His tone made me feel like clicking my heels together and yelling, “Yes, sir!”, but I only nodded like an idiot again and spun to escape, extremely embarrassed. My cheeks were already flushed and I felt myself getting redder by the second. Poised to flee, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I bit off a groan. Gradually, I glanced over my shoulder.
Cold and Deadly, the tallest of the group, which made me look way up, was staring at me. “Double whiskey, please.”
“Huh?” I mumbled, turning back around to face their small group. Women around us were watching avidly and I glanced past them, searching for Ally and Sam.
“Are you sure you are all right?” Cold and Deadly’s ocean blue eyes snagged mine. And I was caught. My breath faltered. I had to rub my forehead so I could focus. What in the Sam-hell? “Miss? Are you all right?”
“Yes. Thanks for asking,” I sputtered and went to turn around, but he grabbed my elbow. I glanced down at his strong hand which had a better manicure than my own black painted fingernails. My eyebrows scrunched up and I dared a glance back into his eyes. Wowzers. Just as breathtaking as before. “Is there something I can do for you?”
He sighed in exasperation and pulled me closer. He spoke slowly, like he was talking to a dimwit, and stared directly into my eyes, “I would like a double shot of whiskey. No ice. Got it?” He stuffed a twenty in my hand and I felt my eyes grow large. I was still standing close to him and his spicy male scent encircled me while I glanced around. All the waiters were wearing silver and black. Oh, cripes. This was just plain humiliating.
“Oh…uh…” I stuttered. The other two were now staring at me. Wonderful.
Dark and Dangerous appeared to grow impatient with my slowness and asked Velvet, “When’s Brent coming down?”
Brent? Did hejustsay Brent?
Yep, I wanted close to these three. “Yeah, one double shot of whiskey, no ice coming up.” Embarrassed or not, I could drag this out.
“Thanks,” Cold and Deadly replied sarcastically as I hurried away. Jerk. I could always put a little Tabasco in his drink. That idea had merit.
I saw Ally and Sam wondering on the other side of the room and I waved and pointed to the bar. They nodded and returned to viewing the art. Darn perfect couple. They really did look great together.
I had to wait ten minutes to get Cold and Deadly’s drink, but I finally got it – without any fun additives. Boring, but it wouldn’t have been kind, I finally decided. The man really hadn’t done anything wrong. Well, he’d assumed, but that wasn’t against the law or anything.
I maneuvered my way back through the room, successfully evading Ally and Sam, and hunted for the enigmatic men. They hadn’t moved much, so it wasn’t hard to find them. Plus, all I really had to do was look for the collection of simpering females, andBam,there they were. Imagine that. Their very own radar came in expensive tits and fluttering, fake eyelashes. Give me home grown over store bought any day.
I squeezed through haughty women and finally made my way to Cold and Deadly. “Here’s your change.” I offered the money first and he only shook his head. Ah, a decent tipper, that one. “And here’s your…” My sentence trailed off with my arm extended with his drink when out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of something far more interesting. Or pain inducing.
Brent.
He was walking down the glass stairs. His golden curls had grown out to shoulder length and he had a smile on his bronze face that gleamed white. His eyes were bright and happy. Content.
And he wasn’t alone.
On his arm was a supermodel. Had to be. They only made women like that in the big cities. She was just as tall as his 6’ 1” and a goodly portion of that was tone, tan legs. Her hair was a blond, silky wave - at least, that was how it appeared. And Brentwould know firsthand, since he wove his hand through it as they paused.
A ghost hand, frigid and brutal, reached straight through my chest and seized my heart, squeezing with sadistic vigor as he leaned closer and kissed her in lingering caresses.
I couldn’t breathe. My heart and lungs burned instant fire. No! Lord, no! I thought I had prepared for this, but I hadn’t. Ally was gone to me, but not Brent too. This wasn’t happening. Thoughts buzzing, I shut my eyes in a vain hope it was all an illusion.
But, that was only temporary relief that couldn’t last forever, a child’s trick to escape reality.
I held my breath and cracked my eyes open, not wanting to see, but not able to look away from my future dreams dying a fast death.
Brent murmured something against her lips and she laughed loudly enough to catch other people’s attentions that were standing close by. Yeah, she was everything I wasn’t. Just like Sam. Jesus H., I needed a drink.
Speaking of which, I still had one. I glanced at Cold and Deadly’s hand where it was wrapped around mine, both of us holding the drink. He had attempted to take it, but his attention had followed mine to Brent and his “date”, so he was distracted when I yanked it away. At the action, all three sets of eyes swiveled to mine, reinforcing my assumptions. They were definitely trouble and intense and handsome, but I didn’t care. I winked, saluted in mock toast, and down the double. Oh, yeah.Feel the burn.
It was nothing compared to my heart, but heck, it helped. I dumped Cold and Deadly’s change in the drained glass, grabbed his hand and thrust the empty in it. “Thanks, hoss. I needed that.”
His eyes widened in shock – I got the feeling it took a lot to surprise the man – and…interest? Velvet laughed out-and-out while Dark and Dangerous decided I needed a closer onceover. I smiled a fake smile I was feeling nothing of, and snuck off to find Ally and Sam. I wanted to get out of here before the night got any worse.
I spotted Ally standing alone, and she saw me coming. Immediately her drink went to my grubby paws and she mumbled, “I can tell you saw them. I don’t know what to say, honey. I knew you had hopes…”
I bit my lip and turned away from her and stared blindly at a picture that I was positive was wonderful, but I saw only despair captured instead. I chugged half my drink and tried not to feel crushed. But it was inevitable. There was no way not to feel pummeled while the rest of my heart burned.
Her arms enclosed me from behind and we stood there in silence for an indefinite amount of time. Somewhere in our stillness another drink appeared in my hands to replace my empty. I had it halfway downed before she murmured against my ear, “I’m gonna find Sam. Then we’ll get the hell out of here.”
