by Nikki Ash
Celeste laughs. “Funny…actually, I am dating someone. His name is Chad Vacanti.”
“Good for you,” Olivia says. “Is it serious?”
“As serious as two people can be who have busy careers.” Celeste shrugs.
“So, in other words, he’s a workaholic like you,” Olivia volleys back playfully.
“No, he’s…dedicated to his job and works hard like me. He’s a VP for the investment banking firm he works at. He had to fly over to the UK for some business, so we met up while I was there. It was nice.”
Killian chuckles, and everyone looks his way.
“What?” Celeste glares.
“Nothing.” Killian smirks.
“Just say it,” Celeste insists.
“It’s nothing, really. I’m just glad you finally found your millionaire.” He pops a piece of sushi into his mouth and chews, then adds, “I take it you found him on Wall Street? Tell me, Celeste, does he know he’s dating a gold-digger?”
“Screw you!” Celeste hisses. “For your information, my company’s fourth quarter earnings grossed over six-point-five million dollars in profit, asshole.”
Everyone at the table stills in shock. Holy shit! Celeste really is doing well for yourself. Go her!
“Damn, Celeste!” Nick pats her on her shoulder. “That’s awesome.”
“Congratulations,” Olivia adds.
“Seriously!” I say, “That’s awesome!”
“Thank you.” She smiles proudly.
“Then why the hell are you still searching for your happily-ever-millionaire?” Killian questions.
“Killian,” Olivia chides.
“What? It’s just a question,” he says. God, he’s such a judgmental ass!
“I’m not looking for a millionaire.” Celeste takes a deep breath and her eyes dart all over the place, like she’s suddenly uncomfortable. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting a man who’s stable and has his life together…who can afford to pay his bills…” She huffs. “Never mind, you wouldn’t understand.” She lifts her glass of Sake to her mouth and downs it.
“So, what you’re saying is if you met a guy who, let’s say, works full-time, pays his bills on time, but only makes five figures a year, you would date him,” Killian challenges.
Celeste shoots daggers his way, and Killian laughs. Before she can answer, Nick jumps in. “Kill…stop, man.”
Killian shrugs and downs his beer. I don’t know what his deal is tonight, but I do not want to be on the receiving end of his inquisition. My goal is to lay low and pray he doesn’t call me out on seeing me last night. I’m already regretting the fact that I goaded him by telling him I was going to fuck Roman and that his car was stupid and ugly. It’s really not either one. On the contrary, it’s one of the most beautiful cars I’ve ever seen, and it has all the bells and whistles.
Olivia, feeling the need to change the subject, turns her attention on me. Great…“How’s Paul?”
“Who?” I ask before I can catch myself, forgetting I gave her a name the other night.
“Paul, the guy you went on a date with last week.”
I notice Killian sit up higher in his seat. His eyes widen marginally as he stares at me, like he’s just as interested to know my answer as Olivia is. Damn it!
Ignoring Killian’s stare, I focus my attention on Olivia when I answer. “I’m actually not seeing him anymore. It didn’t work out.”
Olivia frowns. “I’m sorry.”
“How’s Roman?” Killian asks. My eyes dart over to him, and the asshole is fucking smirking.
“Who?” Olivia asks, confused.
I glare at Killian, silently warning him to shut up. He’s doing this to mess with me, but he doesn’t understand this isn’t a fucking game. He’s not only messing with my life, but he’s messing with my friendship with Olivia. Instead of heeding my warning, his smirk turns into a full-blown grin as he says, “The guy I saw Giselle at the party with last night.” And he just had to fucking go there…
“You went on a date last night? When I asked you where you were, you said you were working.” I drag my gaze from Killian to look at Olivia. The hurt in her features is evident, and I feel like the world’s shittiest friend.
I consider how to word my answer before I speak, because up until this moment, I’ve technically never lied to Olivia, and I have no clue how to twist this so I’m not lying now. But before I can answer her, my name is called, and when I look over my shoulder, my heart drops at who is calling it. Christian.
Seriously, can this day get any worse?
He approaches the table, and I feel everyone’s eyes on us. “Hey, I thought it was you.” He grins nervously. Asshole should be nervous. The last time I saw him, he was balls-deep in a groupie in his hotel room, only days after he told me he loved me. We had gotten into a fight regarding a text I saw on his phone. I left upset and sat on the bench outside of his hotel room, trying to figure out how to handle what I saw. Not even an hour later, I made the decision to go up and talk to him about it. I think I was hoping he would convince me what I saw was a big misunderstanding. Only, when I got up to his room, he had already found another woman and was fucking her on the couch. That was a year ago, and I haven’t seen or spoken to him since.
“It’s me,” I say dryly, not bothering to smile back. He doesn’t deserve anything from me, let alone a fake emotion. He lost the right to anything regarding me the day he chose to throw our friendship and relationship out the window for some random groupie pussy.
Christian glances around the table before his eyes come back to me. “It’s your birthday.” It’s not a question—he’s just remembered.
“Yep…Happy Birthday to me,” I say.
Nobody says anything for a good thirty seconds, until Killian chooses to speak up, breaking the silence. “Wait a second. Aren’t you Christian Ortega, the lead singer for Down Coyote?”
“That would be me.” He nods with a small but genuine smile. Christian lives for the moments when people recognize him. His dreams came true. His band was signed and they rose to the top. It’s too bad the industry destroyed him. With the fame came the parties, and with the parties came the drugs. With him being high as often as he is—or at least was during that short time I was around him again—I don’t even know how he enjoys his success. The morning after I found him fucking the groupie, he called me as if nothing happened. He blamed the drugs, promised he would stop getting high. He swore he didn’t even remember having sex with her.
He called several times, begging me to forgive him, but I told him it was too late. The damage was done. I can forgive a lot of things, but I can’t forgive cheating. The fact is we never would’ve worked out anyway. Seven years apart changed us both. We’re no longer the naïve young teenagers we once were, and there’s no going back.
Sometimes when I think about the way Christian behaved, I wonder if that’s what happens to my mom. I know the drugs Christian was on aren’t the same as my mom’s, but I wonder if maybe she doesn’t remember what she does or if it’s possible she’s reacting a certain way because she’s on so many different drugs. If we just took her off of everything, maybe she would see things more clearly. I can’t be sure, though, and I’m too scared to find out.
“We’re just finishing up dinner and are about to head out for some drinks,” Killian says, snapping me out of my thoughts. “You should join us. Any friend of Giselle’s is welcome. Or wait, are you her boyfriend?” Killian smirks devilishly.
Christian’s hand grips the back of his neck nervously, unsure of what to say. Thankfully, Olivia jumps in. “You need to walk away right now, asshole. I know about you cheating on my best friend. Go back to your groupies and stay away from her.” Her voice is barely loud enough for the entire table to hear, and while her intent is to sound big and bad, she just sounds adorable, but I still love her even more for defending me.
“I think it’s best if you go,” Celeste adds. “It’s clear you’re not wanted here.” Celeste
has heard all about Christian and what he did to me on several girls’ nights out.
“Look, I’m sorry. Would it be possible for us to talk?” Christian asks, and this time Nick jumps in.
“You heard the ladies. You’re not wanted here.”
“This is between Giselle and me,” Christian snaps.
“No, it’s really not,” Killian says, shocking the crap out of me. He and Nick stand, and Christian backs up. “I didn’t realize when I extended my offer you were a cheating piece of shit. So, not only am I rescinding my offer for you to join us, but I suggest you walk out of this restaurant and lose Giselle’s number. If she wants to call you, she’ll do so. But until then, get fucking lost.”
Christian’s hands go up in surrender, and he looks at me like he wants to say something, but luckily he thinks better of it and walks away.
“I’m so sorry, Giselle.” Olivia gets up and comes around to my side of the table to give me a hug. “I love you.”
“I love you too. Thank you, guys.” Tears brim my lids as I look around at everyone who just stuck up for me, including Killian. I might not have a lot of friends, but the few I do have are pretty freaking great. And while Killian isn’t my friend, it means a lot that despite how much he doesn’t like me, he still stood up for me.
“Growing up I never really had any friends,” I admit out loud. “My family kind of has some issues.” My eyes dart to Killian who has seen them firsthand. “Christian was not only my best friend but my boyfriend. I never imagined one of the people closest to me would betray me like he did. Anyway, you guys sticking up for me like that means the world to me.”
“You would’ve done it for us,” Olivia points out.
“After that, I think we all need to get drunk,” Celeste says with a laugh. “That guy was about to ruin my buzz.”
“Actually, we have something else planned.” Olivia grins. “It’s a surprise, though.”
“What happened to partying? Getting drunk?” Celeste pouts.
“We will, I promise! After we go to our next stop. But first, we need to sing Happy Birthday.” She nods behind her and the waiter comes over with a candle-lit birthday cake. Everyone sings Happy Birthday, then Olivia cuts the cake. Once we’re done eating it, we pile into the limo Olivia rented for the night.
Killian is sitting next to me, and I’m shocked when he leans in close to speak to me. “I’m sorry about what I did in there. Inviting that asshole out with us.”
I just don’t have it in me to call him out on his shit. So instead I say, “It’s not your fault. You didn’t know.”
“True, but we both know I was only inviting him to piss you off.” Killian smiles apologetically, and I laugh at his honesty. “So, I’m sorry,” he adds.
“It’s okay,” I tell him.
“We’re here!” Olivia announces, and everyone steps out of the limo onto the sidewalk in front of…
“A tattoo shop?” I ask excitedly.
“Yep! I made us appointments!” Olivia clasps her hands together and jumps up and down.
“Hell yes!” I yell, joining her.
“You, umm…you didn’t make an appointment for me, did you?” Celeste asks nervously.
“Well, I told him we had a group coming and I wasn’t sure who all would want one. He said a couple people would be here,” Olivia tells her.
“Oh my god, Livi! This is so exciting!” I exclaim.
“A dream of yours?” Killian asks.
“Of ours.” I smile at Olivia. “We both said we wanted one, but we were too scared to actually get them. So we agreed that once we graduated with our masters, we would get tattoos to celebrate. Olivia graduated before me, and by the time I graduated six months later, she was knocked up.”
“Must you word it like that,” Olivia says through her laughter. “Let’s go!”
Linking our arms together, Olivia and I walk into Forbidden Ink, followed by Killian, Nick, and Celeste. From the outside, it looks like nothing more than a small hole-in-the-wall shop with blacked out windows. But once we open the door, it’s as if we’re stepping into a New York City alleyway, and I’m not talking about one behind Fifth Avenue. More like the ones from where I’m from. The walls are painted to look like graffitied CBS block, but the artwork is far better than anything you would see in the real alleyways. They are eye-catching and beautiful. The floors are concrete, identical to the sidewalks outside, but cleaner. There are a couple of black leather couches in the front area, and on a black wooden coffee table are stacks of books. In the right corner is a pool table, and to the left is the front counter. A narrow hallway goes down the middle.
“How can I help you?” the woman sitting behind the counter asks with a smile. She’s pretty, with her silky black locks tied into low pigtails, perfect porcelain skin, and big onyx eyes. Her arms look like beautiful canvases of colorful artwork.
“We have an appointment with Jaxson,” Olivia says.
“All of you?” the woman questions, her gaze following over each of us. Then it stops on someone, and her smile widens. My eyes follow her line of vision to…Killian.
“Kill!” She jumps off her stool and runs out from behind the counter, straight into his arms. And if I thought she was just pretty from behind the counter, I was wrong. She’s wearing a flowy yellow top and tiny cut-off jean shorts that on most would look trashy, but on her look seriously hot. She’s sexy and adorable, and with her arms wrapped around Killian, I kind of hate her, which doesn’t make any sense. Maybe I drank more than I thought at dinner…
“Quinn, how are you?” Killian asks once they’re done hugging.
“Same shit, different day. You here for another tattoo?” She waggles her eyebrows flirtatiously, and it’s confirmed, I hate her. Why? I have no fucking clue, I just do. Seriously, how much did I have to drink?
“Well, since I’m here, maybe.” Killian laughs, and his emerald eyes light up. “But we’re actually here for those two.” He nods toward Olivia and me. “Olivia, Giselle, this is Quinn, Jax and Jase’s little sister. It’s Giselle’s birthday, so they’re looking to get tattoos.”
“How about you?” a deep male voice rumbles. I turn in place to see a gentleman leaning against the doorframe with his muscular tattooed arms crossed over his chest. He’s wearing a fitted plain black T-shirt and ripped jeans, and he’s staring at Celeste, who looks completely out of place in her expensive designer dress and high heels.
“Excuse me?” she asks, her nose scrunching up in clear disgust. The guy lifts off the wall and steps toward her until he’s directly in front of her.
“The other two women are here to get a tattoo. How about you? Are you going to finally let me mark this flawless skin of yours?” His finger runs up her arm, and she visibly shivers. Finally? Who is this guy?
“Don’t touch me,” she hisses, moving out of his reach.
“Is there a problem?” I ask, not completely comfortable with this guy touching Celeste. Unlinking my arm out of Olivia’s, I step between the two of them, and the guy grins mischievously, not taking his eyes off Celeste.
“Umm…maybe we should go somewhere else?” Olivia suggests.
“I agree. Let’s go,” I say.
“Wait,” Nick says, pulling Olivia in the front of him and wrapping his arms around her waist. “Jase, I would like for you to finally meet my baby mama and fiancée, Olivia.” He gives her a small kiss on her cheek.
“Nice to meet you,” Jase says. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
When Olivia looks back at him confused, Nick says, “Jase and I played ball together in high school and college. He was two years ahead of Kill and me.”
“We had some great times.” Jase and Nick bump fists.
“Did you go to school with them?” I ask Celeste. It would explain why this guy Jase was acting the way he was toward her. Although, I’m pretty sure she’s a few years younger than Nick.
“No.” She shakes her head. “I went to public school,” she adds softly.
> “You met him at the party I took you to, right?” Nick asks. “I forgot about that. Do you two…know each other?” His eyes volley between Celeste and Jase.
“Yes, you did,” Celeste says dryly, “but I don’t know him.”
Quinn sneers. “Oh, that’s rich! What’s wrong? Is my brother not worthy of your memories? Did you block out everything that happened before you ran your stuck-up ass to New York? What are you even doing slumming it in East Village? It’s a far ride from the Upper East Side.”
“You know what”—Celeste steps directly in Quinn’s face—“I don’t need to take this shit from you. I didn’t know you guys worked here, and if I had, trust me, I never would’ve come.”
“Well, now you know. And FYI, my brothers don’t just work here…they own the place. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out,” Quinn says before turning her back on Celeste.
“All right, everyone just calm down.” A guy who looks similar to Jase steps into view. “Everybody is welcome here. Which one of you is Olivia?”
“Me,” Olivia says, raising her hand.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Jaxson Crawford, but everyone calls me Jax. I spoke to you on the phone. I’m this asshole’s older brother.” He smacks his palm against Jase’s chest. “And this spitfire is our little sister.” He pulls Quinn into a playful headlock.
“Celeste, it’s good to see you again,” he says giving Celeste a sincere smile. “Although, with those billboards of you all over New York, I feel like I see you every day.” He winks playfully, and Celeste’s scowl breaks into a small grin.
“Great, if we’re all done with this reunion, how about we figure out who’s getting inked?” Jase says, sounding annoyed.
“I want the nice guy,” I say, pointing to Jax. “It’s my birthday. Livi, you can take the cranky one.” Everyone laughs, and Jase cracks a small smile.
“I might be the crankier one, but I’m still the better artist. Ain’t that right, Dimples?” His gaze lands on Celeste, who scowls.
“Bullshit!” Jax laughs. “I’m older, wiser, and a better artist.”
