by Stacey Lynn
I gasp. “Nooo. When?”
She shrugs. “About three months ago. I’ve always had a crush on him but he never really noticed me. We were all hanging out at Zack’s place one night and I made my move.”
“How long have you liked him?”
“Pshhh … since I was fourteen, probably. Him, Zack, and Chase have been friends for so long, but I’ve always been the annoying little sister.”
I laugh, causing all of them to give me a funny look and throw my arms up. “Oh come on, no guy sleeps with the annoying little sister. He had sex with you because you’re hot. What happened after?”
“He said it was a mistake and it wouldn’t happen again. He doesn’t want to risk Zack getting pissed at him.”
I look at Nic. She looks embarrassed on Sammy’s behalf. “And you knew about this and haven’t said anything to either of them?”
Her eyes narrow. “Trust me, I’ve said plenty to Jake. I’m well aware of the pain in the ass he’s being right now.” She arches an eyebrow and grins slyly. “Much like someone else I know.”
That someone would be me.
I shrug, looking around for our waitress to save me from having to continue this conversation when I spot four guys headed our way. They’re all dressed in casual club wear, jeans and t-shirts. They’re about our age and a few are attractive, but the way they’re walking toward us makes me uncomfortable. I nod my head toward them, giving the girls a heads up. “Company headed this way.”
Sammy applies a quick swipe of lip gloss. “Ready for them.” And then her mouth falls open. I vaguely hear her make out the words, “oh shit,” before they reach our table.
“Excuse me,” one of them says when he reaches our table. His friends are standing behind him, and all of their eyes are half-open and glazed over. He looks completely wasted, even though his voice isn’t slurred. Yet. His smile isn’t exactly friendly, and I watch as he pushes his long black hair out of his face. And then I recognize him.
Nicole’s face loses a little bit of color and I see Chloe start tapping on her phone.
“Hello, Ethan,” Nicole says politely, but I can see her hands shaking a little bit. The last time she saw Ethan was years ago when she was on the tour with Zack. He was strung out on coke and showed up late for a sound check so Nic filled in for him. A few weeks later, Ethan passed out on stage and got kicked out of the band, which is how Nic eventually ended up playing the keyboard for Zack on the band’s next album. “How are you?”
Ethan leans in closer and his unfriendly smile turns a bit menacing. I move a little bit closer, putting some distance in between the two of them. “Oh, I’m just fantastic. I haven’t been able to get a gig with a band since Zack, but I hear you learned that sleeping around with the star will get you whatever you want. You must have your gold digging whorish ways down to a science to snag Zack and get on his tour.”
“Back off, Ethan.” My voice isn’t nearly as intimidating as I’d like it to be and he barely registers my existence when he glances from Nic to me. But still, no one talks to my friends like this. “It was your coke problem that got you kicked off and you don’t know anything about Nic or Zack.”
The guys behind Ethan start looking a little bit scarier as they slowly walk around our table. My nerves are on edge and I realize that they’re trying to block us in from being able to leave. I glance between Chloe and Sammy and they both have the same look of shock on their faces as I do. But we’re in a club, it’s not like they can really do anything to us. My confidence wavers though as the friends put their hands on the backs of our chairs and Ethan moves closer to Nic.
Without another warning, he grabs her wrist and jerks her up, pulling her off her stool.
“Maybe I should have a turn with you and then I could get lucky again.”
Nic tries to pry her hand out of Ethan’s grasp, but he’s holding on too strong and with the way his other friends have us blocked in, there’s nothing we can do. Ethan’s back is to me, standing in between Nicole and I, so I grab his arm that’s holding her and try to yank it away, but before I can pull to hard, a warm hand clamps down on the back of my neck. It hurts, and the more I move, the harder the hand presses into my skin until I can’t do anything except reach back and try to pry the guys’ fingers off.
“I’d sit still if I were you,” a slurred voice says into my ear.
“I see you still have a coke problem,” Nic fires at him, still trying unsuccessfully to pull her hand away from his. “And there’s no way I’d ever do anything with you.”
“Is there a problem here?” My eyes fly to Darren. He’s bigger than all the guys at our table, and it’s the first time he’s ever looked scary to me. His arms are crossed against his black shirt and his legs are spread just far enough apart to make him look like he’s serious as hell right now. I exhale and relax a little bit, although the hand on my neck doesn’t get any looser. “You better get out of here Ethan, before Zack sees you.”
Ethan laughs. “He’s not here and it’s not like he ever minded sharing before.”
“He does now,” Darren says and takes a step forward. A couple of Ethan’s friends apparently decide Darren isn’t anyone to mess with because they take a small step back, letting Darren get closer to Chloe and Sammy. The hand from my neck disappears and I reach back to rub some circulation back into it.
“Let her go, Ethan. You don’t want to do this right here in the club and make a scene. It will ruin your career. Whatever’s left of it anyway.”
He pulls Nic in front of him, and there’s still a table between them and Darren. I watch Darren’s eyes flicker around, trying to decide what to do, when Ethan wraps an arm around Nicole, running his nose up and down her neck. “This bitch already ruined my career,” he says when he pulls away from Nic a little bit. Her face is white and all I want to do is squeeze Ethan hard enough in the balls to ruin any chance he has of being with a woman.
“Get your fucking hands off her, Ethan. Now!”
I snap my head around in the direction of the shout and see Zack and the rest of the guys barreling their way past the crowd in the club. They’re all panting heavily, Zack and Chase’s hand are balled into fists at their sides. Garrett immediately pushes past the last person and pulls Chloe into his arms while Jake moves around the table and stands behind Sammy, pushing one of Ethan’s goons out of the way and shooting daggers at him with his eyes. I’ve never seen Jake looked pissed, and he looks like he could kill someone right now.
Chase moves in between the guy who was standing behind me and reaches for the back of Ethan’s shirt. With one hand, he yanks Ethan off Nicole, spinning them both around, and she practically falls forward into my lap.
“Get the hell out of here,” Chase growls at him.
“Screw you, man.”
Chase pulls him away one more time, putting a little bit of distance between Ethan and me and then Ethan is balled over, covering his stomach with his hands. Zack takes a step back from Ethan, his hands still clenched tightly and leans toward him again.
My eyes go wide, my body racing with adrenaline once I realize Zack just punched Ethan. And he looks like he could easily do it again. Chase is standing in a calm stance but even I can feel the undercurrent of anger and fury rushing just beneath the surface.
“I told you,” Zack says, breathing heavily and speaking loud enough I can hear, “if you ever laid a hand on Nic again your ass would be mine. Get the fuck out of this club before I have you blacklisted with every single damn band and you never work again. And if you ever lay a finger on my wife, I’ll break your fucking hand.” He’s not loud enough to cause a scene, but there are several people close to us pretending like they’re not paying attention to what’s going on. I see a camera flash go off and cringe. Shit. This is so going to make the papers.
Chase shoves Ethan one more time, pushing him into the crowd, and he flips Chase off. Whoever came with Ethan has already scattered and he stands there, glaring at all of us. When he realizes t
hat his back up is completely gone, he takes a few steps backwards and disappears into the crowd. Hopefully forever.
“Are you okay?” Zack asks Nic, picking her up off me and pulling her onto his lap on the stool she was sitting on. He picks up her wrist, examining it, and then kisses the pink marks Ethan left all over it. Shit. That’s going to bruise.
Nic nods but is breathing heavily. “I’m fine,” she finally says. “How’d you get here so quick?”
Zack cups her cheeks in his hands and kisses her fiercely on the lips. He’s breathing just as heavy as she is and fear is written all over his face. “Chloe texted Darren. He sent us a text but we were already a few blocks away, on the way here. We hauled ass as soon as I got his text.”
“It’s pretty hot watching you punch someone.” The words slip out before I can stop them, and everyone looks at me. “What? It is.”
Chase glares at me. “You’re going to make a joke out of this right now? You could have been hurt. Any of you.”
“Yes, but you guys came and saved us and we’re all fine now. So we can just forget it happened?”
I look over at Nic who nods with me. I think all of us girls are in agreement that we’d just rather forget we ever saw Ethan, but I think the men have gone into some sort of alpha protective mode because none of them look happy with the idea.
“Why in the hell aren’t you in the VIP section anyway?” Zack finally asks, scowling at us, especially Sammy.
She shrugs with a slight pout. “I hate sitting up there. You’re far away from the action and the dance floor.”
I shrink back into Chase a little bit with the fiery look Zack gives his sister. “And you just put Nic and the rest of you in danger, Sammy. Didn’t you fucking stop to think that someone would recognize them? Or you?”
“No,” she spits out. Her eyes practically mirror Zack. If they weren’t so pissed off, I’d probably laugh. Fortunately, I’m wise enough to hold it in. “I didn’t think that because I didn’t think it’d be a big deal, Zack!”
“Back off man,” Jake says quietly and rests his hands on the back of Sammy’s chair.
She scowls at him and then looks at the table.
“No. This was a stupid decision. I get that Sammy gets to go out with her friends and do whatever she wants, but she wasn’t thinking straight when she planned this. This is exactly why VIP sections exist in clubs for fuck’s sake.”
“Zack,” Nicole starts, her voice as soft as I’ve ever heard it. She puts her hand on his cheek and pulls his face toward hers. “It’s fine. We’re all fine and I really just want to get another drink and dance and forget this all happened. It’s not that big of a deal.”
Chase looks around, raising his hand in the air for a waitress and she appears within seconds. How do he and Chloe have that magic hand? It takes me forever to get drinks at a club.
“She doesn’t need you yelling at her,” Jake states, interrupting Nicole’s attempt to calm down Zack.
Sammy jumps out of her chair and leans in to Jake, closing the distance between them. The only space they have is Sammy’s finger pointing at Jake’s chest. “And you don’t have the right to defend me or try to protect me. Not after the shit you pulled.”
Every woman’s mouth drops open and we inhale a collective gasp.
Jake runs his hands through his hair and sighs. “Now’s not the time to bring this up. We’ve talked about it.”
“No,” she snaps at him. “You talked about it and expected me to move along and forget about it.”
“Forget about what?” Zack and Chase ask at the same time. I bite the inside of my cheek and thank the heavens that our drinks arrive at that exact moment. I quietly ask the waitress for another round while everyone else at the table is staring at Sammy and Jake. I have a feeling we’re going to need the back up.
“Nothing, man,” Jake says, but it’s clear he’s lying. He’s also not looking Zack in the eye, and avoiding Sammy completely. It’s like the admission kills him to say.
Zack’s jaw tightens and he grinds his teeth together. I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen him look so upset. “What aren’t you telling me?”
Nic’s hand reaches for Zack. I can tell she’s squeezing it hard, trying to get his attention, but he acts like she doesn’t exist as he and Jake glare at each other.
I’m biting my bottom lip when Sammy, Chloe, and Nic all start acting like we know absolutely nothing. Zack’s eyes goes to each of ours and I see the instant he figures it out. His eyes fly to Jake and I think they’re going to pop out of his head.
“You slept with my sister?” He hisses the words angrily.
Sammy’s head drops into the palm of her hand that’s propped up with her elbow on the table and Jake’s hands fly up.
“It was a mistake Zack, and we worked it out.”
“Wrong thing to say, dude,” Chase mutters next to me. I snicker a little bit as Zack’s face practically turns purple.
“Thanks asshole!” Sammy jumps up, and I can see the tears swimming in her eyes that she’s fighting so hard to keep hidden. I reach over and grasp her hand. It’s the only way I can offer my silent support but she doesn’t pay any attention to me.
“You could have any chick, any night you want, and you chose to use Sammy? What in the hell is wrong with you?” If I thought Zack was pissed at Ethan earlier that was nothing compared to this. His chest is heaving and I’m pretty sure smoke may fly out of his nose any second with the way he’s breathing.
“I’m right here,” Sammy states, but Jake and Zack are in a staring contest so strong they can’t be distracted.
“It wasn’t like that! I care about her, Zack. I just didn’t want this,” he waves his arms dramatically through the air, “bullshit to happen once you found out.”
“So throwing her aside was the right way to handle it? You thought I’d be pissed to find out you like her, but just screwing her and throwing her out afterward would make me happy?”
“Can we stop talking about me like I’m not in the room?”
“No!” Zack snaps and Nic jumps in her seat. Her tanned skin is a little bit whiter. I don’t think she’s ever seen Zack this upset either.
“Let’s let them figure this out,” Chase whispers in my ear. “Dance with me.”
I look at Sammy. She’s still fighting to hold back her tears, but she also looks completely mortified. Jake is still standing behind her, breathing heavily and glancing between her and Zack. Neither one of them will look at him. I almost feel bad for the guy. He drops his head, closes his eyes, and looks defeated.
I feel Chase pulling on my hand again. He nods his head toward the dance floor so I take one of the shots on the table, the alcohol calming my nerves from all the drama, and let him lead me to the floor. When we get to the dance floor, I see Chloe and Garrett have taken a cue from us and are dancing close by.
“Did you know about that?” Chase asks as he wraps his arms around me, pulling me close to him.
“I just found out earlier tonight.”
I lean forward, resting my head against his chest, and feel the beat of his heart. He says nothing else while we dance, our bodies now moving in sync with the music. I close my eyes and relax into him, wanting to forget everything that has just happened at the worst Bachelorette party in history.
Poor Nicole, I think, when Garrett comes up and taps Chase on the shoulder.
“Chloe and I are going to take off. You want to head out with us?” He’s yelling over the music and I can see Zack and Nic still at the table with Jake and Sammy.
Chase and I agree to leave, so Chloe and I head back to the table to grab our purses. When I get there, I shoot Nicole a look, silently asking if she’s okay. She nods her head but I can tell she’s irritated. In fact, everyone still looks a bit pissy. Sammy’s face is scrunched up at whatever Jake is saying to her across the table. He’s leaning in and whispering into her ear and her hands are clutching her drink. She’s not looking at him, but she’s paying attention to
everything he’s saying.
Frankly I think the two would be good together, but what in the hell do I know about good relationships?
I give Nic a kiss on her cheek. “We’re taking off. You guys heading home?”
Nic snorts. “I think Zack’s still debating whether or not he’s going to kick Jake’s ass.”
“That bad?”
She nods toward Sammy and Jake. Zack is glaring at them although I know he can’t hear anything Jake is saying, either.
“He admitted to liking her. Zack’s not pissed he likes her, he’s just mad his best friend used her. And he has a ton of groveling to do if he wants Sammy back.”
I smile. “I hope she puts him through hell.”
I give her a hug and follow Chase out to the car Darren has waiting for us.
“Well that was a sucky bachelorette party,” I finally say once we walk through the front door, kicking off the gorgeous gray heels I’ve been wearing all night. My feet sink into a plush cream colored rug and thank me instantly for freeing them from the confines of a gorgeous hell.
The entire car ride home was silent, none of us wanting to talk about the pink elephant dancing around the center of the limo Darren drove us home in. I feel horrible for Nicole. This was supposed to be her night and Zack’s night.
Freaking Ethan. And Jake.
“Let’s go outside,” Chase whispers next to me, nudging me in the shoulder. His mischievous smile is infectious and I can’t help but return it. Chloe and Garrett head to bed as soon as we walk inside.
I stop by the kitchen and grab a couple bottles of water and then join him in a lounge chair on the deck. I’m sitting in between his thighs, his arms wrapped around my waist, as he holds me back against him with my head resting on his shoulder.
“I forget how nice it is to see the stars.” The words slip quietly from my mouth. I’m looking up at the black sky with a million speckles of sparkling little lights as far as the eye can see. Besides Chase’s breathing, the only other sound I can hear are the waves lapping against the shore below us. It’s one of the things I miss most about living in New York. There are always so many lights from the city that I can’t see the sky. Ever. I went up to the roof of my apartment building once after a particularly bad day at work.