Modern Girl's Guide to Friends With Benefits (16 page)

Still agitated from her encounter with Ethan, she downshifted and edged out the guy trying to pass her. The line of cars in front of her was crawling. This was exactly why Megan had moved out of the city. The slow-moving holiday traffic leaving downtown Chicago was just another irritation she didn't want to deal with right now.

A yellow SUV in the other lane pushed in front of her small car, nearly taking off her bumper.

"Nice, asshole. Just put that anywhere!" she yelled at the oblivious driver and flipped him off.

The Sprite wasn't the best car for winters in Chicago, but that didn't excuse piss-poor driving. Ahead, the shiny, up-lit outline of the Aqua tower came into view, like a gleaming beacon of salvation. It was the answer to her current road rage. Peter's condo was just a few blocks away.

She could just drop in and wait out the traffic. It was time to fix the radio silence. She pulled out the phone and dialed his number.

"Meg, I'm glad you called," Peter said when he answered the phone.

"Good, because you have got to hear about my day. You know that stupid luncheon Michelle roped me into? It was awful. There was this guy—it's a long story—but he was a complete jerk. I also think he has an addiction to teeth whitener."

"What? An addiction to Heath Ledger? That's pretty specific."

The wind was blowing hard and the soft top whistled under the persistent assault. It was only a matter of days before the city was covered in snow again and she needed to put her baby up for the winter. "Did I mention that he ordered for me?" she went on, venting more of her frustrations. "He ordered me a salad. A fucking salad. That's a side dish, not a meal. And to top it off, he doesn't drink. Who doesn't drink?"

"Meg, I'm having trouble hearing you."

"Where are you?" she asked.

"I'm at the Chamber's monthly mixer."

"So you're not home?" she asked, trying not to sound disappointed. Getting out of traffic might have been the ultimate goal, but she had been looking forward to a little stress relief that only he could provide.

"No, I'm still out. I've been trying to talk Chelsie into bringing her business our way. I can't tell if she's more interested in revamping her website or getting into my pants."

"With Chelsie, it's probably both. Crap!" she yelled and slammed on her brakes. "Stupid fucking asshole. You're lucky I didn't shove my car up your ass."

The asshat in the yellow Hummer stopped without warning and put on his hazard lights as if that excused parking in the middle of the street. A passenger got out of the car and started gathering boxes out of the back. Really?
Screw it.
Peter's building was just a block away. It didn't matter if he was home or not, she was stopping.

"Meg?" Peter said. "Meg, are you still there?"

"I hate downtown traffic. I don't know how you drive in this shit every day. It's a nightmare."

"You need to concentrate on the road. Things are winding down here so I'm headed home. Why don't I call you then?"

"Don't bother. I'm here. I can tell you all about my horrible lunch when I see you." Megan pulled into the parking garage and flashed the parking pass he'd given her.

"Sounds like a plan. Talk to you soon."

Chapter Ten

Modern Girl Tip #13 Sex Is Not Required:
Remember, you're supposed to be friends. Don't make your relationship just about the sex. You should feel comfortable saying 'no' whenever you're not in the mood. The thing about FWB that's cool is if you play it for what it is, a casual hookup between friends, no one gets hurt.

Megan took the elevator up to Peter's apartment and let herself in with her spare key. His spacious two bedroom apartment overlooked the lake and was right in the heart of downtown. She had to admit, it was a beautiful apartment with a killer view. She'd considered buying a unit here once upon a time. Waking up every day and writing on the balcony while enjoying her morning coffee could have been nice. But in order to prevent bloodshed, Megan fled the city for the quiet of the suburbs. She was one traffic incident away from going full postal, and no one wanted that.

After disarming the alarm and turning on a few lights, Megan shed her heavy jacket and kicked her uncomfortable high-heeled shoes into the corner. It would be hours until the traffic died down, so she was going to make herself comfortable.

Even though he'd deny it with his last breath, she knew Peter had opted for the larger apartment with the extra bedroom because of her. He claimed it was for guests, but as far as Megan knew, she was the only person who'd ever used it. Not even his sisters stayed the night. But Megan stayed the night all the time. Why she didn't just keep a change of clothes there was a mystery, but that wasn't going to stop her from getting out of her society costume.

She untied the dress, tossed it onto a dining room chair, and padded back to Peter's room. After rummaging through his drawers, Megan found a pair of boxers and an old Chicago Booth sweatshirt. Feeling more like herself, she headed to the living room to wait for Peter.

Flopping down on the sofa, she turned down the lights and turned on the TV. But after about an hour of mindless reality shows, her stomach was growling.
Fucking salad.
She'd really expected Peter to be back sooner. She'd hoped they'd order out, but the insistent gnawing in her stomach prevented her from waiting any longer.

Megan was buried in his refrigerator when she heard the front door open.

"I think I'm going to toss in a pizza?" Megan said. "Will you split it with me? It's either that or take-out. You really need to go shopping."

"Meg? What are you doing here?" he asked. "I thought you were at home."

The kitchen was near the back of the apartment, and Megan had to peek her head around the wall to see the foyer. Peter didn't exactly look thrilled to see her. "I told you I'd meet you here," Megan said and shut the freezer door. She walked into the hall and held up both hands in surrender. "Am I not welcome anymore?"

"I didn't expect you," he said, coming down the hall. "Is something wrong? Did you need something?"

"No, but since when did I need a reason to see you? I told you the traffic was bad. And I hated the way we left things the other day. I just thought—"

"You're always welcome here." He pulled her into his arms and gently kissed her. The tension from the awful luncheon and traffic melted away. It was a small thing, but everything felt better when Peter held her in his arms. He looked down and smiled at her. "I just wasn't expecting you." There was a loud knock on the door behind him. Peter sighed and gave her another squeeze. "Let me find out who this is and then we can talk."

Megan pulled out the frozen pizza and turned on the oven. "Do you have any wine? I could really use a glass."

"I'm so glad I finally caught you. I came by earlier, but you weren't home yet." A husky feminine voice echoed down the hallway and Megan peeked around the corner to see who it was. Peter's broad frame filled the doorway and she couldn't see into the hallway.

"Stephanie?" Peter asked. "I'm sorry. I forgot I asked you to stop by tonight."

"Don't worry about it," the woman said. "I know how busy you've been. I hate to do this, but something came up with work. I wanted to know if I could just meet you at the gala next Friday?"

"I'm fine with that. I just got home and now's not—"

"Fantastic. How was New York?" a leggy, blond woman said as she pushed past Peter. "I've missed seeing you in the gym. I'm stuck talking to Mrs. Shultz while I run. And all she ever wants to talk about is her pug." She was several feet into the apartment before she caught sight of Megan. "Oh, I didn't realize you had company."

The blond narrowed her eyes and pinched her lips, in what Megan could only assume was a pout. Instead of cute, she looked a lot like a nearsighted duck—the illegitimate love child of Mr. Magoo and Daisy Duck. Megan realized now why Peter was surprised to see her. He had a date.

She recognized the woman as Peter's neighbor. She was a tall, waiflike beauty, put together in that perfect plastic way every woman seemed to aspire to these days. And she was the exact opposite of Megan. The realization that Stephanie was who Peter wanted to spend the evening with hurt more than she'd been prepared for. Swallowing a cold lump of disappointment, Megan knew she had to leave the apartment. Now. She didn't want to find out what they had planned.

Peter looked between her and Stephanie with a near-panicked look. She could almost see the wheels turning in his mind. But she couldn't listen to him make excuses or try to explain her presence. So Megan did what she always did: plastered on a smile and faked her way through the awkwardness.

"Don't worry about me, Peter," she said with false brightness. "I didn't realize you were expecting someone. My bad. The traffic should be better. I'll just get my things and leave."

Peter didn't say anything, so Megan grabbed her dress off the chair and moved to the pile on the floor. She slipped on her pumps, feeling all kinds of awkward as the other woman watched her. Peter had been her best friend for years, but they weren't kids anymore. It was stupid to assume he'd drop everything and spend the evening with her just because they'd slept together.

Peter stepped around Miss Quack Magoo and put his hand on Megan's arm, stopping her retreat. "Meg, you don't have to go. This isn't—"

"This isn't any of my business," she interrupted. "I should have made it clear that I was coming over. Hope I didn't kill the mood. Just let me get changed and then I'll be out of your hair."

Megan escaped to the spare bedroom, mortified. Of course, he'd have a date. She was the one who spent most nights alone. Peter, on the other hand, had no problems in that department. Even though the sour taste of bile rose up the back of her throat just thinking about it, Megan knew she wouldn't interfere, not that she could compete with Stephanie's long-legged perfection. That wasn't their agreement, and it wasn't like she'd never seen him with other women. All she wanted to do now was spend the night with the two men who never let her down, the two men who were always there for her: Ben and Jerry. And after the day Megan had had, she was probably going to invite Jack to the party, too.

Peter glanced toward the bedroom, trying to figure out his next move. Meg was trying to play it off, but he could hear in her voice how upset she was. And wasn't that funny? She was the one who insisted this thing between them was casual. Maybe now was a good time to have that talk. "I'm sorry, Stephanie. I'm kind of busy right now. Call me later and we can hammer out the details."

Stephanie shook her head and sighed. "Listen. When you asked me to the gala, I'll admit I was a bit flattered, but—" She pointed to the closed bedroom door and back to Peter. "You seem to have your hands full. If you want to cancel, I'll understand."

"Megan…" He took a deep breath and tried to sum up his relationship with her. And wasn't that the real problem? He couldn't explain it. They'd always been close. But now? Was she just his friend? Girlfriend? "We're family."

"Honey, I have a brother, and he's never stared at my ass like that. I'll call you later and you can let me know about the gala." Stephanie turned and walked out the door.

What could he say? Megan did have a fantastic ass. Her legs looked impossibly long under his old college sweatshirt, and the way those heels made her ass tight and round…Peter couldn't help but appreciate the view. Stephanie was right. She might have been like a sister once, but events the past few weeks had changed that dynamic.