To take her mind off her broken heart, Izzy slid the phone from her purse.  The text was from Charlie:

Came home 4 clothes 2 find a fairly hot gigantic dude pounding on the door looking for u.  What’s up with that?

Biting her lip to steady her nerves, Izzy’s stomach did a slow roll.  Andre wanted his video. While Charlie knew she was a cocktail server, he didn’t know where.  Not that he would judge. He got judged enough on his own, so he was the last person who would call her out.

What did he say? she texted back.

Just wanted to know where u were.  I told him even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell a rude Russian.  ;)  Where r u anyway?  Def not with a hot guy, so what’s up?

Izzy smiled.  Charlie had no filter.  She loved him like the brother she would never have. He knew all her secrets.  Well, most of them.

Actually, I WAS with a hot guy.  He’s bringing me home now.

Excuse me while I pick myself up off the floor!  Did you do it?

Several times ;)

<fans self> eta?

30

Oh, I am so not going to leave until I meet him.

We broke up  so not sure what kind of reception you’ll get.

Oh sweets, I just want to meet the man who cracked your chastity belt code! I promise I’ll scat as soon as I do.  Xoxoxo

PS, wait a minute! You hand over the coveted cherry and he dumps you?  What a prick.  Sorry, sweets, but I’m going to let him have it.

No, not his fault.  Mine.  Plz don’t say anything.

Just like you to take the blame.

It’s complicated.

Isn’t it always? 

Izzy sat staring at his last text.  He had no idea.

“Is everything okay?” Flynn asked, his deep voice startling her.

Looking out the window, she said, “Craptastic.”

He didn’t respond and she was glad.  No damn it, she wasn’t! She wanted him to fight for her!  To tell her he didn’t give a shit that his friends had seen her boobs.

Izzy swallowed hard.  His friends and those guys at the restaurant weren’t the only ones who had seen what God gave her. No, there had been another party there that night, and when they saw what was going on...

“Those guys back at the restaurant?” she said her voice low and emotional. Might as well come clean.  Not like she had anything to lose.  “They weren’t the only ones that night.”

She turned to look at Flynn.  His profile was tight, his jaw so hard she thought he might crack it.  “While I stood there refusing to cover myself or take the bait, the dancers on the stage behind me stopped dancing when they realized they’d lost the attention of the crowd.  It didn’t take long for half the club to get in on the sideshow.”  Inhaling deeply, she let out a slow erratic exhale.  “They started throwing money at me, catcalling, promising me more if I got up on the stage.”

“Did you?” he choked out.

“No. I continued to stand there with my hand out.  After about five minutes of me not backing down, the crowd began to thin.  My top was tossed to me in shreds.  It was ruined, but Crystal, one of the dancers, gave me a bar towel and I walked back to the dressing room, changed, and went home.”

“Why did you tell me that?”

“I thought you’d want to know that those guys, your friends, and you aren’t the only ones who have seen my boobs.”  She turned back to look out the window.  “Probably like fifty or so more. And Andre because he was standing there. But that’s it.  Oh, and Charlie my roommate, but he doesn’t count. Well, and the girls I work with, but they don’t count either, do they?” she asked, looking at him.

A small tic flicked in his cheek.

When he didn’t answer she said, “Anyway, that’s it.”

Still he didn’t comment.  Not that she expected him to.  “Oh, wait, I forgot about the time I was at the gym in the Jacuzzi.  When I stood up my bathing suit top filled with water and the girls kind of popped out.  But the guy sitting there was old.  Maybe eighty or so. Although he winked and gave me a thumbs up, I don’t think if he ever saw me on the street he’d make a big deal about it. He’s probably seen so many boobs in his life they’re all a blur. Besides, he was a gentleman about it.”  She sat back into the seat.  “I didn’t realize the girls were so popular,” she said to herself.

Izzy didn’t say another word, but neither did Angry Man.  As they pulled up to her little house, she reached for her bag in the backseat.  By the time the car rolled to a stop, Izzy was ready to get out and never see Flynn again.

“I’ll walk you up,” Flynn said, his voice hard, emotionless.

“Thanks, but I can walk myself up.”

She pressed her hand to the door handle, turned to him, and said, “Thank you for not arresting me, and thank you for the best twenty-four hours of my life.” She pushed the door open and as she slid from the seat, she turned back and added, “I think it’s safe to say we don’t need to wait until the end of the week to evaluate our arrangement, so don’t stress about it.”  She shrugged.  “Not that you were going to.”  When she was out of the car, she leaned back in before she closed her door.  “And, Special Agent Ryker, I don’t expect you to continue to help me find my sister.  But I am going back to the Oakland police department tomorrow and tell them what you’ve told me.  Maybe that will light a fire under their butts.” Izzy couldn’t turn off her diarrhea mouth.  “Okay, so bye.”

She shut the door and suddenly, she wanted as much space between them as humanly possible.  She ran up the sidewalk to the porch where Charlie stood waiting for her.  She threw her arms around his neck and did everything she could not to fall apart. But a sob escaped. His arms wrapped around her, tightening protectively.  She heard the car door open.  Then she felt Charlie’s breath hitch.

“He’s getting out, Iz.” The door shut. “If he’s half the stud that car is—Oh, hell no and hello, tall, dark and—hot damn, girlfriend, I don’t blame your cherry for pouncing all over that. Does he have a gay twin brother?”

“Isadora,” Flynn’s deep voice called as he approached. “Is everything all right?”

Charlie pushed her behind his five foot seven, one-hundred-and-forty-pound body.  “How can you ask if everything’s all right when you’re the one that made Iz cry?”

When Flynn didn’t respond, but stared at Charlie like he wanted to stuff him a hole somewhere, Charlie kept at him. “I, a person who cares about her, would never do that.  Obviously you don’t care about her since you made her cry.  You need to leave.  Now.”  Izzy had never heard Charlie angry before.  His voice held no room for argument.

“Isadora?” Flynn asked.

Izzy sucked it up as best as she could, even though she was feeling like a little girl who was just uninvited to the popular kid’s party. Moving around Charlie, she clasped his hand tightly as she faced Flynn. Her heart did a crazy stutter step.  He was so handsome. Potent male personified. God, she was going to miss every nuance of him. “Everything’s fine, please leave.”

He stood for a long, drawn-out minute holding her gaze.  The hot sting of tears built up.  Blinking furiously to keep the damn tears at bay, rigidly, she stood her ground, offering him no concession.  He either found a way to deal with her past or he didn’t.

Judging by the tightness of his features and the angry burn in his eyes, she doubted he’d come to terms with her past any time soon.  Men like Flynn didn’t.  Their egos couldn’t handle it.  To him she was damaged goods. A blight to his high-society name.  Just like she was a blight to her father’s name.  Birds of a feather flocked together, Momma had warned her.

“Good night,” he bit out, then turned on his heel and walked away. The sound of his retreating footsteps crushed her heart.   Forlornly, she watched Flynn’s tall body as his angry stride took him farther and farther out of her life.  When he moved around his car and came around to the driver door, he stopped and stared at her on the porch for a long minute.  Hope swelled in her chest.