by Carina Adams
The fact seemed to enrage him even more. “That wasn’t her first mistake tonight, but it will be her last.”
“She’s not working. You can’t say a damn word about how she spent her evening, unless she’s been dancing for another company. We both know that’d never happen,” I argued as we crossed the parking lot toward my truck. “She said she’s fine. For all we know, it was a lonely call.”
“You told her you’d meet her at Hooligan’s, not your house, dipshit. She didn’t call you to get laid.”
“And you think I’m the one who doesn’t know her,” It was a childish goad, but I couldn’t keep it in. “It doesn’t matter where she is, when Cady wants it, she wants it right then. There’s no waiting.”
He paused as I yanked open my door and glared at me over the hood.
“Let’s go,” I called as I climbed into the cab. “My girl is waiting.”
He didn’t say a word on the short ride across town. I didn’t talk to him, either. I let uncomfortable silence fill the space between us.
I found a spot a half-block from the bar and we rushed toward the unfamiliar building. Loud music and raised voices spilled onto the street through the open door, but thankfully there was no line. The bouncer barely glanced in our direction, yet had warning sneer on his face. Apparently he was meant to intimidate by facial expression alone.
I paused once inside and looked around the large, full room. When I didn’t find her immediately, agitation started to grow.
Roman stepped in next to me. “Where in the fuck is she?”
My eyes roamed around the space and I was ready to send him one direction and go in the other. The song ended and in the brief quiet before the next one began, I heard her laugh. I smacked his shoulder and pointed toward the counter. When she’d said she’d be at the bar, she’d meant it literally.
“There.”
I’d only taken a few steps when my eyes fell on the other half of her party. I blinked, sure my mind had had started to play tricks. I’d assumed she was out with Livie. Maybe even Livie’s girlfriend, Frankie. Both were close friends of hers and she spent loads of time with them.
Roman saw them at the exact same time. “What in the actual fuck is going on?” He turned, fury and confusion mingled on his face. “Did you know about this?”
I shook my head. I hadn’t had a clue. If I had, I would have warned her against it. Me going to lunch with Brooke was one thing, but I had a personal history with her. Roman would never hold that against me.
Cady was a different story. She’d lost her mind. Either that, or she had a death wish. Before I had a chance to process what was happening, Rome headed straight for them, steam billowing out his ears.
I started to move forward, ready to jump in between them, to keep her safe. Deja vu hit as I remembered the look on her face the last time I’d attempted to intervene on her behalf. She’d made it perfectly clear she didn’t want or appreciate my help.
I’m not weak and helpless. I can fight my own battles. As much as it killed me, I drew back, and slowed my pace.
I needed to tread lightly. I would never throw her to the wolves, but I also wouldn’t step in unless I had to. She had to know she could do it, to stand up for herself.
But if she needed me, I’d be right there, ready to kick ass.
Twenty-One
Cady
Brooke was a sloppy and funny drunk.
That shocked me more than anything. The entire night had been full of surprises, sure, but when I discovered what a hot mess my drinking buddy turned into after only a few rounds, I’d been tempted to load her into a cab and call the entire thing off. She was normally so put together it never occurred to me that she’d be a light-weight who spilled more alcohol than she consumed and thought she was the next Sarah Silverman.
We’d almost finished our first pitcher of mojitos when she’d shifted from comedian to broken hearted and started to cry. She clung to me as I comforted her and told me on repeat how lonely she was. That’s when I knew I had to follow through because I might never get the opportunity again and it was too important to leave to chance.
There wasn’t much I could do for the people I cared about. While I currently had more money than I’d ever had before, I sent every extra dime to my nana. Offering financial help to my friends was out.
I didn’t know anyone important in a high profile job. Hell, I had to lie to people about my own. I sure as hell couldn’t offer career advice or help anyone get their dream job.
However, the minute I’d realized how lost Brooke was, I’d known there was something I could do to help her. If I was being honest, which seemed hard for me lately, it wasn’t really for Brooke. I liked her, but I didn’t owe her anything.
Roman, on the other hand, had me in his debt. He’d hired me when he knew I couldn’t dance. He’d spent countless hours teaching me. He might be a giant prick, but he always seemed to know what to do to cheer me up. At the end of the day, no matter how he annoyed me, we were a team. I wanted to do something for him.
He hid his pain well. I hadn’t gotten to witness the drunk disaster that others at Soiree whispered about, but knowing him, it had been far worse then anyone was willing to admit. However, once in a while he let it show.
It was in those moments I forgot why he annoyed me so damn much. It was during those times I knew I would do anything to help him. I’d decided to find out more about the Flamingo, the one who had broken him so much that she’d taken the best pieces of him when she’d left, and when I knew everything I could, I’d find him someone better to love.
I thought it would take me a few months, maybe even the school year.
When Reid told me about the history between Brooke and Roman, it felt like fate had given me a chance. A new plan had started to form in the back of my mind, yet it wasn’t until I’d looked closely and seen the same hurt that surrounded Rome also clung to her like a second skin, that I knew what I had to do. It didn’t matter who had done what or who had hurt who. They still loved each other and it was senseless for them to be apart.
The fact that it was bitter ol’ me who saw it when no one else had was almost laughable. I didn’t want to examine why it felt like fate was taunting me. Or why part of me was jealous. Instead I focused on the task at hand.
As a rule, I tried to not meddle in other people’s lives. Well, other than in Frankie’s. I didn’t consider that interfering as much as giving her a gentle push when she needed one. She tended to need them a lot.
In general, though, if it didn’t concern me, I stayed out of it. I chalked it up to being put in the middle way too many times as a kid. My mother had used me as a pawn whenever she could and never let me make my own decisions.
Even in death she’d taken away my control away. All my life she’d promised to tell me who my father was on my eighteenth birthday, so the adult me could decided if I wanted to find him. I was so sure she’d have left that information in her will or stored it away safely. Yet, she’d taken the secret to her grave.
I’d promised myself I would never act that way.
Sometimes fate stepped in and made the hard decisions for you. I’d started to plan the moment Reid had left our impromptu lunch. The crooked grin he’d given me when I’d agreed to spend the night with him had made my body tingle and butterflies swarm my belly. I wanted Roman to feel that again.
These two people were so in love with each other they couldn’t move on. While I didn’t know all the details of their split, if I could just get them to spend time together, they’d realize how much they loved each other and work through anything. As a link between the two, I could stage a quick meet-cute and let sparks fly on their own.
However, neither knew I was friends with the other. Roman saw me as Ruffles, his dancer. And while I’d told him I was in school, I had nothing in common with Brooke and no reason to cross her path. Brooke knew me as the geek she got stuck with in class. There was no way she’d mistake me for one of Rome’s glamorous g
irls.
It was cool to have anonymity, but I had to figure out a way to get them together in a neutral area without blowing my cover. Easier said than done, especially since the two of them didn’t seem to have much in common. I’d pushed the brainstorming to the back burner and focused on homework, but vowed to figure it out during my time off over the weekend.
The perfect opportunity fell into my lap Friday afternoon. Brooke and I handed our business opportunity and solution to Max and then presented flawlessly. All the extra work had paid off. He’d congratulated us in front of the class saying we’d exceeded his expectations.
As soon as class was over, still on cloud nine, I’d pounced. Brooke hadn’t been easy to convince, but I’d worn her down. As soon as she’d agreed to go for a drink with me, I’d dragged her to my car and driven to Hooligan’s, the only bar that made me feel comfortable. I wasn’t scared of my own shadow, but two college girls couldn’t be too careful. Lucky wasn’t working, but there was an air of safety that seemed to settle around the pub and I knew no one would bother us.
We’d immediately gotten a table and ordered drinks. Then dinner. Followed by a pitcher. And ended at the bar doing shots with a group of locals.
A few hours in, I’d called Reid and put the rest of my plan into motion.
I’d just leaned back against the smooth cool wooden surface of the bar, a laugh on my lips, when I spotted an angry Roman elbow his way across the room toward me. When his eyes shifted to my right, he hesitated for a micro-second, and his expression turned hard. He was pissed, but I knew he’d thank me later.
I bumped Brooke with my elbow. She turned to me, drink clutched in both hands and tucked close to her chest, as she sucked on the straw almost daintily. Her eyebrows rose in silent question.
I lifted my chin toward the man barreling toward us and pretended to be clueless. “You’ve got another admirer.”
It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. She’d had a few wayward strangers approach her as the night had progressed, but she’d politely kept their conversations short. Even if they hadn’t spoken to her, the majority of our drinks had been purchased by men who wanted her attention.
This time, she wasn’t bored by the upcoming arrival. Her eyes went round and she turned to me, completely flustered. “That’s not…,” she swallowed. She leaned over and shouted in my ear, “Please act like you’ve never met Reid. Okay?”
Before she could offer any explanation, the gruesome twosome stopped in front of us.
Now that he was closer, I could see it wasn’t just anger that radiated from Roman. Bewilderment was clear, too, because he hadn’t caught on to the set-up yet. On closer look, there was a bit of betrayal in his eyes, as if he’d expected more from me and I’d let him down.
“Brooke,” his voice didn’t hold any of the tension his face did. He sounded curious. “You’re the last person I expected to see here.”
Brooke’s mouth dropped open, unsure of what was happening, and the straw stuck to her bottom lip for a moment. When she recovered, red tinged her cheeks, and she pushed herself up a little straighter.
“That makes two of us.”
They both started to speak at once, but then Roman held up his hands and let her go first. Brooke—even though she’d consumed her body weight in alcohol—was all manners. “This is my friend Cady,” she told him, motioning to me. “We’re celebrating.”
She set the almost empty glass onto the counter behind us and grabbed my forearm. “Cady, this is Roman.” Nails dug into my skin as she lifted her other hand and waved her fingers at him. “And this is Reid.” It wasn’t lost on me that she didn’t explain how she knew either.
I waved meekly, but Roman reached out and grabbed my hand, dwarfing my fingers in his. “Cady,” he hissed. There was a warning in the word, but I didn’t care.
“Nice to meet you,” I smirked. As I yanked my hand away, I glanced at the man beside him. “Hello.”
Reid didn’t look angry that I’d dragged him out late without any explanation. He didn’t look like he cared I was meddling, as his eyes drifted over me, full of bad intentions.
“Cady.” The way he said my name made my skin break out in goose bumps and a flush spread over my body.
For a moment we stood in awkward silence. Then Brooke composed herself and loosened her grip on my arm. With a nod, she gave each of them a smile.
“It was nice to see you,” her eyes darted back to Roman, the longing clear. “Have a good night.”
As she attempted to drag me away, he side-stepped in front of her, blocking the path. We both stared up at him and for a moment I was distracted by how tall he was. Typically, I ignored the differences in our height, especially while I was in stilettos. In nothing but dollar store flip flops, though, I felt like a midget trapped between his looming presence and her runway-ready form.
He shifted his attention from Brooke to me and his frown deepened. Rome saw me without makeup more than he did show-ready, he knew what I looked like after hours of sweaty practice with my hair matted and my face beet-red. Yet, as he stared down at me, I had the urge to duck and cover.
His intense gaze overwhelmed me and for a second my thoughts went haywire. Next to the natural beauty that was Brooke, I felt like a troll. I didn’t want him to see me that way.
I longed for one of his rare smiles. I wanted him to pull me into him and kiss me the way he once had. In that moment, I would have given almost anything to be the reason he was there.
Then common sense returned and guilt hit like a freight train. I didn’t want Roman. I didn’t even know if I liked him most days. He loved Brooke and I was the friend who was going to help him get his girl.
There was no real attraction. I was confused. And a little buzzed.
I let out a long breath and turned away from him, my attention on Reid. I smiled brightly and hoped he understood that I needed a distraction from the tricks my mind had started to play. As if he could hear my thoughts, he placed a hand on my lower back.
“What are you drinking?” The question was one anyone who had just met me might ask. “Can I buy you another?”
I glanced at Brooke quickly, but her eyes were still glued to Rome. I nodded, desperate for the escape. “Yes, please.”
He ushered me toward the only empty spot at the bar, too far away to hear what the love birds had to say. He didn’t order me a drink though, and crossed his arms over his broad chest and cocked an eyebrow at me. He looked so stern it was almost funny.
“Okay, I know what you’re thinking,” I began cautiously.
“Oh, you don’t have a clue,” he assured me in a voice low voice laced with glee. “That was gutsy. You’re lucky you’re not a dude or he’d beat your ass later.”
I scoffed. “Please. Like me having a vag would stop him.” I rolled my eyes. “He already threatened to spank me, I have no doubt another warning like that will be coming my way.”
“He did what?” Reid’s arms dropped to his sides, all amusement vanished.
I dismissed his worry with a laugh, horrified I’d said the words out loud. “Yeah. Not his finest moment. I wasn’t scared then, I’m not now.”
“Wait. Roman,” Reid tipped his head in the direction of his best friend, “actually said that he would spank you?” The way he stumbled on the word was comical. “In what context?”
“Well,” I frowned, reluctant to explain what had happened, “I think his exact words were that he’d tie me to the bed and punish me if I tried to leave the room. It was after my first show and I’d threatened to sleep in his cousin’s room.”
Reid’s face contorted angrily, ready to thrash someone with his bare hands. “I’m going to kill that fucker.”
I giggled. “Don’t be silly. He was being obnoxious. The point is, I have no doubt he’ll threaten to do something else as pathetic. I’ll ignore him next time, too.”
Reid cracked his jaw from side to side. “How much have you had to drink tonight?”
“Not
nearly enough.” I assured him with a laugh. He didn’t smile. “Two glasses. One before dinner, one after. And a shot right before you got here. Brooke drank a lot and I wanted to be able to drive her home. I wasn’t sure you’d come.”
He pushed a stray piece of hair behind my ear. “I’ll always come for you.”
I grinned up at him, loving the playful banter and innuendo. “We’ll find out tomorrow night.”
He stepped closer, every hard inch of muscle pressed into me. “Why don’t we jump start the weekend? Come home with me now.”
I was tempted. I wanted to say yes more than I wanted my next breath. I couldn’t abandon Brooke, though. I leaned back and my eyes found the couple on the other end of the bar.
He followed my gaze. “What are you doing, little girl?”
I didn’t pretend to misunderstand. There was no point. “They’re lonely. And obviously still in love. They miss each other, even if they can’t admit it.”
“You think setting them up in a bar is going to fix everything, make them forget all their problems?”
I didn’t like his tone. I frowned up at his beautiful face. “No. It won’t fix everything. But, it might be the first step they need to get out of their own way. We all need a little push once in a while.”
He stroked my cheek with a rough thumb. “You really are something else, aren’t you?”
I broke his hold on me. “No. I just hate that they’re both so sad.”
“Mhmm,” he grinned. “I see you, Cady. The real you. You don’t have to keep trying to hide.”
I didn’t bother to argue. No one ever saw the real me, just the version I showed them. I was desperate for someone to push through the barriers and find me, though.
“There’s a pizza place around the corner that’s open until after last call.” It wasn’t his house, but we’d already planned to spend the next night together. We could get to know each other better in other ways, too. “I’d kill for a slice of peperoni.”