“You think?”
“She’s just trying to push you.”
“I don’t know if I want something with her, but it just ticks me off that she’s with someone. I don’t know why. He looks like a real jerk though.”
“What does she tell you about him?”
“They were high school sweethearts and she’s just afraid to leave him right now. She wants me to tell her I won’t see anyone else before she’ll leave him.”
“Do you want that?”
He looked over toward her table and then back to me and swallowed. “I don’t know.”
“Can you see her in your future? Do you want her there?”
“I don’t want a girlfriend. I have fun with her, but I don’t really want something more with her.” He smiled at me and laughed. “She’s really good in bed.”
My jealousy spiked, so I smiled to push that feeling back down. He didn’t seem as tense as before and when the song ended, he took my hand in his and led me back toward the bar area. Relieved that my desire and my jealousy ended with that song, I gladly complied. Well, until he squeezed my hand and walk passed our group toward the back area. Reality set in on where he was trying to take me. I pulled hard on his hand and he looked back at me with a taunting smirk.
“Come on, Aub. Help me make her really jealous,” he teased. Then he pulled me close to him, our cheeks touching as he whispered in my ear, “God, I loved being with you, Aub. I still can’t get you out of my head.” The feel of his breath on my skin, the words that he was saying shot tingles all through me. Yes, give me another night. My body was screaming for just a quick fix from him, regardless if it was in that stupid stockroom. His voice continued to whisper in my ear more words of what I’ve been so desperate to hear. “The way you kiss, the way you taste. Seeing you every day sends me back to our night together. One that will never compare with anyone else.” Breathless. I was completely his and he took my breath away with those words. His hard body pressed against mine, his thick cock pressed against my belly through our clothes. Remembering our night together, I couldn’t help but be swept away by those words.
A glass shattering somewhere in the distance pulled me from the fantasy world he was trying to take me into. At that moment, my eyes snapped to his and I realized…it was Clark. This is how he gets women into bed, or the stockroom, in this case.
Dammit, I’m such a fool.
I quickly gathered my wits about me and ran my hand along the muscles of his back, down to his firm ass and cupped him as I pressed my chest tight to him.
“I think I’ll have to pass,” I whispered in his ear. It wasn’t entirely his fault, after all. I just led him on while we were on the dance floor. I had sent him mixed signals and I was angry with myself for doing that.
I pulled back and gave a quick squeeze to his hand. He glanced at my lips while he ran his tongue over his. “Are you sure?”
“If we were to ever go again, it wouldn’t be in the stockroom.” I backed away from him and chuckled that he thought I’d go into the stockroom with him. Although what I said was true. I didn’t want him again in the back closet of a bar. My fantasies were of him, alone in my room. Possibly even tied up to my bed.
I turned back to our group, all of whom were watching us with their mouths gaped open.
“So I’ve still got a second shot, right?” He called after me. I shook my head, snickering as I continued to the bar not giving him an answer.
“What was that all about?” Vanessa asked, while Izzy and Mel also leaned in to hear.
I shrugged. “I’m just helping him out a little. She’s toying with him. I thought I’d give her something to think about. Not that it’s my place or anything.” I turned to Mel. “I just thought I’d give her a kick.”
“You’re not jealous of her or anything, are you?” Vanessa asked.
“No,” I blurted out, probably a little too quick. Her brow whipped up. Maybe she knows me better than I know myself. “Tina’s trying to see if she can claim a guy like Clark. It’s probably just a competition for her, that’s all.”
I was relieved when the chitchat turned away from Clark and Tina. I tried to ignore them but couldn’t help myself when I noticed Tina’s blonde hair swaying as she sashayed to the bathroom. I looked back and saw her boyfriend sitting by himself watching after her and then looked down, swirling his beer.
I stood up and straightened out my top before grabbing my purse. Vanessa’s mouth curled into a knowing smile. “Where are you going?” She asked as if she already knew.
“I feel the need to fix my hair,” I told her, smiling slyly. She shook her head, knowing that I was really just going to poke at the hornet’s nest.
I pushed the door open, wondering if Tina would even talk to me again, but I had to try. There she was, applying lipstick to her full plump lips. I watched her eyes flick to mine and then back to her reflection.
“Hi Tina.” I addressed her as I walked up to the sinks and plopped my purse beside one. I took out my lip gloss and began to apply it.
“Nice hair,” she told me. I was pretty sure it wasn’t a compliment. I think she even rolled her eyes.
“Thanks.” I smiled as I put the cap back onto my lip gloss and tossed it back into my purse.
“You didn’t have to add to the situation, you know,” Tina said to me as she turned and rested her hip along the counter. She folded her arms, still holding her tube of lipstick in one hand. I couldn’t help but notice she seemed a little nervous. Was she intimidated by me?
“By doing what?” I asked coyly as I began to fluff my hair, staring at my reflection.
“Flirting and dancing with him. Swaying close to him and kissing him. You were doing all that on purpose.”
“Isn’t that what you’re doing here? Egging him on by bringing your boyfriend and prancing him around in front of Clark?”
She looked to the ground and back to me and swallowed. “I just want him to choose me, that’s all.” A stab of jealousy hit my stomach. Visions of clawing at her face with my nails stunned my sight for a moment. What the hell is going on with me? I don’t care about their relationship and I don’t care about Clark.
“Then give him a reason to choose you. Making him jealous isn’t going to do anything but piss him off. He’s probably out there picking up a girl for tonight right now.” Tina’s eyes flicked to mine and I could see her tearing up. Was I trying to help them? Maybe I was doing it for Clark? He’s my friend and I really wanted him to be happy. I think the lies I was telling myself were beginning to confuse even me.
“Are you having sex with him?” She blurted out her question as I watched her bottom lip quiver. I had no idea what to say. Had Clark told her we slept together? Shit. I didn’t answer because I couldn’t figure out what to say. “I knew it!” She screamed before I had time to answer. “I knew you were. You need to move out. I’m going to get him back!” She started screeching, almost in full tears and seemed like she was going to become hysterical.
Maybe she was crazier than I was. “What are you going to tell Hank out there? Are you going to go break up with him?”
“You’re just doing this to screw everything up! I had it all under control and I know Clark would have called me tonight or even told Hank he wants me. And then you came along being all sexy and turned Clark on and away from me!”
“I wasn’t trying to do anything but make you see what you’re doing to Clark. You were doing the same exact thing by bringing Hank here.” I took a timid step forward. “If you really wanted him, you would have broken up with Hank by now and just let the chips fall where they may with Clark.” She swiped at her tear and looked away from me toward the stall, almost as if she wanted to ignore me. I took the hint, as well as a deep breath.
The bathroom was completely silent except for the faded music outside the walls. I grabbed the brown leather strap of my purse and swung it over my shoulder not saying anything to her—mostly because I wasn’t sure what to say. I turned to walk
out the door and pulled on the door handle to exit. “Your hair looks like shit, by the way,” she screeched out.
Usually, I wouldn’t be bothered by comments like that. Usually. I wasn’t sure why, but that one stung. It wasn’t that I needed her approval or even wanted that. Maybe it was because deep down she had something with Clark. Regardless of the reason, I smiled and couldn’t resist one last comment, “Clark didn’t seem to mind it when he ran his fingers through it this morning.” I felt something whiz by my head as I began to walk out the door. I heard a clink as I looked down to see her tube of lipstick on the floor. Adrenaline rushed through me as I noticed her storm toward me. I bent down to pick up the tube off the floor and held it for her to take. Again, I was surprised by the words that came out of my mouth. “Wow. I’m not sure I’d throw away something so valuable.” I wasn’t sure she would catch my sarcasm; I wasn’t even sure if I was implying Hank or Clark as being the valuable person.
The hatred she had for me was more than apparent in her eyes. At that moment, I wasn’t sure how angry she really was or what she would do. Hoping she wouldn’t start a physical confrontation with everyone nearby, I stepped through the doorway hoping she wouldn’t.
She lunged forward, her hands clenched into fists. “Keep your hands off him!” This woman who I had just admired from across the room earlier as such an incredibly beautiful person was definitely not the same as the person standing before me now. Her nostrils were flared and her lips were curled as she seethed her words out to me. She looked like a wild woman. I wouldn’t say I was scared, but I was definitely second guessing myself. Not to mention, I was also questioning why I involved myself. What did I care if she and Clark continue on? Why did I have that nagging jealousy continually hit me whenever she’s around Clark? And why am I asking so many darn questions if I really don’t care about either of them?
The stupid questions continued to swirl my mind until I got back to our little group. I was only slightly worried that she would come after me and pull my hair. I was ready for a cat fight, but relaxed when I heard the door to the bathroom shut.
“What was that all about?” A stunned Matt asked as I perched myself back on the bar stool next to Vanessa.
“I poked at her little world. She’s not a happy camper right now.” Just as I said that, she stormed out of the bathroom making a beeline for Hank. He stood quickly, with a worried expression as he tried to reach for her hand. She snapped it away as he seemed to try talking to her, attempting to calm her down. She turned and stormed out of the bar with poor Hank trailing behind her. I turned to Vanessa, both our eyes wide as we watched the whole scene.
I felt a hand on my back, which sent shivers throughout my body and I knew who it was immediately. “What was that all about?” Clark asked.
I shrugged. “Don’t know. Maybe she couldn’t get her hair just right.” I turned back to Vanessa, but still felt Clark’s eyes on me.
Maybe he was hoping we were fighting over him. That thought made me angry for getting myself involved. Did I like Clark more than I thought? Why was I getting jealous? The thought that annoyed me even more was that Clark was probably enjoying two women fighting over him. That was the last thing he needed to add to his ego trip. And here I was feeding right into that humongous pompousness.
Unfortunately, flirting with him was as much fun for me as I knew it was for him. The chase. This chase is one I’ll never finish because I’m getting married soon—to someone I still need to convince that deep down, he might just love me.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Clark
I STOOD THERE STARING at the back of Aub’s head wondering why Tina stormed out of Allure so upset. Were they fighting over me? Maybe Aub wanted me and told Tina. Between seeing Tina with her boyfriend and all these mixed feelings I’m having about Aub, I was completely confused.
Aub turned back around eying me. I couldn’t help but stare back as I tried to answer all the questions in my head.
“What?” She asked, her eyes shimmered with something devilish. I love that look about her. It’s like she’s up to no good. Dirty. Sexy. Fun. That’s Aub. I glanced down to her lips. They looked wet, probably because she had reapplied that gloss of hers. It was the kind that tasted sweet like sugar. For some reason, out of all the women I’ve been with, the taste of her lips, well, that lip gloss was etched in my mind.
“Stop staring at my lips,” she teased as she ran her tongue over her bottom lip and then bit it seductively. I swallowed and tried to stop my dick from throbbing. Just the thought of her mouth wrapped around my cock made me hard in seconds. She hopped off the bar stool and grabbed her purse. “I’m going to head home,” she told Vanessa.
My eyes flicked to hers wondering if she wanted to finally have sex with me again. She had done that whole seductive thing, right? Seemed like a pretty good signal to me. She could definitely help me forget about seeing Tina with her boyfriend.
She pressed her lips together and her eyes shined either from the excitement of going home with me or…“I have to pack and head out tomorrow morning.” And…there was my real answer. Her boyfriend. She seemed like she was remaining faithful to him. I wondered if she had told him we’re living together. Probably not. If I were her guy, I’d at least want to meet her roommate to size him up. Considering he hasn’t come around has to mean she hadn’t told him about me, right? The fact that she doesn’t want him to know about us might just be my way in with her.
“I’ll walk with you. I’m pretty beat.” I told her as I finished off my beer ignoring Vanessa’s glare at me. She knew what I was up to.
“What? No one to take home tonight?” Aub taunted.
“Eh, been with all the ones here.” I laughed and turned to Matt. “I think we need a new hangout. Same ones keep coming back.” My buddy nodded in agreement. He knew the drill. Back in Atlanta he had a rotation of bars he and his best friend, Alex hit weekly. I miss visiting them down there. I made a mental note to call Alex and see if I could come down for a visit soon.
Aub and I hit the pavement heading back to our place. The weather was turning colder and I noticed Aub shiver. She usually wears skimpy stuff, but tonight she had on a top that concealed a bit more. At least it still hinted to her fantastic rack. I wrapped my hand around her arm and rubbed up and down, hoping that the friction might help her out a little.
She smiled up at me. “Thanks.”
“Just wanted to see your tits jiggle, don’t get so excited,” I teased.
The corner of her mouth turned up right before she rolled her eyes at me. “You have to ruin everything, don’t you?”
“I’ve got a reputation as a snake. I worked hard for that.”
We were both quiet as we entered our building. Riding up the elevator, I went ahead and asked. “So what really went on between you and Tina in the bathroom?” Just saying her name made my heart drop for some reason. That pit in my stomach ached. At the same time, having Aub with me seemed to help.
“She’s playing you. I just called her out on it.”
There she goes again. As if I’m some stupid sucker falling for Tina’s crap. I shook my head. “You’re wrong. I know what she’s doing, but I’m not falling for it. I’m just using her.”
Aub’s intense gaze made me uncomfortable. The elevator bell chimed as we arrived at our floor, breaking the stare she pinned on me. I swallowed and hoped I convinced her she wasn’t right.
I grabbed her arm and spun her around the second we entered our apartment. Our lips were within inches of each other and I couldn’t resist closing the gap and brushing my lips against her cheek. God, the feel of her against my lips made me ache for her again. The sound of her inhaling deeply only made me want her more. That sound had to mean she wanted me too, right?
“I’ll never tell your new…friend. I promise,” I breathed. I placed a small kiss on her neck. She let out a soft sigh, so I pressed my lips to her tender flesh again, this time tasting her salty skin.
Her breath rushe
d out, tickling my ear as she whispered, “Mmm, tempting. Very tempting.” She pulled away and threw me a beautiful smile. Right before she entered her room, she held the door for just a small moment. Our eyes met again and she threw me an air kiss—right before she closed the door.
Dammit. I stared at the white wood wondering if I should try to go in, but knew that would break whatever trust we’ve established between us. She was sticking up for me with Tina, so I knew she valued whatever weird friendship/roommate thing we have. I walked up to her door and debated turning the handle. The sound of her voice peeked my curiosity, so I pressed my ear to the door and immediately knew she called her boyfriend.
“I just…wanted to hear your voice.”…“No, I know. I’m not overstepping our boundaries.” Boundaries? What the hell kind of relationship did they have? “Yes, I bought some new clothes. I think they’ll work out really nice for tomorrow night.”
My thoughts wandered off to try to think of what was going on here. New clothes? Not overstepping boundaries? What the hell was going on? “I…okay. Rod’s not picking me up tomorrow? How will I know what Thad will look like?” Thad? Rod? I bet she really is in some sort of orgy club or something. I heard her chuckle lightly before telling the guy goodnight.
My hand was on the door, ready to open it and ask questions when my phone started going off. A slew of texts from Tina popped up on my screen. I stepped away from Aub’s door and then scrolled through them all. A barrage of “I hate your roommate” texts followed by more about how I “better not be fucking her.”
Are you kidding me? I could have crushed my phone over that one. She has a boyfriend, but wants to put restrictions on me? Who the hell is she to talk? Maybe that’s why Aub was trying to warn me.
I turned my phone off, knowing I’d probably have to punch something if I kept reading her texts. I wasn’t about to argue with her and there was no way she’d win anyway.
After calming myself down some, I headed to bed. Tina’s words from her text assaulted my thoughts, but after awhile I managed to crash.
Alluring Promises Box Set (Books 1-3) Page 92
