He took a running start at Cole, who, once he saw he was being charged, ran head long into Brent. I gasped as they slammed into one another, stalling in the air and then landing hard on something that used to be made of white wood. Fists flew, aimed at faces and stomachs, while they rolled around like kiddies fighting after school.
“Brent Christopher Terrance, you stop right this instant,” I yelled, jumping up. Zane and Stash were trying to break it up, but weren’t having much luck. Zane even took a kick to the back of his knee, and stumbled, until I caught him as I crossed the room.
“Don’t get any closer,” Zane commanded before rushing back into the fray.
“Brent. Cole. This is absolutely ridiculous,” I yelled, putting my hand on my hip. I glanced at the bottle of tequila dangling from my other hand. Hmm.
I scuttled closer and tipped it. Not too much. I wasn’t going to waste perfectly good liquor. But, just enough to splash them plenty. Both glanced up at me, glaring. The distraction worked long enough for Stash to extract Brent, and Zane to pull Cole away.
“You feel better now?” Stash asked a breathless and bleeding Brent.
“No.”
At Zane’s look of disbelief, Brent mumbled, “Fine. Maybe a little.”
Cole panted, bleeding from his nose where it dripped down onto his expensive jacket that still bared his chest to anyone’s view.
“If they let you two go are you going to behave like darn adults?” I huffed, pointing back and forth between Cole and Brent, ending with my finger aimed at Cole. “And don’t you dare say he started it.”
Silence.
Zane grunted. Hiccupped. Then, tilted his head back…and laughed.
Everyone gawked. I’m guessing the man didn’t laugh much. It sounded rusty and gravelly like he hadn’t done it in ages.
He chortled for another minute before he snorted and rumbled, “I like you, Ember.”
“She’s taken,” Brent stated matter of fact, jerking out of Stash’s loosing grip. He stomped over to his bottle I had left in the safe zone.
“Says who, you lug?” I shouted at his back. When he grabbed his bottle and spun around to face me, taking a few good pulls, I lifted my ever-lovin’ finger at him. Again. “You have no right to say that. A certain golden supermodel slung over your arm tonight proves that. Don’t you dare lie and tell me you haven’tbeen sleepin’ with her. Heck, there have probably been twenty more like her since I last saw you.”
His eyes widened in fury. “Oh, you wanna talk ‘bout sex? How about we talk about you fuckin’one of mybest friends in my own goddamn office?” He paused for another nip, and then pointed his own finger at me. “And I have every damn right to say your taken, darlin’, unlike Ally over there.” His finger pointing moved to her. “She’s the one who didn’t fuckin’ wait.”
She bent down and picked up a piece of wood and chucked it at him, swaying a smidge from her previous heavily laced cocktail. “Fuck you, Brent. At least I was honest with her. How long have you been screwin’ that anorexic stick figure, anyway? When I left it was because I was in love. Not just to get laid.”
“Have you noticed how their accents are getting a whole lot thicker the more upset they get?” Stash whispered to Zane and a now released Cole, but it was during a lull, so everyone heard.
The three of us turned scowls on Stash for his rude interruption.
He raised his hand like a five year old in the tense silence.
Brent barked, “Speak.”
Stash nodded and lowered his hand. “Just so we’re getting this straight. You were both with Ember at one point, right?” Stash appeared plum thrilled. Like it was Christmas day. The man must not have much of a life. Hard to believe since he was so dang good looking.
“Oh, what the hell.” Brent blew out a breath and yanked on his hair. “Ally’s gay. I’m straight. Ember’s Bi. All three of us were one hell of a threesome when we were growing up. Inseparable. Any more fucking questions or can we get some damn privacy now?”
Stash’s eyes positively shined with delight and it looked like he was itching to say something, but Zane beat him to it. Staringstraight at Brent, dark eyes wide, he questioned in incredulity, “Who are you?”
Now on the other hand, Cole’s blue eyes were scorching me he was staring so hard. Brent didn’t seem to be much on his radar right at the moment.
Brent sighed. “The same man I’ve always been, but with a few secrets. It’s not like any of you don’t have your own.”
That shut ‘em all up, real quick-like.
“Now, do you mind?” Brent motioned to the door with his bottle. “I think you’ve heard enough.”
Cole did speak then. “Actually, I do have a question.”
