“Think you still made the right move with the merger?”
“Ialwaysmake the right moves,” I said, taking another sip of the amber liquid. The warmth of it burning down my throatimmediately relaxed my tense muscles and overworked brain. “But it’s a hell of a lot of work.”
“You’re the right man for it,” said Will confidently. “You always were.”
I shrugged.
“It’s true. You were made for the suit and the high rise and meetings with corporate yups.This…”Will gestured his arms out. “This is much more me.”
It was true. This was the life Will always talked about when we were younger. It took him longer to get here, trying out the corporate life first and helping me build an empire, but he was here now. It looked good on him. He looked happy.
“Good for you, man,” I said with a nod. “Good for you.”
He smiled and took another sip of beer before nodding toward the black curtains.
“Hey, take a peek, will you?” he asked. “What’s the crowd like?”
I could tell his nerves were creeping up on him, but I obliged and peered past the curtains. The dance floor was pretty packed, with more people still streaming through the double doors. My eyes drifted toward the bar, which was also crowded, and landed on a familiar face. I did a double take as I peered out in concentration.
Juliet was sitting at the bar with two other women, chatting and smiling, while four other men lingered nearby. I frowned at them before bringing my attention back to her. She looked beautiful, laughing vivaciously as the bartender handed her what looked like a shot. The men were cheering her on as she tilted her head back and knocked the shot back, before wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
“Well?” Will asked, breaking me from my gaze.
“It’s a full house,” I said, turning toward him.
Just then, Will’s name was announced over the speakers. He took a deep breath.
“Here goes nothing,” he said before plastering on a wide grin and walking on stage with his guitar in hand. The crowd erupted in applause and cheers, only silencing at the beginning strums of his guitar. I looked past where he stood at the microphone, searching for Juliet once more. She still sat at the bar with one of her friends, a redhead, while the other, more punk-rock-looking one made her way to the stage.
Pleased by this stroke of luck, I grabbed the bourbon from the cooler and took three good, long sips straight from the bottle before exiting the side stage just as Will began singing. I recognized the song from our college days, though the lyrics had changed some, the melody was still the same. I pushed through the crowd as it swayed to the music, annoyed by how difficult it was to move through it. This was exactly why I didn’t want tocome. I could have stayed backstage, but not with Juliet here. Something was pulling me toward her, and I couldn’t stay away.
As I got closer, my eyes took in just how sexy she looked up close. She wore a thin-strapped black top that hugged her ample breasts and was tucked into a pair of high-waisted jeans that did wonders for her hourglass figure. Was there anything this woman didn’t look good in? Naked. Suit. Jeans. Hell, she’d make a onesie look sexy. I wanted to see it all. Her hair was down, its pale blonde strands reflecting the overhead bar lighting as she moved her head to the music.
I noticed a blond guy in an ill-fitting suit standing a little too close for my liking, his back to the bar and his eyes lingering on Juliet’s cleavage as he tried to hold a conversation with the men he was with. One of them had his arm draped around her red-headed friend. I wondered if they had all come together. Possessively, and without thinking about it, I picked up my pace and knocked his shoulder, causing him to spill his beer. I kept walking though, acting oblivious, all while stepping closer to Juliet.
“What the hell?” he called after me in annoyed surprise.
I turned and put my hands up in defense. I did my best at faking remorse. “I’m so sorry, man. This crowd is pushy,” I lied.
He brushed at the beer on his suit, not realizing I was doing him a favor by hopefully ruining it. He seemed to buy my excuse, rolling his eyes and turning to complain to his friends. I saw the encounter had caught Juliet’s attention, her eyes working theirway from the blond guy to landing on me. I saw it register behind her cool, blue eyes.
“Y-you…” she said, half as a question and half as a surprised comment.
“You,” I countered, feigning surprise.
“What are you doing here?” she asked, sitting up a little straighter on her stool, the look of surprise still on her face. Her lips were parted in a perfect O.
“That’s my friend up there,” I said, nodding toward the stage, tearing my eyes away from her mouth.
“Really?” she asked, her eyes darting to Will, who was starting his second song, and back to me.
“Will is my best friend,” I said casually, signaling for the bartender and purposefully placing myself between Juliet and the blond guy who was still dabbing at his suit, and shooting me irritated glances. I noticed he wore a silver wedding band and scoffed.
What a winner.
“Bourbon. Neat,” I said to the bartender, before looking to Juliet. “Can I get you anything?” I asked her, tilting my head slightly and trying not to let my eyes wander past her neckline.
She hesitated before shaking her head. “That’s okay.” She looked back toward the stage distractedly. I realized she had every right to think twice about having a drink with her new boss, especially after this morning’s awkward introduction. But something in me hated that she didn’t feel comfortable with me being there. I wanted to see the same laughter and smile I had seen from backstage, when she wasn’t aware the CEO of her new job was here.
