Sasha leveled her stare directly on Cassie. “I didn’t ask.”
“Damn it, Sasha. I don’t feel like it.”
“You listen to me, Cass. You owe me big-time, remember? Just because that traitorous prick is on your shit list now doesn’t negate the fact I spanked your ass for him. It’s time to start paying up, and you going out with me tonight is a good start.”
Cassie sighed, defeated. Sasha did go way above and beyond the call of girlfriend duty, and Cassie always repaid her friends. “Give me thirty minutes.” She turned to walk away.
“Take an hour, because damn, you look rough.”
After Cassie showered, shaved, plucked and buffed her way back to the land of the living, she put on the ridiculously sexy outfit her friend had picked out. This hooker dress counted as part of paying back her debt. She was keeping score.
Sasha drove to the bar, intending on getting Cassie too drunk to drive herself home. She was fine with that. Alcohol had amazing numbing powers. She’d have indulged more these last few days if liquor and ice cream went better together. She didn’t mind giving her ice cream the night off.
When they walked in, the music was blaring and bodies were gyrating. Cassie tuned it all out and made a beeline for the bar. Sasha followed her, yelling two drink orders while Cassie fiddled around in her purse.
“You look beautiful tonight,” a male voice said as her drink was placed in front of her. She looked up and right into Chip’s eyes. Crap. She sort of forgotten about him. She glanced over at Sasha, who was doing a piss-poor job of hiding her smile. Ugh! Cassie just realized she was much slower grasping the meaning of tonight. This was just a ploy Sasha orchestrated to get Cassie to see Chip. Her friend was one dead bitch.
“Thanks.” She smiled, and he nodded as he walked away, working on another drink order. Her smile faded as she turned to Sasha. “This favor counts as more than just a simple night-on-the-town favor.”
“I. Spanked. Your. Ass. The only way we’ll be even anytime soon is if you take lover boy over there to the back room, lift up your dress and let him stick his dick inside you.”
Cassie snorted as she tried to take a drink. “How do you figure me getting laid would even the score between us?”
“Because I’d gladly call us square if you’d take one for the team. Ain’t nothing wrong with some causal lovin’. Besides, Chip is a cutie patootie.”
Cassie took a big gulp of her martini. Damn, he made it ever better than last time. “I’m through with men for a while, Sasha.”
Sasha waved at Chip when Cassie set her empty glass down. He quickly prepared her another and placed it in front of her. He wasn’t making small talk, and she figured he was keeping his distance because she’d rejected him last time. She was relieved he wasn’t making another attempt tonight. She really didn’t have the strength to fight off advances right now.
The girls chatted about work, or lack thereof, for most of the evening. By the time Cassie was on her fourth drink and Sasha had just started nursing her second, Cassie was feeling much better. She should’ve given more consideration to the alcohol-versus-ice-cream argument earlier in the week. Booze rocked!
“Hey, Chip,” Cassie slurred. “I’m hungry.”
He eyed her briefly before walking over. Sasha gave him an apologetic look. “Whatcha got to eat?”
“Kitchen’s still open. You can have whatever you want. I’ll grab you some menus.”
Cassie grabbed his arm as he started to walk off. “I just want a cheeeeseburger. Oh, and, er, fries, yeah. No wait, onion rings. Just don’t bring me any pretzels or ice cream. I looove ice cream, but I can’t, I need something else to eat now.” She kept hold of his arm, staring at him.
“Cheeseburger and rings. No ice cream or pretzels. Got it.” He pulled at his arm, but she wouldn’t let go. Wow, he felt really strong. She stared at his muscular forearm, fascinated. “I need you to let go, babe, so I can get your food,” he murmured.
“’Kaaay.” She let go and he turned to Sasha.
“I’ll have the same.”
He nodded and walked away, and Cassie started eating the olives out of her martini. When Chip brought the girls their food, Cassie still had a little left in her glass.
“I need another one of these things.” Cassie picked up her glass and tilted it from side to side as if it were empty. Chip steadied her hand and helped her set it back down.
“You still have a little left. I’ll make you one when you’re ready.”
Sasha cleared her throat, but Cassie didn’t give a care what she was hinting at when she shook her head at Chip. “We, er, lost our jobs this week.”
Chip slumped down, leaning against the bar. “I’m sorry to hear that,” he said, facing Sasha first and then Cassie. “You okay?”
Cassie shrugged as she tried to take a bite of her burger. When she swallowed the small amount, she looked up at him. “Why are men such fucking assholes?”
He laughed through a shocked expression. Her comment had totally caught him off guard. “I don’t know, babe. But we can be bastards sometimes.”
Cassie munched on an onion ring. “I mean, wouldn’t you like it if I tied myself to the bed and let Sasha spank my ass for your viewing pleasure?”
“Cassie!” Sasha winced, but Cassie waved her off, feeling somewhat unbalanced by the maneuver.
“I’d watch any chick spank that fine ass of yours,” some guy sitting next to Cassie said as she wobbled into him.
She leaned on the balding, middle-aged man. “Awww, now, you’re sweet.”
He reached up and patted her back, letting his hand linger. Chip scowled. “Hands off, man. She asked me that question.”
The guy lifted his hands innocently and then went back to his beer. Chip leaned on the bar, glancing back and forth between Sasha and Cassie. “You let her do
