Fate Interrupted 3

by Kaitlyn Cross

  Jon laughed, eying a hot blond across the way. “Oh, there’s nothing little about it.”

  Dean squeezed his eyes together. “Holy shit, you and Pam had another threesome, didn’t you? Who was it with this time?” Dean’s face sobered dramatically. “Sky?”

  Jon rolled his eyes and scooted closer in a cushioned chair on wheels. He opened his mouth but the words weren’t quite ready to come out yet. “Hey, are you sure about this, man?” he finally asked.

  Dean followed his gaze around the bar. “Why? You wanna go somewhere else?”

  “No, I mean about this whole thing. This…feels off.”

  “What do you mean?” Dean asked, sipping his drink.

  “I mean, look around, Deano. You don’t belong here anymore, man. You belong with Evy. These party people are in your rearview mirror now. You’ve moved on to bigger and better things.”

  Dean chuckled softly. “I think most of these people would appreciate me doing the right thing. Not walking out on me for it.”

  “Look,” Jon continued, “I know I’ve been bustin your balls about getting married, but the truth is I’m happy for you. I really am.”

  Dean held Jon’s heavy gaze.

  “And I hope you know that,” Jon said.

  “Oh, now ya tell me! I’m about to cheat on my fiancé.”

  Jon frowned. “You’re not cheating on your fiancé.”

  “Fuck that, Jon! I’m not crawling back to her just so I can spend the rest of my life coddling her fragile little emotions. I’m sick of her shit!”

  “You don’t mean that.”

  “No?” Dean set his drink down. “You remember that virgin you dated a couple years back?”

  “Heather? Don’t remind me.” Jon took a quick drink before setting the glass back down with a clank. “I wined and dined that girl for six months, even took her to the Keys for her birthday…on a Barnes & Noble paycheck. And what did I get out of it? Two hand jobs.” He held up the peace sign. “Two!”

  Dean nodded glumly. “But looking back, you did the best you could for her.”

  “Damn straight I did.” He shook his head solemnly. “I always put her first.”

  “And for what?”

  Jon laughed and snatched up his glass. “For a serious case of blue balls, that’s what.”

  “Exactly.”

  Jon stopped the glass in front of his lips, his blond eyebrows pulling together. “Wait, I know what you’re doing. You’re twisting my words around. This isn’t the same thing.”

  “It is the same!”

  “It’s not, Deano! You love Evy, but I didn’t love Heather. She was hot and I just wanted to be her first.” Jon looked around and then leaned in closer. “Listen, you are one of the luckiest guys I know. You’ve got the girl, the job, the looks, Sugars… The world is your oyster, my friend.” He studied Dean’s face intently. “Last year, you and Evy were fighting Clay and Ryder – now, you’re fighting yourselves.”

  Dean shifted uneasily in his chair and pounded the rest of his drink. He spit an ice cube back into the glass. “I don’t think I like serious Jon. Why don’t you go throw on your clown suit and start being funny again.” He signaled to the waitress with his empty glass.

  “I see the way you look at her and the way she looks back. You two go together like coffee and cream, and you’re going to give up on that now? After everything you guys went through?”

  “My point exactly!” Dean started counting on one hand. “Let’s see…Megan,” he said, shooting his index finger out. “Clay Crawford, the baby, closing Sugars, getting assaulted by Mr. Ryder…” Dean had all five fingers extended now. “How many more signs do you need to know that Evy and I aren’t meant to be?”

  Jon hesitated before responding. “I know you don’t believe that. Look me in the eye and tell me you believe that.”

  Dean held Jon’s fixed stare without blinking. “I believe it,” he said, turning to watch a pretty blond strut past in a white dress that hugged her curves in all the right places. He shot her a toothy smile. “What’s the statute of limitations on an engagement ring anyway?” he asked Jon, swirling ice cubes in his glass. “Do I get that back or what?”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  It was dark when Evy woke up and she wasn’t sure where she was. As her night vision adjusted, she saw the faint outline of her TV. She flipped onto her side on the couch, her stiff back cracking, and saw Tasha’s purple purse sitting on an armchair across the room. Tasha’s deep breathing in the bedroom down the hall started bringing it all back until it snowballed into a full on gloom. The bachelor party, Megan, the fight with Dean. Megan.

  The ring.

  She shut her eyes and tried to go back to sleep, desperate to escape to another world, but her cell phone wouldn’t allow it. She had silenced the ringer but it called to her just the same. Her fingers fumbled for it on the coffee table in the dark. She hesitated before lighting up the screen, afraid to even look, yet unable to stop wondering. When she hit the button on the side, she squinted with the glare and, subsequently, sank further into the darkness spreading inside.

  Not a single call or text from Dean in two days. That was the last straw.

  She put the phone back to sleep and attempted to do the same to herself. Her mind reeled with invasive thoughts, a smoking train barreling off the tracks. She wondered what he was doing right now and saw Megan handcuffed to Dean’s bed, wearing nothing but a devilish grin. Evy shut her eyes tighter and pushed the thought away only to have it replaced by something much more sinister in design. Dean stood at the altar with Evy, smiling brightly as he lifted her veil to find Megan smiling back at him. They kissed and…

  Her eyes popped open, preferring the dark outlines of her living room instead.

  She filled her lungs with a wistful breath and let it out. Her chest fell beneath her work shirt that smelled like dough and chocolate. This would never end. Not with a man like Dean Jacobs. No matter how hard one tried, some things just won’t stay in the past.

  Another heavy breath filled her lungs, lifting her bosom.

  Why couldn’t she have just found an average Joe? Everyone had ex-flames but Dean’s were more like ex-wildfires with burning embers wherever Evy stepped. She released the pent-up breath, trying to imagine her fiancé settling with one woman for the long haul.

  She turned onto her back.

  The real question, however, was: Could she afford the gamble? Because only time can truly tell what makes a man. Her fingers found the arrow necklace around her neck. It was too big a gamble. She cursed herself for not seeing it earlier but she saw it now.

  “Are you asleep?” Tasha whispered, startling Evy.

  “Yes,” she answered, pulling the blanket up to her chin.

  Tasha moved her purse to the coffee table and sat down, folding her bare legs beneath her. “I can’t sleep.”

  “Join the club.”

  “I know you’ve got your own problems right now but I feel horrible about something.”

  Evy sat up and pulled her knees up to her chest. “About what?”

  Tasha sighed, twisting her fingers in the moonlight spilling through a window above the TV. “I did something bad last night.”

  Evy squinted through the darkness. “Wait, are you naked right now?”

  Tasha looked down at her bare breasts. “Yeah, I always sleep naked.”

  “In my bed?”

  “I’ll wash the sheets.”

  Evy let out a tired breath. “So, what happened?”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Dean held a new drink in his hand, quietly surveying the room which had grown busier over the last hour. He smiled at a tall redhead on her way to the bathroom and she barely noticed him. He set the drink down and adjusted his shirt. “What is going on around here?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “None of these girls will even make eye contact with me.”

  “Looks like Shaun was right; it’s a nerd’s world now.” Jon jerked his ch
in to a table at their eleven o’clock. “Look at that guy with the glasses over there. He’s got a hottie on both sides and dude looks like Eric Snowden.”

  Dean shook his head in disbelief. “How did this happen?”

  Jon picked up his glass and sank back into his chair. “I don’t know but I don’t like it.”

  “This is bullshit,” Dean grumbled, glancing over his shoulder at two brunettes with legs for miles sitting at their six. “See that two top behind us?” he said, barely moving his lips.

  Jon casually craned his neck around. “Oh, hell yeah.”

  “Watch this.” Dean rolled his chair back into the brown skinned girl with long, wavy hair. “Oh, I’m sorry,” he said, a startled look pasted to his face. “Are you okay?”

  She held her beer out, looking like he had just run over her puppy. “I’m fine.”

  He glanced across the table at her friend who was watching from behind a veil of concern. His eyes darted back to the prettier girl. “Are you sure? Because I have insurance.”

  Her brow folded.

  “Maybe we should exchange numbers just in case.”

  She traded a lingering look with her friend and they broke into laughter, hiding behind their hands.

  When Dean realized she wasn’t planning on turning back around, he rolled the chair to his table, tail between his legs. “That went well.”

  Jon’s face soured. “The insurance thing always works for you! What the hell is going on here?”

  “I don’t know why she’s being so picky, I’m not.”

  Jon chuckled, shaking his head. “What a jip.”

  Two white guys wearing skinny jeans and high top Converse ushered over a tray of cheap beers and tequila shots to the two brunettes and sat down.

  “You have got to be shitting me,” Dean murmured, shading his eyes like the lights were too bright. “It’s Bizarro World.”

  Jon glanced at the guys behind them. “Nice scarves,” he whispered out the corner of his mouth. “It’s like eighty degrees out.”

  “You’re wearing a coat.”

  Jon looked down. “This is a fashion statement.”

  Dean flattened his lips. “All I know is, I’m not wearing skinny jeans and I don’t care how hip they get.”

  “I want to go home. I’m scared.”

  Dean twisted around in the chair to face him. “Not until you tell me what happened last night.”

  Jon swigged his gin and tonic and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “We’ll seriously leave if I tell you?”

  “We will leave.”

  Jon filled his lungs with air and let it out. “Pam and I took Tasha out for dinner and drinks last night.”

  Dean’s face went blank. “You didn’t.”

  “The whole thing was Pam’s idea, but she got too drunk and passed out when all of us got back to my place.”

  “All of us?”

  “So, Tasha and I put Pam to bed…”

  Dean leaned his head back and ran a hand over his slicked back hair. “Oh, hell no.”

  Jon waited for three loud blonds to waltz by before continuing. “Next thing I know, I’m rubbing Tasha’s feet on the couch.”

  Dean tipped his chin down like he was peering at Jon over a pair of imaginary reading glasses. “Are you bullshitting me right now? Because I’m not in the mood for anymore of your stupid jokes.”

  Jon shook his head from side to side. “She had been wearing these purple high heels all night long and said her feet were killing her.”

  “Okaaaay.”

  “But here’s the thing, the whole time I’m massaging her feet I can see right up her skirt.”

  “Oh boy,” Dean muttered.

  “And girl’s not wearing any panties either, bro!”

  The brunettes behind them stopped talking for a moment and then started cackling.

  Dean took a long swig, watching a pretty Asian girl walk by their table and ignore his smile. His smile shifted into reverse. “Sonofabitch,” he mumbled, knocking his drink back. “Then what happened?”

  Jon sat up straighter. “Then…I fucked her brains out on my couch until four in the morning.”

  “No way.”

  “I shit you not, man. Girl looked like a glazed donut by the time I was done with her.”

  Dean creased his brow. “Wow, that is really vulgar.”

  “And she loved it, too! Couldn’t get enough. Neither of us could.”

  “So wait, the whole time Pam is passed out in your bed down the hall?”

  “The whole time.”

  “Would she be pissed about if she found out? I mean, she wasn’t too upset about the whole stripper thing on the boat.”

  Jon shrugged. “Who knows? Personally, I think she’s a lesbian.”

  Dean grinned. “Wouldn’t be the first time you drove a girl gay.”

  “Ha-ha.”

  “So what happened next?

  Jon adjusted his leather coat. “After that, I cleaned up in the bathroom real quick and slid into bed with Pam. She never even knew I was gone.” He leaned back and exhaled a reflective breath. “But talk about awkward the next morning. I kept thinking she knew what had happened, but she didn’t.” He ran his tongue across his teeth. “I think.”

  “Obviously, you’re hell bent on getting on Evy’s bad side.”

  “I couldn’t help it, dude. It just happened.”

  Dean returned to scanning the bar. “You’re a glutton for punishment, Jonny-boy.”

  “And here’s the kicker…I can’t stop thinking about Tasha. All day long today, I kept replaying the whole thing in my mind, over and over and over.” Jon stared off through dreamy eyes. “I’ve got a huge boner right now just thinkin about it.”

  “That’s good to know,” Dean replied flatly, lifting his glass.

  “I’m going to call her.”

  He stopped the glass in front of his lips. “Tasha? Bad move.”

  “I have to; it’s beyond my control. She’s all I can think about.”

  “You already said that.” Dean took a quick drink. “And what about Pam?”

  Jon spun his glass on the table, leaving a big wet ring. “She’s too crazy for me. I have to let her go.”

  “I thought you liked the threesome stuff. Thought it was a dream come true.”

  “I was just saying that to look cool. Truth is, it’s a lot of pressure satisfying two women at the same time.” He shook his head bleakly. “No, I’m more of a one woman kind of guy.” He paused, narrowing his gaze. “Unless I’m on vacation somewhere tropical, then it’s anything goes.”

  Dean laughed as a girl with long black hair and stunning blue eyes dropped into his lap, spilling his drink on his shirt. “Damn, Becky!”

  “Dean Jacobs!” she bellowed with a sloppy grin, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I thought you had moved out of the country. You never stop by and see your favorite bartender anymore.”

  He brushed the liquid from his shirt, the smell of whiskey now permanently attached to him wherever he went. “You’re obviously not working tonight.”

  “Not on Monday, silly!” Her smile fell. “I hear you’re getting married. Is that true?”

  Dean turned to Jon for help and Jon looked away. “Guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

  Her smile returned in full force. “I knew it was bullshit,” she said, looking at Jon. “Can you imagine this one being married?”

  Jon arched an eyebrow at her and she let out a drunken laugh.

  “Yeah right!” Becky fell back into Dean’s eyes and turned somber. “Do you remember that night on my building’s rooftop?”

  Dean swallowed thickly. “How could I forget?”

  “That was like a movie.”

  “Yeah?”

  “What’re you doing afterhours?”

  “Tonight?” He looked to Jon, his wet shirt clinging to his abs. “Haven’t got that far yet.”

  “Come over.” She bent closer, the smell of tequila heavy on her breath. “Stars are
out tonight.”

  “I thought it was cloudy.”

  “The stars are always out when Dean Jacobs is around.” She wiggled her tight little rear end around in his lap, a mischievous grin playing on her lips. “Ooh, somebody’s getting hard just thinking about it.”

  “That’s my phone.”

  Becky’s face stiffened. She reached down and frowned. “It is your phone!” Her hand kept moving and her grin resurfaced. “What about this?”

  “That’s my chap stick.”

  Jon laughed. “Easy mistake. They’re about the same size.”

  Becky caught Dean off guard and planted a wet kiss on his lips and he turned his head away. “I want you inside of me,” she whispered in his ear. “Tonight.”

  He lifted her back onto her feet. “I have to hit the restroom.”

  Jon watched Becky stare after Dean with a desolate look on her face. He cleared his throat. “You look like you’ve been working out. Must be doing a lot of twerking and stuff, huh?”

  “Piloxing,” she said absentmindedly, looking around the bar.

  “Pil-what?”

  “Pilates and boxing combined.”

  “Oh yeah? Where do you…” The words died on his lips when Becky stumbled off to the bar. “Do that at?” he finished, shifting in his seat and pulling out his phone.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Evy sat up straighter on the couch, stunned and unnerved. “With Jon?”

  Tasha replied with a sheepish not in the dim light. “It was like time came to a stop and we were the only two people on the entire planet.” She paused, squishing her lips into the side of her face. “Until Pam started snoring anyway.”

  Evy placed a hand over her beating heart and let her eyes drift across the apartment. “I don’t know what to say.”

  Tasha lowered her voice. “We were sexting all day.”

  “What! Are you serious?”

  She nodded again, this time faster. “He made me cum three times.”

  Evy kicked the blanket off, suddenly feeling a little hot under the collar. “Too much info, Tasha.”

  “What do I do, Evy? I really like him.”