by J. Sterling
I glanced at Nick, whose eyes locked onto mine and then widened when he realized who I was talking to. He quickly grabbed the two bottles of beer and hurried in our direction.
I turned to Carla. “Not sure why you want someone who doesn’t even like you. But—goals?” I used my fingers for air quotes.
“You really think that he doesn’t like me? That our fathers haven’t been planning this union for years?” She let out another evil-sounding laugh. “Nick won’t have a choice in the matter. And either will you,” she informed me before stalking away.
Nick won’t have a choice in the matter? Her words rang in my ears as my stomach rolled.
“Jess, are you okay? You’re pale. What the hell did she say to you?” Nick stepped in front of me, forcing my eyes to focus on his.
“What the hell was that?” Rachel came up next to me and planted her hands on her hips.
“Nothing,” I said.
“Doesn’t look like nothing. You’re shaking, Jess.” Rachel looked around the room. “You want me to go kick her puta ass?”
Smiling, I looked over at my roommate. “No. She’d probably sue you.”
Rachel let out a sound somewhere between a frustrated scream and a growl. “You’re right. I hate her, Nick. How are you friends with her?”
“I’m not,” he said.
“Good.” Rachel gave him a hard look before heading back to Trevor.
I swallowed hard. “Let’s dance.” I forced a smile as I grabbed my beer from his hand.
“Do you want me to go talk to her?” His voice was tight with anger as he scanned the room, searching for Carla. “I’ll tell her to never speak to you again. To not even look in your direction.”
I reached for his arm and squeezed. “She’s not worth it, remember?” I exhaled before taking a long drink, loving the way he was protective over me.
“As long as you’re sure you’re all right . . .”
“I’m fine,” I promised as I pulled him back onto the dance floor, holding him close to me as the music moved us.
The rest of the night was uneventful and—dare I say it?—a bit boring. A bunch of guys you’d normally see acting carefree and crazy at a party were suddenly all dressed up and on their somewhat best behavior. To be honest, I’d take the regular old frat party over this stuffy formal stuff any day.
“Had enough?” Nick whispered into my ear before kissing my neck.
“Yes.”
“Good,” he replied before pulling me out of the ballroom without so much as a word to the people who still remained at the party.
A Better Man
Nick
I’d wanted the night of formal to be when Jess and I had sex for the first time. But with all the drama over the radio interview and the scene at school, things got intense, and one thing had led to another. So by the time formal rolled around, we’d already done the deed.
Jess was different; she made me want things between us to be special. I actually cared about her feelings because I knew they were genuine. Maybe it was because of what happened at the frat party that one night, seeing her so vulnerable and scared. It sort of fucked me up for a while, to be honest, although I never admitted that to her, or to anyone other than my older brothers.
Before I knew it, I was falling in love with Jess. I think the spark was ignited the day I first talked to her in class, but now that spark was a blazing inferno that I couldn’t imagine putting out. Something had been building between us, and the timing felt right after our restaurant date that night.
And thank God for that, because looking at the scene in front of me now, I was glad we hadn’t waited. If we’d waited for tonight, our first time wouldn’t have been special or romantic at all. It would have been a shit show, and I would have hated myself for it.
Three of my fraternity brothers were in the hotel room next to ours, drunk out of their minds, and shouting so loud it was like they were in the room with us. And when Jess and I walked through the front door of our suite after formal, one of the guys was screwing his girlfriend up against the wall like Spiderman.
I’d never seen Jess look so horrified as when she hauled ass into our bedroom and slammed the door. I followed quickly behind her as she went into the bathroom to get changed.
She turned to me, her eyes huge. “I can’t believe he’s just having sex with her and didn’t even stop when we walked in,” she said through a horrified sort of half laugh, half gasp.
I had no idea what to say. We were guys. We did whatever girls let us get away with.
I shrugged. “Actually, I was more shocked that she didn’t stop.”
Which was more or less the truth, although I knew those two had a reputation for doing it anywhere and everywhere. Another reason I was thankful to have my own master suite in the fraternity house. No one was fucking in my bathroom during our parties unless it was me.
“Did you have fun tonight?” I stepped up behind her, standing at the bathroom counter, and put my arms around her.
She leaned back against my chest. “Except for the girl who’s lucky she still has a hand, I had a great time. It was different, but I liked it.”
“I’m glad.”
Jess turned around to face me. “Did you have fun? I know you go to these things all the time, but do they ever get old?”
“Not when I’m with you.” I leaned down, my lips grazing hers before I pulled back.
“Don’t feed me lines, Nick.”
I smiled. This girl was always cutting to the chase. “I’m not. Yeah, they get old, but not tonight. You let me wear a hat! No one has ever let me wear a hat before.” I smiled as I grabbed the hat and tossed it off.
“Because you look hot in a hat. It was truly for my benefit.”
When she winked at me, I picked her up, setting her ass on top of the bathroom counter.
“Wanna go somewhere with me?” I asked, catching her off guard.
“Where?”
“I want to take you somewhere. Come with me?”
“Of course.” She smiled before wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling my mouth to hers.
“You probably want to change out of that dress, though.”
I pulled on a pair of jeans and a snug graphic tee, then watched as Jess peeled off her dress and stepped into some skinny jeans and an off-the-shoulder shirt that was sexy as hell.
I opened the passenger door for Jess and helped her into my truck, then drove us toward Santa Monica and my brothers’ bar. It would still most likely be packed, even though it was almost closing time.
The closer we got to Sam’s, the more excited I felt. My brothers and I didn’t get to spend nearly enough time together when I was growing up, or even now, so I loved visiting them at the bar. The minute I stepped inside, it felt like home. When something resonated so deeply inside you, you knew where you belonged. That’s how I felt at Sam’s with my family.
We got lucky as a car pulled out from in front of the bar just as we pulled up.
“We’re seeing your brothers?” Jess asked, her eyes wide with what looked like equal parts awe and concern.
“Yeah, why? They’ll love you, Jess.”
“You could have warned me.”
“Why? What would you have done differently?” I turned to study her.
“Nothing. But you know I’m not twenty-one yet.” She frowned. “I don’t want them to get in trouble.”
I’d already thought ahead, knowing that I wanted to bring her here at some point. Reaching into the center console, I grabbed my wallet and pulled out an ID to hand to her.
“Bettina Fisher from North Carolina?” She read the name and state before scowling at me. “You named me after my dog?”
“I thought you’d laugh.” I shrugged. “Plus, I knew you wouldn’t forget your fake name if it was familiar,” I said, hoping she picked up on the fact that I’d given her my last name.
“How’d you get this? It’s got my picture and everything.” She studied the ID, turning it o
ver in her hands.
“I called in a favor. Come on.” I turned off the ignition and stuffed the keys into my front pocket as she closed her fist around the card.
“I’ve never had a fake ID before,” she whispered as we neared the security guard stationed at the front door.
“You’re fine,” I reassured her.
The security guard smiled as we approached. “Hey, Nick.”
“Hey, Kyle, this is Jess. Jess, Kyle.” I introduced the two and watched as she smiled at him, lighting up the whole damn street.
“Go on in,” he said with a nod of his head, and I pulled the nondescript door open.
The sound of the crowd hit my ears immediately as I scanned the packed space. From the outside, you couldn’t tell how many people were inside or what was going on.
My brothers both stood behind the bar, Ryan tossing bottles into the air and catching them effortlessly like some movie star while Frank looked on, his face changing from a grimace to a smile every few seconds.
“Those are your brothers?” Jess shouted above the noise, her eyes fixed on the two men behind the bar.
I couldn’t stop the smile from taking over my whole face as I pulled her toward them. “Yup.”
“I can tell you’re related,” she said, and I nodded.
My brothers and I definitely looked alike. Frank and I shared the same skin tone and jet-black hair, while Ryan and I had the same blue eyes. Other than that, Ryan had sun-bleached hair and a light dusting of freckles that neither Frank nor I had. Frank used to tease Ryan that he was adopted or that the mailman was his dad. When I was a kid, I didn’t know what he meant, but I always laughed anyway.
Even with our differences, it was impossible to pretend we weren’t related. We resembled one another in build, stature, and mannerisms.
Jess looked at my brothers a little more before turning back to me. “You ever think about getting tattoos?”
My lips formed a devilish smile; I could feel it on my face. “Yeah. I want them but didn’t think my old man would like it, so I haven’t worked up the nerve yet.”
Her face twisted a little as she tilted her head. “I dunno. I can’t picture you with tattoos like him.” She nodded her head in Frank’s direction.
“Oh, you can’t, can you?” I lifted her into the air and held her against me, slowly lowering her as I kissed her sweet lips.
“Brother!” I heard Ryan shout through my Jess-filled haze.
I lowered her to the floor and turned my head to find him.
“Everyone, this is our baby brother, Nick. Everyone say, ‘Hi, Nick!’”
Hi, Nick rang out in unison from the crowd, and I offered a small wave before meeting Frank’s eyes. He beckoned me over. I found the one empty seat at the bar and placed Jess in it.
“Don’t move,” I told her before hopping behind the bar with my brothers.
“Hi there, sweetheart.” I flirted with Jess as I handed her a menu. “What can I get for you?”
She laughed as she looked at the menu, the smile never leaving her lips as she read the names of some of the menu items out loud. “No Bad Days? Guy Hater? Adios Pantelones? What are these?”
I smirked. “They’re the drinks.”
“Hysterical.” She grinned as she ran her finger down the ingredients listed for each drink.
“Great names, right?”
“They’re awesome.”
Pride soared within me. I’d not only designed the drink menu she was holding, but I’d also helped name the drinks.
I had to convince Frank that fun drink names would inspire conversation between customers, and would eventually lead to them ordering more and sticking around. He’d shaken his head, unable to believe the gimmick would actually work, but had promised to give it a try.
Ryan, on the other hand, was on board the second we’d started tossing out crazy names, even calling one “the Friendship Bracelet.” I hated it, but Ryan and I had been right, the cocktails with the silly names were the most popular drinks in the bar, and did inspire lots of conversation and repeat clients.
“Which one do you think I’d like the best?” Jess squirmed on her bar stool as I leaned close to her, my elbows on the bar.
“Guy Hater is whiskey based,” I said, and she winced. “And I don’t think you’re a whiskey girl, so that one’s out. Adios Pantelones is obviously—”
“Tequila based!” she shouted, finishing my sentence, and I high-fived her. “I love that you have a drink called Good-bye Pants. Rachel will freaking die when I tell her.”
“Well, you know what they say about tequila . . .”
“It makes your clothes fall off,” we both said in unison, laughing.
“I don’t really like tequila, to be honest,” she said quietly, as if she might offend the tequila gods. “One bad tequila night and I was ruined forever. Can’t even handle smelling the stuff.”
“So I guess that leaves us with No Bad Days, which is vodka based, and honestly one of the best drinks in the bar. You’ll love it.”
She bit at her bottom lip. “Okay. Do you know how to make it?”
I wanted to impress her so fucking bad, but knew that I’d probably ruin the damn drink if I tried making it myself.
“I want to tell you yes, Jess. But it’s like a ten-step drink, so it’s pretty complicated. Ryan makes them best, and I haven’t practiced enough.”
“Aw, you can practice on me,” she suggested, and I smiled so big, I thought my face might split.
Ryan came to my side and tossed his arm around my shoulders. “She’s way too pretty for you, baby brother.”
I nodded in agreement as Jess’s cheeks turned pink. “I’m well aware.”
“I’m Ryan, sweetheart. Anytime you want to get rid of this guy and date someone more your caliber, you know where to find me.” He reached for her hand and placed a kiss on top of it, and I thought for a second about knocking the baseball hat right off his head.
“I might be younger, but I will fight you,” I said, staking my claim.
“And you’ll lose,” he teased. “What are you having?”
“I would like a No Bad Days, please,” she said with a soft giggle.
“Coming right up.” Ryan winked at her, and I growled under my breath.
I knew he was only flirting, turning on the charm even more to get a rise out of me and make Jess feel special, but I didn’t like it. Go flirt with the other thirty women in this damn bar, I wanted to yell at him, but I didn’t.
We both watched as Ryan grabbed ingredients, measuring and pouring them into the chrome shaker. He put a lid on the canister and shook it with both hands, the muscles in his arms flexing as women at the bar swooned and took videos of him to post on social media sites. This kind of thing was gold, and I encouraged patrons to film us, talk us up, brag about the hot brothers at Sam’s bar. Word of mouth was the best thing for any business, and a bar was no exception.
“You were right,” Jess said to me, and I cocked an eyebrow at her.
“About?”
“He might be more charming than you are.”
I narrowed my eyes, fighting off the urge to shove my brother for no other reason than I was an immature, competitive jackass sometimes. This was definitely one of those times.
“Only because he’s had eight years longer than I have to practice. Just wait till you see me in eight years.”
I gave her my best smile as Ryan stood in front of Jess, pouring her drink through a small strainer before peeling back the rind of an orange and running it around the rim of the glass.
Frank sauntered over, his hand extended toward Jess. “Anyone going to introduce me to this pretty thing, or are you both going to be rude assholes all night?”
“This is my girlfriend, Jess. Jess, this is my brother Frank.”
Frank shot Ryan a look, and I knew it was due to my using the word girlfriend. I’d never called a girl that, let alone introduced one that way before.
“Nice to see you settle do
wn with someone so respectable, Nick. And nice to meet you, Jess.”
“Nice to meet you too,” she said, her smile as big as mine.
Mail Call
Jess
Nick had introduced me to his brothers as his girlfriend. I knew that’s what I was, but hearing it come out of his mouth when talking to his family made me feel even more special, if that was possible.
“All right, everyone. Last call!” Frank shouted from behind the bar as he rang the bell that hung from a rope, the tattoos on his right arm peeking out from underneath his gray shirt.
Ryan laughed and shouted, “You don’t have to go home!” Then he waved at the crowd and they yelled in response, “But you can’t stay here!”
Everyone in the bar cheered as I looked around, my eyes wide at the choreographed chaos that surrounded me.
“Here you go, sweetheart. I hope you like it.” Ryan smirked before placing the light yellow drink in front of me and hustling down toward the other end of the crowded bar.
Nick watched as I tilted the glass toward my lips, taking the tiniest of sips without even smelling it first. “Ooh.”
“Good?” he asked.
The citrus hit my throat, along with a few other flavors I couldn’t even begin to place. “It’s delicious,” I said, taking a gulp.
“I thought you’d like it.”
“Ryan!” the woman next to me shouted, and his head jerked toward the sound.
“Yes, m’lady?” Ryan said as he stopped in front of her.
“I’d like one last Adios,” she shouted, and the rest of the girls in the bar yelled, “Pantelones” in unison with her.
Again, I had no idea what was going on, but Ryan winked at me, his sun-streaked hair falling in his eyes, before pulling his shirt off and tossing it near the register behind him.
Nick rolled his eyes, but the smile never left his face as he leaned toward me. “Every freaking night.”