“That bitch can’t keep her tongue in check to save her fucking life,” a man beside Koby snaps.
“And yet you’re still screwing her,” another of them, Gabriel I think, answers. “You know she has her eye on a different prize. She’s just using you,”
“Yeah, but she fucks like a pro, man.”
I hide my cringe behind the glass, tipping back what’s left. They keep talking and the other men join in, changing subjects for twenty minutes while I steal glances at the door Carter’s behind, hoping I can telepathically summon him out here.
The second mojito tastes more like juice than alcohol, and before I know it, I’m finishing the last of it, setting my glass in the middle the same way Layla did.
“I won’t say you can’t have another, Hailey,” Koby mutters, leaning over so he doesn’t have to raise his voice. “But we’ve spent a lot of time together lately, and we both know you can’t handle the liquor.”
“I’m fine. Just one more, okay?”
“Like I said, I won’t tell youno.”
“Could you tell me where the bathroom is?”
He immediately stands. “Come on, I’ll show you. Don’t worry, I won’t follow you inside.”
I think I’m more worried that he won’t than I would be if he did. People part for him like they did for Carter, the same respect shining in their eyes. I guess Dante’s men all evoke a certain flavor of fear in everyone around. Just knowing who they are does the trick. I doubt the average Joe would dare get in their bad books.
“I’ll wait here,” Koby tells me, stopping at the bottom of the stairs and pointing to a door twenty feet away.
The restroom is quieter than the main floor, the music muffled, the lights bright. It’s not as crowded as I expected, a few stalls stand empty. I slip into the closest, bolting the door.
Water flushes in the adjacent stall, girls giggle and chat, doors open and close, bursts of loud music leak through.
“You better get a grip before you really annoy Layla, and Dante gets involved,” someone says on my right.
“I’m fine,” Pam’s melodic voice answers.
Great. I’m stuck here until they leave.
“Yeah, peachy. Too bad you haven’t shut up about Hailey for half an hour.”
“I just don’t get what Carter sees in her. And what the hell did she mean he was with her for three months?!”
“God, stop already,” the other girl whines. “You’ve been barking up that tree for fucking ever. He doesn’t want you.”
“He did.”
“Ugh... you fuckedonce. In his car. And I seem to remember you had to beg for weeks.”
“You’re a bitch, you know that?” Pam makes a disgruntled noise at the back of her throat. “Whatever. He’ll kick her to the curb sooner rather than later.”
“I wouldn’t count on it, but if it stops you moping, then sure, let’s say that.”
A moment of silence rings in my ears. There are other women in here, but the restroom is silent, as if everyone is engrossed in this conversation.
“No way he’s serious about her. He’s never fucking serious. He doesn’t date them. Ever. I mean, come on, save for Layla, Luna, and Jean, he’s fucked every girl at the table. Including you.”
Fuck this. I’ve heard enough. Yanking my panties up, I flush the toilet, and burst out of the cubicle, catching Pam’s wide eyes in the mirrors.
She visibly pales. “I... shit, I didn’t realize you were in there.”
“Don’t stop on my account. It’s quite entertaining listening to you whine about my man.”
Her lips open and close, a fish hooked out of water. I wash my hands, buzzing like a thundercloud charged with lightning.
