by S. Nelson
Was he telling me the truth? What reason would he have to lie to me? But more than anything, the one comment I chose to focus on was He’s not doing well, Sara, and if he sees you here tonight, I fear something bad will happen. “Well, I’m not going anywhere, Kael. I don’t owe him a damn thing, so I couldn’t give a rat’s ass if he’s pissed I’m here. What’s he going to do? Throw me out? He doesn’t own this place, you do.”
“Well…” Oh, no. Please, don’t say it. Please, don’t let what I think he’s going to say leave his mouth. “He’s the other owner of Verdana, so he can do whatever he wants.” Before I panicked, he calmed me down by putting my mind at ease. Well, kind of. “He’s not going to kick you out, Sara. That’s not what I meant. I meant, once he knows you’re here, he’s probably going to drink too much and do or say something stupid. But it’s not anything I can’t handle. God knows I’ve had enough practice over the past few months.”
He reached out and touched my arm, giving me a half-smile to let me know he realized what an ass his friend was, but all the while being compassionate to the situation. Why was Kael always the one telling me the important info? First, about Alek having been engaged before and now, the reason why he pushed me out of his life.
“I have to return to my table.” Our conversation was over. I saw no need to drag it out any further.
“Sure thing.” He huffed out a quick breath, fidgeting a little before speaking again. “I’ll do my best to keep you two apart from each other so tonight goes off without a hitch.”
“Thanks, Kael. Really, thank you. For everything. I know Alek is your friend, and I appreciate the kindness you’ve shown me. It means more than you’ll ever know.” And it really did. He was a good man. Adara was a lucky woman. Then it hit me. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought about her before. “Is Adara going to be here tonight, as well?” I was hoping for a familiar face, someone who would no doubt take my side.
“She’ll be here but not until later. I’ll be sure to tell her to find you if you guys are still here.”
“Okay. Thanks again.” I turned and walked back toward our table, my energy level fully depleted. Once I sat down, Alexa was all over me, desperate to find out what happened.
“Are you okay? Is there going to be a problem? Should we leave?” She was so anxious, not wanting to expose me to another situation so soon after our last encounter.
“No. Everything is fine. I’m okay and we’re not going anywhere. I’m not going to let him run me out of here.” She had no idea what I was talking about. The only thing she knew was that Alek was friends with Kael, who also happened to be Braden’s friend. She didn’t know Alek was co-owner, as well. And I wasn’t about to tell her right then because she would insist we leave. Braden would no doubt agree with her.
No, I wasn’t going anywhere. If he didn’t want to see me then he would have to avoid me. He’d had enough practice so far.
Once we settled back into our conversation, we were once again interrupted. But that time it was from Braden’s colleague, James, who had just arrived. He took the empty seat next to me, smiling as we shook hands. It was easy to return his enthusiasm because he was quite easy on the eyes. I wasn’t typically attracted to blonds, but I made an exception for him. He was quite handsome in his designer suit, hair just so and a sexy smile which certainly turned many heads. He was no Alek, no man was, but he would be the perfect distraction for the evening.
“So, Sara, tell me, what do you do for a living?” He seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say, so I indulged him.
“I own a little flower shop.”
“Don’t be so modest,” Alexa interrupted. “Her shop’s so busy she’s probably going to have to expand soon.” She winked, smiling at my sudden shyness.
James jumped back into the conversation, smiling at me to ease my trepidation some. “I like flowers.” I don’t know why but his statement made me laugh, and apparently it had the same effect on the rest of the table because they soon joined in. “What? I do,” he retorted.
I laughed harder. “I’m sure you do, James. That’s not why I’m laughing. It’s the way you said it, all eager to compliment what I do for a living. It’s sweet. Really, it is.”
“Well, then we’re off to a good start,” he replied, resting his arm on the back of my chair, quickly brushing my shoulder with his finger as he settled in. I froze for a second then mentally berated myself for being too reserved. There was nothing wrong with enjoying myself, which included letting a handsome man flirt with me. I wasn’t going to go home with him, so what was the harm?
From the outside, it looked as if I was truly having fun, but the fact was I was still miserable on the inside. Yes, I smiled at the numerous tales being passed around from person to person, laughing when appropriate, but I was numb inside, not really letting the fun of the evening bleed through. All of my thoughts were of Alek and whether or not I was going to lay eyes on him soon. I tried, I really did. I wanted to like James. I wanted to be open to the good times the night was trying to bring, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t do any of it.
I excused myself, needing to buy another drink to help with the sadness eating me up from the inside. As I approached the bar, my heart stopped. At the far end was the one man I’d been looking for all evening but secretly hoped wouldn’t show up.
He was leaning against the bar, laughing with some of the people surrounding him. Kael was there, too, and when I caught his eye, he shifted, no doubt trying to block Alek’s view of me. But he overdid it because he ended up bumping into Alek, pushing his arm and knocking over some of his drink. I saw Alek say something to his friend, looking confused for a second before his eyes darted around the room, taking in all of his immediate surroundings.
Then he locked eyes with me.
And I froze like a deer in headlights. I knew I didn’t have the strength to confront him again. So what did I do? I hurried back to our table, forgetting all about my liquid courage, and took my seat next to James. I was so afraid to look up, only glancing over at Alexa trying to garner her attention with Morse code, rapidly blinking like some sort of crazy woman.
Then I heard a gasp. It was Alexa.
“Sara. He’s coming over here,” she mumbled, trying her best to keep her voice down. Before I could react, he was standing by our table.
“How are you folks enjoying your evening?” Alek asked our group. He was standing right next to me, his thigh almost touching my arm. I could smell him. I was innately drawn to him whenever he was near.
I raised my head and stared at Alexa again, my breaths coming in shorter, more rapid succession. Then I glanced over at Braden, and I saw the moment the recognition hit him. He remembered Alek from the bar, no doubt wondering what the hell he was doing at the restaurant opening.
“Fine,” Alexa said curtly.
Before anything escalated, Kael appeared out of nowhere to save us. To save me. He stood next to Alek and gripped his shoulder, silently warning him not to cause a scene. When I finally dared to look up at him, I could see his jaw was already ticking, glancing from James to me then back to James again. Well, clearly he knew Braden wasn’t with me, but I was sure he was wondering about the man sitting next to me. Because James was oblivious, he reached out and grabbed my hand, and I let him, partly because I was too wrapped up in the intense moment to move, but partly because I wanted Alek to see me with someone else. To realize who he threw away.
Kael broke the uncomfortable silence first. “Braden, this is the other co-owner of the restaurant. Alek Devera. Alek, this is Braden, the guy I was telling you about.” They politely nodded at each other, never extending their hand for a hello.
“We’ve met,” Braden said. Short and sweet.
The air around our table bristled with tension. The only thing I could think of was to escape and draw away the one person who was causing the issues.
“I’ll be right back.” I stood up, prompting James and Braden to rise from their seats, as well. I wasn
’t ten steps away from the table before I could sense Alek following behind me. Resting my hands on the edge of the bar, it was mere seconds before his warm breath cascaded over my neck. But I never turned around. I wasn’t strong enough to fight him off again.
“Sara, we need to talk.” His hand was against my side.
“We don’t have anything to talk about. Please, leave me alone.”
He didn’t. “Did you know I would be here tonight?” he asked, sounding hopeful. “Is that why you came? Were you hoping to see me?” I didn’t have to face him to know he had a smirk on his face, goading me into a conversation.
What an arrogant ass. He really knew how to push my buttons. I stayed strong, however. I fought every instinct I had not to turn around and smash my lips against his.
“Can you please leave me alone, Alek?” I asked him again.
“Answer me first. Were you hoping to see me tonight, Sara?”
“No,” I whispered while keeping my head down.
He shifted behind me. Then he grabbed my waist, squeezing me to get my attention.
I’d had enough of his little games. He tossed me aside like yesterday’s garbage, for whatever reason, and didn’t contact me for three months, then ran into me twice in one week. Trying to persuade me to talk to him like I owed him something. It’s not enough he devastated me twice already, but he wants to do it again?
No, I won’t allow him to hurt me anymore.
I flipped my body around and faced him head-on. We were so close our breaths mingled, our lips temptingly close.
“Baby, please talk to me. I can’t take it anymore.”
“You can’t take it anymore? You?” I yelled a little louder than I’d intended. Thankfully, I captured Kael’s attention, who was on his way over. Hopefully to intercede and not just be a bystander to the war which was undoubtedly going to erupt between the two of us if we continued our little charade.
“Please, can’t we go somewhere and talk?” Alek persisted. His teeth captured his bottom lip, chewing on it in his uneasiness.
Kael strode up behind Alek and calmed the volcano before it erupted. That volcano was me. I was about to go off on him and cause a scene because I was on the verge of a breakdown.
He seized Alek by his shoulders and tried to pull him away. “Come on, man. Let’s go. Don’t do this here.” When Alek didn’t budge, he gripped him tighter.
“Fine!” he yelled. What the hell was he so angry about? The only person who had any right to be upset was me. The two men walked away, never looking back in my direction. I saw Kael lead him toward the back of the restaurant, disappearing around a corner and out of sight. The next thing I knew, Alexa was standing beside me, doing her best to make sure I was okay. If you didn’t know the whole situation, it would have looked like we were all simply having a conversation. But Alexa knew every little detail of our drama, so she was right there to offer her support. Yet again.
“I want to go home, Lex.” I closed my eyes to hold back the tears. The last thing I wanted to do was break down in the middle of the restaurant.
“Don’t let him win, Sara. Don’t let him force you out of here. Normally, I would agree with you and take you home myself, but you’re going to have to get used to running into him. And as much as you won’t like it, you have to be able to deal with him and not let him dictate where you’ll be or for how long. Don’t let him have that control over you. Don’t give in. Don’t let him win, Sara,” she repeated.
As much as I wanted to argue with her, I knew she was right. I couldn’t let him command anything in my life anymore. With that realization came an unwavering resolve to toughen up, if only for one night. When the bartender finally refilled my drink, we made our way back to the table, our arms linked in unison.
The next hour flew by in a blur. I tried my absolute hardest to ignore Alek, but he was staring at me from across the room.
Because I wanted to goad him, I shamelessly flirted with James by touching his arm and allowing him to grab my hand whenever he wanted.
At one point, I thought Alek was going to run at him, but he didn’t. Then I saw the reason he restrained himself.
It was Kael, talking in his ear the entire time.
~25~
Alek
I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Being unable to think straight around her had become my new normal. So conflicted with guilt and pain, I failed to tell her why I’d initially pushed her away. Needing to explain myself drove me to invade her space. She was stubborn, though, and I knew she wouldn’t hear me out unless I found a way to force her to listen to me.
When I’d made the decision to back away from her, I thought it was the best choice, the responsible choice…for her. But it was killing both of us—me more than her, I thought. She had obviously moved on, not having a care in the world as to whether or not she flaunted another man in my face. Who was he? Was it serious? At first, I thought she was involved with that Braden guy, but I came to find out he was with Alexa.
I was relieved at first, until I learned there was someone new I had to worry about. Well, he wasn’t really competition for me. If I could garner her attention, entice her to come over and talk to me, if I could show her there was still an undying connection pulsing between us, I think she would be game for giving us another chance.
Was I being delusional? Probably.
Did I care? Not really.
The question was how could I draw her away from her table? If I approached her again, Kael was going to no doubt punch me. Not that I was afraid of him, but causing a scene was the last thing we needed on opening night. I wasn’t that much of a dick, no matter how much pain I was in.
“Hi there,” the redhead next to me purred. I was so focused on my agenda I hadn’t even realized anyone was next to me. She rubbed my arm, trying to draw my attention.
I was nothing if not polite. “Hi.” My greeting was simple but curt. I smiled but didn’t want to lead her on. Moving my arm away from her, I signaled to the bartender. When I happened to look down at the other end of the bar, I saw Sara. She was leering at me.
She was pissed, a scowl making her lips turn down in disgust. What was she upset about? I was leaving her alone like she asked.
The woman next to me didn’t catch on to my subtle hint, instead placing her hand back on my arm. As soon as she made contact, I witnessed the sour expression on Sara’s face again. A lightbulb went off. She was angry some other woman was flirting with me, and she thought I was flirting back.
Looks like I found my new ammunition. The thing I found funny was the fact she thought it was okay to allow some guy to paw at her but the first time she saw another woman vying for my attention, she didn’t like it.
I hated playing games, but I found they were my only option available.
I turned my head toward my neighbor and gave her my full attention. Flashing her the Devera, panty-dropping smile, I acted as if I was interested in her advances. I said something witty, making her throw her head back and laugh. She was rather quite beautiful—no comparison to Sara, but a delight on the eyes nonetheless.
After ten minutes of us flirting back and forth and having Sara witness the whole thing, I moved in for the kill.
“What’s your name, sweetheart?” I leaned in close, whispering my question in her ear. The whole time I crowded the woman, I was searching for Sara. Our eyes locked, and she was seething. She slammed her drink on the counter and started walking in my direction.
It’s working. She’s coming over. My heart hammered against my chest, my cock hardening in anticipation for whatever she chose to do or say.
“Tina.”
“What?”
“You asked me what my name was. It’s Tina,” she offered.
Oh, yeah, I did just ask her name. I tried my hardest to keep my attention on Tina, but I saw Sara approaching and I became more excited. She was so close. Only a few more feet and she’d be standing right next to me. When I’d thought she was going to stop and say som
ething, anything, she walked right on by. But not before calling me a dick as she passed.
I couldn’t help it. I laughed. I was happy to evoke any kind of reaction from her, even if it was anger. Any emotion meant she still cared, and I wasn’t going to let the opportunity pass me by. Enough was enough already. I had to fix us, and there was no time like the present.
“Will you excuse me please, Tara?”
Her smile faltered from my dismissal. “It’s Tina.”
“Sorry,” I apologized, heading toward the women’s restroom.
I had to be careful on how I approached her. I had to let her know I was sorry for everything, and I wanted to try and work it out. I thought I made the right decision by backing away from her, from us. But clearly, I chose wrong. I figured the pain would eventually go away, that my love for her would weaken, but it didn’t. Both the anguish of our separation and my love for her were growing stronger as time passed, not weaker.
Pushing open the door to the restroom, I didn’t see anyone at first. I leaned against the counter, clearly noticing there was only one stall in use. It had to be her. Please, let her be in there. If not, I was going to be a tad embarrassed.
A couple of minutes passed before I heard what sounded like crying. Maybe my ears were playing tricks on me. Why would she be crying? She was pissed not five minutes ago. The stall door opened and out stepped the woman who was going to be the death of me if I didn’t find a way to resolve our predicament.
“Alek? What the hell are you doing in here?” Once I realized we were truly alone, I reached behind me and locked the door. Her eyes followed my hand and widened at the brazenness of my presumption. It was with my bold move I realized the only way to break through her cold exterior toward me was for me to have my hands on her. All over her, to be exact.
“We need to talk. And since you won’t listen to me otherwise, I’m locking us in here until you hear what I have to say.”
“Of course you are. Because everything has to be on your terms. Nothing’s changed, has it?” She flipped on the faucet and washed her hands. Grabbing a paper towel, she did everything she could to avert her eyes from me. “Well, it’s not going to work. I have nothing to say to you. So why don’t you go back out there and put your charms to good use on the skank at the bar.” There was no denying the venom in her voice, and it made me happy. She still felt something for me; she couldn’t deny it no matter how much she tried.