And sure enough, sitting across from them were their two men, Sam and Corey. It was surreal to see Melissa with Corey—it didn’t matter what she said to me about them being better, I would always remember her having to move away to escape his harassment. Clearly, things had changed, but as an outsider, it stunned me that that degree of change was even possible.
The other thing I quickly realized was that I had significantly overdressed—or perhaps in the literal sense, not dressed in enough clothing—for the type of night it was to be. Hailey had on a T-shirt and jeans. Melissa had on a tank top, but it wasn’t nearly as revealing as mine. I didn’t usually get self-conscious to the point that I showed it, but this was one spot, given the lack of a crowd, where it felt a little more noticeable.
“Hey, girl,” Hailey said.
She didn’t say anything with her words, but the way her eyes looked me up and down, I knew she was saying, “What kind of a night did you think it was?” And then, given how quickly her eyes went back to normal, I assumed she answered it with, “Every kind of night is that night for you.” I knew she didn’t mean it judgmentally—Hailey didn’t live my lifestyle, but she’d never given me grief for it—but it still had some sort of effect.
“Hey, everyone,” I said, “what’s the shot of choice for tonight?”
Corey chuckled. Sam looked at me with a bemused smirk.
“I like her style,” he said.
I waited for him to follow it up with a comment about gin or vodka or even just a cocktail. But he said nothing. And if he wasn’t going to say anything, it sure seemed like no one was going to be drinking.
“We were just talking about favorite restaurants in the area,” Melissa said. “What are your thoughts?”
“Well, you know me, I like the ones with vegetarian and vegan options,” I said, but my mind wasn’t really on the conversation on hand. I was more attuned to the fact that not only were people not interested in drinking, the guys didn’t seem that interested in even being around each other.
Call it the sixth sense of being someone who loved social situations, but I could always pick up on unspoken tension faster than even Hailey and Melissa could. And there was something off about the guys; it was like one of them had suggested they go out, maybe one of the girls, but everyone had done so begrudgingly.
And by everyone…
There’s supposed to be a fifth guy here.
There was an empty seat that, lo and behold, had a half-finished drink in front of it with some sort of soda mix. I prayed like hell that this would be a guy to my liking, but given the tension of the place, I didn’t hold my breath that it would be anything particularly special. Probably one of Sam’s older club buddies.
“What do you guys think?” I said, trying to distract myself.
“Think about what?” Sam said.
“Best restaurant in the area?”
Sam shrugged.
“In n Out?” Corey said.
“That’s your choice?” Sam said with an eyebrow raised.
No one else said a word. I almost began to wonder if going to drink by myself at the bar was a better choice. Even if some stranger came up and started talking to me, odds were good he’d be more energetic and fun.
And then I felt someone walk behind me.
“Well, I’m glad the table didn’t empty out when I left.”
He justsoundedsexy before I saw him. The fifth wheel of the party, the only single guy in the group. My eyes turned to see who would take that empty seat.
And thank fucking heavens, the face matched the voice. It was a face I’d seen before, mostly from Hailey’s videos, but now that I was seeing him up close…fuck, he was a good-looking man.
He had his father’s jaw and eyes, but he also had a more youthful vigor to him. For one, he had more stubble and less of a beard, fewer wrinkles, and more of a fiery look in his eyes. It wasn’t that Sam looked worn out or beaten, but there was a noticeable difference between a man who was determined and a man who was ferociously determined.
And on top of that, he just wore a small smirk to him like he knew he might get in trouble tonight but didn’t care. I knew what that smirk looked like, because I wore it often—or at least wore it to try and fool people.
“And I see we have a newcomer,” he said. “I’m Sonny.”
He extended his hand, that smirk turning into a small smile. Small—but very much noticeable. It was the kind of flirting done to give a hint of what was to come, but not to announce his intentions to the whole table.
It had me already tingling and excited at what was to come.Or perhaps if you are to come.
