After the round, which Dom wins with ease, there’s a break and people move around the room a bit, grabbing more drinks and mingling. Lainey looks over at me with a contented smile.
“Aren’t you glad you came?” she asks.
“It is fun,” I have to admit.
“Your man is pretty great up there,” she smirks.
“He’s not my man,” I say quickly, grabbing my soda and taking a sip as if it will help.
“Whatever you say,” she laughs.
Just then, a man steps up next to our table. But not just any man. Rafe.
“Hello ladies. Your glasses are looking a little dry. Aren’t any of these half-wit waitresses paying attention to you?”
I have to suppress the urge to roll my eyes. But Lainey seems to love the attention from the cocky, half-naked man.
“They haven’t even passed by our table yet,” she says with a pout.
Oh god.
“It’s because you’re prettier than they are,” he says with a wink, and her pout turns into a smile. “What are you drinking, ladies?” he asks. I can feel his eyes on me. He doesn’t seem to recognize me, at least not that I can tell, but I can tell he wants me to look up at him. Despite his banter with Lainey, I’ve felt his gaze raking over my body since he walked up.
“A Cosmo for me and–”
“Let me guess,” he says, nodding down at me. “A rum and coke for your shy friend?”
“Just coke,” I say, looking up just enough to catch his slimy grin.
“No booze?” he asks.
“Nope,”
He studies me for a moment before waving down one of the waitresses, a girl we luckily don’t know. “A girl with her head on her shoulders. I like that,” he says.
I bet you do.
“I’m Rafe, by the way,” he says, holding out a hand.
“Lainey,” she purrs, taking his hand. He holds it for a moment. “Gosh, your hands are so beat up. Don’t they hurt?”
“Better my hands looking rough than my face,” he says with a wink, and she giggles. I swallow a lump of bile that’s found its way to the back of my throat.
“Excuse me,” I say, stepping off the stool. “I need to use the restroom.”
“Don’t be too long,” he calls out. “I’m up next.”
“Can’t wait,” I say with a forced smile as I bee-line it to the bathroom. The room is suddenly feeling hot. Too hot. Too hot, too crowded, and too small. Something about him makes my skin crawl. Something about all of this is suddenly overwhelming. I jet towards the back of the room, taking the corner hard when I slam into someone, nearly knocking me on my ass.
A strong hand connected to a hard arm reaches out and grabs me, steadying me before I fall to the floor. I gasp and press my hands to the man’s chest, which is bare. Then my eyes trail up to meet his.
Dominic.
Chapter 10
Dominic
The girlwho slams into me can’t be more than 5’ 4” even in heels, but something about her nearly knocks the wind out of me.
