” I asked.

She jabbed her spoon into the ice cream as if it were some sort of a hatchet, set the tub aside, and lowered her head into her hands, “Please, Jules. I don’t need another lecture. And I don’t want Mom’s money to pay for a studio.”

“Then let me help. I owe you.”

I’d used a good chunk of my inheritance to pay for med school, and Zoey had used hers to pay off a debt that I couldn’t, thereby saving my life.

“You owe me nothing, Jules. I would do it all over again if I had to.”

I loved her so much. If it wasn’t for Zoey, my body would have been used and abused until this day, and even if I wanted to change my lifestyle, I wouldn’t be able to. The kind of men I worked for should have only existed in nightmares. Zoey had paid them off. So yeah, I did owe her, way more than I’d ever be able to repay.

“Besides, I want to prove that I can survive on my own. At least until Mom admits that she’s wrong.”

“Wrong about what?”

“About the guy I’m seeing.”

“You’re seeing someone? How long has that been going on?”

Had I really been that lost in my own work and life that I hadn’t noticed my sister dating someone seriously?

“Four weeks, and I really don’t want to tell you who because I can’t lose you too.”

Four weeks?
All this time I’d thought Zoey was meeting different guys, she’d stayed with one? I felt pride bubble up inside me. This had to be the longest relationship Zoey had ever had. I wasn’t sure whether I should be more excited by the fact that she wasn’t sleeping around and switching boyfriends, or the fact that my flesh and blood had been able to sustain a relationship this long. At least one of us could.

“Zoey, I’m so happy for you. And I can’t believe you haven’t told me before!” I threw my arms around her, hoping to squeeze a bit of that misery out.

“Oh, please. You’re forgetting that I know you better than anyone else, Jules. You don’t do relationships. This is not something I could share with you. I know how hard you’ve worked to overcome your... issues.”

I was grateful she mentioned my sex addiction so discreetly.

“Yeah, but it doesn’t mean that I can’t be happy for you. Are you really not going to tell me who it is?”

“No.”

“Which means that I know him.” My eyes grew wider. “Oh, my God! You’ve got to tell me now.”

I reached for her midriff and began tickling her. During the past year, when it came to men, I felt like I was the older and wiser of the two of us simply because I chose to stay away from them; but at times like this, it didn’t matter. I wanted her happy, and this was one of the ways to make my older sister laugh and smile.

“Stop, please!”

“Not until you tell me.”

“Look, I know you’re smart and all, but please. Let this one go. You wouldn’t like the answer.”

I stopped. “Okay, I will. For now.”

She seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, and out of nowhere spurted, “Let’s go out this weekend. Just you and me and a lot of alcohol.”

“Zoey, you know I’m working.”

“You’re working during the day. The party is at night. There’s this dance club, Kissed, I’ve been dying to go to.”

I sighed. Maybe it was a good idea. It would let me reconnect with her, and then maybe she’d trust me enough to tell me who she was dating. And it could possibly make time pass quicker until I could see Scar again on Monday. I hadn’t seen him in two days, and it felt like months. This time away from each other to think about “us” sucked.

“Okay, I’ll go. But we can’t stay past midnight. Otherwise I’ll need to hook my body up to an intravenous machine filled with coffee.”

“I love it when you talk doctor.” She rolled her eyes. “Jules, the party doesn’t even start until then,” she whined.

“Zoey, I need to be conscious the next day.”

“Fine. Wear something sexy. We’ll dance until you drop. By the way, a package came for you this afternoon. It’s in your bedroom.”

“From who?”

“I don’t know. No return address. It’s in your room.”

“Okay.” I dropped my ice cream spoon into the sink and yelled over my shoulder “I’ll meet you for dinner.”

“Sure.”

Curious about the delivery, I went upstairs. Once I sat down on my bed, I ripped open the attached envelope. My fingers weren’t moving fast enough, and a paper cut sliced into my thumb. On the inside of the card I read the inscription:

Jules,

You asked how we keep satisfied before we decide if it’s the right time to be together. Let’s start with this. Hopefully I can replace it with my tongue soon enough.

Scar

Now he really had me intrigued. I pulled on the purple bow and opened the box.

“Holy shit!”

Snuggled in a plush compartment was a rectangular vibrator that reminded me too much of a pad. The silicone felt light and fit in the palm of my hand. Its exterior was soft to the touch, like velvety rubber, and very expensive. Other than my pocket rocket, I had never used vibrators before. My body heated as the first sign of lust swirled inside me.

My phone buzzed and I almost dropped the new toy.

Scar:
Did you get it?

Julia:
Yes *blushing*