Страница 54 из 65
“Okay, okay, well here then.” He holds up his glass to toast. “Here’s to the king bachelor, drinking himself into oblivion. Welcome back to the single life, buddy. What better place to start than The Red Room, brother?”
We clink our drinks together and take a gulp, but I say nothing about his comment. I have no intention of going down the same path of my previous single life. Looking back, it’s not one that I’m proud of; I was the guy that I would want Grace to stay far away from.
We sit in silence for another few minutes before the thing that I was hoping to avoid happens. Two beautiful women surround Lakin and me at the bar. They are both gorgeous, and I’m fairly certain that with a little effort I could have my choice of either. A brunette takes a seat next to my brother, but the leggy blonde squeezes in between us, confidence and sex appeal oozing out of her. Her breasts are jacked up to the sky from Victoria’s latest secret, and if she’s not careful, everyone here will be able to see if Spanx are keeping her ass from jiggling, or if a thong and lunges were the order of the day.
“Well hello, ladies, how are you this evening? Can we buy you a drink?” Lakin’s eyes roam the body of the woman next to him; he’s clearly interested in what could be in store for him this evening.
“We both would be up for a Screaming Orgasm, if you’re offering,” the blonde whispers in my ear as she begins to rub my forearm that’s resting on the cool marble. Before Vivian, I would already have her spread out and under me in a room upstairs or pounding into her up against a bathroom stall. But now, I feel nothing. She doesn’t smell like vanilla and jasmine, she doesn’t feel like smooth rose petals, and her hair is not the fiery auburn that I love. No, she is everything Vivian isn’t; this girl is in-your-face and overdone. She’s the typical trophy wife material that would spend your money and then silence you with a blowjob. Exactly what I don’t need or want.
Lakin orders the girls’ drinks, and I attempt to slide my arm away from the talons of the blonde. She releases my arm, but then moves lower to my thigh. Her perusal up the inside of my leg towards my balls has me adjusting in my seat; uncomfortable with the situation is putting it lightly. I grab her hand and place it back onto the bar top.
She shoots me a look of displeasure. Yep, this one is not used to being rejected, and escaping the web she’s weaving around me will not be easy. “Come on, let’s go dance. You look like you need to loosen up,” she coos.
“No, I’m good where I’m at, but thanks,” I say, turning my attention back to my drink. I can see her turning to Lakin for help, and he indulges her by pushing me on my chair.
“Yeah, bro, you need to loosen up. It’s not polite to refuse a lady when she requests a dance.” His smirk slithers across his face. I need to remember to stay over at his apartment so I can smother him in his sleep; the shithead will pay for this.
I reluctantly shove off my stool and allow her to lead me out to an open area. There is no real dance floor, and the jukebox is meant to provide an ambiance, not dance music. As soon as she finds the spot she likes, she turns to me and wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me closer to her.
Her overwhelming scent of perfume and hair products almost make me gag, and her obviously fake boobs press into my chest, distracting me when she asks for my name.
“Feeling something you like?” she asks, weaving her fingers through my hair, snapping my attention back to her and the question she asked. “I said my name is Nicole, but my friends like to call me Nikki. What’s yours, handsome?” She giggles.
“Sorry, it’s been a long night; my name is Brooks.” I move away from her a bit to give myself a little room to breathe.
Not taking the hint, Nikki moves in closer, rubbing her hands up my back under my suit jacket. I make a mental note to burn this suit when I get home. I don’t care that it costs more than most people’s paychecks; I would never get her smell out of it.
“Don’t be so shy, Brooks. I won’t bite,” she breathes into my ear. “Well, unless you’re into that kind of thing,” she adds, and then licks the side of my neck.
I grab her arms and push her away as quickly as I can. This is heading out of the safe-zone, and I don’t want anything to do with this girl. “Look, Nikki, you’re an attractive girl, but I’m not interested. I’m here to have a drink and that’s it. I’m not looking for any company.”
Not giving up so easily, she throws me a curve by grabbing and massaging my dick. “Really?” she spits out. “I think your cock didn’t get the message, because he clearly wants company.”
I carefully remove her hand. My words, however, are not so delicate. She has crossed a line and I no longer care about her feelings. “Yes, maybe he does want company, but my cock never ventures into areas that will leave him with something extra that only a medical professional can get rid of…but thanks for the offer.”
I hastily turn away from her stu
“What the fuck, man?” he growls. “That chick was hot; what did you do? You asked for a distraction, and I’m trying to provide you with one.”
I pat him on the shoulder in an attempt to cool his flaring temper. I know that by my rejection of Nikki, his evening with slutty brunette will now crash and burn. “I asked you to get me drunk, not laid, Lake. Besides, I’ve spent my entire adult life trying to avoid gonorrhea; I don’t have any desire to have it now.”
“Since when do you care if it’s alcohol or pussy that brightens your night, Brooks?”
I throw a hundred dollar bill on the bar and adjust the sleeves on my jacket. “You’re right; I never cared before. Now I care. I appreciate your effort, but I’m just not interested. Please stay, enjoy your evening, but I’m going to head home.”
I don’t let him try to talk me into staying or offer to come with me. I shuffle past Nikki, who has found her next target for the evening, and from the looks of it, the bloke she’s selected will have no problem accepting her advances.
As quickly as I can, I drive home, aching to just collapse onto my bed. Everyone is sleeping, and I don’t want to disturb anyone. I strip down to my boxer briefs and climb under the duvet. I stare at my phone, willing it to show a text or missed call from Vivian, but there’s nothing. She has nothing that she wants to say to me. She wants nothing to do with me.
I bring up the keyboard and type the only words that I want her to remember, the only words that I have to say to her. My thumb hovers over the send button, but I stall, taking a deep breath, hesitating even more. Before I can change my mind, I hit send, turn off the lamp, and roll under my blankets, hoping that sleep will help to erase the heartache that has consumed me.
Friday Morning
Vivian
Nauseous. Every time I get my stomach under control, Brooks will call or text or the kids will ask if I’m getting excited for Brook’s surprise, and the churning will return. The first snow of the season has finally moved in, and the backyard looks similar to how my heart feels–empty, blank, cold, and sad. For the last week, I’ve done well avoiding him, but it’s been exhausting. I miss him. I don’t know if that makes me weak, or stupid, or just in love, but after everything, I still just miss him.
I’ve tried diving into writing assignments to distract myself, but every article I try to write ends up turning into a soapbox about honesty, or about whether or not love is enough. Well, you get the idea, and needless to say, it had nothing to do with the product that I was supposed to be reviewing, and none of it would impress my editor.