by H. Q. Frost
"No, I'm just wondering."
Something inside me is telling me it's the place she's at right now. Just like something inside me knew how to protect CJ. I didn't know the gun wouldn't fire. Nor did I know he'd pull the trigger. But something in me knew they didn't want to hurt Rory, they wanted to teach him a lesson. I was supposed to be that lesson.
"Trinity," he answers and I glance at my phone feeling disappointed when the names don't match.
I guess my psychic link tonight is bullshit.
The sound of tires on the gravel get our attention.
"Finally," I mumble as Rory flies into the parking lot.
I'll let CJ explain.
~~*~~
We sit around while Rory's on the phone. Neither of us have much to say after this night; I just want to get home.
"You're coming out with me tonight, man," CJ grumbles as if I owe him something. "We almost fucking died!" Adrenaline is pumping through him once again and his movements are becoming jerky and panicked.
"Man, I gotta go home."
"Fuck that." He points a finger at me. "Tonight you're letting loose, knocking back drinks, hopefully fucking a chick or two. You're coming out with me, Dom. I'm fucking serious."
"I'm fucking bleeding!" I swipe my forehead and shove my hand in his face for the bloody proof.
"Stop being a pussy." Slapping my hand down, he looks back at the smoldering metal that used to be a work truck.
Rory doesn't have much to say, but he's scared. I can see it all over his fucking face that I want to punch. This is his fault. I don't know how. I don't want to know how. But I just know it is.
"Go home you two. I have to delete the footage," he mumbles as he walks away, heading into the building probably to delete the last hour and a half from the tape.
"I'm fuckin' hungry," CJ says as he walks toward his car.
"Same." I get in then glance at him, suddenly having the urge to get laid before I die. "I'll go out with you if you're buying dinner and my first few beers." I can go home to jerk off, or go out and possibly get the real thing.
His grin is slow and makes me regret it, but I need a few drinks.
When we pull into a Surf parking lot, I glance in the side mirror at my head. He cleaned up while we were at the shop. I didn't want to be in an enclosed area yet so I stayed outside, where fresh air and space was.
"I'm gonna clean the blood from my face." Thankfully I'm wearing black so there are no visible drops on my shirt.
Looking in the mirror, I run my fingers through my hair, trying to mold it to do something besides look like I almost died.
"Fuck." I wipe at the small cuts across my forehead with a brown, abrasive paper towel and remember back in my high school bathroom using the same type after a couple fights.
"Hey," CJ calls over to me. "What're you getting?"
I get in line, suddenly becoming a magnet. At least four sets of eyes are on me, one being the girl in front of me glancing over her shoulder. Looking at CJ, he's grinning like a damn fool and it makes me chuckle so she looks again.
"Hi." I smile at her.
"Hi," she says with a giggle and tries to keep her eyes in her own business, but subtlety and this girl have nothing in common.
I devour two burgers and when I throw my trash away, she's staring again. The second I smirk at her she breaks into giggles and turns toward her friend who's a giggling mess along with her.
"Fucking chicks, man," I mutter as we walk outside.
"Shoulda asked her if she was down to pound." He nudges me.
"Last chick I fucked after meeting her at a Surf Burger puked on my shoulder while we were doing it."
"Sick! Did you nut?"
"Fuck you!" I get in and try to fight my yawn but my mouth's agape and with it comes the feeling of exhaustion. Adrenaline has officially worn off. "This is fucking stupid," I bitch while he starts his car. "Just take me home. I need some sleep, man."
"Tonight we get fucked up. Fuck work. Fuck side jobs. Fuck everything. Literally in your case." He slaps my shoulder. "You need to get fucked."
"Fuck off." I snicker. When he pulls into a packed parking lot of a club I huff. "I wasn't expecting something like this."
This is some hoity bullshit that looks like there's a door charge I'm not paying.
"What? It's a club. This girl's too good for a shit-hole. She's smokin' and her friends aren't bad either."
I just need a drink. I didn't want to spend my entire pay check on three drinks, but if that's the only way I can get closer to drunk, then so be it. I shove my hands into my pockets, worried the bouncer at the door won't let us in because we don't belong in this place lookin' like this. When we walk up, he locks hands with CJ and seconds later we're walking in without paying. The thumping music starts to relax me as we snake through the flowing river of bodies. We start with a shot of whiskey and I follow mine with my first beer of the night.
"Alright." He grabs his drink and looks around. "Let's find her."
I follow behind, thoroughly enjoying the scenery I've never experienced, with the exception of a party when I was a kid. But this is different. This is women dressed like they give a fuck and want to fuck, instead of the high school girls that didn't have a clue and begged for any dick they could get.
When CJ walks up behind a chick and starts grinding against her back, I wait for her to swing, but she looks over her shoulder and grins. This must be the chick he's been dying to see all day. She's not as hot as he made her sound and now my enthusiasm to meet her friends is gone. Desperately looking for a bathroom, I turn around and a hand slides up my chest.
"Hey." A familiar girl is grinning up at me but I can't place her. The lighting's shit and she's wearing too much makeup to be recognizable. "You ignored my texts, dick."
After the day I've had, I'm not thinking straight and worry that she's a friend of Brie's makes me take a step back.
"You don't remember me." She chuckles with annoyance then stomps away.
"Dude." I turn back around, about to tell CJ I'm out of here, but he's got his tongue down that girl's throat.
I'm still not staying. I need to leave before Brie shows up or something, so I head for the door we came in through. The red exit light has blue and green lights bouncing off the white box encasing it and I'm already feeling better being able to see my escape.
"Hey." A hand grips my forearm and my heart flips because she's already here, but I turn around to the girl I pissed off without even speaking.
Opening my mouth to tell her to fuck off, my words catch in my throat as someone takes my hand and pulls my arm out of that girl's grip. My sight streaks up the bare flesh of soft skin to a shoulder blade that's holding a thin black strap. My eyes shift to her lips first before gliding over her pierced nose and end on her brown eyes speckled with green. The girl I thought might have been Brie's friend is actually Nyla's, and I had seen her not long ago trying to hump Rory's Porsche.
"You're leaving?" Nyla's lips move but I can't hear her over the music and the distance between us.
Seeing her immediately makes me forget about the bullshit from today. She's still everything I've needed and I won't lie and say she looks the same, because she doesn't. She looks older, sexier, confident and determined, and the look on her face makes me think of the words Rory screamed at me a couple days prior.
'If you fucking want something, get it! No-one's going to hand shit to you!'
"No." I step closer to her, not letting her hand go as I lock our fingers and watch her eyes direct to the connection her husband probably wouldn't appreciate.
But I won't lie and tell you I give a fuck about her husband. This is my fucking story and she's the print to my pages. Good or bad, I don't give a damn anymore as long as it's her inking the mess.
"This dick didn't remember me," her friend screams after stepping between us.
"Bad memory." I smile to be cordial but I don't give a shit about this girl, especially when Nyla slips her fingers fr
om mine.
"Prison do that to you?" she asks and my lips part but before I can retaliate, Nyla pushes her back and steps up.
"Mandy, can you get me a drink?" She watches her friend walk away then looks up at me and there's something in her eyes I've never seen. Maybe it's alcohol. "She's rude as hell." Her smile makes me migrate a little closer. "What're you doing here?"
"My friend came to see his girl." I glance toward the dance floor but there are too many bodies to spot anyone.
I should ask her why she's here and not the other bar she was tagged at. But if anything screams stalker, it's that.
"Well… are you drinking?" She looks toward one of the three bars and I wish I could hold her attention.
"I had a beer, was going to get another," I lie, but now that she's here, I can't leave yet. "Can I get you something?"
She glances toward the floor then smirks up at me. "Yeah." Her hand grabs onto my arm and I guide us through people, feeling like I may have actually died in that accident.
This doesn't feel real.
Leaning into her ear, I make sure to inhale before asking, "What're you drinking?"
The turn of her head places her lips dangerously close to touching my skin as she replies, "I've already had a few mojitos, so I think I'll stick with that."
I stare at her, unable to stop my smile and she grins up at me but crinkles her nose and laughs, shrugging her shoulders in question. "What?" she calls out.
Not wanting to risk sounding like an ass, I don't explain. I may not be getting closer to her than her standing at my side, but I never even thought I'd get this close again.
I'm following her around tables and people, preparing myself for some sort of trap. I expect her husband to be waiting at the destination, but it's a table full of women that start howling and shrieking when they see Nyla. It's impossible not to laugh at the hyenas, but I don't let my guard down as I glance around for her husband.
"What're all you girls doing out tonight?" I ask in her ear over her shoulder.
With a grin she turns back and looks up at me and responds, "It's my party, Dom."
Party for what? It's not her birthday. Not feasible to be a belated party either.
"Party with us!" A woman grabs my arm and yanks me down to the bench.
I almost died today, I'm down to party. With a soft touch I grab Nyla's wrist and tug, but before she can sit next to me, several of these girls grab her.
"The queen sits here!" one squeals and as she's being shoved into the lap of a shirtless guy, I realize this might be some kind of bachelorette party.
I almost died today, I'm not down for this.
Getting to my feet wearing a smirk of annoyance, I wipe my mouth after finishing my beer. These bitches are screaming and howling at Nyla grinding some dude, but I don't look. That's the last thing I want to see so I make my way around the group of women thrashing to the music while they watch Nyla get dry humped by some shirtless douche. I was going to leave, but I think I'll get fucked up, start a fist fight, then leave.
I'm on a track that's headed straight to the bar, and when I get there, the girl next to me looks over, bites her lip and grins. I glance back toward the group of tables where I left Nyla. She's lost somewhere in the middle of those desperate bitches that are probably causing a wet floor over the tool without a shirt on.
"How's it going?" I ask the girl that looks like she might have some sort of twitch the way her head keeps jerking to look at me.
"Hi." She turns so quickly she sloshes her drink over her hand then giggles and starts to suck the liquid from her skin. It's pretty gross until she gets to one finger and my dick hits the bell for round one.
"What're you drinking?" I point to the glass.
"It was a Redheaded Slut." Her giggle grates on my ear drums, but I push forward.
I haven't had sex since I was seventeen.
I order the slut drink, two shots, and a beer. Before she thinks that second shot is for her, I quickly down it and grab my beer.
"What's your name?" I ask after draining half.
"Amber." The hand she was sucking on extends and I don't know why it's a turn off. I plan on being inside this girl, strictly out of desperation. And a little depression.
"Dom." I slowly raise my hand but before I can grab hers, someone grabs my arm.
"Excuse us," Nyla says and yanks me away, almost sending my bottle to the ground. "Where'd you go?" she yells back at me as she's pulling me to the tables again.
"Uh…" No sense in lying to her. "I'm not really interested in seeing you dry hump some dude, La."
She rolls her eyes at me over her shoulder before pushing me into the chair she had just dry humped Shirtless Wonder in.
"How do you know the queen?" A waft of strong liquor hits my nose and I turn my head to see the girl who asked is in my face; I jerk back.
"I… uh…"
"He used to fuck her. Real good too, as I hear it."
My brows shoot up and I look toward the voice and see it's Nyla's friend Mandy glaring down at me like she wants to swallow me whole. I quickly look at Nyla who's laughing almost hysterically. I'm surrounded by salivating hyenas, a savage bitch, and a drunk Nyla getting amusement from it all. A little part of me feels like this is some sort of punishment, but fuck if I'm not feeling like a masochist right now.
"Take off your shirt!" one of her hyenas screams at me.
"Shut up. Dom's not like that," Nyla says with a laugh and pulls a chair up next to me.
I will if it gets Nyla grinding on me.
"How do you know what he's like, Ny? He's been locked up for the last decade."
"Mandy." Nyla's glare is locked on her while her glare is locked on me.
Nothing I say will go over well with this one.
"The queen sits here, Dom," Mandy grabs Nyla's arms and pulls her out of her chair before pushing her into my lap.
Nyla's crowd of hyenas are getting rowdier by the second and Mandy's got eyes on me like she expects some kind of show.
Nyla's head drops back to my shoulder while she laughs, telling me, "I think we're all a little drunk," and her mouth hits my jaw but moves just as fast.
"Make her pussy scream, Dom." There's a tone of demand in Mandy's voice.
No problem. But not in front of you and the pack.
"Shut up, Mandy." Nyla lifts her head. "You're going to get us kicked out again. We were at another club earlier but this wild one has no control." She's shifting like she wants to stand but I quickly put my hand on the top of her bare thigh, giving her the option to stay.
And I'm hoping she does, especially because my hard dick won't go unnoticed unless I jump up right away.
"What? He wants you. Give him what he wants, Ny."
"Ignore her. I can move," Nyla says shifting on my lap, putting her in a position to feel what I'm hiding from her friends.
Her eyes briefly go wide but she tries to hide the surprise as her hand lands on my shoulder. Her pack of dogs fall deaf as I stare into her face and slide my hand up to her hip.
"I don't think you should."
A grin starts to pull her lips up and as she leans for my ear, drinks interrupt the moment. She pulls back before spilling the shots that were shoved in our face. Without hesitation, she throws back one.
"You too!" her friend excitedly yells in my face while trying to pour the shot down my throat.
I take one and before I can even set that glass down, another is forced to my lips.
"Holy shit, Danielle!" Nyla laughs, but before she can take the shot, thinking I don't want it, I throw it back.
I probably don't need it. I'm already in a bad position with a possible great outcome. But tomorrow it'll all be bad again, if not worse.
When Nyla looks at me, I smirk. "Gotta catch up to you girls."
"I guess." Her hand slides to the back of my hair. "What've you been doing without me, Dom?" Her drunk words are the best thing I've heard in days, until I think about her husband.
"Where's your man, La?" I quietly ask, pushing the hair falling into her eyes.
"God." She huffs and her hand falls from my hair. "You know how to ruin a moment."
When she tries to stand, I grab her waist and place her so she's sitting in a great spot for my dick.
"I don't want to ruin shit. That's why I asked. And… I've been miserable at best without you."
We're in a drunk stare, she's asking and I'm begging, so I go in for what we both want. Repercussions will be dealt with later.
I'm fucking cock-blocked. Kiss-blocked. Whatever you want to call it. All I know is I'm not kissing her because someone pulled her from me so they could dance to a song about fucking someone else's bitch. This could probably be my theme song for the night because I'm about to go to any lengths it takes to get Nyla under me. She needs to remember I needed her and that she wants me.
When I stand and discreetly shake my leg, trying to relax my cock down my thigh, Mandy grabs my arm. Her mouth is hot on my ear as she whispers, "You need to fuck her tonight. She needs it."
Pulling away, I wipe at my ear then glance behind me but can't see Nyla anymore. "What about her husband?"
Her eyes roll before she leans too close for comfort again and says, "There's no ring on that finger tonight. Don't worry about that shit, jailbait."
This girl is really hard to like. She's good looking and all, but her smugness makes her cringeworthy. I spin away from her, almost knocking a shot girl over but quickly halt and grab a shot, throwing it back before tossing a ten on her tray. I couldn't really afford that shot or tip, but I'm harboring a good buzz that I need to maintain before my senses come back and I don't follow through.
Sliding up behind Nyla, I press against her back and she quickly spins with anger scrunching her pretty face until she sees it's me. Her lips quirk into a smile while her hands land on my shoulders.
"You don't dance, Dom." Her hips sway with the song until I grab them and pull her against me.
"But if you are, I'll try damn hard."
She's not wrong. I have no idea what I'm doing, but I can grind with her until I can't stand anymore. She's pushing my hair off my forehead, staring at me with a smile that's ninety percent drunk and ten percent real happiness. Maybe my numbers are off, but there looks to be some genuine emotions in that smile. Still the best smile I've ever seen.
