“Gavin is like Jake Ryan. Garrett Stone was like Zach Morris, hot and nothing but trouble. Innocent trouble. Ash was more like Robert Downey Jr. in Less Than Zero, a runaway, coked-up train waiting to derail. Anyway, Ash wanted to show me off like a damn trophy, but Gavin actually wants me to be part of his world. I know he wants to introduce me to more people, but we’ve spent most of our time working on us.”
“Code for crazy monkey sex.”
I tap my glass to hers. “Hells yeah it is!” I declare. “I know I need to make my own friends and connections. That’s my goal moving forward.”
“Make a game plan,” she tells me. “One that doesn’t include bikram yoga or painting, as we know how well those turned out. On a different note, I need your help. I just found out that the professor who invited me to guest lecture tomorrow is about to have a baby. As much as the concept disgusts me, I need to get a baby gift pronto, and since you’re pseudo preggers, I figured who better to take me shopping.”
“Em, I’m not really pregnant. I don’t know where to go shopping. I guess we’ll head over to Harrods. They have everything. You know the press will have a field day with this, right? Can’t you get her a spa day or something?”
She smirks. “Nope.”
“You’re doing this to torture me, aren’t you?” I know her too well. “Just last week you said you’d rather gouge your eyes out than go baby shopping.”
“That was before I realized how much fun Bump Watch can be. I saw that one of you a few days ago, you definitely looked like you’d packed on a few. I saw bumpage.”
I move my hand protectively to my stomach. “I found an all you can eat sushi place. That was sushi bloat, not baby bump!”
“At least they aren’t calling you a whore. Let’s celebrate that,” she says, raising her glass in a toast.
We enjoy our exorbitantly priced but delectable lunch. On the way out of the restaurant, we spot a pregnant woman at another table. Em, having no shame, pulls up a chair and asks her for the name of a chic baby store.
Em directs the cab driver to Ilovegorgeous, apparently a posh favorite. Between the crazy London traffic and the fact that the store is clear across down, we lose the press.
I see why the ladies love it. The store is so cute, I think even Em, who’s philosophically opposed to children, felt her biological clock ticking. We nab a bunch of adorable outfits and head out.
In the cab on the way back to Gavin’s flat, Em thrusts her shopping bags at me. “Just shopping there made me feel like I’ve been infected with domestication. I need a night on the town. I’m on the VIP list at Villainy. They have these exclusive, private rooms, where all sorts of debaucherous things are known to happen. ”
“Okay, should I invite Gavin or is this girls’ night?” Gavin and I haven’t been to a club together, but the man can dance, so it could actually be fun bringing him along.
Instead of answering me, she pulls out her phone.
“How’s my British boyfriend?” she says into the phone.
I nudge her shoulder. “Who are you talking to?”
“Gavin,” she whispers. “What? No, that was Lily,” she says into the phone. “I need to dance the night away, and I hear you’ve got some moves. Can you gather some friends to join us? I have a hot American chick with me that you might fancy.”
I love that she and Gavin are friendly enough that she can call and pester him. Em hated Ash, and that kept us apart for years. I never want that to happen again. Being together while I was in the hospital bonded them. They built a relationship that is independent of me.
“Well, from what I hear, you fancy her quite often,” Em replies. “I’ve got reservations for a chef’s table at Marcus tonight. It seats ten, so invite your hottest friends, and we can let them fight for my attention all night. After dinner, we’ll head to the club.”
She pauses, presumably while Gavin responds.
“Do I get a vote in any of this?” I ask.
She covers the mic and says, “No. If you don’t like the plans, don’t come. Gavin and I get along just fine without you.” To him she says, “It’s a date. Your friends better be enfuego, Gavin. Only those with a Fuck Me Factor of ten. A nine if he’s entertaining. See you at eight.”
“Fuck Me Factor?” I ask after she hangs up.
“Yes. When I look at a guy and think, ‘Fuck me now,’ they get a ten. The scale goes down from there. Gavin and I played this game at the hospital while you were taking your extended nap.”
I glare at her. “You played Fuck Me what with my boyfriend?”
“Settle down, firecracker. He pointed out men, and I ranked them. Only Drew ranked a ten.”
“Ah, McDreamy. Love me some McDreamy.” We stare off into the ether for a few, until I picture Gavin playing Fuck Me Factor with Em. “I can’t see Gavin playing that with you.”
“Oh, Gavin played all sorts of my games. He learned it was easier to just play than for me to harass him.”
“That’s true. A bored Emily is not a happy Emily. What did Max think about this game?”
She crosses her legs. “Max never played.”
I’m dying to know more, but I know better than to push her. If she wanted to talk about it, she would. She’s spiteful enough that if I push too hard, she’ll just forget all about Max.
Em and I hit Harrods for appropriate club attire. She’s made it clear she hates everything I own, despite the fact that she was the one to help me pack for this trip. I just let her pick something out for me. Em chooses a silver Versace bandage dress that even I will admit I look amazing in. I’m not sure why she doesn’t keep it for herself. My date is a sure thing while she’s interviewing candidates. Having said that, I’m more than happy to keep Gavin drooling all night.
Em settles on a red halter dress for herself. Every man who sees her will feel it in the trousers. She’s a knockout.
We futz around Harrods for the next few hours. Em amasses a mountain of clothes for me to try on. I end up buying some of them, not enough to make her happy, but enough to get her off my case.
Gavin has to work later than expected, so he’s going to leave straight from the office. That gives Em and I a chance to go to her hotel and primp. Em and I did this for four years in college, and I miss it. Since I have to share her the rest of the night, I’m thankful to have some alone time with her now.
Our reservations are for eight, but Em always prefers to make an entrance. After Gavin texts twice asking us where we are, Em deems it appropriate for us to get out of the limo.
Dressed to the nines, we walk in like we own the place. Anyone with a penis, even the gay ones, can’t help but stare. I spot James, Liam, and Gavin seated with a few men and two women I don’t know. The men are still picking their jaws up off the floor.
Gavin pulls out my chair and whispers, “It’s a good thing I met you here. If I saw you in this dress at home, we never would have made it out of the bedroom. You look positively edible.”
Liam gives me a hug hello, but I can see he’s looking right through me. His eyes are fixed on Em. James walks over and rubs my stomach. Then he leans down to give it a kiss. He is such a brat.
While I roll my eyes, I hear the clicks of cameras capturing this endearing moment with my nonexistent baby. “James, I’m never going to get off bump watch if you keep this shit up.”
He winks. “I know.”
Bastard.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, boys,” Em says, not sounding sorry at all. “So who is everyone?”
Liam practically pushes me out of the way to grab Em’s hand to kiss it. “I’m Liam, otherwise known as the future love of your life. I hear you’ve been looking for me.”
Em stares him down. “You practically knock over a pseudo-pregnant woman to get to me, and that’s the best you can come up with? Liam, from the way Lily described you, I thought I was going to meet a real charmer. Such a disappointment.”
“Burn!” James shouts far too loudly.
Half
the restaurant turns and looks our way.
James reaches his hand out to Em. “I’m James, the better-looking, smarter, more sophisticated friend.”
“I’ve heard about you. You’re the one who really likes to push Gavin’s buttons. I like you already,” Em responds.
Gavin laughs. “The last thing I need is the two of you pairing up. Opposite ends of the table, you two. Now, Emily and Lily, let me introduce the rest of our guests.”
Gavin introduces the two ladies, Poppy and Eliza, and the three boys, Heath, Basil and Percy. It looks like Gavin invited a group of models to join us for dinner. Em should be pleased.
Gavin explains that Percy and Poppy are brother and sister. Heath and Basil played rugby with him and Liam at university, and Gavin rowed crew with Percy and James. Eliza and Liam dated a lifetime ago but have remained friendly. Poppy and Heath also dated. Despite the fact that everyone says they get along, I sense some tension. Quite the incestuous circle, but they get along well. Sounds like they became a tight-knit group in college and have stayed close ever since.
Dinner’s fabulous. The food’s outstanding, and the conversation flows freely. Poppy and Eliza are a riot, and we become fast friends. Em’s showered with attention. Gavin and I quietly place bets on who’s the front runner. I manage to drag at least one embarrassing story about Gavin out of each of them. Em counters with embarrassing stories about me.
After dessert, the chef pops out to say hello to Em. He hugs her and looks at her as though he wants to throw her over his shoulder and take her back to his cave. He recognizes Percy, and the whole group chats about the restaurant.
“Em,” I whisper. “How do you know the chef?”
She casually swirls the wine in her glass. “We had a thing a while back. Nothing major. We would connect when I came to town. He’s married now though, so it’s platonic.”
“That look he gave you didn’t look platonic,” I reply.
Em’s love life has always been a never-ending string of casual, hot encounters that are completely void of drama. I don’t know how she does it. She lives the way she wants, always seems sexually satisfied, and is never bogged down by relationship theatrics. She’s a walking billboard for casual sex.
“Just because he’s married doesn’t mean he is dead. The sex wasn’t good enough to walk into that hornet’s nest, though. We’ve stayed friendly, and that’s all. Now let’s get out of here.” She kisses her former lover good-bye and orders the group to get moving.
The club is packed, and walking in is a huge undertaking. Between Em, Liam, and Gavin, they seem to know everyone there. Each step forward means another introduction and kiss hello, but the music’s so loud that I can’t hear anyone’s name. I sure hope there won’t be a quiz at the end of the night because I’ll fail.
After an hour of being Gavin’s arm candy, I’m bored and ready to sit down, but we still haven’t made it to our table. I keep looking over my shoulder, hoping Em will steal me away. It’s wonderful that Gavin wants to show me off to everyone he knows, but he knows everyone! My cheeks are killing me from fake smiling. I came here to dance, not network. If anyone is really that important, I’ll see them again in a setting where I can actually have a conversation. So after meeting yet another person I can’t hear, I leave Gavin to his endless stream of acquaintances and beeline it for the table. When I kiss him good-bye, he glares at me.
Three bottles of champagne in ice buckets await us at our table. I’m so thirsty, I down two glasses. Em grabs me and drags me to the dance floor. I catch Gavin’s eye to see if he wants to dance with us, and he scowls at me. Fine, let him be pissy. I came here to dance!
The DJ is great, and Em and I have a blast grinding it out on the dance floor. She’s frisky tonight and in super sexy mode. I quickly follow suit. The rest of the group, sans Gavin and James, come down to dance with us. Liam’s an amazing dancer, and Em and I practically molest him on the dance floor.
While all of the guys are vying for Em’s attention, Liam seems to be the front runner. It may be because he keeps ordering rounds of shots for all of us as part of a drink or dare game. He and Em have paired up to concoct crazy dares for the rest of the group. Knowing Em, I know to stay far away from their game. Em and Liam come up with the dares, yet it never seems to be their turn. Separately, they’re master manipulators; together, no one stands a chance.
Poor Eliza and Poppy have kissed random strangers, male and female, taken off articles of clothing, and danced on tables. Percy has dared to grab a woman’s ass. He went up to introduce himself to her and never came back. After an hour or so, everyone’s so drunk they need to sit down. I make a lap around the club to look for Gavin. With all the nooks and crannies to hide in, he could be anywhere.
I turn a dark corner and run into Gavin. “Hey, there you are. I’ve been—”
His lips crash into mine, and his hands aggressively roam over my body. I don’t mind his rough exploration, but it strikes me as odd after the way he treated me earlier. Maybe he’s missed me.
Breathless, he pulls away. “Not here.”
Before I have the opportunity to ask him what he means, he grabs my hand and drags me down the corridor. At the end of the hall, he opens a door to a room with a window that looks over the dance floor. I don’t recall seeing it when I was dancing, so I wonder if it’s a two-way mirror.
Looking at the dance floor full of writhing bodies, I search for our friends. Before I can spot them, Gavin spins me around then pushes my back against the window. Brushing his thumb over my lip, he stares at me. He has the strangest expression, as though he’s studying my face. I smile, trying to reassure him, but his critical look doesn’t waver.
I push up onto my tip-toes and kiss him. At first he doesn’t kiss me back, which catches me off guard. After a few gentle kisses and some coaxing from my tongue, he pushes my shoulders against the glass and devours my mouth. He takes my lip between his teeth, making my knees go weak. I groan as I push my hips into his. Any doubt I had that he wasn’t into this dissipates when I feel his impressive bulge against my pelvis. His hand runs up my thigh, pushing up my dress.
I can’t help but grin when he reaches my hip. Surprise!
He pulls away and walks to the other side of the room. He drops his head and runs his fingers through his hair. “Where the fuck are your knickers?” he growls.
I look at him, confused. This isn’t the reaction I expected at all. “I’m not wearing any,” I say, trying to sound as playful as possible.
His head snaps toward me. “Where the fuck did they go?”
I have no idea what to make of his behavior. Most guys would be ecstatic if their girlfriend went commando, but he’s rubbing his temple the way he does when he has a stress headache. Maybe he’s developing a migraine from how much he’s had to drink and the thumping music in the club?
I cross the room and stand in front of him, trying to read his face. To comfort him, I put my hand on his waist, but he flinches. I pull my hand away. Whatever’s got him riled up is messing with his head. Gavin never recoils from my touch. Desperate to fix whatever went wrong, I hope flirting will bring him back to the moment.
“I thought the dress looked better without panties,” I say with a smile. I slowly drag my hands up my inner thighs, the hem of my dress rising as my hands travel north. “What do you think? Do you think this dress is better without panties?”
He glares at me. He’s either extremely turned on or furious, but I can’t tell which. I bite my lip in anticipation of his response.
He growls, then pushes me up against the wall. Opening myself to him, I wrap my leg around his waist. I reach for his belt buckle, but he grabs my wrist and pins it to the wall. With his free hand, he undoes his belt and pushes his pants and boxers to the floor.
He trails his fingers from my knee to my core. I tip my head back and moan when his fingers dip into my wetness. He pulls his hand back and smells his fingers before he pushes them into my mouth. Typically I hate tasting
myself, but with how temperamental he’s being, I go along with it. I suck his fingers as though they were his cock.
“Taste like you?” he asks.
Uncertain of how to respond, I close my eyes and suck harder.
Seconds later, he plunges into me. His fingers fall from my mouth when I moan.
I look into his eyes, trying to make a connection, but his eyes are dark. He drives his cock into me with fury. The physical pleasure is amazing, but emotionally, the action feels cold, detached. I want to push him away and find out what the hell is going on when he reaches between us and rubs my clit. Reason for the bad mood be damned—this feels too good to stop.
My hand is still pinned to the wall. I put my other arm on his shoulder to steady myself as he relentlessly pounds into me. I dig my fingernails in as my orgasm approaches. “Oh, fuck!”
My cries incite him, driving him to go faster, harder. He leans his head against the wall as he comes. Out of breath, he pulls out, shooting cum all over me.
He pulls up his pants. After buckling his belt, he kisses me hard.
“You’re mine. You’d best remember that,” he says in an angry, almost threatening tone, then walks out the door.
Breathless, I stare at the door in disbelief. What the fuck just happened?
I survey the room for napkins but come up empty. I leave the room to look for Gavin or the bathroom, whichever comes first. I duck into the ladies’ room, which thankfully has no line, and replay what just happened in my head while I clean up. Nothing about that felt right. Well, it felt amazing—it just didn’t feel right.
After washing my hands, I leave the bathroom and make my way back to the club. As soon as I walk under the black light, it’s obvious Gavin left his mark on me. The stains on my dress light up like a Christmas tree, leaving no doubt that I’m splattered with semen. Embarrassed, I rush to the coat check and grab my jacket. I need to get out of here.
Once my jacket is buttoned up, I walk through the VIP section to find Gavin so we can go home. I don’t see Gavin anywhere, but I run into Em on the dance floor.
When Fate Isn't Enough Page 14