Playing With Fire

As she expected, a few seconds later her iPhone rang. She saw Nicholas’s photo pop up on her screen, and she quickly pressed the icon to reject the call.

Zienna knew how this was going to play out. No matter what he said, he wouldn’t be able to handle the fact that his best friend had once had a relationship with her, meaningful or not. The fact that she’d slept with Wendell was the hurdle she and Nicholas wouldn’t be able to overcome.

It was that man code, much like the female code, in that respect. You didn’t date someone your best friend had been involved with.

Zienna’s iPhone made a little musical sound, and she glanced at the screen to see that Nicholas had sent her a text message.

Come back. Let’s talk.

She didn’t bother responding.

Craning her neck for one last look as the taxi drove away from Café Tagine, Zienna saw both Nicholas and Wendell still standing on the street.

God only knew what they were saying.

“You know what, take me to the Near North Side instead. Kingsbury.” Last night, Alexis had told her that she needed to come clean with Nicholas. And Zienna wasn’t in the mood to hear any I-told-you-sos.

She just wanted to be alone.

She eased her head back and closed her eyes. Why had Wendell spilled the beans to Nicholas? Without even a heads-up to her beforehand? What was his game plan?

And that’s when a fleeting thought came to her, one that was no doubt ridiculous.

The thought that Wendell had brought up his past with her because he’d deliberately wanted to sabotage her relationship with Nicholas.

7

Zienna was asleep in bed when she heard the door buzzer going off several times in rapid succession. She had barely drifted off before she’d been jarred awake by the loud, annoying noise.

Her eyelids heavy, she lifted her head to glance at the clock: 2:21 a.m.

Good Lord, she thought, plopping her head back down. It was Nicholas. It had to be.

He’d called her several times since she’d abandoned him at the restaurant, and had left her at least six text messages. But she hadn’t responded, and had ultimately turned the phone off.

She wasn’t ready to talk to him about her relationship with Wendell. Not after his reaction at the restaurant.

The buzzer sounded again. Zienna didn’t get up.

If she were honest with herself, she knew that a big part of why she wasn’t ready to talk to Nicholas was because it would require telling the absolute truth. And the last thing she wanted to do was confess to him that her feelings for Wendell had been stronger than she’d let on.

It wasn’t that it mattered anymore, because it didn’t. It was how Nicholas would deal with the knowledge.

She certainly couldn’t deny that seeing Wendell again had left her reeling. No matter what she said, Nicholas would be smart enough to figure out the truth. And Zienna could only imagine that he would conclude Wendell was a threat on some level.

Nicholas was tall, dark, handsome and successful—but an ex-past girlfriend had devastated him when she’d had an affair. It was the reason he had put Zienna through the ringer in the beginning. Not in a way she hadn’t been able to handle, because she knew what it was like to have your guard up. But she’d had to work extra hard to put his mind at ease and assure him she was the faithful sort.

They’d gotten to a happy place...and now Wendell had threatened everything.

The buzzer sounded again. Clearly, Nicholas wasn’t going away.

Zienna rolled over, wondering if she should continue to ignore him. If only she knew his frame of mind... If he regretted what had transpired over dinner was one thing. If he still felt she had betrayed him, that was another thing altogether.

It was too late and she was too tired to rehash the argument. The last thing she wanted was to fight about Wendell—not when he had so easily pointed out that she hadn’t mattered to him in the least.

She’d been an easy lay. That was all.

Zienna glanced at the clock: 2:27 a.m. The buzzer hadn’t gone off for a few minutes, and she wondered if Nicholas had finally decided to leave. Snuggling against her pillow, she figured it was just as well.

Not more than ten seconds later, the knocking started.

Finally, Zienna threw off the covers. She slipped into a robe and made her way to the door. There was no doubt that Nicholas wouldn’t go away until she answered.

She looked through the peephole, and there he stood, his expression dour. She grinned a little, suddenly glad he was here. Of course he wouldn’t be here if he was mad at her. Obviously he was here because he, like she, hadn’t been able to sleep with how things had ended between them.

But Zienna didn’t open the door immediately, letting him suffer a little bit longer. He’d hurt her, and she wasn’t going to let him off that easily.

“How’d you get in?” she called through the door.

“I followed someone in through the front door.”

“What do you want?”

“Are you going to let me in?”

“Why should I?”

“I’m sorry. I was just shocked. But I talked to Wendell, and everything’s cool.”

“Everything might be cool for the two of you.”

“Let me in, Zee,” Nicholas pleaded. “Come on.”

Inhaling a deep breath, Zienna unlocked the door and took a step backward. Saying nothing, she pulled it wide, allowing him to enter.

He looked wary, his expression uncertain. “I’m sorry,” he said without preamble.

Zienna walked the short distance to her living room and took a seat on the armchair, where Nicholas couldn’t sit beside her.

He dropped to his haunches in front of her, the look in his eyes making it clear that he truly regretted having freaked out. He delicately rubbed her right knee. “How’s your knee?”

“I’ll live.”

Several seconds passed in silence. Nicholas was looking at her, she knew, but she wasn’t meeting his gaze.

“You’ve got nothing to say?” he finally asked.

“Seems to me you and Wendell have it all figured out.”