by Tawny Taylor
“Why? Is it because of him? Does he tell you not to look sexy for other men?”
I poked my head out to give my friend a don’t-go-there glare. “No, of course not. He wouldn’t ever tell me how to dress. I just don’t feel like chasing off a bunch of slobbering assholes tonight.”
Jill sighed. “Fine. Wear something else. Just please nothing that might get you mistaken for my mother. Or a nun.” As I reached for a different dress, also black, but with a high neckline and fuller skirt, she added, “And nothing you would wear to church.”
There went that one.
Clearly this was going to take some time…and a little patience.
Chapter 4
“What a night. Just look at this place. Hotties everywhere. As far as the eye can see.”
I wasn’t nearly as thrilled as my bestie. She saw one hot prospect after another. Me, I wasn’t looking, so all I saw was one horny guy looking for a hookup after another. Once upon a time some of the men might have turned my head. But not anymore. Shane was all the man I needed. He was the only one I wanted.
I wasn’t just in love with him, I realized as I sat there, staring into my lukewarm diet cola. I loved him. Loved, as in wouldn’t ever want to hurt him. Loved, as in couldn’t imagine life without him.
And he loved me too.
He was scared. So was I.
Loving him meant he had the power to devastate me. Loving him meant I willingly gave him that power.
The last time we were together, he’d said something strange, “I can’t live like this.” I hadn’t stopped wondering what he meant by that. I hoped I would find out soon.
“Come on. You can’t sit here all night, nursing that nasty diet cola by yourself. Come and dance with me.” Making sure I could not refuse her, Jill grabbed my hands and practically dragged me to my feet. She bounced through the crowd toward the dance floor, her sways and steps keeping time with the music pounding through the club. Me, I walked behind her, aware of every set of male eyes that landed upon me.
Jill stopped at the outer edge of the dance floor and turned to face me as she started dancing. If she meant for me to stand out there, where I would be on full display, it wasn’t happening. I wriggled between her and another girl who was gyrating against a tall guy with full sleeves of tattoos, took a spot where I wouldn’t be so out in the open, and started moving to the music.
While I wasn’t interested in gaining any man’s attention tonight, I did love to dance. It didn’t take long for the music’s deep base to throb through my body. I closed my eyes against the blinking glare of the dance lights and let the beat carry me away.
I felt free. And sexy. And alive.
“I’m glad to see you haven’t forgotten how to dance,” Jill shouted over the ear-splitting music.
“Never.”
One song blended into another, and then we were swaying and spinning to a faster dance tune. Before I’d started seeing Shane, dancing had been one of my favorite things to do. Instantly, I was swept up in the rhythm. Sweat trickled down my temples. The hair at my nape clung to my neck. And my heartbeat sped up, pounding hard and fast, almost in time with the beat.
Wow, did this feel great. I’d almost forgotten how much fun it was to just let go and dance. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins, making me feel almost high. A new song started playing and my movements adjusted, picking up the faster tempo. My body temperature rose even higher.
A guy stepped up behind Jill and started dancing next to her. She angled toward me, dancing while looking over her shoulder at him. I watched as the music thrummed on, their dance becoming more intimate with each passing beat. Before the end of the song he had an arm wrapped around her waist and he was holding her against him, their movements perfectly synchronized. The song ended, and the next started. A slower song. Jill twisted around to face her partner. I stepped around them, ready to head back to the table after a quick stop at the bar for something cold to drink.
It took some side-stepping and lots of “excuse-mes” to get up to the bar. Wedging myself between two barstools with patrons sitting in them, I planted a foot on the brass footrest and waited for the bartender to notice me.
Someone tapped me on the shoulder.
Expecting Jill, I said, as I glanced over my shoulder, “Want something to drink?”
“No thank you,” was the answer.
That wasn’t Jill.
The voice was too low. And it belonged to a male. A male I kind of recognized but couldn’t place.
“Bristol?” the slightly familiar man asked.
“Yes, that’s me,” I said as I turned to face him.
“I thought I recognized you.” He extended a hand. “Russell Grant.”
“Russell Grant,” I repeated as I tried (and failed) to remember how we knew each other. My gaze meandered over his face. Deep brown eyes. Olive skin. Dark, dark hair.
“I suppose I should be disappointed that you don’t recognize me, but I can’t really blame you. It’s been a while since we met. And you probably weren’t paying much attention to me then. I was your mother’s physician. When she was in the hospital.”
“Ah. That was a while ago. You have a good memory. Obviously, I don’t.”
He rested a hand on the bar, his body angled toward mine. He was a nice looking man. His hair reminded me of Shane’s. It was wavy and thick, silky. He had a really great smile. He also smelled very nice. But wow, was he big. I didn’t remember him being so tall and…imposing before. “You’re not an easy woman to forget.”
Oh gosh. He’s flirting with me.
If there’d been any room, even an inch, I would have moved away from him. But I was wedged between two stools. He was crowding me from the front, and behind me was the bar. There was not even a fraction of an inch to spare.
He waved to the bartender. “Are you here alone?”
“No, I’m here with a friend.” Since I couldn’t put any more space between us, I turned my body toward the bar and spoke over my shoulder.
“I see.” His gaze flicked around, no doubt searching for the friend.
“She’s dancing,” I told him.
“She is? Then she won’t mind if I buy you a drink?”
“No, she wouldn’t mind, but I’m the designated driver. So no, thanks.”
“Can’t I get you something cold at least? You look a little warm.”
No doubt I did. Sweat was dribbling down the side of my face. I could just imagine what my makeup looked like. It was a wonder he’d recognized me at all, especially considering the number of people he probably met at the hospital on a daily basis. It was an even bigger mystery how he found me attractive. I grabbed a napkin off the bar and dabbed at my face. “I am warm—“
“What can I get you?” the bartender asked.
“Diet cola, please. Lots of ice.”
An arm stretched across my side. In the hand was a twenty dollar bill. “I’ll take a Lambrucha,” Russell said as he handed the bill to the bartender.
“Okay.” The bartender waved the bill. “I’ll get your change.”
“Keep it,” Russell told him.
“Thanks.” The grateful bartender filled a glass with ice, to the top.
I twisted to smile over my shoulder at Russell while the bartender dispensed my cola and fetched a bottle of beer from the cooler. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” After reaching past me to grab his beer and my cola, he tipped his head to the side. “Want to go find a quiet table somewhere so we can talk?”
“I…” I glanced at the dance floor. Jill was still doing the bump and grind with her new friend. She didn’t look too concerned about where I’d gone.
That left me in a bad spot. Russell had bought me a drink. Granted, outside of a glass of water, it didn’t get much cheaper than a cola. Still, it would be rude to turn down his invitation. I just had to make sure to let him know I wasn’t interested in anything beyond a short getting-caught-up chat. “Sure,” I said.
He looped his arm through mine. “It’s crowded. I don’t want to lose you again.” He pushed between two large men, his body like one of those big ice-busting boats, clearing a path through the thick, sweaty throng. He located a table not far from the entrance and, after setting down our drinks, pulled out a chair for me. Once I sat, he folded his thick frame into the chair across from me and smiled over the lip of his bottle. His eyes were sparkly. I knew what that look meant. “You look great, Bristol.”
“Thanks.” I shifted nervously in my seat and stirred my cola. After my somewhat unpleasant experience not so long ago with an ex-boyfriend, I didn’t want to risk giving this guy the wrong impression. “I remember now. You were an…intern at the time. Right?”
“I was a resident. I’ve finished up now, started a new practice with a friend of mine.” Staring at me, he pulled a good sized drink from his bottle.
“Your own practice? You’re doing well.”
“I’m doing okay.”
Small talk. I needed to make small talk. That was safe. “My mother told me you were getting married.”
“Oh, yeah. I got married. But we separated shortly after the honeymoon. Just waiting for the divorce to be finalized.”
That explained the sparkles. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“It’s okay. Melanie and I shouldn’t have married. We were great friends, still are, but we weren’t good spouses. We didn’t expect the same things from marriage.” He waved his bottle. “Enough about me. What about you? Has some lucky man snatched you up yet?” His gaze went right to my left hand, which was resting on the table.
“I’m not married. Yet,” I added. “But I am seeing someone.”
“Ah, then I’m not too late.”
I laughed to hide my unease. “Well, I don’t think my boyfriend would agree with that statement.”
“If your relationship was rock solid, you wouldn’t be here, at a club, alone.”
“I’m not alone. I came with a girlfriend.”
“Yes, Jill.”
“You remember Jill? You couldn’t have met her more than once or twice.”
He jammed his fingers through his hair and cleared his throat. “Actually, I have a confession to make.”
I was confused. “What confession?”
“Jill and I share a common friend. We ran into each other last week, and I asked about you. She suggested I meet you here tonight. But she didn’t tell me you were in a relationship. She said you’d started dating someone but it wasn’t going anywhere.”
I was confused no more. “That little brat. She said that, did she?”
“You’re annoyed.”
“Not with you.” I heaved a heavy sigh. I was going to have to sit down with Jill and find out what the heck she’d learned about Shane. Either she was going to tell me or she was going to stop poking her nose in my personal life. “You’re the second man she’s tried to set me up with recently.”
He took another swallow of beer. “Why is she doing that?”
“She doesn’t like my boyfriend.”
“I see.” His gaze wandered for a second. Then he shook his head. “It’s too bad. It would’ve been nice to reconnect. Bad timing, I guess.” His attention diverted again. He was looking at something or someone behind me.
I twisted in my seat. Blonde. Boobs. Short skirt. “Yes,” I agreed. “It’s just bad timing.”
He stood, beer in hand. “Well, if anything changes, you can find me easily enough if you want to.” He offered a hand. “It’s good seeing you again, Bristol. Really.”
“It’s good seeing you again too, Russell.” I watched him shake his head, his mouth curled down in disappointment. I gave a little apologetic smile and wave. And, after chugging what was now warm, watered-down diet cola, I went in search of my meddling friend.
She was going to get an earful. As soon as I found her. I pushed and wriggled my way through the mass of hot, sweaty bodies to the packed dance floor and scanned the crowd. There were dozens of women and men gyrating to the heavy, pounding beat. Too many. I couldn’t find Jill. I dance-walked across the dance floor, looking left and right, forward and back. At one point, a man grabbed my hand, twirled me around to face him and started doing a freaky dance move that would probably inspire nightmares tonight. I quickly moved along, checking every inch of the space before accepting the obvious.
Jill had taken off somewhere.
I checked our table as I dialed her number on my cellphone.
“Where are you?” I yelled when I heard her answer.
“I’m in the bathroom. Where are you?”
“Looking for you. Be there in a few.”
“M-kay.”
I clicked off and click-clacked through a cluster of men, my gaze fixed on the rear exit leading to the bathrooms. I got as far as the doorway when yet another person grabbed my hand. Really, really tired of being pawed at and grabbed, I whirled around and yelled, “Hands off!”
My gaze locked on a mouth. Then I saw the straight blade of a nose. And from there the chiseled angle of a cheekbone.
“Who did you think I was?” Shane asked, expression like ice.
Oh God, he was angry.
Why? Because I was at a club? Because of what I’d said? Because he saw me having a drink with Russell?
“Who? Nobody in particular. Just another drunk bastard looking to cop a feel,” I said as I fiddled with my purse strap.
His expression darkened. “Are you sure about that?”
What did he mean by that?
“Yes, I’m sure. I’ve been looking for Jill. When I was over there,” I indicated the dance floor with a jerk of my head, “a random guy issued a fairly obnoxious invitation for me to dance with him. Which I refused.”
“Come with me.” My angry-looking boyfriend pushed on my back, steering me back around, away from the exit leading to the bathrooms. Away from Jill.
Deciding Jill wouldn’t notice if it took me a minute or two longer to meet up with her, I let him lead me all the way across the bar to the front entrance. We stepped outside. My ears were ringing.
“What were you doing here?” Shane asked, his gaze raking up and down my body.
I hadn’t worn the sluttiest dress I owned, but with him looking at me like that, I felt downright indecent. I tugged on the hem of my dress. “I came here with my friend Jill. We’re having a girl’s night out.”
“Then who is the guy I saw you with? I didn’t see a girlfriend with you. Not since I walked in the door.”
Oh no.
He thought I’d come here with Russell? I had to straighten this out right away. I hadn’t done anything wrong. Nothing. He had no reason to be jealous.
I lifted my hands. “Shane, you have the wrong idea.”
“Do I?” His head tipped to the side. He moved smoothly, slowly, crowding my personal space bubble until it almost popped. “Did you not have a drink with another man? Was I imagining that?”
Now I was not only a little intimidated but I was also getting mad. So what? I’d sat at a table in a public place with another man. We talked. About nothing. And then I’d told him I was involved in a relationship. “No, you weren’t imagining it. But that was all I did, had a drink and talked.”
“Talked about what?” he shot back, inching closer still. “You two looked very comfortable with each other.”
Every instinct in me told me to back up, give myself some space so he wouldn’t be so freaking intimidating. But I didn’t want to. I didn’t want him to think he’d won this little power struggle we were fighting right now. “We looked comfortable because we know each other. Knew each other. He’s married now.”
Shane laughed. “Married. A married man at a bar can only be looking for one thing.”
I wanted to tell him that it was Jill’s fault, that she’d set the whole thing up, but that would probably make him distrust Jill. If he distrusted her, he might try to tell me I couldn’t go out with her anymore. Though, based on the steam blasting from his
ears, he might do that anyway.
“You’re angry. But you shouldn’t be. I didn’t do anything wrong. You’re making assumptions--”
“Like someone else we know, right? Who was making assumptions when she saw me at a restaurant with another woman?” He backed me into the wall. Then he angled closer so that I was feeling the heat of his breath fanning over my face, and those cold, dark eyes were piercing mine, searching them.
“You’re right. I did make assumptions.”
“That was a restaurant,” he pointed out. “Not a dump like this.”
“Back off, asshole!” Jill shouted from somewhere close by.
Great, now she was going to hate Shane even more. In her eyes he was being a big bully. In reality, he was being a bully. But now that he’d pointed out what I’d done when I’d caught him with Alexis, I couldn’t fault him for being jealous.
“Jill, it’s okay,” I said, trying to peer around the side of Shane’s hulking body.
“Like hell! Nobody deserves to be screamed at and intimidated like this. No one!”
“Jill,” Shane said, his voice low and cold. He shot her what I could assume was an ugly glare over his shoulder. “This is a private conversation.”
“Bristol is my friend. You’re being a complete jerk. If you don’t back off, I’m calling the police.”
Shane lurched back and lifted his hands in a sign of surrender. His eyes met mine. “No need to call the cops. I’ll leave.”
Frozen and confused, I watched him stomp away.
Jill grabbed me, wrapping her arms around me. “That guy is a complete and total asshole. You deserve so much better than that. Dammit, why can’t you see that?”
“He saw me with Russell.” I snapped as I pushed away from her, heading toward the car. This night had been a total nightmare. From the start. I regretted letting her talk me into going to this dump. If we had done something else, like gone to a movie or something, Shane wouldn’t have seen me with another man, and he wouldn’t have gotten upset. “This is your fault. All of it. You told Russell I would be here tonight. You told him I was single. What do you suppose Shane thought? Dammit, Jill. Why do you keep trying to break us up?”