Stripped (15 page)

“You know how it felt!” she cried, pushing against
his chest. Though she knew she should force him away from her, she wanted to
pull him closer.

“Say it, Abby,” he said in her ear.

“I was jealous, okay? That’s what you wanted and you
got it! Are you happy now?”

A hand reached across Chris’ shoulder and Abby
looked around him at Joe.

“No, he’s not bothering me. He’s okay,” she said.
Joe looked at her quizzically.

“We need to go somewhere else,” she said to Chris.
“Come on.”

She led him into one of the bed rooms, and as soon
as she closed the door behind them he pressed her against it, his body warm and
hard against her.

“I’m really mad at you!” she cried. “What the hell
was that? Why would you deliberately make me jealous?”

“If you don’t want to share me, don’t make me share
you,” he said. His mouth dipped to her neck, and she closed her eyes, powerless
as he kissed her.

“Chris…God. You’re not sharing me. I feel nothing
for any of the men I dance for.”

“I felt nothing for the woman who just danced for
me. Does it make you any less jealous?”

She answered him with a kiss, wanting him with an
intensity that burned through her entire body. Her emotions still ran high from
seeing him with Roxy, but her desire overrode everything else. She smelled beer
on men all the time at the club, but the intimacy of tasting it on Chris was a
first.

He picked her up suddenly, covering the few steps to
the bed quickly and dropping her there beneath him.

“What are you doing to me?” he murmured into her
neck. “I haven’t been able to look at another woman since I met you.”

Abby moaned at the feel of his erection pressing
into her. She pushed her hips back into him, molding her body against his. He
kissed her slow and deep, and she sank her fingers into his shoulders.

“I want you,” she said lightly against his ear,
tugging at his shirt to remove it. He stilled against her suddenly.

“No…I’ve had too much to drink, and this isn’t the
place for the first time.”

“Why not?”

“You’re working, and there’s not enough time. I
can’t fuck you properly here.”

“I didn’t know there was a
proper
way to do
it.”

“That’s because you’ve never been fucked properly.
And when you are, you’ll feel very
improper
.”

Abby licked her lips, desire and anticipation still
coursing through her. She knew that now, in the heat of the moment, was the
only chance. They would both change their minds when their sanity returned. For
once, she wasn’t thinking, and it felt good.

“I want you now,” she said. “Let’s work out all that
jealousy right here. Proper or not, I couldn’t care less.”

Chris groaned, looking away.

“You’re making this really fucking hard,” he said.
“No. I’m not drunk, but I’m close. I have to get out of here before I give in.”

“Give in?” Abby pushed against his chest as she slid
out from beneath him. “The only way you would sleep with me is if you were
giving in while you’re drunk?”

“No! That’s not what I said. Look, this is hard. We
want each other now, but what about tomorrow? The closer we get, the crazier
it’s going to make me that you strip for other men.”

“So you came here to make me jealous, then make me
want you, then turn me down?”

“No!”

“Get out! Get out of here, and don’t call me, don’t
text me, don’t stalk me – just get out!”

Abby stormed from the room, not looking back.

By Monday afternoon, Abby was beginning to doubt
Chris would call. The weekend had come and gone with no contact. Though she
told herself she didn’t want him to call, she did. Was this really it for them?
Maybe a friendship wasn’t even possible at this point. She knew she would miss
him, but she didn’t feel wrong for saying what she had to him.

“What’s up, kid? You’ve been quiet today,” Marla
said as she walked through Abby’s office.

“I’m okay.”

“Does this have anything to do with Chris?”

Abby shrugged.

“I’m okay, really. I’m leaving a few minutes early,
though, because it’s Open House night at Sara’s school.”

“Okay. See you in the morning.”

As she walked out to her car, Abby saw Chris leaning
against her driver’s side door. Her eyes were drawn to the sweat-soaked gray t-shirt
that hugged his chest and arms. His muscled legs bulged from beneath his dark
shorts.

“Hi,” he said. When Abby looked up at him, she saw
that even his hair was soaked with sweat.

“Did you run here or something?” she asked.

“No, I came from the gym.”

As she looked up at him, her anger drained away. It
was so good to see him standing there.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I was out of line. Maybe
things between us aren’t meant to progress right now, or maybe ever. I
shouldn’t have assumed you even want them to. I can’t stand the thought of
losing you as my friend, Abby. Please forgive me and let’s try to go back to
the way things were. I won’t press you again.”

“Okay. I don’t want to lose the friendship, either.
I’ve never really had a relationship, other than a short one in college. Since
I started at the club, it’s just not possible, for a lot of reasons.”

Chris nodded. Abby was so relieved he didn’t hate
her that she wanted to reach her arms around him, but she stopped herself.

“I’m sorry to cut this short, but I have to get home
so I can take Sara to her Open House at school.”

“Can we have dinner soon?”

“I’m actually off Friday night for once, because one
of the other girls asked for my shift. Are you working then?”

“I’ll trade and get it off. Call me later if you
want.”

“I will.”

Abby felt peaceful as she drove home. Chris had
become her best friend, and life was much happier when he was in it. The
weekend apart had shown her how much she liked talking to him and being around
him, even if they were only friends.

As she and Chris approached the front door after
their Friday night dinner, Abby hoped Kathy wasn’t in the living room. She’d never
brought Chris home to hang out, and she worried about what her mother might say
to him.

Justin and his girlfriend Stacy were watching a movie
in the living room, and Abby sighed in relief.

“Hey, how was your night?” Stacy asked.

“It was great,” Abby said. “How were things here?”

“Quiet,” Justin said. “I’m staying at Stacy’s tonight.
And I have to work til six tomorrow, is that okay?”

“You can’t pick the girls up from school, then?”
Abby said.

“No, sorry. I don’t have class tomorrow, so they
asked me to stay late at work.”

“Hmm. Okay,” Abby said. “I’ll figure something out.”

“Goodnight, guys,” Justin said as he and Stacy left.

Abby scrolled through the contacts on her phone and
called the mother of one of Audrey’s friends to see if she could watch the
girls after school, but found out she already had someone else picking her
daughter up.

“Hey, I can get the girls for you,” Chris said,
leaning against the refrigerator. “I don’t have to be at work til 7.”

Abby looked away silently.

“Um, I can try the babysitter I use sometimes. Or I
can leave work and get them and bring them to the office,” she said.

“Buy why? I’m offering, Abby. I don’t mind.”

“No, you have other things to do,” she said,
crossing the kitchen to run dishwater.

“I want to help. I’ll take them to the bookstore by
my apartment or something.”

“That’s okay.”

The silence in the room was uncomfortable, and Abby
tried to fill it with clattering dishes.

“We can watch a movie when I’m done if you want,” she
offered.

“Abby,” Chris said. “Turn around and look at me.”

She sighed, drying her hands as she whirled to face
him.

“Really, Chris, I don’t need…”

He put a hand up to stop her.

“Do you not want me to be alone with Audrey and
Sara?” he asked. The look of hurt and surprise on his face crushed Abby. She
couldn’t find the words to answer him.

“Chris…” she said, running a hand through her hair
nervously.

“Say it. If it’s true, have the guts to say it to
me,” he said, staring at her. Abby had never heard his voice so cold, and she
couldn’t even bring herself to look at him.

“It’s not because of you, Chris, it’s because of me.
You know why.”

“No, I don’t. Because of Tim, you don’t trust any
men? You don’t trust me? You think I would
do something
to your sisters?”

The outrage on his face scared Abby. It had been a
perfect night, until her dysfunction reared its ugly head. And she sensed that
this time, it was different. Chris’ usual calm understanding was gone, replaced
by shock.

“It’s not that I think you would,” she said. “I’ve
only known you a couple months. I’m just careful with them, Chris. All the
time. It’s not just about you being alone with them, I also worry about a
stranger taking them and hurting them.”

“I can’t believe this,” he said, shaking his head.
“No matter what I do, you’ll never let your guard down, will you? Here I am,
falling for a woman who thinks I might molest her younger sisters.”

“I told you from the beginning, I’m not normal,” she
said quietly.

“You choose that, Abby. Your cynicism knows no
bounds,” he said, putting his coat on. “I need some time to cool off before we
talk about this anymore.”

Abby watched him go, thinking things hadn’t stayed
good for long.

Chris cranked the music up loud, needing to focus on
something besides the anger that seemed to be seeping out of him. He’d been
stupid to think a relationship was actually possible. Between his issues with
commitment and hers with trust, it was bound to fail before it even started.

Abby had gotten so far under his skin that he wasn’t
thinking straight anymore. He had started to think about things he’d never
thought of before. Started to maybe want them. But it was only because of the
effect Abby had on him. Being close to her, smelling her…it made him feel
nearly woozy. And making her come had undone him like nothing else ever had.

All his hopes of getting her out of his system were
for nothing. The more she gave him of herself, the more he wanted. Even now, a
part of him wanted to turn the car around, drive back to her house, and grab
her. He wanted to kiss her and --
God forbid
– fuck some sense into her.

What was wrong with him? Chris had never wanted any
woman this way. He was overwhelmed by the mixture of deep arousal and hurt he
was feeling. Abby had hurt him. It was a stunning realization, because he was
pretty sure it was the first time any woman had done that. But her lack of
trust in him had felt like a physical blow.

He was willing to wait, he had realized after their
fight over getting into a relationship. He would wait, and not press her to
quit the job. But her lack of faith in him wasn’t something he was sure he
could see past.

As she made her way through the club to a small
round table, Abby could tell John Houston was down. He stared into his glass,
which was nearly empty.

“You want a dance, John?” she asked. He looked up
with a small smile. It had been more than a month since he had been to the
club, and his dark hair looked grayer than it had before.

“No thanks,” he said. Abby sat down in the chair
across from him.

“Everything okay?” she asked. John had been coming
to the club regularly for almost two years, since his wife had left him. He had
always been good to Abby, and if she had a favorite customer, it was him.

“Yeah, just having one of those days,” he said. “I’ve
been holed up in my office all evening grading papers, and then I stopped and
had dinner before I came here and the place was nothing but couples.”

Abby looked at him sympathetically.

“Have you thought any more about dating?” she asked.
John just shook his head.

“I haven’t met anyone who compares to Melissa. She’s
getting remarried.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I saw that guy up in front pull your hair and spit
on you. If I was a badass instead of a college professor, I would’ve done
something about it.”

“It goes with the job,” she said, shrugging.

“You deserve something nicer than this place.”

“I thought I had something,” she replied softly.

“I’d buy you a drink, but I know you can’t have
one.”

“No. I’d better get back to work. You sure on the
dance? No charge.”