Unfortunately, she seemed to have taken a liking to some other man at the gala. I wasn’t sure who the guy was as I’d never seen him around before. I was pretty sure she didn’t know him either but that wasn’t stopping her. She was in the middle of a hot and heavy make-out session and she didn’t care who saw her. I had to admit, I was feeling a little on the jealous side and wished it was me kissing those perfect lips.
I tried to ignore what was going on and placed all of my attention on Sarabelle. Watching what her sister was doing was only going to drive me crazy. Why couldn’t I just man up and tell Lexi what I thought about her? Was I afraid of rejection? What in the world did I have to lose? I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t realize the band had finished playing. Instead, I was still swaying back and forth like I had been for the last several minutes.
Finally snapping out of my daze, I gave Sarabelle a kiss on her forehead and went back to our table. When we got there, Lexi was nowhere to be found. Her sister looked around and spotted her walking out the door with the guy she had been making out with. I looked at Sarabelle and could see the look of concern on her face.
“Could you go get her for me? She doesn’t make the best decisions when she drinks,” she asked.
“Yeah, I can do that. She looked pretty messed up at the bar. Maybe I can get her away from that creep and get her back in here. Are you okay here by yourself for a bit or did you want to come with me?”
“I’ll be okay. Just try to hurry back.”
That was the answer I was hoping for. Maybe if I had the chance to spend some time alone with Lexi, I’d finally be able to tell her what I felt about her. It was doubtful, but maybe it would happen.
First, I had to intercept her in the parking lot before she had a chance to get into a car with a guy she didn’t know. I couldn’t imagine that going well, especially with the amount of alcohol she’d already consumed that evening. Apparently, I made it outside just in time as the valet had just brought the guy’s car around to him.
“Lexi, wait up,” I yelled as I ran up to the car. “Where are you going?”
“Does it matter? I’m going to have a little fun.”
“Yeah, I don’t think that’s such a good idea. Why don’t we get you back inside?”
“Who the fuck are you?” the guy she was with replied out of nowhere.
“I’m a family friend. Her sister’s inside and I need to take her back in.”
“Are you fucking deaf?” he questioned. “The lady said she was going to come with me and have a good time. Why don’t you run along now?”
Why don’t I run along now? Who the hell did this guy think he was dealing with? I took a deep breath so I wouldn’t lose it in front of Lexi and was eventually able to collect myself.
“Brother, I don’t know who you are and to be honest, I really don’t care,” I said. “I just want you to know that you have to pick your battles in life. I strongly suggest that you don’t choose this one to fight. Why don’t you either go inside and find someone else to take home or go on alone and sober up. Lexi is not going home with you.”
He rolled his eyes and debated whether or not he wanted to take things any further with me. After a few seconds, he made the wise choice of saying goodbye and getting into his car and heading home. Unfortunately, this left Lexi pissed off beyond words.
“What in the fuck do you think you’re doing Liam? Do you think you’re my fucking father who can just tell me what to do? Well, you can’t. My dad is dead so just back the fuck off, okay?”
“Lexi, I’m sorry but I couldn’t let you go home with some guy you didn’t know. Besides, Sarabelle was worried about you and wanted me to come out and make sure you were kept safe. Why don’t we go back inside the gala, find her and the three of us can have a fun rest of the night.”
Grudgingly, she followed me back into the building. I felt like a father must feel when he drags his daughter away from something she really wanted to do. I knew she was probably pissed at me, but if history was any indication, she would get over it quickly.
Once inside, we started to look around for Sarabelle. Since she isn’t exactly the most social person on the planet, I figured she’d still be at the table where I left her but there was no sign of her. She was also not at the bar nor was she on the dance floor. Lexi, on the other hand, was right back at the bar, trying to continue where she left off but the bartender was telling her that she’d had enough.
“What? You’re cutting me off? What kind of bullshit is this? I’ve got a fucking driver tonight and he doesn’t give a shit if I’m drinking. If I want to get drunk and pass out in the middle of this place, I have every right to do so!”
Lexi was yelling so loudly that she could be heard over the music and everyone was starting to look in her direction. Since I still couldn’t find Sarabelle, I figured I was the only one who could stop her from making an even bigger ass of herself.
“Okay, Lexi, maybe the bartender’s right. Maybe you’ve had enough. Why don’t we go outside for a bit and get some fresh air?”
“Yeah Liam, that's a very good idea. It’s not like we weren’t just out there five minutes ago.”
She was being a smart ass but she followed me anyway. I took her to a gazebo that sat right in front of this beautiful garden area. The garden was located right behind the building and it was gorgeous. It’s the kind of place that you could hold an outdoor wedding. There was even a huge maze made out of large bushes. It’s amazing.
Lexi kept being her usual self, talking a lot of shit about various people. I was no exception. I was pretty much being called every name in the book for not letting her do what she wanted to do. The only thing I could do was continue to tell her that I only did what I did to protect her. From out of nowhere, I could see her expression change and her anger turned to sadness. The next thing I knew, she had her face in her hands and had started to cry.
“Lexi, you okay?” I asked.
“No, I’m not okay. It’s not fair! It’s just not fair!”
“What’s not fair? What’s going on?”
“My parents. Why did they have to die the way they did? They never did anything to anyone. They never hurt anybody. Why did they have to burn up in that fire? Why did they have to leave us? We were just kids, Liam! We were just little kids.”
This was a side of Lexi that I’d never seen before. She never showed this kind of emotion, especially when it came to talking about her parents. Even at the funeral, she didn’t shed a tear. I wondered if she had actually been holding this in ever since. I’ve always thought that a part of her died along with her parents but I was beginning to see that she was just better at hiding her pain than most people.
“You know, Lexi, your parents were great people,” I said as I scooted in next to her. “I loved your mom and dad like they were my own parents. Hell, sometimes they were better parents to me than mine were.”
I paused, waiting for her to chime in. She was still too busy crying. “Do you remember when we were little and your parents took us roller skating? I was so scared and your dad told me that he had rented me special skates that wouldn’t let me fall once I was out there. It gave me so much confidence that I raced right out onto the skating rink and fell on my ass almost instantly. I looked up at your dad and saw him laughing. I knew I’d been had.”
Lexi wiped the tears out of her eyes and looked up at me, eager for me to continue talking.
“Or what about that time that you and Sarabelle were having a birthday party at your house. Your mom and dad put those special candles on your birthday cake that wouldn’t go out no matter how many times you blew on them. I remember you and your sister were acting like you were so mad but, at the same time, neither of you could stop laughing.”
She leaned in closer, waiting for me to finish the story. “Eventually, your dad grabbed the fire extinguisher to put out your candles and you guys freaked out, thinking he had just ruined your cake. Your mom was laughing so hard that she was fighting
back tears when she brought the real cake out and sat it in front of you.”
As I told the story, I could see Lexi’s demeanor beginning to change. Slowly but surely, her eyes were drying up and a smile was starting to form on her face. She had a beautiful smile, she just didn’t let it be seen nearly enough. When I got to the part about her mom fighting back tears, she started laughing out loud. Seeing her smile made me happy. Seeing her happy in a genuine way is so rare so I knew I was doing my job.
“Thanks, Liam. I really needed that,” she said as she leaned over to give me a hug. Immediately, my eyes darted to her shoulder, where the straps of her dress was slowly starting to slide off. I didn’t want her to unintentionally expose herself so I moved in to help push it back up. I don’t know if she thought I was making a move but she grabbed me, pulled me to her and started kissing me. Before I knew it, we were right in the middle of a full-fledged make-out session.
CHAPTER 3
Lexi
What in the hell am I doing? Am I really sitting here making out with Liam Bane?
That was the first question that was running through my mind. What was I doing? What was I thinking? After all, I had been the one who initiated the first kiss.
Was it the amount of alcohol I had consumed over the course of the evening? I could probably blame it on that if I wanted to but the truth is, I was having a moment of clarity. I knew exactly what I was doing, which was scary enough. What was even scarier was the fact that I didn’t think I wanted to stop.
We were in the middle of kissing pretty intensely when we heard some rumbling in the maze behind us and a woman came running out. She was half-naked, attempting to get her top situated as she ran. She looked familiar but I wasn’t able to get a good enough look at her to be able to identify her.
If she came running out like that, we could only imagine what else must have been going on inside that bush maze. I decided that I didn’t want to find out. I slid away from Liam and the make-out session was over.
Normally whenever I made out with a guy, it was because I knew I was going to get fucked right after. I wasn’t feeling the same turned on feeling that I usually experienced in that type of situation. I was feeling something entirely different.
I had butterflies in my stomach. It was the first time I’d ever felt anything like it and I didn’t understand what was happening. All I knew was that it was scaring the shit out of me.
“Thank you for the stories, Liam, but I really must be going. If you see my sister in there, can you tell her that I’m having the car take me home?” I asked, desperate to get away from the situation that I’d placed myself in.
“Are you sure? I can take you home if you’d like.”
“What about my sister? I’m sure she’s waiting for you.”
“If you haven’t forgotten, she was nowhere to be found when we were just inside looking for her. Besides, the car service will be able to get her home if she wants to leave before I get back.”
“Okay, you can take me home if you promise that nothing else is gonna happen. I’m really drunk and really confused right now.”
“You have my word.”
I followed Liam to his car and was surprised at how much of a gentleman he was being, especially since I was positive he was experiencing a major case of blue balls. We drove back to my house in silence, the situation too awkward for me to talk about. Back at my house, he walked me to the door and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
He didn’t leave until he was sure I made it into my house safely. No other man has ever done that for me. Most guys got what they wanted and split. He didn’t get anything but some deep kissing and he was nicer than any other guy had been to me. I sure as fuck didn’t deserve it but whatever. After we had gone our separate ways, I started to think about he and I sitting in the gazebo. Once again, the butterflies were fluttering away in my stomach. What the fuck?
§
Three weeks had gone by since the gala and I was still trying to process what had happened between Liam and me. Even though I’d been drinking heavily and much of the night was a blur, the time I spent with him was crystal clear. I was having an emotional struggle with myself. I had no idea what I was feeling for him, I just knew I was feeling something.
Liam called me every day for the first week after the gala, but the calls have slowed down to once every few days now. Sometimes I feel guilty for not answering his calls because I’m sure he’s just as confused about that night as I am but how can I give him any answers when I don’t know what they are?
He’s left a few messages that said he just wanted to talk to me and to call him back and I’m sure I will, eventually. At least, I’d like to think I would. In a perfect world, anything I was feeling would go away and I wouldn’t have to deal with them anymore. Then I could go back to being the bitch that everyone knows me as.
My phone rang and I was sure it was going to be Liam calling again. Instead, the name of the phone showed that the caller was none other than Kade Nichols. The fact that he was calling me after the way he blew me off at the gala was surprising. I had no idea what he could want but I was eager to find out. I answered, trying my best to sound as uninterested as possible.
“Hey Lexi, it’s Kade. I was just wondering what you’re doing tonight.”
Was this guy serious? Didn’t he blow me off in the worst way at the gala? These were the thoughts rushing through my mind and the things I most wanted to say to him. Of course, that wasn’t what came out of my mouth.
“I don’t have any plans at the moment. Why? What’s up?”
“I know that you didn’t get what you wanted when you saw me at the gala. I figured I’d give you a chance to see what you missed out on. You wanna come by my place tonight?”
“Are you fucking kidding me right now? You were a huge asshole to me that night and now you want to try to use me as a booty call? You’ve got some nerve.”
“Calm down, Lexi. I just thought you might want to have a little fun. That’s all this is.”
“No Kade, I’m not interested in that. The least you could have done was try to ask me out first. Fuck.”
“Well, I wasn’t exactly looking for a date out of this Lexi. Fuck it, I’m going to Amnesia tonight. You wanna come with me? I’ll be in the VIP room.”
Now he was getting somewhere. Amnesia is one of the hottest clubs in New York and getting access to the VIP room is next to impossible regardless of how much money you had.
Against my better judgment, I decided that a night out on the town would do me some good. If anything, it would prevent me from thinking about Liam for a few hours and allow my confused mind a break.
As I was getting dressed, I realized what those butterflies in my stomach had been all about. I was developing real feelings for Liam. The feelings seemed to come out of nowhere but they were there. As much as I tried to deny them, and I really, really tried to deny them, the feelings were there and getting stronger.
I even confided in my sister that I was beginning to like someone but I wasn’t about to tell her who. Not yet and not until I was sure that I was going to act on it. Everything in my body was telling me to go for it but it didn’t feel right. He’s not the type I’d usually go for. He isn’t exactly the bad boy that I’ve been known to date.
That evening, I got dressed in a sexy black halter-top dress with an open back and a keyhole chest cutout. It exposed the sides of my breasts and ensured I’d be getting all the attention at the club. It was my dress of choice for when I was on the prowl for a little action.
Things were going to be a bit different that night, though. I was wearing it to give Kade a look at the goods that I had no intention of letting him touch. I was going to get revenge for the way he treated me at the gala by teasing him and not following through with what he wanted.
My plan was working great. Kade and I were slamming drinks and dancing among the sea of people. He couldn’t keep his eyes off my body. As we danced, I made sure the grind right up against h
is manhood, smiling to myself as I felt it begin to stiffen inside his pants. We went back and forth between the VIP section and the dance floor all night long.
Eventually, nature called and I had to run to the bathroom. When I’m out at the club, I try my best to hold it in as long as I can because once I go, I feel like I’m back in there every twenty minutes. It’s like that old saying that says never to break the seal. Eventually, you have no choice, especially considering how much I was drinking. I had to stand in line for what seemed like an eternity but I finally made it inside.
Back in the VIP section, Kade had ordered a drink for me. This fucking thing was enormous and colorful. It was served in a fish bowl and tasted exactly like cinnamon graham crackers. Apparently it had something like nine different alcohols in it but you would have never known by the way it tasted.
The Silencer: A Bad Boy MMA Romance Page 27
