"You'd think that girl would've learned a lesson," I hollered, as I neared Hunter.
He glanced at me briefly, basically ignoring that our friendship even existed. I became uneasy when I saw the jealously raging in his eyes, and he continued to glare into the distance. I followed his eyes and found Maddie still flirting with the same cute guy. Now that Maddie had birthed his babies, he had little reason to be so overprotective of her.
"Hey! What are you doing in here all alone?" I blurted, trying to break his dark stare.
He looked at me, removing his icy, defiant eyes from the dance floor. "Just thinking," he said, as if it were the first time he noticed I was standing there.
"About what?" I imposed, not expecting much of a response.
"I was just thinking how quickly Aliah moved on. It really pisses me off."
There was no way he was thinking about Aliah. It would be too much of a coincidence that his baby momma was having a good time without him, in the direction of his glaring eyes. I checked the dance floor for Aliah, but she was nowhere to be found.
"I thought you and Aliah agreed separating was best for the both of you."
"We did. I just hate how she wasted my time. I’ve been blowing off Maddie, the only sure thing in my life, to keep Aliah happy all this time. Look where that got me. Now Maddie's off gallivanting and there's nothing I can do about it."
"Looks like you’re wasting your own time, if you ask me."
"Excuse me." His tone was bitter.
"Everyone knows that Maddie has it bad for you. You just have to make the first move. I've never really thought of you as a benchwarmer," I said, egging him on.
Hunter's looked at me, dumbfounded. "You really think she'd give me a try? I don't want her to think I’m on the rebound.”
"Then tell her that."
Hunter nodded to himself, working up the courage to do it, then guzzled the rest of his beer. He clanked his empty bottle on the bar and looked to me. "Here goes nothing."
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
FEELING PROUD OF MYSELF, I waved down a bartender and had him refill my drink. I headed for the table I had been sitting at earlier and there they were: Edwin, Cameron, Wesley and Owen, all sitting together. I knew it spelled trouble, but there was nothing I could do about it.
They were all laughing, as Edwin slammed his hands down in victory and Owen left the table to sulk. When Wes slipped into the vacated seat across from Edwin, they looked like they were about to have a duel.
I rested my hand on Edwin’s shoulder. "What in the world are you guys doing?"
"What does it look like? We're arm wrestling," Wes insisted.
"Seriously, Wes?” I wagered, smirking. “You don't stand a chance."
Wes’ arrogance flooded me like a violent, crashing wave. "I already beat Cam.”
"And I beat Owen," Edwin added. "When I win this one, I'll be the champ."
"You cheated. But, whatever,” Cameron said, trying to protect his manhood. “It's only twenty bucks."
"No, it's proving that I'm the man," Edwin stated.
"There's that,” Wes said, mirroring Edwin’s smug expression. “But what's twenty bucks to me?" Wes’ eyes slipped deviously up my body and he struck me with a naughty chew of his lip. "Now that she's here, why don't we raise the stakes?"
I don't like where he’s going with this.
"I'm listening," Edwin said, waiting for the proposal. And I could tell he was intrigued, knowing his fierce, competitive nature.
"If I beat you, I take Abby to the dance floor and she's all mine for 30 minutes.” He waggled his eyebrows at me and repeated himself, as if I could have missed his vulgar comment the first time. “All mine."
"Make that 20 minutes and you’ve got yourself a deal," Edwin answered.
My mouth fell open in horror. What do I look like?
"Deal," Wes responded, irrefutably.
"Excuse me?" I squealed, utterly appalled. "Do I look like a trophy to you?"
"Relax, baby," Edwin said. "I could have beat Owen with a hand tied behind my back. I'm sure beating Wes will be a breeze."
That was a far cry from reassuring and it actually fueled the ball of anxiety in my stomach that had quickly grew in size. As I turned away, I caught the fact that Cameron looked even less impressed. That made my heart skidder again, adding another layer of stress to the situation.
Focusing on Edwin, to show that I was not impressed, I huffed at him. "You're really going to play games like this? What if you lose?"
"I'm not going to lose."
A mischievous grin formed on Wes' lips. "See? Even your little lady thinks I've got the upper hand on you." He waggled his eyebrows at me again and it only egged Edwin on more.
"Let's do this," he said, looking Wes in the eye.
Wes clasped his hand and matched his glare, getting ready for the battle.
"I'm not watching this. It's totally absurd!" I turned toward the loungers, but it only made me catch Cameron staring at me.
"I would have to agree with Abby," Cameron said, his eyes protectively scanning over me. "This is pretty ridiculous."
"You're just jealous you didn't think of it first," Wes teased, as they started the competition.
I couldn't manage to keep my eyes away, giving in and watching the entire episode as it unfolded before me. Edwin and Wes showed feverish determination in their faces, but their hands were not moving at all. They stayed neutral for such a long time that I was ready to take off, until suddenly the tables turned.
When Edwin started to lean into Wes' danger zone, I got a little excited. He was overpowering Wes and looked resistant to Wes' efforts.
"Yes," I cheered, catching Edwin off guard.
Wes took advantage of that millisecond, while Edwin readjusted, and forced his hand forward. Both of their arms were shaking and slowly but surely Wesley began to lower Edwin's hand closer and closer, inch by inch, until the back of Edwin's hand skimmed the table top.
With one final grunt, Wes flattened Edwin's hand to the table. "Ah, hah!" he chanted.
"No!" I screeched.
Wes stood from the table with both hands in the air. "And that's how it’s done," he announced, his tone balancing between cocky and proud.
"This isn't happening,” I said, covering my eyes with a hand.
Edwin looked up to me. "I can't believe I lost."
Wes was chuckling now. "I won fair and square. Time to pay up, brother.”
Edwin hesitantly lifted his eyebrows at me. "You know I'm a man of my word. I’m no cheat.”
"And you think I am?”
“I have to deliver,” Edwin insisted, taking my hand and tugging me onto his lap. He tucked my hair behind my ear and whispered into it. "I love you, Abs. And I know how much you love me. It's only a dance. You can stand to lighten up a bit. You’re stressing out way too much these days.”
Anger made its appearance on my face, as I stole a glance at Cameron storming off the patio with another drink. I couldn't untangle my thoughts with Edwin staring me down.
"What's the worst that can happen?" Edwin said, softly interrupting my thoughts. "So he might grab your ass. Big deal. It'll only remind you of how lucky you are to have me." He was so damn confident that it irked me. But it was true.
"I can't believe you’re encouraging this.”
Wes stepped in and grabbed onto my wrist. "A deal’s a deal."
I turned my face to Edwin, who was trying to hide his amusement, and scowled at him. "I'm going to need a stiff drink first."
“Done,” Wes answered.
Edwin laughed as Wes pulled me toward the bar. I downed a shot and it burned as it slid down my throat, but it didn’t make that horrid feeling go away. I motioned for another.
"Wow, you mean business. Hey, bartender, can I get another one of those please?" Wes hollered.
The next shot went down a lot smoother than the first, but it still didn’t fix my problems. “Oh my god. What was that?” I asked Wes, surprised by how ta
sty it was.
"Let's just say that the entire office will know on Tuesday that I gave you two screaming orgasms tonight," he said, smirking.
I rolled my eyes, not even caring anymore, ready to finish what he and Edwin had started. “Let’s get this over with.”
I hoped to make Edwin jealous from his own stupidity, when I let Wes hold my hand, but when I looked back at him, he was still smirking. Asshole.
After passing through the patio doors, Wes immediately locked his arms around my waist and pulled me up against his warm, lean body. It was incredibly awkward for me, with him gyrating to the beat, but he seemed to be enjoying himself profusely. And damn if he didn't know how to dance.
Wes, noticing my discomfort, brought his mouth to my ear. "This doesn't have to be so painful," he drawled, then looked me in the eye and tucked my hair behind my ear, just like Edwin had moments earlier.
"Edwin doesn’t deserve you.” He flashed me a slanted smile. "Then there’s Cameron over there, about to have a bird. And he's my ride."
"Oh." I tilted my head slightly and caught a glimpse of Cameron's crazed glare. "I'm sorry. I can't even believe I agreed to this."
"I'm glad you did," he said, with an honest smile touching his lips.
I shook my head no. "You'd think Edwin was my pimp."
Now Wes was the one shaking his head. “All the money in the world couldn't buy a prostitute as hot as you," he said, his eyes greedily scanning over me. He brushed my cheek again and I shuddered from the intimacy of it, backing away on a sharp intake of breath.
"Please don't."
"There are boundaries. I can handle that."
Quickly moving on, he took my hand and raised it up, showing me off. Then he attempted to pull me close again. This time I made an obvious effort to back away.
"Edwin thinks you should loosen up for me, remember?"
"Will you stop with the clowning? This is awkward enough as it is."
"I'm sorry. I thought it might make it easier for you."
"Well it's not," I snapped.
"What's wrong?" he asked, honestly flabbergasted by my reaction.
"I think things have gotten a little out of hand here. It was supposed to be a dance and you're...you're…"
"I know what I'm doing." Now he looked disappointed, like I had snapped his heart in two.
"I think I've already completed my end of the bargain," I said, fluttering my eyelashes.
He teased me by licking his plump lower lip. "You're sure you don't want to have a little taste?"
And even though his lips were looking as delicious as Cameron's, I refused to budge an inch. “I’m sure.”
To my surprise Wesley didn’t press the issue. Instead, he followed me back out onto the patio where we instantly noticed a commotion.
"Let's go," Wes said, brushing me aside and hustling toward Edwin and Cameron.
I hoped to intervene, but it was already too late.
"I don't have a short temper," Edwin hollered. "I just have a quick reaction to bull shit!" He jumped up from his chair, bumping the table and spilling half of the drinks.
"Oh, you wanna go?" Cam yelled back, stepping closer. He tugged off his shirt and paced closer, until my fingers rested on his warm, buff chest.
"This isn't the place for this," I ordered, trying to break his heated glare from Edwin’s.
It only angered Edwin to see me showing care. "Stay out of this Abby!"
"Please," I demanded, pushing Cameron away.
"Don't push me off like that," he cautioned, only flashing me an irritated scowl.
I was stunned by his forcefulness, but his anger was clearly fueled by heartache.
"Don't touch her," Edwin warned, rolling up his tight sleeves.
It was obvious that neither of them was going to listen to reason and there was no turning back time. Before I could think of something useful to say, two big guys grabbed onto them and ushered them away. A slimmer guy approached us and apologized, but insisted that we had to leave too. Choked up on emotion, I rushed down the stairs after them.
Edwin stomped through the main dining area, and Cameron hardly kept a safe distance behind him, before they reached the street. I hightailed it outside to intercede. I thought to take Edwin's arm and pull him to his truck, but before I could Cameron was already piping up again.
"I wasn't finished with you," he hollered out, provoking Edwin.
Edwin shook me off his arm and I fell back onto the pavement. After retrieving myself from the ground, I searched for some backup and only found the bystanders snickering and pointing at Wes. I wondered myself why the hell Wes' shirt was off. He wasn't even involved in the fight, but none of the ladies were complaining.
Drawing my eyes back to the real plague, I rushed in between them again, knowing it wasn't the smartest place to put myself, but also knowing I was probably the only one who could keep them apart. Their eyes could have burned holes right through me. At that very moment, I felt invisible.
"Face it," Cameron said. "Abby was happier with me and you can't handle it."
Oh shit!
"You wouldn't know happiness if it slapped you in the face," Edwin retorted.
"If you didn't want the truth, then you shouldn't have asked for it," Cameron went on, unfolding the story.
"What do you know?” Edwin said, patronizing him. “Abby’s mine.”
Cameron's mouth quirked up into a dangerous smile, his chest muscles flexing at the challenge. "I know that no one in their right mind would send that beautiful woman into another man's arms."
"We've all had too much to drink. You don't want to do this," I pressed, trying to get through to one of them.
"Get her out of here," Edwin called to Wes.
Wes took me by my shoulders and pulled me back, as though I were a weak, delicate damsel. "Trust me, darlin’. You don't want to get blood on those pretty little shoes, do you?"
Cameron's face seemed apologetic for a moment, then it quickly turned to a darkness that I had never before witnessed in him.
"No!" I hollered, as Cameron threw the first punch.
He hit Edwin right in the jaw and though Edwin was forced sideways and backwards from the blow, he straightened himself immediately and hissed angrily at him.
Edwin spit out a mouthful of blood and a dark, demented rumble came from his throat. "She doesn't want you anymore. Don't you get that?"
Cameron was ready for Edwin's first swing and so he missed him. At first glance, I thought Cameron might stand a chance, but Edwin was younger and stronger and very determined. Both were drunk, but they exchanged blow for blow until they were both bloody messes. It was no use trying to intervene now. It was personal.
Edwin threw the game changing fist that sent Cameron to the ground out cold. I shrieked in voiceless agony, my body turning boneless. I collapsed in Wes's arms, horrified from the gore.
"Looks like you lose again, tuff guy," Edwin announced quietly, standing over Cameron who was now crumpled on the pavement.
Edwin spit out another mouthful of blood and greedily yanked me away from Wes.
"Help him," I breathed to Wes, as Edwin pulled me up the street.
Wes immediately ran to Cameron and shoved the others out of the way to see if he was okay. Cameron was already coming to before the bystanders again closed around him.
The night was dark and the adrenaline gleamed in Edwin's eyes, as he quickly walked us toward our getaway vehicle. I could hear sirens heading in our direction. I glanced over my shoulder, concerned for Cameron, and found him on his feet and staring at me with hurt and frustration in his eyes. Wes and Owen were there with him. He'd be okay.
The others swiftly fleeted the streets as a police cruiser pulled up to the curb with its lights flashing. I looked at Edwin without saying anything, torn between anger and other emotions. His sinful smile confirmed that it was an incredibly satisfying victory for him.
When we reached the truck, Edwin pulled his bloody shirt off and handed it to
me. He lifted me into the driver's seat and followed me inside. I crawled into the passenger seat, without a fuss, knowing that Edwin's adrenaline had burned off any buzz he might have had.
Checking out the damage, my heart shuddered. Blood marred Edwin’s handsome features. I grabbed the water bottle from the cup holder, to keep myself from bursting into tears. I dampened Edwin's ruined shirt and shifted closer to him, gently dabbing his bloodied face.
An unspoken tension simmered between us as we drove off. I was thankful that our hotel was only a few blocks away and decided it'd be smart to reserve my anger and disappointment for another time, when Edwin’s face was less broken.
Edwin led the way to our room. Neither of us spoke. He opened the door and walked in ahead of me. I followed him to the foot of the bed, where I sat to remove my high heels. He stood there, motionless, staring at me.
"I'm sorry," he said, with a sigh. He could read my eyes, no matter how hard I tried to disguise my emotions. "You shouldn't have had to witness that."
I tossed my shoes near the wall and turned my gaze to the floor, emotions still running high. "I wish I hadn't."
"Are you mad at me?" he asked, his soft tone showing his concern. He sat next to me on the bed.
"Hmmm. Let me think about that," I answered, as I turned toward him. I got onto my knees and playfully wrapped my fingers around his neck to choke him.
Edwin laughed. "I suppose this means you’re slightly upset."
Not giving up on the lightened mood, Edwin tickled me, forcing me to release the chokehold I had on him. He flattened me on the bed, letting up the torture, but the dried blood on his face was a harsh reminder of exactly what had happened.
"Was it arrogant of me to send you off with Wes tonight?"
I propped myself up on my elbows. "I certainly wouldn't recommend you do anything that stupid ever again."
"My trust goes a long way," Edwin insisted.
I cupped his face and brushed my finger over his swollen lip. "I'm just glad you're okay."
"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked, sliding over me.
"Well, Cameron…"
"Forget about Cameron. Some people are best left in your past, along with your other mistakes and regrets."
A Twist of Fate (The Twisted Trilogy) Page 24