Page 97 of Open To Negotiation

I opened the door for Aubrey and froze. It smelt like alcohol in the car and we weren’t even in it yet.

“Are you getting in?” Max grumbled, looking agitated. I sniffed again, it still smelt like beer.

“Where were you?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

“What is this? A fucking interrogation? Do you want a ride or not?” Max snapped at the same time Aubrey sighed.

“Quinnnnn,” Aubrey complained. “Let me in the car. I’m cold.”

I sniffed again and the smell was gone. I straightened and took a step to Aubrey, lowering my voice.

“Why don’t we get a cab? Dane can call one for us.” I was even contemplating calling Arthur. I could’ve imagined the strong smell, maybe I was smelling Aubrey or myself. We had a lot to drink tonight, it was possible. We didn’t drink beer, but I could’ve been drunk enough that I wasn’t smelling right.

“No. Max never drives me home. He never picks me up. He never does anything for me. He is doing this.” She stepped past me to climb in the car.

“Is there a problem?” Dane was now standing on the curb not far from me, looking at me with narrowed eyes.

“Quinn,” Max barked. “In or out?” I looked back at him and then at Dane again.

Max may be an ass, but I didn’t think he would risk Aubrey, he did care about her. I must have imagined the smell or maybe he’d had one beer while he was out. Either way, I was probably being paranoid for no reason.

“I’m good, Dane.” I smiled at him and climbed in the car. I wasn’t even buckled in before Max hit the gas.

The silence in the car was tense, Max’s tapping on the steering wheel was the only sound until Aubrey spoke up.

“We’re driving Quinn to her apartment.” I looked over at Aubrey in the passenger seat, pulling my attention away from the city flying by us too fast.

“She can take a car from our house,” Max said shortly.

“It feels like we’re going a little fast?” Neither of them seemed to hear my comment as we exited out of the core and onto a less busy highway.

We were already going in the opposite direction of my place.

“No, we are driving her home.” Aubrey crossed her arms over her chest.

“No.”

“Listen, you went out with your stupid friends tonight, but you said you would pick us up, so stop being an ass.”

“I don’t want to drive her home. I’m fucking tired.”

“Well, I don’t want you still talking to Lucas and all those stupid friends in that group but you don’t seem to care. He hurt her!”

“It was an accident. I can’t believe we’re back to this. Get over it, Aubrey, for fuck’s sake. He didn’t touch you. He’s not even in town.”

That was news to me, but I couldn’t let that distract me. “How about we not fight and just get home. I can take a car from your place no problem,” I said, trying to calm them down.

Max seemed to be speeding up as they argued.

“She’s my best friend. I won’t get over it!” Aubrey yelled, pulling her seatbelt loose so she could turn to face Max.

“You’ve been a total bitch lately. She shacks up with a billionaire, you get all pissy. Thinking you’re too good for me now. She won’t last with him, then she can go back to being your friend who dates mediocre men till they decide to move on.”

“Hey,” I said firmly. This sounded like a conversation they’d had before and I wasn’t interested in hearing it.

“He cared about her. She never had to pay for anything when they were together.”

“That’s not true.” Neither of them paid me any attention.