by Alison Mello
I smile. “You’re welcome.” I grab her hand. “Do me a favor?”
“What?”
“I get you’re struggling with your emotions, but don’t shut me out, okay?”
She nods with a weak smile. “I’ll try.” She starts back toward the house but turns back. “Good night, Bentley.”
“Good night, Jade.”
Chapter Six
Bentley
It has been an incredibly long week at work, and it doesn’t help that Jade took off to visit her parents for Christmas and New Year’s, leaving me stuck here thinking about her. We’ve chatted over text a few times, and she called to wish me a Merry Christmas, but to be honest, I really miss her. She got back yesterday, but I haven’t had a chance to talk to her yet because my day was insane.
I kick the door to my apartment shut and pull my stuffy tie loose. Mushu greets me with a loud meow, running in between my legs, nearly tripping me once again. I love this cat, but he is forever running between my legs. I swear it’s his mission to take me out.
My phone pings from inside my briefcase that I left on the chair. I dig it out and see a group text.
Ky: Who’s down for the club tonight? I need some fun.
Breigh: I’m in.
Hell yeah, I’m down, but I’m watching the responses come through, hoping that Jade will be going as well. I need to jam and burn off some of this energy.
Julie: I’m down. Our normal place?
Ky: Yeah. I’ll be at Blume by ten.
Destiny: I’m game
She still hasn’t responded, but I’m curious to see if she will respond if I do, so I jump in.
Bentley: I’m in for sure. See you at ten.
I strip out of my suit and throw it in my dry clean pile and head to the shower. It was hot as balls today, and of all days I had to wear a suit. I had a large, stressful meeting this afternoon. My stomach growls, reminding me that I missed lunch, thanks to the meeting. So, instead of showering, I decide to eat. I throw a couple of slices of leftover pizza in the toaster oven, then run to my room to gather some clothes for tonight. I don’t normally stress over my attire, but I’m really hoping Jade will be there.
I narrow my eyes as I glance around my walk-in closet, looking for the perfect pair of jeans. My favorite jeans are fitted and have a few shredded spots across the front. I grab my white sneakers and a fitted navy-blue t-shirt that hugs my muscles. Once I have that all laid out, I run back to the kitchen.
I practically burn myself grabbing my pizza from the toaster oven. Cooking is not my thing. I have no problem with style, decorating my place, or keeping it tidy, but I have no desire to cook. My mom used to try to get me in the kitchen with her all the time. She said she wouldn’t send me off into the world without knowing how to care for myself. She taught me how to make a lot of basic dishes, sew, iron, do laundry, and clean. I can do it all, but cooking isn't something I enjoy doing.
My phone vibrates on the table. I quickly grab it, praying that it’s a text from Jade, but it’s not. It’s Aaron telling us that he’s going tonight. I shake my head, laughing at myself. I need to get lost in some music, so I turn on my stereo and press play on my favorite playlist. Too bad the first song that plays is One Dance from Drake. I toss my head, back laughing. Jade and I jammed out to this one night on our way home. We had so much fun. It was nice to see her smiling.
I’ve been walking her home from class every night, and our conversations have been amazing. The woman invades my every thought, and yet all I can do is chill and try to be patient, something I’ve never been good at.
I’ve always been a go-getter. If I want it, I bust my ass until I get it, but it’s different with Jade. If I don’t calculate this right, and I make one wrong move, she’s gone.
I toss my paper plate and jump in the shower. My cock is hard as steel from images of Jade dancing running through my head. I’ve never had a woman affect me the way she does, and she doesn’t even know it because my lame ass is too afraid to tell her. She knows I like her and would like to pursue a relationship, but she has no idea she affects me the way she does.
I shake my head, looking down at my hard cock. I need to take care of this because my blue balls are becoming too much. Images of Jade run through my head. Her hand runs down my chest, over my hip, and to my cock. She wraps her fingers around me, gently stroking me as she grinds her hips with the beat of the music. She rolls her body against mine and drops to her knees. Her warm lips wrap around my dick, sucking me deep. She pulls away, licking me from base to tip and then takes me deep to the back of her throat. She continues working my cock until I finally give her what she wants. She moans, sucking me hard until she has every last drop.
My phone rings, pulling me from my fantasy. I quickly wash up and jump out of the shower to see a missed call from Jade. I ring her back as I dry up. “Hey.” She calls into the phone.
“What’s up?” I ask her.
“Can I ride with you to the club tonight? I want to drink and let loose and don’t want to worry about my car.”
“Yeah, of course.” I can’t help the huge smile on my face. “I’ll pick you up about nine-thirty.”
“Sounds good, thanks.”
“No problem.” I cut the call and begin the process of getting ready.
I’m no chick. It doesn’t take me hours to get ready, but I always put some effort into making sure I look good, especially for Jade.
After the longest two hours of my life, I finally pull up to Jade’s place in my Mustang convertible with the top down. She comes running out of her house wearing these tight ass jeans, sexy leopard print heels, and a tight crop top that shows off her tiny waistline. Thank God her hair is in a ponytail because it is a beautiful night, and I have no desire to put the top up.
“Nice car.” She leans on my car door. “Ready for some fun?”
“Absolutely, let’s do this.” She opens the car door and slips inside. “You look amazing.”
She leans in to give me a brief hug. “Thanks, you don’t look so bad yourself.” She wiggles her brows at me.
I take the scenic route to the club so that I don’t have to get on the highway and jack up her hair. The breeze is nice, and the streets are pumping with people. Sean Paul comes over the radio. She turns it up and starts dancing in her seat. Her energy is contagious.
When we pull up to Club Blume, there is a line of people waiting to get in. I pull up to the valet, toss him my keys, and tell him to take care of it. “No problem, sir.” He climbs in and drives my car out to the valet lot while Jade and I make our way to the club's entrance. Club Blume has a VIP list, and if you’re on it, you can skip the line. It isn’t cheap, but we all bought in shortly after we made this our spot, because got sick of waiting. “Bentley Taylor,” I tell the bouncer who already knows us. He fist-bumps me and moves the rope to let us in.
Jade dances her way into the club, hips rolling with each step she takes. She turns to see me following her. “Come on.” She grabs my hand and pulls me to the dance floor.
“Don’t you want to find our crew first?”
She glances up at the section we always take and waves to some of our friends who are already here. They wave back. “There, they know we’re here.”
Whisper by Blac Youngsta is jamming through the speakers. Her hand wraps around my neck, she places one leg between mine, and we start bumping and grinding to the music. I’m trying to think of anything but how good she feels in my arms because I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep my cock at bay.
When the song ends, the song shifts to Scream and Shout by Brittany Spears. She rolls her eyes and fans herself. “I’m ready for a drink.”
“Let’s go.” I lead her to the bar and order her a Long Island Iced Tea.
“How did you know?” She asks, taking her drink from the bartender.
“I’m observant.” She smiles and shakes her head. “Let’s go and say hi to our friends.” She leads us up the stairs to an area that Ky rese
rves for us. It’s not huge, but perfect for our crew. There are a few couches that line the room with some little tables as well. The music plays in there as well, but at a much lower level enabling us to talk or dance.
“What’s up, bro.” Ky jumps up and gives Jade and me both a hug.
We make our rounds saying hi to everyone, and by the time we do, Jade is done with her first drink and orders a second from the waitress who came in to check on us.
The girls start dancing around the room to an Eminem remix while the guys chill. “What’s up with you two?” Micah asks.
“Nothing. She asked me to pick her up so she could drink and not worry about her car.” He nods but looks amused. “I’m serious. It’s just a ride.”
His smile grows. “I’m sure. Have you two discussed songs at all?”
I shake my head. “Nah, I tried mentioning it to Jade, but she said we had plenty of time that I wasn’t giving myself enough credit as a dancer. We agreed to work on it over Christmas, but we haven’t discussed it anymore.
“Dude, if you move with her at the competition like you did on that dance floor, you’re gonna win that shit.” Ky pats me on the chest with the back of his hand.
I narrow my eyes at him. “What are you talking about?”
“Come on, man.” Ky sucks his teeth. “Don’t play dumb.”
I shake my head. “I’m not.”
Micah starts laughing. “Dude, there is some serious chemistry between you two.”
I laugh. “Yeah, well, try telling that to Jade.” I know she feels it, but accepting it is something else.
I glance over to see Jade and Breigh sandwiching Aaron. Shit is hot. She slams down her second empty glass. I’m in so much trouble tonight. She is drinking to get drunk.
“I don’t know about the rest of y’all, but it’s time for me to get my dance on.” If I don’t get Jade down on the dance floor, she’s going to get drunk, and the night is still young.
“Let’s do it.” Ky jumps up from his seat and takes Breigh down with the rest of us following.
We get through one song, and the girls are off to do a shot at the bar. I’m watching Jade closely because there are a lot of pricks in this place that would love to put their hands on her, and I’m not having that. She turns to me with a huge smile on her face.
I call her over with my finger. She laughs and struts across the dance floor as Havana by Camila plays over the speakers. There’s nothing but sex in her eyes as she stares me down. She walks around me, her hand grazing over my ass and up my chest. I grab her hand and lead her in some seriously sexy moves with our eyes locked on one another. It’s as if we’re the only two people on the dance floor.
I pull her close. The smell of lavender takes over my senses. She smells heavenly. Our hips instantly move in sync with one another. I put one hand around her neck while the other slips over her cheek to the nape of her neck. She presses her forehead to mine, her eyes laced with want, but her heart is still laced with hurt. She spins off me, extending my arm until I pull her back to me. She tosses her head back, laughing at my Dirty Dancing move.
When the song ends, the room erupts into hoots and hollers. I had no idea people had backed off to give us some room. Phones were out, and people were recording us. Jade and I burst into laughter until Jackson bursts through the crowd and approaches us.
“So, I’ve been out of her life but a couple of months, and you’re already moving in on my girl.”
I step up to him. “First, it’s been about six months, and second you have balls staking any claim here. You’re a fucking cheating piece of shit.” I shake my head. If this dude thinks he scares me, he’s fucking crazy. “You’re lucky I don’t flatten your ass right here. You had something amazing, and you gave her up.”
He laughs. “Listen, dude. You can have her.” He shakes his head. “I just didn’t know you were into leftovers.” I pull my fist back to punch him, but someone grabs my arm before I can connect. My blood boils at his lack of respect for Jade.
His flakey girlfriend, Brittany, comes running over. “Jackson, no. The cameras. We want the spotlight, but not like this.”
“I’m out.” Jackson takes his girl’s hand, and they walk away. When I turn to check on Jade, she’s at the bar, downing another shot.
“Dude, you good?” Ky asks.
“Yeah, I’m good.” I hurry over to the bar. “Are you okay?”
She nods. “Yeah. Come on, I want to dance some more,” she says as Drake starts playing. She slams her glass down, and we hit the dance floor one more time. This time I can tell the alcohol is starting to kick in. She’s struggling to keep the beat.
“Come with me.” I take her hand and lead her back to our empty private room. We dance where no one can record her drunk because that’s the last thing she needs after what just went down. Most of our Instagram followers are great, but there are always a few who want to knock a dancer down a few notches, especially before a competition.
“Do you know I almost married that idiot?” She stammers her words. “I could have ended up divorced by the age of twenty-five. Who wants to do that?”
I shrug. “I don’t know. Maybe that’s why you found out now. It just wasn’t meant to be.”
She drapes an arm over my shoulder and continues to dance. “I’m over him. It’s time to move on.”
“Is it?” I ask her as she leans closer to me. As much as I would love to take her home and show her what it’s like to really make love, I could never take advantage of her like that.
The music rolls into some Cardi B.
She smiles. “You’re sexy, Bentley.” She runs her finger down my chest in small circles.
I toss my head back. “You’re drunk.”
She furrows her brows. “So.” She pouts. “I still think you’re sexy.” She slaps me on the peck.
“Okay, well, thank you. I think you’re pretty sexy as well.”
“I need a break.” She stumbles over to the couch and collapses.
Her eyes are getting droopy. “Come on. I’ll take you home.” She stands from the chair but quickly grabs on to me. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I just lost my balance for a second.” She grabs onto my arm. As I hold her steady, the rest of our crew is heading to our section. I fill everyone in that we are leaving and that I’m bringing her home. The girls are cracking jokes and wiggling their brows while the guys are busting my balls about hooking up.
As soon as we’re outside, she says, “Take me to your place. I don’t want to be alone tonight.” She whimpers.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Jade.”
“Please, Bentley.” She gives me her best puppy dog look.
“Come on.” She hooks her arm through mine. I sigh, handing the valet my ticket. “It’ll be fun. We can hang out.”
She's stumbling in her heels, so I stop her and take them off of her so she can go down the stairs barefoot.
The valet pulls the car around, and I help her inside. I toss her shoes on the floor at her feet. Once we’re both in the car, she looks over at me. “What?” I ask, confused.
She shakes her head. “I don’t even know why I drank like this.” She puffs her cheeks, letting out a deep breath. “I hate how I feel after a night of drinking.”
“I didn’t know that. I always noticed you were Jackson’s designated driver, but I didn’t know why.” I put my car in drive and headed toward my house, careful about how I drive. I don’t need her to get sick in my car. “He liked to drink and have a good time.” She takes a deep breath. “I don’t want to talk about him. He makes me sick.”
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have brought him up.” I glance over to see her staring out the window.
She waves her hand at me. “Nah, it’s all good. It’s hard not to.” She leans her head against the cool glass window and watches as the buildings pass by.
When we pull up to my place, she’s passed out cold. I walk around to the other side of the car, gently slip her shoes on h
er feet and scoop her up. She snuggles into my chest and wraps her arms around my neck. She’s light as a feather, but I’m glad I don’t have far to go. I struggle to unlock the door to my apartment building with her in my hands, but I manage.
I kick the door to my apartment shut, and as I do, Mushu comes running as usual to greet me. I fear I’ll trip and drop Jade, so I tell him to go lay down, but he doesn’t listen following me through the house.
I take Jade to my room and contemplate what to do. It won’t be comfortable sleeping in those jeans, so after removing her shoes, I decide to slip them off her body and tuck her into my bed. Mushu jumps on the bed to investigate. He rubs his face against her cheek, but she barely moves.
I want to give her a t-shirt to wear, but I fear I’ll wake her, and I don’t want her to freak out in the morning when she wakes and realizes that she didn’t change herself.
She rolls over, cuddles into my pillow, and falls deep asleep with Mushu by her side and a huge smile on her face. “Good night, Jade.”
Chapter Seven
Jade
As I slowly wake, I stretch my body and silently thank God that I feel pretty good after a rough night of drinking and dancing. It dawns on me that sheets are softer than mine, and they smell masculine. Parts of last night are foggy, making me scared to open my eyes. I roll over toward the middle of the bed and take in my surroundings. I’m in a strange bed, alone. The sheets are navy blue, and the comforter is blue and gray. The walls are grey as well. The bed is black.
I expel a deep breath, realizing I must be in Bentley’s bed. I try to remember what went down last night. A vague conversation with Bentley about bringing me to his place comes to mind, but I don’t remember much else.
I throw my arm over my eyes and silently pray that we didn’t sleep together. He is an extremely sexy man. He has hazel eyes and dark thick hair, let’s not even get started on his six-pack abs. They bring my girly bits to life, and he is definitely someone I would have taken a liking to much sooner had it not been for Jackson. Stop. I silently curse myself.
