I’m buzzed and frustrated, and tired of preying men.And since I’ve lost all ability to filter my words, I walk over and say, “Hey, you’re the guy who’s been checking out my friend.”
The man makes a slow perusal of me, his attention landing on my chest.“And now I’m looking at you.”His mouth kicks up at the side in a charming smile that must hit the mark with the ladies more often than not.“I’ve seen you around as well.What’s your name, pretty girl?”
He’s sleazy, but his smile comes across as guileless.And he called me pretty.I must be feeling extremely low, because just that small bit of attention is enough for me to let my guard down.
I’ll regret this tomorrow, but for now, I’m as big a sucker for flattery as any other lonely female.Besides, I can handle his type.“Cali.”
“Cali, I’m Drake.”His eyes narrow as if he’s trying to figure me out, or maybe it’s because I’m swaying.“Would you like to join me?”
Drake, the lounge-trolling executive, is attractive up close, with dark hair and whiskey-brown eyes.I’d put him in his upper twenties.He’s polished and smooth in his tailored shirt and pants.Different from the guys I’ve dated.More mature.Worldly.
A vision of Jaeger in hisGQgear flashes like a strobe in my mind.But Jaeger and I have never dated, so he doesn’t count.I clench my fists.
“You look like you could use a drink,” he says.
A good point.I don’t need a drink, but I could use one.
I sit and Drake flags the waitress.“What would you like?”
I tell him my order and it arrives in record time.Given my level of inebriation, which becomes more apparent with every attempt at normal activity I take, like, say, walking, I ask the waitress for water as well and sip my cocktail.Drinking is all fun and games until there’s puking involved.Water helps prevent the casualty.I’m buzzed and unable to think too deeply; that’s enough.
Drake asks me questions about my job at the casino and how I like living in Lake Tahoe.I follow the flow of conversation until the topic of summer excursions comes up and I happen to mention the fishing trip.
Drake’s hand squeezes my shoulder from the back of my seat.“Cali, are you all right?”
I look up and blink.Images of Jaeger in the boat, talking dirty fishing talk, lead to the most recent image I can’t get out of my head—of him with the older woman clinging to him like a barnacle.
We haven’t even dated, yet somehow I must have let Jaeger in.Because seeing him with Gen, or anyone else, shouldn’t bother me as much as it does.“Yes—” I swallow the bitter flavor in my mouth.“Fine.”My smile falters.
Drake doesn’t smile back, though his expression remains kind.“Would you like to leave?”
Escape the casino and Jaeger?
I nod eagerly.
ChapterFourteen
Rational thoughts move like sludge, while a fast forward of Jaegerathon plays in Technicolor inside my head.
Drake gestures to a back door.“Shall we?”
I follow him numbly from the club.He’s been kind.Maybe I misjudged him.He could be as lonely as the rest of us, sitting in Gen’s lounge, searching for someone special to come along.
It’s not until the door to the club closes and cool air nips my arms that I realize I can’t leave without Gen.And that maybe leaving with someone I’ve just met isn’t such a great idea.
“Wait.”I stop and look around, my heartbeat quickening.I don’t recognize this part of the parking lot.“I came here with friends.We need to go back.”I reach for the door handle, but it’s locked from the inside.
“They keep these locked.We’ll have to go in through the casino.”
And see Jaeger with that lady?No, thank you.I wrap my arms around my middle, shivers vibrating my spine.
At my hesitation, Drake slips his jacket over my shoulders.“Do you have a phone?”
I left my purse with Gen, but my phone is in my back pocket.I pull it out.
“You can contact your friends from here and tell them I’m taking you home, or we can walk inside.It’s up to you.”
The slow cog that is my brain on alcohol filters this information, processing a slight sense of unease in the pit of my belly.Probably not the best idea to go home with a guy I would have been leery of before tonight.But the lights are bright in the parking lot, providing a sense of security.And I have no desire to walk past Jaeger with his woman.
