Chapter 2

??He??s a dog, Brian,?? she??d say. ??You deserve better.??

Maybe so, but I loved that dog and that dog loved me. End of story.

I was about to say something to try in vain to convince Olivia that Jay wasn??t the creep she made him out to be when he returned to the table with a man and woman in tow. Apparently, he??d invited his two friends to join us for another round of margaritas and they??d decided to take him up on the offer. The couple, a young, attractive dark-haired pair who looked like they walked right out of a Banana Republic ad, were stuck up and phony, but engaging enough to keep Jay and Olivia out of each other??s hair. Their presence also provided Olivia with the opportunity give a bullshit excuse about not feeling well and bow out early. Before she left, she tried to give Jay money for her part of the check, but he waved it away telling her dinner was on him and adding, ??Let??s just say you owe me.?? He and his friends laughed and Olivia looked like she wanted to smack him right across the face.

??Thanks for coming,?? I said as I walked her out and hailed a cab for her. ??Next time it??ll just be the two of us. I promise.??

??Right. Goodnight, Brian Daly.??

??Goodnight, Olivia Carter.??

I kissed her cheek and she got into the cab. I honestly wished I was going with her. I didn??t feel like spending the rest of the evening chatting with Mr. and Mrs. Banana Republic, but I did. Thankfully, Jay??s obvious intoxication cut the party short and his friends decided to call it a night. During the cab ride home, he smiled at me and grabbed my thigh.

??I can??t wait until we get home,?? he whispered, pressing his lips to my ear.

??Neither can I,?? I told him, although I suspected he and I were anxious to get home for different reasons. As drunk as he was, I doubted he??d be able to get it up for sex and I wasn??t in the mood for it anyway. I really just wanted to go to sleep.

Jay stumbled into the condo and I helped him to the bedroom where he collapsed onto the bed in a heap. I helped him out his clothes and shoes before changing into a tee shirt and pajama pants and crawling into bed beside him. He pounced on me the moment I turned the lights out, pressing his body against mine, asking for sex.

??You??re drunk,?? I told him. ??Go to sleep.??

??Please, baby,?? he said. ??I??m sohard.??

Surprisingly, he washard. The margaritas clearly hadn??t affected his libido. Figuring neither of us would get any sleep until he was satisfied, we had sex. As much as I normally loved having Jay on top and inside of me, I didn??t enjoy our lovemaking that night. I felt jittery and annoyed and anxious for it to be over so I could finally relax. Jay, on the other hand, appeared to be in the throes of ecstasy, thrusting into me while grunting and calling out his usual string of pleasured expressions: Oh, baby. Oh, God. I love you.But in between his usual breathy, pre-ejaculation spiel, he said something I certainly hadn??t expected to hear. With his fingers entwined in mine and his face pressed against my neck, he called out a name that was familiar to us both.

??Olivia,?? he said with a groan right before his body shuddered and released and he collapsed on top of me. I couldn??t get out from under him fast enough. I sequestered myself in the bathroom and looked at my reflection in the mirror above the sink. My brown hair was mussed, my blue eyes were red and tired, and my face and ears were flushed??and not from the sex. Why the hell was Jay calling out Olivia??s name? Was he wishing she was the one lying beneath him? Did he want her legs spread before him? In all the time I??d been with Jay, he??d never called out someone else??s name (other than mine and, occasionally, his own) during sex. Hearing him call for Olivia was strange and troubling.

Jay was asleep when I returned to the bedroom, sprawled across the bed like he didn??t expect to share it with anyone. I threw the comforter over him before heading to the guest room to spend the rest of the night there.

* * * *

After a restless night, I woke early the next morning and showered and dressed while Jay remained in bed, sleeping off his overindulgence from the night before. I left the condo and headed to Olivia??s apartment. She answered the door dressed in her usual weekend attire of black yoga pants and a turquoise tank top that made her reddish brown skin seem even more radiant than it usually was. Her feet were bare and her toenails were painted the same dark red color as her fingernails and her hair was pulled into a ponytail. She looked good. I could almost understand Jay fantasizing about her. Almost.