I Spy a Dark Obsession

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Katrina tied her silk robe more securely around her and padded into the kitchen, flipping on the coffeemaker. Thoughts of Michael, Bastian, and last night chased around in her head as she fished in the pantry for a package of plain bagels and set them on the counter next to the toaster. Next, she grabbed the cream cheese and strawberry jam from the fridge.

Last night with Michael had been wonderful. Exciting. Almost perfect. But something was missing, and—

A knock at the door dispelled the thought and she glanced at the clock. Her neighbor was a few minutes early, which was unusual. The girl was a butterfly, flitting from one flower to the next, and a concept like being on time, much less early, was totally foreign to her. Leaving the breakfast items on the counter, she made a beeline for the door and yanked it open, grinning.

“You’re early! I’ll alert the media — Oh. Michael!” She frowned. “You look awful. Aren’t those the same clothes from last night that you wore home this morning? Good grief, come in.”

She stepped aside, noting the shadows in his dark eyes, the defeated slump of his shoulders. Trailing him into the living room, she gestured for him to sit. “What’s wrong?”

He flopped onto the sofa with a groan and ran a hand down his face. “I think I just lost my best friend. Isn’t that a shitty cliche?”

“Oh no.” She lowered herself to the sofa beside him and laid a hand on his arm. “You were going to talk to him when you got home, right? What happened?”

“He’d moved out, went back to his apartment. I drove over there and tried to reason with him, but he practically threw me out,” he said miserably.

She had a sneaking suspicion that Michael’s idea of “reason” differed a great deal from Bastian’s. “Did you run the idea by him of the three of us getting together, seeing where things go?”

“The conversation never got that far or I would’ve brought it up.” Leaning his head back, he stared at the ceiling. “We must’ve sounded like a couple of thirteen-year-old girls with all the whining about feelings and shit, and I just wanted to jump off a bridge. God, I’m such an ass.”

The picture he conjured of their emotional talk made her want to smile, but she knew her humor would not be welcome at the moment. “So how did you leave things between you?”

Michael snorted. “He pretty much tossed me out of his life. Told me he wasn’t going to be my guinea pig while I got my act together.”

“Sounds reasonable.”

“What?” He whipped his head around to stare at her. “Whose side are you on, anyway? I need him and my world isn’t the same without him. I told him as much, and I got kicked in the teeth for it!”

“Is that the way you told him?” she asked pointedly. “I want, I need…”

“Hell, yes! But what does…” He frowned. She waited for him to get it.

He was male, so the wait took a tad longer than normal.

Finally, his eyes rounded. “Oh. Oh, fuck.”

“Bingo,” she said wryly. “I’m guessing the results might’ve been exponentially better had a few of those statements started with ‘you,’ followed by the qualities in him that you love.”

“But I thought that’s what I was saying!” He heaved a deep sigh. “I really am an ass.”

“No, you’re trying to find your way, just like the rest of us.” Leaning into him, she nuzzled his neck, spread a few light kisses on the smooth skin. They’d showered this morning, so he smelled fresh, like her herbal soap.

Scooting to face her, he captured her mouth with his, slid a hand under the edge of her robe, seeking the naked flesh underneath—

And a knock on the door interrupted what might have been a very nice interlude.

“My neighbor,” she said with regret, pushing to her feet. “We made plans for coffee. I didn’t know you’d be back.”

“I can go,” he offered. But he didn’t look like he wanted to leave.

“No, don’t. Actually, you might enjoy meeting her. She’s kind of a whirlwind, and that’s putting it mildly.”

“If you’re sure.”

“Absolutely.” Crossing to the door, she let in the whirlwind and barely opened her arms in time to catch the enthusiastic hug. “Hey, you made it.”

“Sorry I’m late! Jesus, maintenance took forever to fix our dryer, and then I didn’t think my nails were ever going to dry, and — Oh, my God!”

Katrina tracked her friend’s openmouthed astonishment directly to Michael. The pair was gaping at each other. “I take it you two have already met?”

“Michael!” Her friend squealed and dashed across the room, hitched her extremely short skirt, and straddled the man’s lap. “What are you doing here? Did you bring strawberries and chocolate sauce?”

He shot a panicked look at Katrina. “Um, no, I—”

Whatever he was about to say was lost as Jeri checked the state of his tonsils with her tongue. Stunned, Katrina stood motionless as her lover quickly succumbed to the kiss with a low sound of pleasure. Jeri and Michael were acquainted in the biblical sense, apparently. She didn’t know whether to be annoyed or intrigued by the revelation.

Intrigue won out, hands down. As she crossed to sit next to them, Jeri pulled back slightly and beamed. “Cool outfit, but I liked the brown leathers and black T-shirt better.”

Michael met Katrina’s gaze desperately, and it clicked into place. That’s how Michael had been dressed the other night when he stopped by here to chew her out for the faulty camera, before going cruising. And he saw Katrina put two and two together. Katrina gave him a wicked smile.

“I like those pants, too.”

“He looks sooo yummy in brown,” Jeri enthused. She glanced at her friend, curious. “How do you guys know each other?”

“We work together,” Katrina said. “He’s my boss. You?”

“Oh, he picked up me and Jackie the other night at Daddy’s Money and took us to that huge house of his! Fucked our brains out all night long, too! Such a beast.” She sighed in fond remembrance.

“Don’t I know it?” She was thoroughly enjoying watching Michael squirm. So that’s why the man hadn’t wanted to go to that particular club when Emma had suggested it.

Jeri, who was sharper than people gave her credit for, blinked at Katrina. “Uh-oh. Are you guys, like, exclusive? Because you know I don’t poach, girlfriend. Ever.”

Fondly, Katrina brushed a lock of red-streaked brown hair from her face. “I know you don’t. No, this — whatever this is — is new. Seems we have an interesting situation here,” she commented, smirking at Michael. Who looked like he’d swallowed a bug.

“Mmm, I’ll say.” Jeri wiggled on the man’s lap. “He’s hard as a freaking rock.”

“What should we do about that, I wonder?”

“It would be a shame to let a perfect boner go to waste.” Jeri pouted at the possibility.

“We should probably help him out.”

“Out of these jeans, you mean.”

“A fantastic idea.”

“Actually, I don’t think that’s a good plan,” Michael said with a lack of conviction.

Jeri began to yank at his shirt, tugging it over his head. “But you should hear the whole plan before you decide, right? What do ya think, Kit-Kat?” The shirt went sailing.

Michael’s brows rose at Jeri’s pet name for her, and Katrina gave a husky laugh. “I think we should get him naked.”

“Ooh, definitely!” Her friend began to work on his fly.

“And then we should eat his balls and cock until he’s begging for more.”

“Make him burn.”