Discovering Lucy

by Laura Dunaway

  He leaned in close to me. “I don’t need games. I am who I am, take it or leave it.”

  “Wow, you’re confident.” It seemed like the men in New York thought they were God’s gift to women. If this kept up, I would never be in a relationship, regardless of how hard Megan tried.

  “No, just practical,” he said, taking a sip of his beer. “So tell me, Lucy, what do you do?”

  I looked around the club as I finished off my drink, then set the glass on the table. “I work at Armstrong’s.”

  He set his mug next to mine and scooted a little closer. “Nice. What do you do there?”

  His eyes were a chocolate-brown, but his lashes weren’t as thick and long as Knox’s. Wait…what? “Uh, I’m in cosmetics.” Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Megan looking at me, giving me the thumbs up, thumbs down sign. She obviously wanted how it was going with this guy, but I ignored her.

  “Oh, yeah? Like a buyer or something?” he asked, scooting even closer.

  I scooted away. “No, just at the cosmetics counter. I’d like to be a buyer someday though.”

  He ran a finger down my bare arm, which made me sick to my stomach. I flinched and automatically stood up, looking around. “Excuse me,” I said, clearly panicked. “I need to use the restroom.” I didn’t even wait for him to respond, I just turned around and walked off, having no idea where the restroom was.

  Megan got up and followed me. “What happened? Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, I just need some air. I’ll be right back.” She nodded and watched me walk away. Thank goodness she didn’t try to follow. When something sparked a memory of Drake, it still shook me up, making me need some time alone to calm myself down.

  He grunted a few more times as he thrust deep inside me, finding his release then collapsing on top of me. I didn’t let the tears fall, knowing it would only enrage him as I waited for him to roll off of me. He did a few minutes later, then ran a finger down my arm as he looked at me, making me cringe.

  “You sure know how to show me a good time, Lucy Jane,” he chuckled, leaning over and giving me a wet kiss. “Let’s stay here the rest of the night. I’ll be ready to go again in an hour or so.”

  He rolled over and soon started snoring. I finally let my hot tears fall down my face, dreading the night ahead.

  I finally found the restroom and waited in the long line. It had a bad stench and all of the bodies lined up didn’t help. If I didn’t have to go so bad, I would have turned around, but Mother Nature had other plans for me. As I was standing there, I heard the conversation going on around me.

  “Did you see who’s here?”

  “He is so hot. Damn.”

  “Is he with anyone tonight? I hope not.”

  “How do I look? Do you think he’ll notice me?”

  I blew some hair that had gotten loose from my ponytail out of my eyes, silently thinking these conversations were ridiculous. Even before Drake, I never freaked out over a guy, hoping he’d come talk to me. I always found it silly.

  It was finally my turn to use the bathroom. When I finished, I hurried and washed my hands, wanting to get out of there. The club was getting more and more crowded as the night wore on. One more drink, then I would tell Megan I wanted to go.

  I reached the bar and weaved my way through to order. The bartender looked up when I approached and smiled. “What can I get you, pretty lady” he asked in a strong southern drawl, which made me blush. It wasn’t every day you heard that in New York.

  “A coke and Malibu rum, please.” He winked and told me it would be right up. I sat on a vacant stool and looked around, finally relaxing from Justin’s touch. I had no idea what song was playing, but it had a good beat, so I couldn’t resist moving along with it as I sat.

  “Here you go,” the bartender said as he handed me my drink. I took out some cash and started to hand it to him, when a hand shot out of nowhere and covered mine. I instantly recoiled, thinking Justin had found me, when I saw it was Knox. My eyes widened at seeing him at the same club I was at.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked him, my surprise evident in my voice.

  “I’ve got this,” he told me as he paid the bartender. After he pushed the ten-dollar bill across the bar, he turned to me. “It’s been a long day, I came here to get a drink. I was pleasantly surprised to see you walking toward the bar and wanted to say hello.”

  While his words secretly pleased me, it annoyed me he just paid for my drink. “I can pay for my own drink, Mr. Taylor,” I complained, then sipped through the straw. The man was gorgeous in navy slacks and a light-blue button down shirt with a few buttons open at the collar. His dark hair was messier than usual—it looked as if it were waiting for some girl to run her fingers through it. Where was Mindy when you needed her? When I looked back in his eyes, I caught him looking at my lips, so just to be obnoxious; I made a show of taking a longer sip of my drink.

  I thought I heard him groan, but I couldn’t be sure. I turned around to walk back to my table, hoping Justin wasn’t there. Knox was instantly at my side, putting his arm around my waist. I looked up at him, raising an eyebrow.

  “Don’t worry, I’m just trying to keep you close in this crowd,” he said, peering down at me in a sweet yet protective way. It made me relax, so I continued to walk, leading him to my table. When we got there, I was relieved to see Justin was gone.

  “Where were you sitting?” he asked, waiting for me to sit down.

  I walked over to my chair and sat. Since Justin had left, his was empty. Knox looked at me, asking for permission with his eyes. I shrugged and nodded. He sat down with a laugh and shake of his head.

  “Way to make a guy feel welcome, Lucy.” He leaned back in his chair.

  “What? I don’t remember inviting you to join me, Mr. Taylor,” I said as I set my glass down. My ponytail was feeling even tighter, so I reached up and took out the elastic band, shaking my hair as it fell past my shoulders. The relief it brought felt so good as I ran my fingers through it.

  I turned to look at Knox, waiting for him to respond to my jab, when I caught him staring as if he were mesmerized.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?” he asked with no hint of sarcasm or humor.

  He seemed to have a knack for taking my emotions on a roller-coaster ride, which completely bothered me.

  “When you took your ponytail out and shook your hair…” The look in his eyes was something I’d never seen before, and I didn’t know how to take it. “I don’t know why you have so many walls up, or why my calling you beautiful makes you uncomfortable, but I’m going to break through them, Lucy, I promise you that.”

  Before I could think of anything to say, Megan bounded over and plopped right down on my lap. “Who’s your friend, Lucy?” she asked a little too loudly, making my eyes roll because she knew exactly who he was.

  Knox sat back up in his chair. “Hey, I’m Knox, and you’re a friend of Lucy’s obviously,” he finished, giving her a wink.

  Megan giggled, then hiccupped, making her giggle again. “How do you know my girl Lucy here?” She looked at me and gave me a wink, trying to be discreet, but it didn’t work.

  Knox smiled. “I met her at Armstrong’s.”

  “Are you two close?” she asked him, which made me bump her off my lap, causing her to land with a thud on the floor.

  “Ow!” she yelped, rubbing her backside. “What did you do that for?” she whined, her eyes dilated.

  “Whoops, sorry about that. Oh look, here’s Sean,” I said, noticing him coming over.

  He bent down to pick Megan up. “I think someone’s had a little too much to drink,” he said, nuzzling her neck. “Let’s get you home.”

  Megan pouted. “Nooo, not yet, baby. I just met Lucy’s new friend here.”

  “No, Megs, it’s time for us to go,” I said, standing up. “I was planning on telling you after I finished my drink.”

  Knox looked at m
e, raising an eyebrow. “Oh, were you now?” he asked.

  I shot him a look. “Actually, yes, I was. Surprisingly, it was before I even knew you were here.”

  Right then it dawned on me who the girls in the restroom were talking about, making my eyes go wide as I started to laugh.

  “What?” he asked, clearly confused at my change in attitude.

  “Oh man, it was you.”

  “What was me?” he asked with a grin.

  I bent down to pick up my purse, tossing it over my shoulder. “Some girls in the restroom were going on about some hot guy here and was wondering if he’d notice them, yadda yadda yadda. It was totally you.”

  His hazel eyes took on a heated look. “You think I’m hot?”

  I shook my head. “No,” I said a little too loudly. “I said the girls in the restroom said the guy was hot, not me.”

  He walked closer to me. “Yeah, but you didn’t deny it,” he teased.

  I groaned. “Okay, I’ll admit it. You’re kind of good looking. Happy?”

  He roared with laughter. “I’ll take what I can get, angel.” He gave me a big smile as he took a step toward me.

  “Besides, I’m not one of those girls.” My face turned serious. “I won’t ever be, Mr. Taylor.”

  He frowned. “Would you please call me Knox?” he asked as he grabbed my hand.

  “Uh, sorry to interrupt, but we’re heading out, Lucy,” Sean said. Megan was practically unconscious in his arms. “Are you ready?”

  As I started to nod, Knox still had a hold of my hand. He yanked me over to him and I cried out in surprise. “What was that?” I asked, shooting him a glare.

  “That, my friend, was me telling you I think you should stay here, with me.”

  I shook my head, taking my hand back. “No, thanks. I was ready to go home hours ago.”

  His eyes softened. “Lucy, I didn’t mean it in any other way than to hang out some more. We just barely sat down, but I’m not going to force you by any means.”

  I suddenly felt terrible. So far he’d never been anything but nice and cute with me. I changed my mind and turned to Sean, telling him to go ahead. He looked over to Knox, and the two seemed to share some telepathic exchange as Knox nodded. Sean told me he’d see me back at the apartment and left, dragging Megan with him.

  WHEN I LOOKED BACK TO Knox, he was smiling at me. “Thank you, friend,” he said, grabbing my hand again and taking me to a smaller table. He pulled my chair out for me, then sat across and signaled a server to come over.

  “Do you want anything?” he asked me.

  “Just a water, please.”

  “One water and a Black IPA please,” he said to the girl. She wrote it down and gave Knox a flirty grin. He ignored her as he looked at me, making her walk off in a huff.

  I couldn’t help the giggle that came out of my mouth.

  “What?” he asked, looking amused as he sat back in his chair crossing his arms over his broad chest.

  “Are you blind?” I asked. “Our waitress was totally trying to get your attention.”

  “Not interested.”

  “Wow,” I said. “Don’t sugarcoat it or anything.”

  He scooted closer, still not taking his eyes off of me. “There’s no reason to sugarcoat anything.”

  Just then, Justin pulled up a chair and sat down next to me, making me jump a little in surprise.

  “Lucy,” he said loudly over the music. “What happened to you? Are you all right?” It was like he didn’t even see Knox across from me. I looked at Knox, then at Justin like a deer caught in the headlights. Knox was frowning at him, but Justin didn’t notice.

  “Uhh…” I scrambled to think of what to say. Why was I suddenly nervous? Neither one of them had a claim on me. Calming myself down a bit, I turned to Justin. “I’m fine. I just had to use the restroom is all. Sorry to ditch you like that.”

  Knox came over and sat by me, then extended his hand to Justin. “Knox Taylor, a friend of Lucy’s.”

  Justin finally noticed him, and his eyes widened. He shook Knox’s outstretched hand. “I know who you are, man. You’re a legend in the business world. I’m Justin Fox.”

  “How do you know Lucy?” Knox asked him. It was as if I had suddenly disappeared.

  “I met her tonight. We had just started talking when she got up and left. I guess she had to go to the restroom,” Justin said.

  “Hello?” I said, waving my hand between them. “I’m still here you know.”

  Knox put his arm around the back of my chair, giving Justin a look. “Oh, I know, Lucy,” he said, not looking at me. “Trust me, I’m always aware of you.”

  Justin sat back in his chair, eyeing the two of us. “Oh shit, are you two together? I had no idea.”

  Alarmed, I scooted away from Knox. “No, not at all. We met a few weeks ago, and we’re just friends.”

  I don’t know why I got so freaked out by that. It wasn’t like I was interested in Justin, but when he assumed Knox and I were a couple, I felt as if I had to straighten him out.

  Justin’s eyes relaxed, and he scooted closer to me, making me groan. I looked back at Knox. He’d removed his arm from my chair and was sitting back in his, arms over his chest again. He raised a brow at me when he saw my glance.

  “So, Lucy,” Justin said, apparently thinking I was free for the taking. “Are you a native New Yorker?”

  I sighed, resigned to the fate I’d sealed for myself for the moment. “No, I just moved here a few months ago.”

  He put his hand on the back of my chair, which made me stiffen. “Where are you from?”

  I looked back to Knox, who was now talking to our server as she brought us our drinks. She was laughing at something he said, practically draped all over him. Turning back to Justin, I scooted closer, deciding to forget about Knox as he flirted with our server.

  “The Midwest. I decided it was time for a fresh start and have always wanted to live in New York. What about you?” I asked.

  He told me he was from upstate New York, but had been in New York City for five years. He was an attorney at a smaller firm, but hoped to rise up the ladder and get a job at a big New York firm soon. He shared an apartment with his younger brother who was getting his undergrad at NYU. Justin actually seemed pretty cool, and I found myself forgetting my discomfort around him. It was because of Drake that I assumed all men were asses, but so far, Justin didn’t seem too bad.

  I felt a tap on my shoulder. I looked and saw Knox handing me my glass of water. His little friend had left. I took the glass and thanked him, then went back to ignoring him. When Justin asked me if I wanted to dance, I stood up and followed him out to the dance floor, still ignoring Knox.

  When Justin wrapped his arms around my waist, I froze. Breathe, I told myself. It’s just a dance, you’re not going home with him. We moved to the music, not talking much. He smelled good, like Calvin Klein’s Eternity, one of my favorites.

  I started feeling tired and decided to head back to the table when a slow song started. Before I could take two steps, Justin grabbed my hand and pulled me to him, looking into my eyes.

  “One more?” he asked, starting to move before I answered.

  I guess one more it was.

  I was so tired, I leaned my head on his shoulder as he moved me back and forth. The alcohol had hit my system, and I’d barely had a sip of my water. When the song was finished, I would need to ask Knox for a ride home.

  “My turn,” I heard Knox say.

  I looked up and saw him staring at me. Justin was glaring at him, not letting me go.

  “Dude,” Knox sighed, running a hand through his hair. “My. Turn.”

  Justin swore and walked off, not saying a word to me. It surprised me that it kind of stung. When Knox’s arms went around my waist, I scowled at him, refusing to get any closer.

  He sighed. “What is it now?” he asked, clearly frustrated with me.

  “You didn’t have to do that, you know. You could have waited unti
l I got back to the table.”

  His eyes turned dark. “I did. I waited a while for you to come back to the table, but you didn’t, so I came to you.”

  I stepped back and put my hands on my hips. “Well, you could have asked someone else to dance with you then. You have plenty of choices with all of your groupies hanging around.”

  I saw a nerve in his jaw tick. I had gone too far, but I didn’t care. I continued to stand there, staring right back at him. He grabbed my hand and dragged me off the dance floor, back to our table. I could barely keep up with him, but his hold was too tight to get out of. I stumbled into my chair, seeing red. As usual, before I could say something, he beat me to it.

  “I told you the other day not to listen to that shit, Lucy. Do you see me here with anyone else? I don’t care if there are fifty women here throwing themselves at me, I’m not interested.”

  He was standing over me, his arms resting on the back of my chair, caging me in. He was pissed.

  I felt my anger deflate, realizing the whole thing was stupid. “Whatever,” I mumbled, picking up my glass of water around his arm and taking a sip.

  He stood back up and sat down next to me, taking a huge gulp of his beer. “Man, you are more stubborn than I thought,” he said, shaking his head. A strobe light hit his face, and it struck me again how beautiful he was. He looked as if he hadn’t shaved in a day or two, so his dark stubble was completely pronounced in that flash of light. I was surprised when I had the urge to reach over and run my fingers over it. It made me instantly sit back and take another sip of my water.

  A group of girls walked by, and started giggling. One started to walk toward Knox, but he shook his head. Her eyes widened in embarrassment as her friends started to laugh harder, and followed her as she walked off. I looked over to him, and saw he was looking at me.

  “I think you hurt that girl’s feelings.”

  He scooted closer and leaned over. “I don’t care,” he whispered in my ear, his warm breath softly touching my neck. When I started to respond, he shook his head at me. “Just don’t.” He put his arm around my chair and sipped his beer.