No way in hell was she sleeping with him. He just didn’t know it yet.

Chapter Five

Lily glanced at herself in the mirror and grinned. Worn, baggy jeans and one of Adam’s jerseys over her black tank top was probably not what Nikoli had in mind when he asked her to dinner. Comfortable sandals completed her outfit, her toes shining from the pink nail polish she’d put on yesterday. Nikoli probably expected a dress and heels. She pulled her hair back in pigtails and then slipped on her 1950’s style black rimmed glasses. She screamed nerdy geek going to a high school football pep rally. So not Nikoli’s style.

“Well, you certainly aren’t going to inspire any lustful thoughts.” Janet laughed from the open doorway of Lily’s room.

“My point,” Lily said with a grin. “Plus, I’m going prepared to wage war.”

Janet arched a brow in question.

“You remember Stephanie and Amanda from last year? The ones who had the beer party that nearly got us all kicked out?”

Janet laughed. “Oh, yeah, I don’t think I’d ever seen you that mad.”

“Well, seems our boy accosted Stephanie and left her in tears.” Lily shook her head. “Why will they never learn? Women are just his toy of the hour.”

“He’s too pretty for his own good,” Janet agreed. “I love Mike dearly, but if Nikoli gave me one of those sex filled stares of his…” She shrugged. “I don’t know what I’d do, honestly. I know how bad that sounds, but he is just one of those men…”

Lily sighed. Nikoli was a man who could potentially destroy a woman without a second thought and she’d go into it with her eyes wide open. He never gave them any expectations. They did bring it all on themselves.

“Speaking of Mike, he said Adam put his foot in his mouth.”

Lily rolled her eyes. “Yeah, he went into over-protective big brother mode and tried to forbid me from going out with the manwhore.”

“Oh, God, I never thought about him like that,” Janet giggled. “Now every time I hear his name, I’m going to think manwhore.”

Lily laughed herself. “Just imagine it…Nikoli dressed in black strappy heels, a mini-skirt, and a slutty top, hooking on the corner.”

“Stop,” Janet gasped between laughs. “That image is going to stay with me now, damn you! How am I supposed to indulge in sex fantasies about him if I keep seeing him posed on a street corner in trashy prostitute gear?”

Lily performed a mock bow. “My job is done, and the only man you’ll be having sex fantasies about is Mikey.”

Janet took several deep breaths and then walked over to Lily’s bed and collapsed. “I needed that laugh. Mike has been grumpy all week.”

“Everything okay?” Lily asked and started cleaning up the nail polish she’d left scattered on her desk.

“I think so.” Janet frowned. “He’s being very secretive. I’d almost think he was cheating if I didn’t know him better.”

“Cheat?” Lily turned and looked at Janet. “Mike wouldn’t do that to you, Jan. He respects you too much. He’d break up with you before he went out with someone else.”

“I guess.” She sighed.

“I know,” Lily said firmly. “Trust me. He loves you. When you broke up with him last year, I got the full-on Mike meltdown. If you’d seen what that did to him, you’d never doubt him again.”

“I’m surprised he didn’t go cry on Adam’s shoulder,” Janet said ruefully.

“Oh, he went there first,” Lily confessed, “but Adam and Sue had just gotten engaged the week before, if you’ll remember. Not the best place for poor, jilted Mikey to get some sympathy. Besides, he and I bonded over Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”

“So is that what you guys did that whole week?” Janet asked, curious.

“I supplied him with beer, chips, and cartoons.” Lily smiled. “Then he got drunk, laughed at Michelangelo and Donatello, and told me all about why you broke up with him, how much of a jerk he was, and his cockamamie scheme to win you back.”

“Which consisted of him storming the sorority house drunk, busting out his Ninja Turtle moves, and confessing his undying love for me.” Janet giggled. “He promised to try not to be such a jerk, emphasis on the word try.”

“Mikey’s a good guy,” Lily said.

“He is,” Janet agreed and flopped over on her side. “Why are you going out with Nikoli, anyway? Adam is really freaking out.”

Whiplash on the subject change, Lily thought to herself. “He said if I went to dinner with him, he’d leave me alone for the rest of the year. Apparently he thinks a little alone time with me will be all he needs to charm his way into my panties. And Adam can go piss off. This is none of his business.”

“He’s only worried about you, Lils,” Janet said softly. “He’s over at the frat house beating himself up right now because he thinks he hurt you with some idiot thing he said.”

Lily sighed. “Did he send you over here to try and get me to cancel my date?”

“Maybe,” Janet hedged.

“No offense, Jan, but…butt out,” Lily told her friend. “Adam has no right sending you over here to try and do what he couldn’t.”

“What was the idiotic thing he said, anyway?” Janet asked.

“Didn’t tell you that, did he?” Lily bit out. “He insinuated that I’m not good enough for Nikoli, that I’m too far out of his league to ever even catch his eye.”

“Well, dressed like that…” Janet grinned.

“Shut it,” Lily snapped. “I don’t need you reminding me I’m not worth his time too.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Janet sat up. “Lily, if anything, you’re too good for the manwhore. He doesn’t deserve anyone like you. I’m sure Adam didn’t mean…”

“Can we not talk about Adam?” Lily asked, tired all of a sudden. “For once, I’d just like to forget Adam exists and have some fun.”

Janet gave her the pitying look Lily hated with all her heart. Mikey knew how she felt about Adam, and Janet knew because Mikey knew. Why the hell had she let herself get drunk and confess to Mikey she was in love with Adam?

“Look, I just want to get this over with. He should be here in a minute. I told him I’d meet him out front. You can tell Adam to mind his own damn business.”

Lily grabbed her purse and pointed to the door. Janet frowned, but followed Lily out the door. “Want to come wait with me so you can see his face when he gets a load of this?”

Janet grinned and nodded. The two of them laughed as they took the elevator down to the first floor and outside to wait on the front steps for the manwhore of the hour.

They didn’t have long to wait, and when he pulled in, Lily gasped in delight. It had nothing to do with Nikoli and everything to do with the car he got out of. It was a black 1970 Plymouth Barracuda. She hadn’t seen a car like that since the one her dad owned when she was a kid. He’d loved it. She gave a squeal of delight, much to Janet’s chagrin, and ran over to the car. Nikoli gaped at her as she lovingly ran her fingers just above the body of the car as she examined it. You didn’t touch them with your fingers. Luther shook his head as he pulled himself out of the passenger seat.

“Are you running a 440 or a 426?” she asked as she squatted and inspected the rims.

“You know cars?” Nikoli asked incredulously.

She ignored him and looked at Luther. “What’s it running?”

“Let me pop the hood for you, and then you tell me.”

Lily waited impatiently and then dived to put the hood up when it popped. There, in all its glory, sat an original 426 engine running 425 horsepower. The car could run, and run fast. There were only a limited number of the ’Cudas manufactured. Her dad had one of the first ten off the factory line, and after he’d died, her mother sold it to help pay the bills.

“426.” Lily grinned like an idiot at Luther. “It’s gorgeous.”

“How do you know about cars?” Nikoli stepped closer to Lily, his arm brushing hers. She took an instinctive step to the side to keep distance between them.