by Aspen Drake
All three of them look shocked. I'm not usually assertive, and I’m never aggressive, but it's starting to get a little stifling being under such a tight watch…and not by just one, but two domineering men. I love them to death and part of me even likes the possessiveness… But enough is enough.
Noah’s eyes narrow as he stares me down. “We’ll talk about this later.”
“We can talk all you want. I'm going and you're not.”
Mason steps beside me and coughs, trying to cover up a laugh.
My glare is now directed at him. “What do you want, anyway?”
“Hey.” He holds up his palms. “I just came to say hi. Haven't seen you in a while.”
I take a deep breath, slowly letting all my anger out with it. “Oh, well, things are good. I have a lot more clients now that Amy isn't working and Olivia has cut back to half time. I’m booked solid most days.”
“Good. That's great.” I glance back at Beth sitting alone on the lounge chairs. Her head is tilted skyward as if she’s looking at the stars.
Carly follows my gaze. “I saw you talking to Amy’s sister.”
“Oh, Beth? Yeah, she's nice,” he says a little too casually.
“You should ask her out.”
“What? Oh, no…” Mason’s always been the calm, confident one between the two of us so it’s surprising to see him genuinely flustered.
“Why not?”
We both glance back just as she stands up from the chair. Her eyes lock on Mason and she smiles coyly before turning away and walking toward the house. “She seems to like you.”
“You think?” he asks with a stupid grin on his face.
“Yes, idiot. Ask her out.”
“She lives in Santa Cruz… I don't know how often she gets out here. It might not be that convenient with her daughter...”
“Oh… I see. So you’re just looking for a relationship that's convenient. The shorter commute the better? Well, I'm sure you'll find someone wonderful within a two mile radius of your house.”
“Shut up.” He’s still staring at the door to the house Beth disappeared through.
“I think Amy said she hasn't dated since her baby daddy. Her daughter’s like what…four now? I bet she’s say yes.”
At the mention of the baby daddy, the smile falls off my brother’s face. “Yeah, well, he might be back in the picture. Sounds like they were with him today so I might've missed my chance…if I ever had one.”
My jaw drops. “He's back? Amy hates that guy. Apparently, he’s a total loser. I can't believe she’s seeing him again.”
Mason shrugs. “Well, I don't know what's going on. I just know that Isla was talking about seeing her daddy today and it sounds like maybe again tomorrow.”
I frown and place a hand on his shoulder. “Well, don't worry. You'll find somebody.”
“Anyway… I think I'm going to head out. I just wanted to say hi before I left.”
“You sure you're okay?”
“I’m great, sis. It was good to see you.” Mason pulls me into a regular hug this time…without feeling the need to hang me over the side of the pool. Suede does not do well in water and these sandals are way too cute to get wet.
Chapter Nine
Becca
“So that’s it?” Lisa takes a sip of her whiskey sour. “You worked with him all day and nothing happened?”
“Exactly. He probably had some chick waiting for him.”
“Or…he was waiting for you to thaw out a little so he could ask you out.”
“Uh, no.” I almost snort at the idea. “That’s not it at all. He’s moved on. He probably has a whole string of booty calls, if not an actual girlfriend, right now. Nope. That ship has sailed.”
There’s only a few ounces left in my glass so I slurp every last drop of margarita up my straw and slide the glass to the end of the table. The waitress will know what to do. Just like she did the first three times.
“Then it’s time for you to hit the open sea too.”
“Huh?” Just the thought of being on a boat makes my stomach shift, and I burp in a very unladylike manner. “Ugh, why did you let me have tequila? You know that never ends well.”
Lisa isn’t listening to me. She’s scoping out the crowd in the busy bar. After a minute, she lifts her phone and takes a selfie. “Really? Now you’re that girl?”
“If that girl is the one who saves you from your self-inflicted celibacy streak, then yes, I am that girl.”
“I don’t know what you just said.” My head is suddenly much foggier as the waitress replaces my empty glass with a full one. Well, the damage is already done. Might as well go down fighting. I lick the salt off the rim and sip the straight shot of tequila floating at the top.
“What about him?” Lisa shoves her blank phone in my face.
“Him, who?”
Lisa turns the phone and realizes the screen turned off. She huffs and slides two fingers across the screen before turning it back to face me. “This guy. What do you think?”
“I think he’s about to call the cops on the stalker in a red tube top. He’s totally staring at you. He knows what you’re doing.”
“Does he look upset?” Lisa turns her phone back and tries to look at the guy through her camera screen.
I lift my head a little too fast and it takes a second for my vision to catch up. But when I finally hone in on the guy, he’s staring right at me with a sexy grin on his face.
“Shit.”
“What?” Lisa turns fully around then slams back into her seat and slides down. “Dude, he’s still staring at you.”
“ME!” I tuck my chin then peek at him from my peripheral vision. My thick bangs are blocking my line of sight but it isn’t enough for me to miss the almost hungry look in his eyes. “He’s not looking at me. He’s obviously interested in you. Go talk to him.”
“Nope. He’s all yours.”
“Seriously, Lisa. We should probably go. I’m starting to feel these drinks.”
“You’re about to feel even more.” She rummages through her purse and hands me a small makeup bag. “Go get freshened up in the bathroom then we’ll walk over to that group he’s with. His friends are cute. I’ll chat them up.”
“Hell, no.” Although, now that she’s mentioned it, I do have to pee. “Ugh. Fine, I’m gonna pee and then we’ll go. If he happens to stop us on our way out, so be it.”
“That’s the spirit!” Lisa smacks my arm with her makeup case before I can sneak away without it.
As expected, there’s a long ass line to the bathroom. What kind of bar only has one bathroom for women? I consider just heading back to the table, but now I really have to go. The longer I stand here, the less happy my stomach becomes. Taking slow, deep breaths through my mouth, I close my eyes and try to will away the dizziness.
“You doing okay?” A deep southern drawl washes over my skin and the gorgeous guy Lisa was stalking for me is leaning over me with one arm against the wall behind my head.
“I’m fine. Just, ya know.” I nod toward the restroom. “Gotta pee.”
He chuckles and offers me his hand. “I can help.”
Weird.
“Um, is this some kinda fetish thing? I can just wait for a toilet like everyone else.”
He laughs deeper now, fishing a business card out of his back pocket. “I’m the owner. You’re welcome to use the employee restroom. You look like you’re in a rush.”
God, that bad? Maybe I should have fixed my makeup while I was standing in line.
He notices my frown and moves his hand to my shoulder, gently squeezing. “Not like that. I just mean you’re dancing to your own beat over here.”
That’s when I realize I’m doing a pee-pee dance that would rival any four-year-old. Awesome.
“Oh, yeah, I guess. If you’re sure it’s okay.” The woman behind me gives me an evil glare as I let this stranger pull me from line and lead me through an employee entrance.
“Right in there.” The
first door in the hallway is open to an employee lounge. A guy on his phone glances up and nods to the man I’m with as we pass by. At least if I turn up missing, someone will know I was with him before I walked to my doom. “Second door on the right.”
I’ve held my bladder for too long that it takes a minute for me to relax enough to actually go. Those last few seconds of anticipation are almost the most painful.
After washing up, I take a few seconds to brush some powder over my face and apply some lip gloss. It’s not super sticky, but it gives me just a little bit of color. Not that my face isn’t red enough from the alcohol.
When I walk out of the bathroom, the man is leaning against the wall with two water bottles in his hands. “Wanna sit for a few minutes?”
I take the bottle he offers and carefully inspect the cap. It has a plastic covering over the spout so I know he hasn’t tampered with it. “Um, sure. That sounds fine.”
We go back to the lounge just as the guy sitting in there stands up to leave. “Hey, boss.”
“Hey, Jared.”
“So you really are the boss?” Using my teeth, I tear open the plastic on the sport spout of the bottle after chipping my nail polish trying to get it off. “I thought that was just a line.”
“Nope, not just a line.” He gestures to one of the sofas and I sit down. “I’m Joe, by the way.”
I pull the water bottle out of my mouth long enough to introduce myself. “Becca. Nice to meet you.”
“You too.” He holds up his unopened water bottle. “Need another?”
Shit, did I just finish the entire bottle? Damn.
“No, thanks. I was just feeling a little dehydrated. I’m better now.”
“Good.” Joe scoots closer on the sofa. “So, Becca, what is such a good girl doing in a bar like this?”
I raise an eyebrow. “This isn’t exactly headquarters for the Hell’s Angels. My friend and I just wanted to have a drink.”
“You mean the friend that was taking pictures of me?”
“Oh, you saw that?” I give him a shy grin that might be a little too toothy to actually be considered shy.
“I did.” He leans closer. “Was that for her or you?”
Now I really am feeling shy. And mortified. “Sorry. She was trying to hook me up.”
“And she picked me?” His hand slides across the back of the couch until he reaches my hair. There’s a slight tug as he winds a lock of my short strands around his finger. “I’m honored.”
“And I’m embarrassed.” I choke out a laugh. “I guess she doesn’t think I can find a guy on my own.”
“Why would she think that?” His voice is quieter now. I don’t know when he got so close, but I can smell his clean scent under a subtle cologne.
“Proven track record.”
“Do you trust her judgment?” He leans even closer, just inches from my face.
I nod, not looking away from his dark blue eyes.
Joe considers that consent and closes the distance between us, pressing his lips against mine. My mouth opens in shocked surprise, and he works his tongue along my lips, taking full advantage of the opportunity.
I quickly get into it, not even trying to hold back or stop him. It feels so good to be wanted by a sexy man that knows how to kiss. And Joe definitely knows how to kiss.
Pressing me back, I lie down on the soft cushions. Joe holds his weight on one arm, hovering above me as his lips trail up my jaw then down my neck.
By the time his teeth scrape against the swell of my cleavage, I realize my mistake. Lying down is not a good idea. The room is spinning and not in a good way.
“Uh, Joe.” I close my mouth and swallow the saliva pooling there.
“Hmm?”
His tongue dips between my breasts and my body shutters, then my belly does. Shit!
“Get up. I’m gonna be sick.”
It takes him a second to realize what I’ve said before he springs off me like he’s been electrocuted. I stand to run to the bathroom but it’s too far. There’s a short waste basket under a side table so I drop to my knees and bury my face in the bucket.
My body wretches violently…and loudly, if the noises bouncing around in my head are coming from me.
Joe holds my hair back like a gentleman, but I’m too mortified to even appreciate it. I just want to die.
As soon as the alcohol is out of my system, I feel a million times better. But I need to leave. Immediately.
Without looking him in the eye, I stand up and grab Lisa’s makeup case. “I’m so sorry. I’ve got to go.”
“Becca, wait. It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. I’ve got to go.”
Running through the crowded bar, I pull Lisa from the booth and hand her the huge purse hanging behind her chair. “We’ve got to go.”
“Becs, are you okay? What’s wrong?”
“Let’s go. I just puked.”
“Oh, honey, what happened?”
As soon as we’re outside, I slow my frantic pace and spit the vomit taste from my mouth. “You know that guy you took the picture of?”
“Yea.”
“I was making out with him.”
“What!” Lisa grabs my arm, stopping me in the middle of the sidewalk. “When?”
“Just now.” I spit again. “Then I puked.”
“Oh.” Beth makes a face.
“Yeah. And I need to get home. Now.”
“Why the rush? If it’s out, it’s out. You should feel better now.”
“I do.” I start walking again. “But, uh, it came out both ends.”
Chapter Ten
Beth
The day with JR has been more pleasant than I expected. He didn't answer the phone at all when it rang, and he's been a model father, doting over everything Isla says and does. He even won a stuffed rainbow bear for her at the basketball hoop game while we were waiting for pizza.
I'm hoping that when we get up to leave, he’s just as reasonable as he has been. A busser clears our plates and boxes up the few slices that are left. I glance at my watch, anxious to be done with this night so I can go home.
“I really appreciate the time you spent with Isla this weekend.”
“It's been my pleasure. She's my daughter, and I want to be in her life now.”
Taking a deep breath, I focus all my energy on maintaining my calm smile. I think I manage but I know it's a little less genuine than it was a minute ago. “I know she'd like that. The next couple of weeks will be busy for us, but maybe we can do this again toward the end of the month.”
“What kind of things keep a four-year-old busy?” he asks, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms over his chest.
“Well, she has swim classes…”
“Every day?”
“No. Um, just Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning.”
“I can work around that.”
“And I'm planning on doing some volunteer work.” My mind is racing to come up with a reasonable excuse that will keep him from wanting to see us, or worse, visit us, in the immediate future.
“I get it, Bethy. You’re busy. You’ve got a life now, and that's why I'm here. I can help you. Isla can come stay with me on the weekend, and you can get your stuff done. Does that sound like fun, sweetheart?” He turns to Isla, smirking at her broad grin and bobbing head.
“Yes, daddy. I'll be a good girl if I go to your house.”
“I know you will. I'll pick you up next weekend, and you can meet some of your cousins.”
“I have more cousins?”
“You do. There are lots of cousins to play with and grandma and grandpa want to see you too.”
“I even have a grandpa?” she says quietly. “I already have a grandma, but I don't have a grandpa yet.”
“Well, now you do, sweetheart.”
“A daddy and a grandpa… Wow.”
The awe in her voice breaks my heart. I've been denying something from her that she clearly wants. I genuinely thought I was den
ying her something bad, but maybe I was just being selfish. My fear of JR was real at the time, but all signs point to a changed man.
“We’ll talk about that alone, JR. I don't think she's ready for overnights quite yet but maybe someday.”
His eyes narrow and that smirk doesn't leave his face. “Well, then, I guess I'll be staying at your house. I can be up there on Friday afternoon. Maybe we’ll watch movies and have some popcorn.”
“I love watching movies with popcorn,” Isla says, apparently willing to agree to anything her father says. That thought makes me even more terrified to leave them alone together.
“Let me see your driver’s license?” JR holds out his hand. When I don't immediately respond, he snaps his fingers twice. “Bethy, gimme your license.”
“Why?”
“I need to know where I'm going on Friday. Right?”
The edge of anger is creeping into his previously calm voice. Isla hasn't noticed the tension yet, but if she does, I'll be the one looking like the bad guy.
“I think we should talk about this a little bit more, JR. This is moving way too quickly.”
The toe of his boot gently hits my shin and presses not-so-gently into my bone. “What was that?”
“JR, don't do this. Not here,” I whisper.
The sugar sweet tone is back and a chill runs down my spine. Fucker hasn’t changed one bit. “Babe, give me your license. Now.” His boot digs a little deeper into my flesh.
I don't want to show any indication of weakness, but this fucking hurts. Knowing that he won’t back off until I'm hurt or crying or both, I yank my wallet out of my purse and practically throw my license at him.
JR smiles and eases his boot from my leg. “This is a good picture, babe. Your hair was longer. You need to grow it out like that again.”
I just glare at him, not willing to say anything else. Using his phone, he takes a picture of my license. Instead of handing it back, he holds my card between his thumb and forefinger, swinging it over his half empty beer.
