Tom bit his lip as he glanced around the table at his friends, then they laughed together. “Bre, this ain’t no soda bar.”
Heat rushed to her face, and she tried to grin through the humiliation. His friends seemed to like it and joined in with their snide remarks.
She ignored them. “I realize that, but I’d just like a soda. Someone needs to be the designated driver.”
His brows drew together in a scowl. “Can’t you loosen up for once in your life?”
Although uncomfortable from his judgmental scrutiny, she stayed with her decision. “Just a Rootbeer, please.”
He rolled his eyes and then turned to retrieve her drink from the bartender. Inwardly she sighed with relief that Tom didn’t make a bigger scene. It wasn’t very often he took her out in public, and usually when he did, something would upset him. He’d never thought twice about embarrassing her.
For the next hour, she forced herself to listen to obscene jokes, drunken laughter, and the sickening smell of alcohol combined with tobacco and body sweat. When the men left the table to play pool, she relaxed a little, but not much. A headache expanded and throbbed in her forehead, making the evening worse than it already was. Her stomach lurched, threatening to empty at any moment. She should hurry to the nearest toilet, except she didn’t dare enter this establishment’s facility.
Her gaze stayed on Tom while he played pool with his friends, and when he finally looked her way, she motioned for him to come back to the table. He scowled and stomped over to her.
“Tom, can we please go? I’ve got to get up early tomorrow morning for work. There’s a project that’s due, and I don’t want to let them down.”
Anger lines creased his forehead and around his eyes. His dark brows drew together. She held her breath and waited for his verbal onslaught.
“Can’t you think about somebody else besides yourself?” he snapped.
She pasted on a smile. “Tom, I’m sorry, but I have got a terrible headache and I want to go home.”
He yanked her jacket off the back of her chair and threw it at her. “Fine, go home, but you’ll have to call a cab because I’m not leaving.”
Obediently, she nodded and pulled out her cell to call information. While waiting for the number to connect, she gritted her teeth. When Tom acted this way, there was no reasoning with him. His temper stemmed from drinking too much, so she’d talk to him tomorrow when he was sober.
She glanced back at him. Sure, he wasn’t perfect, but since he was the first man to take a serious interest in her, she wasn’t about to lose the chance of getting married. Besides, he’d change after they were married. She’d make sure of that.
After she called for a ride, she slipped on her jacket and hurried outside to wait. The night’s crisp air surrounded her and she breathed deeply, filling her lungs with the refreshing, non-polluted air. It surprised her what the change did to lighten her pounding head.
The clear sky and gentle wind gave evidence the storm had passed. The rain on the road had left a little river, which of course, wouldn’t be easy to drive on. In Tom’s condition, he shouldn’t be driving at all. But she wouldn’t be the one to tell him. Hopefully, the bartender would take Tom’s keys away.
The cool air slipped through the opening of her jacket and she shivered. She pulled the heavy garment together to keep the warmth inside. It was a quiet night, and only a few vehicles traveled on the weathered road. The silence helped to calm her nerves.
The slush of a car’s tires drew her attention up the street. Headlights from a yellow cab moved toward her, and she sighed heavily. As she stepped toward the curb to wait for its arrival, out of the corner of her eyes, two men from another building walked out. She didn’t keep her attention on them but instead awaited her ride.
The men came to the curb just as the cab stopped, and they made their way to the door. When she reached out to take the handle, she collided with one of them.
She quickly withdrew and looked up into the man’s shadowed face. “I’m sorry.”
“Is this your cab?” he asked.
She shrugged. “I did call for a ride.”
He smiled. “So did we.”
The cabbie rolled down his window. “Due to the weather, the cabs are running behind. I don’t think one will come this way for at least another hour.”
She groaned. No way did she want to stay here another hour.
“Where are you headed?” the man beside her asked.
“Manhattan.”
He glanced over his shoulder at his friend, and then rested his gaze on her. “So are we. Do you want to share a ride?”
She hesitated, only because she’d have to ride with total strangers. The street wasn’t lighted very well, which made it hard to see him, but from what she observed, these particular men didn’t look dangerous. They all wore expensively tailored three-piece-suits and leather shoes. Certainly well-to-do men. Perhaps they were harmless. Besides, if these men tried anything on her, the cab driver would protect her. At least she hoped.
