“A what?” she asked, still laughing.
“A be-yotch,” I repeated.
Her laughter maximized, and I swore I’d never stop peeing. “Jesus, I feel like the guy on that movie…the one where he’s peeing forever. The computer chick says something each time he stops, but I don’t remember what.”
“Oh, that was an Austin Powers movie,” Blaire insisted. “I loved that movie. Hilarious!”
“Yes! Austin Powers!” Even I heard my words slur together that time. “No more drinks. Take mine away when we get to the table and pass me a water.”
“Done,” Blaire insisted. She was fixing her eyeliner when I walked out of the stall. “Wash your hands and let’s head back.”
“Yes, Mother.” I let the sarcasm have its way with my words.
After drying my hands, Blaire and I exited the bathroom—or rather she exited and I stumbled. The heel on my shoe broke, and I would have come crashing down, causing a big-ass scene, had it not been for the large hands that caught me at the right moment—hands that were definitely not Blaire’s.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
IAN
Lauren had come barreling out of the bathroom—dressed to kill in a simple black, strapless piece and mile-high heels—at the exact moment I rounded the corner. For a second, I thought she was going to plow into me, but then the heel on her shoe snapped and my instinct was to reach out and catch her before she fell. When she raised her eyes to meet mine, I was certain I’d made the right decision, because she looked plastered. A smile pulled and twisted the corners of my lips at the sight of her in her inebriated state.
“Well, hello there,” I said, barely able to choke back my fit of laughter.
“I know you.” She grinned like a fool.
“Oh my God. I’m so sorry.” The brown-haired girl she was with apologized. The girl moved to pull Lauren from my grasp, but I didn’t quite let go. “She’s had a little too much to drink in celebration tonight.”
“Celebration, huh?” I shifted my eyes back to Lauren. “Seems like this is the place to come for that tonight. I’m celebrating, too.”
“Blaire, I know him,” Lauren slurred. She gripped my right bicep and steadied herself as she attempted to check her shoe out. “Damn it. These were my favorite.”
Blaire glanced at me. “Does she really know you?”
I chuckled. “Sort of.”
“I’m right here. And I’m wasted, not stupid,” Lauren scolded. “Crap, now what the hell am I gonna wear for some fuck-me shoes?”
I laughed hysterically. “Wow, is that what those were?”
Blaire’s face slipped through ten shades of red at Lauren’s words. “Oh, jeez, um…Lauren, let’s head back to the table, please. I think it’s time to call it a night.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Lauren waved her off. She released my arm, and I reluctantly let go of her waist. “Have fun celebrating. Oh, wait, what are you celebrating? Did your dad make it out okay?”
She remembered what I’d said about my dad? This floored me for some reason.
“Yeah.” I nodded. “Thanks. He’s been out of the hospital since Sunday. We’re celebrating his good health tonight.”
“Good.” She smiled, and I was struck by how good-looking she was all over again. Was it corny to say that she was even more beautiful when she smiled?
“What are you celebrating so heavily tonight?” I crossed my arms over my chest and fixated my eyes on her. “Must be something big if you’re having this much fun.”
“My birthday.” She unclasped her heels and slipped them off. Hooking her fingers though the straps, she tossed them over her shoulder. “I’m leaving for a trip tomorrow, and wanted to celebrate with my family and friends tonight beforehand.”
“Nice.” I crammed my hands into my front pockets. The way she was looking at me right now was doing things to me that I hadn’t felt in a while. “Where are you going?”
Her friend crossed her arms over her chest, and shifted on her feet. She must have been getting tired of standing there while we talked, but I didn’t care.
Lauren smirked, and I noticed for the first time she had deep dimples on both sides of her perfect mouth. Damn, I loved a girl with dimples. “Greece.”
My eyes popped out of my head. “Greece? That’s some birthday trip.”
“I know, right? That guy I was telling you about, the one who’s my sort of boyfriend, he’s taking me,” she said.
I nodded. The sort of boyfriend must have money. Was he like her sugar daddy or something?
“That’s awesome. Well, have a safe trip and loads of fun.” I moved to get around her and into the men’s room, but she blocked my every step so it looked as though we were dancing.
Lauren placed a hand on my chest to stop me, and laughed. “I will.”
I froze at her touch, allowing her to move around me. My eyes dropped to the floor as the warmth from her palm faded from my chest when she walked away.
“Oh, hey,” she called out. I glanced over my shoulder at her. Jesus, she was stunning. “Do you think you’ll have my apartment finished by the time I get back?”
“Depends, when are you coming back?”
“Sunday.”
Something incredibly bold and unlike anything I would ever say to a homeowner popped into my mind, and it burst past my lips before I had a chance to stop it. “I sure as hell hope not, because I’d love to see you again.”
Lauren licked her bottom lip and held my stare as a sexy grin spread across her face. “That could be arranged. Don’t fix my light until Monday afternoon. We can talk then about how you might be able to see me again afterward.”
Holy hell, had I just asked her out indirectly and she’d been interested enough to say yes?
My eyes dropped to the tiled floor for a second as I took in the moment. Bringing them back up to meet hers, I couldn’t keep the smile that twisted my lips away. “I could do that.”
Blaire tugged on Lauren’s arm. “What are you doing? You don’t even know him, do you?”
“Oh course I do. He’s the one who found my vibrator stash the other day. I’d say we know each other better than most,” Lauren responded. She winked at me before turning to walk away.
Shaking my head, I chuckled as I pressed on the door to the men’s room and stepped inside. Lauren was bold, confident, and playful. She was all the things I wasn’t, and I found that to be an incredible turn-on.
After taking a leak and washing my hands, I headed back to the table my family sat at. Finishing off my cheese steak tacos, I downed the rest of my frozen margarita while thinking of Lauren and the chance meetings we continued to have. My leg began to bounce beneath the table and daydreams of what Monday would be like filled my head. The anticipation was going to kill me.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
LAUREN
When Jimmy had said we would be leaving out on Thursday, I had no idea he’d meant Thursday night. Our plane left from the Charlotte airport at five thirty. We had to get there two hours beforehand—due to all the crazy security precautions—and it was also an almost three-and-a-half-hour drive from Norhurst to Charlotte. Since I trusted Jimmy’s car to handle the trip about as far as I could throw it, we’d taken mine.
Normally, I didn’t let others drive my car, but because of the pounding headache shattering my ability to think clearly, I’d opted to let Jimmy drive. We left a little before noon, and made it to the airport by three thirty. After figuring out how to park and where, we made our way inside the building. As soon as the automatic doors whooshed shut behind us, I felt anxiety creep around inside of me. Cringing as I took in the chaotic scene before me, I gripped Jimmy’s arm and clasped our printed tickets to my chest.
Holy shit, there were a ton of people flying today.
“Nervous?” Jimmy asked. He pulled my suitcase behind him, leading us away from the glass doors and into the thicket of disarray.
“To say the least,” I muttered. This was my first time flying. Ever.
<
br /> There had to be hundreds of people here, each of them rushing about with a distinct purpose and sense of direction. Two things I clearly lacked at the moment. Still clutching Jimmy’s arm, I followed alongside him with uncertain, drunken steps. This was overwhelming in every sense of the word. What the hell had I been thinking when I’d agreed to this? Sex with Jimmy in a beautiful faraway country—that’s what.
We snaked through the throngs of people to the e-ticket check-in terminal. There had never been a moment in my life when I’d been more overjoyed to have a man who knew what the hell he was doing standing at my side. Passing the tickets to Jimmy, I took a swig of the water I bought when we’d stopped for gas on the ride here. A security officer’s radio crackled somewhere close by, and I instantly zeroed in on him, wondering what the code had meant. This place was freaking me out.
“Okay, we’re good. Now we need to head in this direction.” Jimmy gripped my luggage again, and slung his duffle bag higher on his shoulder.
I only wished I could pack as light as he could. When I packed, I took the entire house with me. When he packed, he brought only the bare necessities. This was the difference between men and women. Although in my defense, Jimmy didn’t have many personal items. His apartment had come fully furnished. His belongings consisted of everything in his duffle bag, and his crappy five-hundred-dollar car.
Making our way toward a ridiculously long line, I waited to check my one suitcase. I knew I should have used the small carry-on Paige had said I could borrow. This place seemed short staffed, and the people in front of us did not look happy. If there was a survey to fill out at the end of all this, I was so adding that into the comments section.
Fighting the urge to get down on my hands and knees once we’d made it onto the actual airplane, I took in the thing and realized the chaos was far from over. Now, I needed to find my seat. Who would have thought I’d need a prescription for Xanax on top of birth control just to travel? If I had known I would feel this anxiety-ridden, I would have asked around campus, where I was sure there was some trench coat-wearing pill-pusher with a variety to tide me over and ease my mind.
Inching down the narrow aisle behind Jimmy, I took in the navy blue fabric seats, overhead compartments, and porthole windows. This was the first time I’d ever been on a plane. Thank goodness I wasn’t claustrophobic; this flight would definitely be the pits then.
“This is it,” Jimmy said.
A tremendous relief slipped off my shoulders at the sight of our seats. Once we settled in, Jimmy kissed me on the temple, and contentment wrapped around me.
Preparing myself for the belly-dropping sensation as the plane took off Jimmy had described to me earlier, I counted down the minutes until I would be on the ground again. Thirteen hours, that’s how long the flight from Charlotte to Athens was. There was one stop, a layover of thirty minutes or so, and then it was a straight shot there. Excitement swelled within my chest. I was ready for wine, amazing sex, and the best birthday ever.
* * * *
Athens was like nothing I’d expected. Once Jimmy and I exited the airport, I was thankful I’d brought along Eva’s traveling gifts—a large hat and a giant tube of sunblock. While I wasn’t the fairest-skinned person, I was positive I would be a lobster in this type of sun without some sort of protection. The sun was high and the sky was a bright, pure-looking blue. The bluest I’d ever seen. My senses heightened at the sights, and a form of absolute breathlessness coursed through me.
“Ah,” Jimmy breathed. He hung his head back and inhaled deeply. “I’m home.”
“What time is it here?” I wondered. When we’d left, it was five thirty at night in Charlotte. I figured we would be arriving first thing in the morning—around seven in Athens—but from the looks of it, it was midday. “Is it in the afternoon or something? It’s so bright out.”
Jimmy chuckled. “We’re seven hours ahead here.”
I did the math in my head quickly and realized it was around two p.m. It was insane to me the way time differences between places worked.
“We still have all day,” Jimmy insisted. He pulled me close and nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck.
Running my fingers through his soft locks of hair, I melted into him a little more. His lips pressed against my throat in featherlight kisses.
Smiling, I dug out my cell phone and held it up. “Let’s take a picture so I can send it back to Paige and the others. That way they’ll know we made it here alive.”
“Pictures already? You’re going to make me look like a tourist in my hometown.” He grinned.
“Yes, pictures. I want my being in this beautiful city documented.”
Jimmy rolled his eyes, but the sexy smile tugging at the corner of his lips never wavered. Running a hand through his dark hair, he stopped the next person out the airport doors. The woman smiled and nodded when he asked her to take our picture, but didn’t speak. We stepped to the side and turned until we were facing the airport, so the background of the picture would be the city. Wrapping his arms around me from behind, Jimmy rested his chin on the top of my head. Smiling wide, I intertwined my arms with his, loving this moment.
“Thank you,” I said as I took my phone back from the woman after she’d taken a few pictures. Glancing at the screen, I made sure there was a decent one before I tried to send it to Paige. “Where are we going now? Is your family coming to pick us up, or are we catching a cab to the hotel?”
A short, round woman with dark hair and similar facial features to Jimmy bounded from out of nowhere and pulled him into her bosom before he could answer me.
“My baby is home,” she gushed while peppering him with kisses. “Mou lipis, agape mou.”
While I had no earthly idea what Jimmy’s mother had said to him, the Greek language sounded beautiful.
“I missed you, too, Mama,” Jimmy insisted, untangling himself from his mother’s arms. He glanced over his shoulder and flashed a knee-weakening smile my way. “This is Lauren, the girl I told you about.”
Taking that as my cue, I smiled wide and extended a hand, feeling as though the greeting Jimmy had received was out of the question. His mother didn’t move. She stared at me with eyes the same electric shade of blue as Jimmy’s, but with a look of pure disgust reflected in them. Definitely not the warm welcome I’d anticipated.
“Lauren, this is my mother, Maeve Moon,” Jimmy continued. I was unsure if he noticed the look his mother was giving me, or if he was simply choosing to ignore it all together, because the large smile that had swept across his face at the sight of her hadn’t diminished any.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Moon.” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and held her gaze. There was no way in hell I would let this woman ruin my birthday trip to Greece. So what, she wasn’t happy I was dating her son—that much was clear based off first impressions—but it wasn’t something I hadn’t encountered a time or two already in my life. I’d never been the girl parents loved for whatever reason. “Athens is a beautiful city. I’m so excited to explore it and learn more about your culture with your son,” I said.
Yeah, I was a kiss ass at times. This time being one of them.
Maeve didn’t utter a single word to me in response. Instead, she turned her back to me, and placed a hand on Jimmy’s shoulder as she steered him away from me.
“Come, agape mou,” she said.
Jimmy grabbed my suitcase and glanced back at me once to see if I was following. I fought the urge to scoff at him. Wonderful. Apparently, Jimmy was a mama’s boy. If that was the case, then this was going to be the longest four days of my life. After pulling the large tube of sunblock Eva had bought me from my purse, I squeezed a little into the palm of my hand and rubbed my nose and the tops of my shoulders down. Who knew how far we’d be walking.
When we stopped in front of a compact car just a few feet away, I was relieved. Jimmy tossed my suitcase into the microscopic trunk, along with his duffle bag, and slipped into the backseat beside
me. My tense muscles relaxed. I’d been worried he would sit in the passenger seat instead of with me, assuming he wouldn’t want to piss his mother off. From the looks she was giving the two of us in the rearview mirror, pissed was the correct term to use for her.
Glancing out the car windows as we headed down the streets of Athens, I spotted at least three hotels we’d already passed. I wondered which one we would be staying at.
“Are we heading to visit with the rest of your family before checking into the hotel?” I asked Jimmy.
“Hotel? We’re staying with my parents.”
My heart stopped. I locked eyes with his mother in the rearview mirror, and could have sworn she smirked at me. “Oh, okay.”
“Are you all right with that?” Jimmy asked.
“Sure,” I lied. What the hell was I supposed to say?
Dread pooled through the pit of my stomach as I silently cursed myself for never asking him where we’d be staying. The excitement of the trip had clouded my mind.
“So, what do you think of Athens so far? Beautiful, eh?” Jimmy placed a hand on my thigh and squeezed.
It was the first bit of contact we’d shared since his mother had arrived to pick us up, and it was welcomed. The sensation of his thumb brushing along my bare skin was calming.
“It’s amazing. I hope we get to see a lot of it before we leave.” This was true, but it was also my nonchalant way of asking without asking if we were going to be confined to his childhood home with his mother as our chaperone and warden the entire time. “Maybe we can sightsee some later tonight?”
He opened his mouth to answer me, but his mother spoke first.
“Dinner, we are having dinner tonight. Maybe tomorrow you can sightsee,” she said.
My eyes shifted to Jimmy. Obviously, he had to notice by now how rude his mother was being. It was clear as freaking crystal to me. This trip was definitely not turning out to be the one I’d envisioned.
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