Unfriending the Dr by Piper Sullivan

Persy

The Outpost was busy for a Thursday night—at least, it seemed packed to me because I so rarely spent time hanging out in bars. As a single mother, I frequented places that were kid-friendly, but Ryan had volunteered to spend the night with Titus, giving me the perfect chance for a little bit of girl talk.

I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the way I had marched into Ryan’s shop and suggested we have sex again. In front of a friggin’ rock star! What in the hell was I thinking?

That I’m horny for my best friend, that’s what.

“You’re awful quiet tonight, Persy. What’s going on?” Of course, it was Hannah who’d picked up on the fact that I was distracted. “Is everything okay?”

I nodded, half-tempted to wave off her concern, but when I looked up to see both Hannah and Teddy with worried expressions, I knew what I had to do. “I don’t know about okay, but I need some advice.”

Teddy leaned over the pool table where we had gathered as soon as it was available, lined up her shot, and struck the ball with a satisfied smile. She stood tall, arm resting on the cue stick. “Well, Gus is down in Los Angeles with Antonio and Rosie, and Megan and Casey are still on their honeymoon, so you’re stuck with us for advice. Shoot.”

Hannah folded her arms and gave a satisfied nod. “Yeah, shoot.”

“No, you shoot, Hannah. It’s your turn.” Teddy rolled her eyes and handed the stick to Hannah before she turned to me. “You, talk.”

“Yeah, okay.” I nodded and swallowed hard while I worked out what to say. Or how to say it.

“Here, drink this.” Teddy shoved a margarita into my hand and nodded encouragingly.

“Thanks.” I took a long sip of the icy cocktail until a chill popped up over my skin and the heat of the alcohol warmed my insides. “You have to promise that what I tell you never leaves this pool table. Never.”

Teddy nodded and Hannah gave a dismissive wave.

“On the night of the ball, I had sex. With Ryan.”

“Oh shit!” Hannah scratched the felt with the tip of the pool cue and grunted. “You can’t just say something like that mid-strike and expect perfection.” She stood tall and rounded the table until she stood between me and Teddy. “You had sex. With Ryan?” She leaned in close to whisper the last part and I was grateful to her.

“Yes.” I closed my eyes and waited for their reactions.

Teddy laughed and her hand fell down hard on my shoulder. “I always knew something was going on between the two of you. Those looks. Always eating together. You guys are practically married.”

“How was it?” Hannah asked in a quiet whisper. “With the heat between the two of you, I’ll bet you burned up the sheets.”

I opened my eyes and stared at my two friends, who wore matching expectant expressions. “It was a combination of alcohol, formalwear, and flirting—oh, and more than a little love-life complaining.”

“Bull,” Teddy snorted. “Tell yourself what you need to, but it was inevitable.”

“Totally,” Hannah added, eyes wide and excited. “Honestly I can’t believe it took so long. But you did look really hot in that dress.”

“Thanks,” I sighed, because that was just part of the story. “The other day I marched into his shop and propositioned him to do it again.”

“Wait.” Teddy’s eyes widened. “You mean, you haven’t done it again in more than three months? Why the hell not?”

Hannah gasped. “Was it terrible?”

“No,” I sighed. “It was great. Magnificent. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. But that has to be the memories right?” I shook my head. I didn’t want to hear them speculate or worse, fuel my delusions. “That’s why I propositioned him. If it wasn’t as good as the memories, then I can take it back and we won’t ruin our friendship.”

“Do you want to take it back?”

I shrugged. I’d gone back and forth on this issue. Taking it back was the smart thing to do, but I hadn’t taken it back. Yet. “I don’t know, but I do know that I don’t want to lose his friendship. I need him in my life.”

Teddy’s dark brows dipped in confusion. “What makes you think it won’t work out? You just can’t lose him, so what’s the problem?”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re all freshly in love so you don’t remember that it never works out. This isn’t me trying to get you guys to convince me otherwise, this is fact. They all ended badly, all but Ferguson.” It was a sad fact to admit, even to one’s friends, but the truth was the truth. Right?

Hannah rolled her eyes and let out a long huff of air. “None of them work out, Persy, until they do. That’s how this works. Teddy had a string of bad, terrible, no-good relationships until this one with Cal that worked out. Same with Antonio. That’s just how this works.” She took a step back and folded her arms, blond brows taunting me. “But if you’re too scared to go for it, that’s another matter altogether.”

She thought that was a challenge, but the truth was that Hannah had hit the nail on the head. “I am scared, Hannah. Scared as hell, in fact.”

Teddy leaned in close, her serious face on. “If you tell anyone I said this, I’ll deny it and beat you to within an inch of your life, but that’s how you know it matters. You’re scared because there’s so much at stake, and that’s how you know it’s something worth chasing.”

“You really believe that?”

Teddy was in love now, but she was a realist, and I hadn’t realized until that moment that I was counting on her to agree with me.

“Damn straight, I do. You think I wasn’t scared to start up something with Cal? He already proved he couldn’t be trusted, but that didn’t make him any less irresistible to me. The heart wants what she wants.”

“Maybe my heart is just horny?”

Teddy and Hannah laughed. “She’s probably that, too, but that’s not all she is. She’s lonely. She wants Ryan.” Teddy let out another sigh and flung a long, sculpted arm around me. “Give Ryan a day or two to think over your proposition. And then seduce him.” Teddy’s smile was wicked, almost mischievous, and in that moment, I wished I possessed her ability to just go for it.

“I’m not sure that I can seduce him.” That was what I said, but on the heels of those words came an image, clear as day, of me doing just that. Dressed in something slinky and sexy, I saw myself making it impossible for Ryan to resist me. “Okay, I’m in. How do I seduce him?”

Hannah frowned. “Seriously? You already did it once.”

“But not on purpose, and it’s been a long damn time since I actually seduced a man.” Too many years to count, sadly.

Teddy finished her drink with a growl and slammed the glass down. “Wear something sexy, preferably lace or just see-through. And feed him. The tits will do the rest. Easy peasy.”

It didn’t sound all that easy. “That’s terrible advice, Teddy.”

She jutted her chin out with a defiant arch of one eyebrow. “Is it? Or are you just scared to be the bold, badass woman you want to be? You’re already that woman, so stop dicking around.” She rolled her eyes. “Men are easy. It’s us women who make them seem all complicated and mysterious. They aren’t. Trust me.”

“True dat,” Hannah added with a groan.

I let my friends’ words sink in as we started another game of pool. Was I making things more complicated than they needed to be? Was this as simple as closing my eyes and letting go?

I didn’t know, but the idea of following Teddy’s advice was appealing. Really damn appealing. Before I left The Outpost, I knew there was only one way to find out.

Seduce him.

I was going to seduce my best friend.

Heaven help me.