I was extra careful since Carolyn. I always made sure to wrap it up, and tied it off when we were finished, disposing of the condom myself so I didn’t run into any “accidental” pregnancies. Maybe I was being paranoid, but I couldn’t help myself.
I was just about to dig into my food when the doorbell rang. I set down my plate and headed to the front door. It was probably Jenna, coming to check on me after I ignored her about the haircut. She felt horrible that I’d been abandoned by her niece, and no matter how much I told her it wasn’t her fault, she was always trying to make up for it.
I swung the door open and grinned. “Bowie, what the fuck are you doing here?”
He held his arms wide. “I’m out!”
“What?” I laughed, pulling him in for a hug. I had seen Bowie on and off over the years, but had no clue he was thinking of getting out. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wasn’t entirely sure I wouldn’t back out,” he laughed. I stepped back, letting him in. He grabbed his bag and tossed it inside. “So, tell me you have a room for me for a few weeks.”
“Did you lose the apartment?”
“Nah, I rented it out and I still have some time before they have to leave.”
“Yeah, I’ve got space.”
“No women moving in?”
I shot him a look. He knew better than to assume I was letting any more women into my life. “Are you hungry?”
“Nah, I grabbed something to eat on the way over.”
“Good, I was just about to eat. Now I don’t have to share my food.” I headed back to the living room to sit down. “There’s beer in the fridge,” I called over my shoulder.
He popped the top as he took a seat in the armchair, sighing as he stared up at the ceiling. “Fuck, I’m exhausted.”
I chuckled, remembering my own return flight. The relief of getting out was almost more tiring than the actual deployment. A new stage of my life had begun, but with that came uncertainty. The military gave me a rigid schedule with orders that had to be followed. Then I came home and was on my own. It was quite the adjustment.
“Any idea what you’re going to do now?”
“Yeah, I’m working for you.”
I chuckled. “Yeah? Did you ask my secretary about that?”
“She agreed you needed the help.”
I eyed him skeptically. “What’s her name?”
“That’s easy,” he pointed the bottle at me. “You don’t have a secretary.”
“Well, you got me there. Maybe you can be my secretary.”
“Hey, I’m not getting under the office desk for you.”
“Thank God,” I snorted. “You’d suck at giving blow jobs.”
“I’ve been told I have the perfect mouth for eating pussy.”
“Then stick to that,” I laughed.
He gave me a mock salute and finished off his beer. “So, what’s the deal with women in town? Are there any left you haven’t fucked?”
“Why? Are you worried they’ll be disappointed if they sleep with you after me?”
“No, I’m worried their experience was so bad with you, they’ve given up on all men.”
“There could be some truth in that,” I admitted. “Not that I’m not a delight in bed, but since Carolyn, I’m much more…”
“Protective?”
“Of myself? Most definitely. I think I scared a few off when I asked them about their birth control habits.”
He burst out laughing. “Are you serious?”
“Completely. This one girl…” I started laughing, covering my mouth with my fist at the memory. “Shit, I asked her if she was on birth control and if she took it at the same time every day. She turned beet red and smacked me with her purse. I had an imprint of a buckle on my face for two days.”
“Why didn’t you just wrap it up?”
“I did, but now I’m extra cautious.”
“Why can’t you just be like a normal guy and ask if she’s on it?”
“Because that doesn’t guarantee they’re using it right. The last fucking thing I need is for another woman to pull me into that shit.”
“You can’t swear off women forever.”
“Never said I was.”
He nodded, knowing I was a little more than fucked up after the situation with Carolyn. “Well, here’s to having a male roommate.”
“Do you have to make everything so fucking dirty?” I asked.
“I could do a lot worse.”
Fuck, I knew it. But this was going to be good for me. Living alone the past two years, only thinking of what I was missing out on, was fucking with my head. Maybe now I could finally move on.
“I don’t want to go to work today,” Bowie whined, tossing an arm over his head.
“I didn’t tell you to stay up all night drinking.”
“No, but you shoved the drinks in my hand,” he grumbled.
I tossed a pillow at him. “Stay in bed. No one said you had to go to work the day after you got out.”
“I would if you had bothered to give me a bed,” he said in a muffled voice under the pillow.
“Hey, you passed out on my couch. What did you want me to do? Carry you in there like Cinderella?”
He groaned, pushing the pillow off his face. “I’m pretty sure her fairy godmother never got her wasted.”
I grabbed his arm and hauled him off the couch. “Don’t throw up in the bed or on the floor. I’m not cleaning it up. And I’m not dragging my ass home from work to hold your hair back.”
“I don’t have any fucking hair,” he grumbled as he stumbled down the hallway with me.
“Sleep it off and have dinner ready for me when I get home.”
“Yes, dear,” he sighed as I pushed him through the door to the guest room. Dust floated in the air from lack of use, but he didn’t give a fuck as he sloughed across the floor and face planted in bed. I shook my head, closing the door behind me.
I desperately wanted to go climb into my own bed, but work was calling, and if I didn’t get in soon, I would have to stay later. First, I needed a shower. But before I could head that way, my phone rang with a number I didn’t recognize.
“Hello?”
“Hey, is this Duke?”
“Yeah.”
“Duke, it’s Cash Owens.”
“Hey, man. How’s it going?”
“Not bad. Are you busy?”
I looked longingly at my bedroom and sighed. “Not really. What’s up?”
“Can you come to my office? There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
I rubbed at my eyes, tired as hell, but was curious as to what this was about. “Um…yeah. Give me fifteen minutes.”
“Good. See you then.”
I tore off my clothes and hopped in the shower for all of two minutes, just long enough to wash off and wake the fuck up. Cold showers were good for that, even if they did put me in a shitty mood. I was pretty sure I had some coke in the fridge, which would have to do to get my ass moving. After swiping one, I locked the door and took off in my truck.