Chapter 12
Alex (Now)
The week went by pretty quickly and I even managed a small sense of normalcy with Drew. I was hopeful that I could get through this. I could get over him and no one would have to get hurt, myself included.
I had a last minute conference call on Wednesday, so I was a little late getting to The Den. When I walked in, everyone was already there. I said a quick hello to Papa Jack and headed back to our table.
“Hey guys, I’m sorry. I…” I froze. There, sitting in my fucking seat, was Gwen “Bitchface” Stevens. I was completely stunned and fucking furious. What the holy fuck was she doing here? My jaw was on the floor. I had to have stumbled into an alternate reality. It was the only explanation for why she was here.
I looked at Drew, who seemed nervous. He was quite literally backed into a corner since Gwen was blocking any chance he had of escaping.
Gwen beamed up at me with a Cheshire cat grin. “I heard you talking about trivia the other day. You made it sound like so much fun, so I thought I would check it out. Sean here was nice enough to ask me to join you guys.”
She reached out and put an acrylic tipped claw on Sean’s arm. He smiled at her, then turned to face me, his face crumpling when he saw the fire in my eyes.
“Uh yeah,” he stammered, trying to figure out his mistake. “We could use the extra brain power.” He raised his eyebrows and swallowed hard as I glared at him. Millie and David wore confused looks, not really understanding what was happening.
“I’ll go get you a chair.” David cautiously got up and headed to the back to get the chair. The anger was pulsing off of me in waves. The only one who didn’t seem phased was Gwen. She just beamed up at me from my fucking seat. Her victorious smile had never faltered.
“I’m going to go freshen up,” Gwen said, rising to her feet. “Be right back.”
She turned to Drew and wiggled her fingers. I momentarily considered dashing to reclaim my chair, but I thought better of it. No need to act childish.
When she was gone, I punched Sean in the arm. “You invited Bitchface to join us?” I said through clenched teeth. So much for not acting childish.
Drew snorted a laugh and then bit his lip to stifle it when I shot him a glare. Sean rubbed his arm, looking at me like I was crazy. At the moment, that was a pretty fair assessment.
Sean’s eyes widened. “That’s Bitchface?” He hooked a thumb in the direction Gwen just disappeared in. I cocked my head to the side. Really? Millie looked down at the table, shaking her head. Sean looked at everyone at the table for confirmation or help, but he got nothing.
“How was I supposed to know?” he said, his voice rising as he tried to defend himself. “You never said her real name.”
“Well, she’s here. Not much we can do about it now,” Millie said, pulling me down into the chair David set down between her and Sean. Bridget came by and set a Bud Light in front of me.
Before she could escape, I grabbed her arm. “Jack Daniels, double.”
Bridget raised her eyebrows.
We weren’t friends by any means, but she knew what I drank. Bud Light for every day, tequila for fun, white wine when I’m sad. Whiskey was reserved for when my life had gone to shit, and it couldn’t get much worse than this godforsaken night.
I released her wrist and she hurried off to the bar. I looked up and everyone was staring at me, waiting to see if I would spontaneously combust.
Gwen sauntered her way back to the table as Bridget set my Jack down in front of me. She dropped into the chair, making it scoot a little closer to Drew. I narrowed my eyes at her, trying to hold back the growl that was clawing its way up my throat. I picked up my glass and tossed the dark brown liquid down my throat. It burned the whole way down. I wiped my mouth and raised one finger to Bridget to bring me another as a heavy tension settled over the table.
David spoke up. “So, Gwen, is this your first time at The Den?”
He was pretending not to notice me trying to burn a hole in the side of his head with my stare. Millie squeezed my knee under the table, telling me to behave. I sighed and slunk down in my chair. Fine, I would behave, but I didn’t have to like it. Millie was going to be a great mom.
“Yes, I love it!” Gwen replied with too much enthusiasm, happy to be the center of attention. “It’s so cozy.”
Cozy? Was she kidding? The Den is a dive. No way would she come here without an ulterior motive. She went to bars that had twenty-five dollar martinis and rich old men looking for their next trophy wife.
By the time trivia started, I had already been through two shots of Jack and three beers.
“I vote we make this game a little more interesting,” Sean said, deviously rubbing his hands together.
“Every time you answer incorrectly,” he said, looking around the table, “you must perform a task of our choosing.”
“Don’t you think we are a little old for truth or dare?” David asked, always the grown-up.
“I’m in!” I said, slapping the table, causing Millie to jump.
“That’s my girl!” Sean threw his arm around my shoulders.
“Me too,” Drew said with a mischievous grin
Gwen leaned into Drew. “I’m up for anything.”
That skank made my life hell at work. Now she thinks she can come in here, wedge herself into my group, and throw herself at Drew. Who the fuck does she think she is? My whole body tingled with anger and Jack Daniels.
Sean clapped his hands together and I jumped. “Then let’s get this party started.”
The so-called tasks got crazier as the night went on. Sean was the one to do most of them. I almost fell out of my chair when he followed Papa Jack around the bar, singing “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls, complete with choreography. It was ridiculous, but Sean’s game had successfully eased some of the tension.
Gwen was still trying everything she could to get Drew’s attention. Every time she moved in closer, he retreated until he was pressed against the wall and had nowhere else to go. He was starting to look like a cornered cat.
We all looked up as the next question popped up on the TV screen.
What unit of distance is equal to 1.85 kilometers?
“One mile,” Drew said.
We all waited for the screen to reveal the answer.
One nautical mile.
“Ooh! It looks like we have him on a technicality.” Sean laughed. He tapped a finger on his chin. “What should we have young Andrew do as penance for his ignorance?” Sean’s eyes went wide and a devious smile spread across his face. “How about you give one of these lovely ladies at our table a kiss?”
Gwen looked like she was ready to jump into Drew’s lap. He looked at me, Gwen, and Millie, then a slow smile crept across his face. He stood up and walked around Gwen, who slumped down in her chair with a pout. He walked behind me and stopped. My body tensed, waiting to see what he would do.
He leaned down and gave Millie a quick peck on the cheek. David cracked up and I breathed a sigh of relief as Sean protested. “No way, man! Doesn’t count. It needs to be on the lips, with tongue.”
Gwen sat up straighter, flashed a smile, and pushed up her breasts in Drew’s direction. Drew stepped around me. “Fine.”
Before I could even blink, he grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. He wrapped one hand around my waist and put the other on the back of my neck as he dipped me back. My head almost landed in Sean’s lap.
Drew pressed his lips to mine. The shock of it forced my mouth open as he slipped his tongue past my parted lips, deepening the kiss. I melted. He felt incredible. I could hear the hoots and cat calls, but they sounded distant and out of focus. His lips never left mine as he brought me back to my feet. I thought, for sure, he would break the kiss and step away, but his grip tightened on my hips and his lips continued to move with mine. I felt like I was out of my body watching this happen to someone else.
I forgot who I was and where I was and just went for it, thrusting my hands into his hair, trying to get even closer. He tasted like beer and honey. I couldn’t get enough. I didn’t realize how much I wanted this until now. I’d spent so much time convincing myself of all the reasons I shouldn’t love him that I never considered what it could feel like to actually be with him. It felt so right, being in his arms, kissing him. It felt like I was where I belonged.