“Enough.” His voice is cold and firm, and now he is glaring at me. I turn away and smile when I see that Asher and Lila have their heads together, chatting.
“So, I’m Kate,” I say and hold my hand out to Asher, who shakes it with a smile. “But, I’m not telling you my last name, in case you really do want to arrest me.”
“Her name is Mary Katherine O’Shaughnessy,” Lila says. “Do you want her social security number?”
“How do you know my social security number?”
“I’m your person. If something happens to you, I have to know all your shit. Just like you know mine.”
“Oh, right. She’s my person,” I inform Eli, before I remember that I’m mad at him.
Even though being mad at him is stupid.
“Kate tells me that you and she had a thing going in college,” Asher says with a wink to me.
“We totally did,” Lila agrees. “You know how crazy college kids are.”
“The threesome only happened one time,” I add, and the look passes between Lila and me. You know, the one that BFF’s understand that says, play along.
“And we decided that we much preferred lesbian sex when it didn’t involve a man,” Lila says.
“Makes sense,” Asher says thoughtfully, and I hear a noise beside me. It’s Eli.
Laughing his ass off.
“Do you find threesomes funny?” I ask him.
“They can be,” he says, and wipes his eyes. “But I’m still laughing at your name. Mary Katherine? Really?”
“What’s wrong with my name?”
“It is kind of funny,” Lila says.
“Is that why Dec calls you Superstar?” Eli asks. “Because of Mary Katherine Gallagher on SNL?”
“Yes.” He’s totally killing my buzz.
“Fuck, that’s funny,” Eli says.
“That part is super funny,” Lila agrees.
“Okay, it’s kind of funny,” I say. My buzz is dying, it’s getting late, and now all I can think about is going to bed. “Will you please take me home?”
“Of course, cher.” Eli kisses my cheek and stands.
“Coming?” I ask Lila, who laughs at something Asher said that I couldn’t hear.
“I’m gonna have Asher take me home,” she says and smiles.
“Atta girl,” I say and high five her. I fish the key to my loft out of my small purse and hand it to her. “I brought the extra key for you. See you tomorrow.”
Then I point at Asher and make my serious face. “And, listen up, buddy. If you hurt her, I don’t care if you really are a cop, I’ll make your life hell. Okay?”
“Okay.” He nods sincerely, and I back away.
“Okay then.”
Eli leads me outside into the fresh, not-so-fresh, Bourbon Street air.
“Did you bring your car?” I ask. “’Cause it’s not far. We can walk.”
“We will drive, cher.”
He leads me to the car, gets me settled the way he always does, which always makes me feel special, then climbs in the other side.
“I’m not special,” I sigh, surprised when the words actually come out instead of stay in my head where they belong.
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing.” I shake my head, sober enough to know that I do not want to repeat that. “Are you really not interested in the threesome story?”
“Oh, I’m interested. I’m a man, Kate.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Okay, tell me.”
“It was fun,” I begin and smile at him. How long should I let this story go? “I mean, it’s hard to say no to any of you Boudreaux brothers, and in college, Declan was hot. Look at him now, he’s still hot, but back then, holy crap.”
“Stop.” He brakes in front of our building and turns to face me in the seat. “Are you telling me that you and Lila fucked my brother?”
“Well—”
“Because, if you are, you’re also telling me that you lied to me when you told me that you’d never been with Declan.”
I frown. “Eli, it was a joke. We never did a threesome. We never even had lesbian sex. We kissed once, when we were drunk. I think Declan saw that, I’m not sure.”
He shakes his head and pushes out of the car, and I follow.
“Seriously, Eli. I won’t curse because of the Catholic guilt. Do you honestly think I’d have a threesome?”
He laughs and meets me on the sidewalk.
“That’s not the part that made you mad,” I realize. “It was the who.”
He shrugs.
“Why does the thought of me being intimate with Declan make you so mad?” I ask softly and cup his face.
“It’s not rational,” he says and kisses my forehead. “But it’s probably because he’s my brother, and I’ve laid a claim on you, and the thought of him seeing your body, being inside you, loving you, is completely out of the question.”
“Well, it was a joke.”
He takes my hand and leads me inside. I’m still a bit wobbly on my feet, so he wraps his arm around my waist.
“Now.” He helps me out of my shoes. “Let’s talk about Cindy.”
“Oh.” I make the I just ate something disgusting face and sag my shoulders. “I don’t want to.”
“So, I’m Kate,” I say and hold my hand out to Asher, who shakes it with a smile. “But, I’m not telling you my last name, in case you really do want to arrest me.”
“Her name is Mary Katherine O’Shaughnessy,” Lila says. “Do you want her social security number?”
“How do you know my social security number?”
“I’m your person. If something happens to you, I have to know all your shit. Just like you know mine.”
“Oh, right. She’s my person,” I inform Eli, before I remember that I’m mad at him.
Even though being mad at him is stupid.
“Kate tells me that you and she had a thing going in college,” Asher says with a wink to me.
“We totally did,” Lila agrees. “You know how crazy college kids are.”
“The threesome only happened one time,” I add, and the look passes between Lila and me. You know, the one that BFF’s understand that says, play along.
“And we decided that we much preferred lesbian sex when it didn’t involve a man,” Lila says.
“Makes sense,” Asher says thoughtfully, and I hear a noise beside me. It’s Eli.
Laughing his ass off.
“Do you find threesomes funny?” I ask him.
“They can be,” he says, and wipes his eyes. “But I’m still laughing at your name. Mary Katherine? Really?”
“What’s wrong with my name?”
“It is kind of funny,” Lila says.
“Is that why Dec calls you Superstar?” Eli asks. “Because of Mary Katherine Gallagher on SNL?”
“Yes.” He’s totally killing my buzz.
“Fuck, that’s funny,” Eli says.
“That part is super funny,” Lila agrees.
“Okay, it’s kind of funny,” I say. My buzz is dying, it’s getting late, and now all I can think about is going to bed. “Will you please take me home?”
“Of course, cher.” Eli kisses my cheek and stands.
“Coming?” I ask Lila, who laughs at something Asher said that I couldn’t hear.
“I’m gonna have Asher take me home,” she says and smiles.
“Atta girl,” I say and high five her. I fish the key to my loft out of my small purse and hand it to her. “I brought the extra key for you. See you tomorrow.”
Then I point at Asher and make my serious face. “And, listen up, buddy. If you hurt her, I don’t care if you really are a cop, I’ll make your life hell. Okay?”
“Okay.” He nods sincerely, and I back away.
“Okay then.”
Eli leads me outside into the fresh, not-so-fresh, Bourbon Street air.
“Did you bring your car?” I ask. “’Cause it’s not far. We can walk.”
“We will drive, cher.”
He leads me to the car, gets me settled the way he always does, which always makes me feel special, then climbs in the other side.
“I’m not special,” I sigh, surprised when the words actually come out instead of stay in my head where they belong.
“What are you talking about?”
“Nothing.” I shake my head, sober enough to know that I do not want to repeat that. “Are you really not interested in the threesome story?”
“Oh, I’m interested. I’m a man, Kate.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Okay, tell me.”
“It was fun,” I begin and smile at him. How long should I let this story go? “I mean, it’s hard to say no to any of you Boudreaux brothers, and in college, Declan was hot. Look at him now, he’s still hot, but back then, holy crap.”
“Stop.” He brakes in front of our building and turns to face me in the seat. “Are you telling me that you and Lila fucked my brother?”
“Well—”
“Because, if you are, you’re also telling me that you lied to me when you told me that you’d never been with Declan.”
I frown. “Eli, it was a joke. We never did a threesome. We never even had lesbian sex. We kissed once, when we were drunk. I think Declan saw that, I’m not sure.”
He shakes his head and pushes out of the car, and I follow.
“Seriously, Eli. I won’t curse because of the Catholic guilt. Do you honestly think I’d have a threesome?”
He laughs and meets me on the sidewalk.
“That’s not the part that made you mad,” I realize. “It was the who.”
He shrugs.
“Why does the thought of me being intimate with Declan make you so mad?” I ask softly and cup his face.
“It’s not rational,” he says and kisses my forehead. “But it’s probably because he’s my brother, and I’ve laid a claim on you, and the thought of him seeing your body, being inside you, loving you, is completely out of the question.”
“Well, it was a joke.”
He takes my hand and leads me inside. I’m still a bit wobbly on my feet, so he wraps his arm around my waist.
“Now.” He helps me out of my shoes. “Let’s talk about Cindy.”
“Oh.” I make the I just ate something disgusting face and sag my shoulders. “I don’t want to.”
