Free Not the Friend with Benefits: A BBW New Adult Serial Romance (Not the Hot Chick series Book 3) by N. Raines Page B

simple greeting sound seductive?
    What the girl did next surprised her. "Layla. Could I have a minute with you?"
    "I'll take care of the check," Drew said, offering them the chance to be alone. If only he weren't such a gentleman. She really didn't want to be alone with Jessi.
    Jessi smiled at him, which made his chest swell. "Thank you."
    "Uh…" Layla realized the apartment key was still in her hand. She gave it to Drew. "Take that. You can stop by my place when you're done with your game."
    He palmed the key and slipped it into his pocket without comment. Jessi watched him walk to the cash register, then turned to Layla. "Can we step outside?"
    Layla shrugged into her jacket, gathered her purse and gloves, and trailed Jessi outside into the February cold.
    "Cute guy," Jessi remarked, her breath turning to vapor in the frosty air. "Your boyfriend?"
    Layla didn't want to discuss Drew with the girl—it felt like a jinx. Still, she didn't see how she could avoid the question. Keep it vague, keep it simple. "We've been dating for a while."
    "Uh-huh. Seems like a nice guy."
    It was a pleasant enough remark, but Layla's stomach clenched. She knew the other shoe was about to drop.
    Jessi didn't disappoint. "More your type than that bartender."
    There it was. But Jessi wasn't satisfied to leave it there. "What was his name again?"
    Layla was silent. She was pretty damn sure Jessi didn't need reminding.
    "Oh, Cam, wasn't it? That's right. Tell me, how's he doing?"
    Layla started, slicing Jessi a look of surprise. How did she know…?
    She doesn't. She has no way of knowing you and Cam still hang out. She's just fishing for information, trying to get under your skin. Don't let her.
    Layla pinned the other girl with a piercing stare. "Did you want to say something to me, Jessi?"
    Jessi pulled the collar of her red jacket tighter, tossed her hair back. "Oh, yeah. I just wanted to say sorry for being such a bitch before."
    Which time? Layla wondered. There are so many to choose from.
    "I mean, all that stuff about the bartender. The way I acted after you screwed him. It was lame." She shrugged. "Hey, I never put a sign on it, 'property of.' You got to him first. Good for you."
    It rankled Layla the way Jessi spoke of Cam as though he were, indeed, property. A piece of meat instead of a person.
    It wasn't much of an apology, and Layla couldn't bring herself to say, "It's all right." Still, it was something. "Okay, well…"
    "Does your guy know?"
    Layla blinked in confusion. "What?"
    "Your boyfriend, there. Does he know about the bartender?"
    "We haven't talked about our pasts." She spoke through clenched teeth. "He hasn't asked about mine and I don't care about his."
    "Oh, I get it." Jessi winked. "Sure. What he doesn't know can't hurt him. I feel you. Every girl needs her secrets, right?"
    Layla wanted to slap her. Jessi behaved as though they were complicit, bonded by some kind of nasty secret. She glanced over her shoulder through the plate-glass window of the coffee shop, searching for Drew. Where the hell was he?
    Her breath whooshed out in a sigh as he came through the door. He looked from Jessi to Layla. "All ready to go?"
    "Ready," Layla said. More than ready. She couldn't wait to get away from Jessi.
    Why? Because she's a little bit right? You won't be honest about Cam because you're scared to tell Drew too much. Scared he won't want you to see Cam any more. And you don't want to give him up.
    "Well, it was nice seeing you, Layl." Jessi's smirk was that of the proverbial cat who swallowed the canary. "Good catching up." She cast a different kind of smile entirely on Drew. "Good meeting you, too, Drew. Layla's a lucky girl."
    In silence, they watched her walk her away.
    Drew cocked an eyebrow at Layla. "That was nice, she stopped to say hi."
    Layla stared at girl's disappearing figure. The day had started out so well, but Jessi's unexpected appearance had cast a pall over it, the way a storm cloud would block out the sun.
    Storm