The Beginning of Us (239 page)

“Slade.” I lift my drink when I feel two arms wrap around my neck and come to a stop on my chest as a set of lips settle on my ear. I turn my head slightly to see Amy. I turn back around looking at my drink thinking I should push her away. I am not in the mood. I’m pissed off and lost. Where the fuck did I go from here? What does Angel want me to do? I’ve never had to chase a woman before; they always came to me.

I close my eyes and take in a deep breath as Amy starts sucking on my ear. I picture it being Angel, sighing my name. Picture her standing there, telling me she wants me with a beautiful smile on her face.

“Come home with me.”

The sound of Amy’s voice ruins it for me.

I open my eyes, and they lock with Angel as she stands across the bar, staring at me.
Fuck!

I look to Micah and his eyes narrow on me before he looks away, taking a drink of his beer. I don’t have to look over to Josh to know he’s giving me a go to hell look as well. I pull Amy’s arms away from my neck. “Not tonight.”

“What?” she asks, obviously surprised.

I first hooked up with Amy in high school, and we’ve continued to sleep together throughout the years. She was a beautiful blonde back in high school, but after graduation she cut off her hair, dying it jet black, pierced her nose and started wearing leather all the time. She also fell in love with tattoos; they cover her entire body. I’ve never been attracted to a woman covered with tattoos, or wanted to fuck the same woman more than once. But Amy and I have always wanted the same thing; no attachment fucking, so what we did worked for us, and she could do whatever she wanted to do with her body.

“I said not tonight.” I stand up, grabbing my rum and coke. I have to tell Angel that what she just saw was not what it looked like. I don’t know why. I just don’t want her to think I’m taking Amy home.

“Angel?” I say as I come up to the bar.

“What, Slade? Does your table need something?” She keeps her back to me, counting out some change.

I clear my throat. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Holly is giving me a small smile. She can tell I’m trying with Angel, so how can Angel not see it?

She turns around and walks out behind the bar without even looking at me. I follow her as she goes to the back to give us some privacy.

“What?” She crosses her arms over her chest, looking down at the floor and still refusing to make eye contact with me.

“I…”
Fuck, how can I explain this?
“I don’t know how much you saw, but it’s not what you think.”

She looks up at me. “Doesn’t matter what I saw. What you do is none of my business.” She shrugs.

“I’m sorry.”
Why do I keep apologizing?
Oh yeah, because I keep fucking up.

Her cold green eyes stare into mine and my gut clenches. I should have never let Amy touch me. I should have pushed her away. “Why are you sorry? I never once thought that I was the only girl you’re trying to screw.” She says with a straight face.

I stand there, caught off guard. “Um, no. It’s...I...but not—”

She places her hand up, cutting me off. “Spit it out. What do you want?” She demands harshly.

I swallow, why in the fuck do I feel like I’m sinking in quicksand, and how in the hell do I get out? This is becoming a fucking train wreck.

“I just wanted to apologize and let you know it’s not what it looked like.”

“Don’t apologize for what you do. You don’t have to explain your life to me.” She walks past me, knocking her shoulder into me.

“Sam,” Holly calls out to her, sounding worried.

“Don’t want to talk about it,” she replies as she picks up her tray and walks over to another table.

My life?
She’s right, fucking different women has always been my life. Why do I feel the need to change that now? I shake my head. How do I continue to ruin shit with her?

I walk back toward our table. Amy is still standing there, talking to the guys. I don’t want to put up with that shit tonight. Once again, I want to go home and be alone. I look over and see Angel smiling and laughing as she waits on a table full of men, and it just pisses me off even more.

“For our tab,” I say to Holly, throwing down a hundred dollar bill. I walk out before anyone can stop me, or further piss me off.

Samantha

I lay awake in my bed as I think over my evening. What the hell is going on with Slade? I mean, my body can’t deny him. When he started touching my chest with those paper towels, I damn near lost it. And what really pissed me off was he thought it was funny. He thought he could put his hands on me while laughing. He probably drenched me on purpose.

When he touched my face and slipped his hand in my hair, I couldn't move. I wanted him to lean in and kiss me while picking me up and carrying me off to a private room. He seemed to want me just as much as I wanted him. When his body pressed against me, I could feel him, hard and huge!

What was up with the questions about Jax? Who the hell cares about Jax anymore? I sure don’t. That man is history in my book, but I was shocked to hear he knew what had happened. I was also kind of mad that he knew.

When that tattooed girl was all over him, I felt hurt. He had
just
told me I was special and that he wanted me. I knew that special speech was just a line, but it didn’t change the fact that I liked hearing him say it. Every time he’s out and about he’s all over some girl, or some girl is all over him. He told me he’s never had a relationship.
Never?
All he has ever done is sleep around? That thought alone should turn me off to him, but it doesn’t. I still want him, more than ever. I want him badly. I just need to keep my distance and stay away from him because I don’t know how much longer I can hold back.

*****

Wednesday and Thursday go by pretty fast, and before I know it, it’s Friday. The night we are supposed to go out with Holly, Micah, Josh and Slade. What the hell was I thinking when I said I would go out with everyone tonight? I need to stay as far away from Slade as I can. Yet here I am, standing in my kitchen downing a bottle of Barefoot Moscato while waiting for Holly to pick me up.

I’m on my third glass and my second outfit. The more I drink, the sexier my outfit gets. Right now I have on an extremely short pair of black shorts, a black spaghetti strap top that is so long it overlaps a little bit on my shorts, and a sleeveless white short crop vest on that has two black buttons down the front. And I’m wearing the highest pair of black high heels I could find in my closet. I keep telling myself I’m not dressing to impress anyone, but every time I put on an outfit, I ask myself if Slade will like it. Then I will get mad and start doing my hair or adding to my makeup. I have my bangs pinned back, and the rest of my dark hair is in their big curls down my back and teased real high at the crown. My makeup is done extra dark with black and grey eye shadow giving it that smoky look with thick eyeliner.

I’m filling my fourth glass when I hear a knock at the door.

“Come in!” I shout and start to down my drink.

“Hey, girl. You ready to…. Wow!” Holly stops in front of the kitchen looking me up and down with her mouth open.

“What?” I ask as I come up for some air after finishing off that glass.

“You look…hot.” She nods her head while a wide grin spreads across her face.

“Thanks.” I laugh turning around to place my drink in the sink.

“No, I mean really freaking hot. How am I going to keep the guys off of you tonight?” She gives me a smile. “Let’s go.” She starts to help me out to the car. “How many drinks have you had already?”

“Four glasses,” I giggle. “My plan is not to make it past midnight.”
Then I won’t have to be around Slade’s sexiness for too long.

She walks around the car and gets into the driver seat. She pulls her phone out and texts someone. As soon as she sets her phone in her center console it goes off. She picks it up reading it, then places it back down.

“The guys are already there.”

“That’s wonderful.” I smile as I lay my head back against the seat and close my eyes.

The closer to the bar we get, the more excited I am to see Slade. Since I can’t stay away from him tonight, I guess I’ll just give in and be nice. It’s not his fault he is so damn sexy that it causes me to be a bitch.

“Sam,” I hear Holly say my name. I act like I don’t hear her, and keep my eyes closed.

“Sam.” She repeats.

I open my eyes and lean up to look at her. “What?”

“Does this smile have to do with Slade?”

I close my eyes. Why can’t people not talk about him?

“I won’t say anything. Come on, you can tell me. I’m your best friend.” She playfully slaps my leg.

“You are also his brother’s girlfriend,” I laugh.

“Ah ha!” She screams, making me jump. “It
is
about Slade. Spill.”

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m trying to keep my distance, but it’s just not working.”

“Why do you want to keep your distance?”

I look at her. “I want him, Holly.”
No reason to lie about it.
“Just like every other girl in this town, but I don’t want to be
that
girl. I don’t want to be another one night stand to him.” I sigh. Well my body does, but my mind is saying hell no.

“Sam, I’ve never seen him treat a girl the way he’s treating you. Trust me. I can tell that he’s trying to be a different person when he’s around you. You are making it very hard on him, though.”

“That’s why he’s different around me Holly.” She just doesn’t get it.

“What are you talking about?”

“You just said I was making it difficult for him. That’s why he’s acting different with me. Because I didn’t hike up my dress and bend over in the bathroom the moment he asked me to have a threesome with him and Ginger.” I slap a hand over my drunken mouth. I hadn’t told her that.

“What?” She squeals. “He actually asked you to have a threesome with Ginger? She is such a bitch. I can’t stand her.”

“Yes,” I laugh. “He didn’t even know who I was, Holly. He just wanted to have sex with me.”

“And?” she asks slowly.

“And I wanted to,” I whisper. “Well, not the threesome. I didn’t want to get near Ginger.” I shudder at that thought. “But for once in my life, I wanted to be that girl with no attachments. No love involved, just sex.” I shake my head. How can I want to be that kind of person?

“Hey don’t be so hard on yourself, Sam. It’s okay to want that every now and then.”

“You sound like Courtney.” I laugh as I reapply my lipstick, wanting it to look fresh for Slade.

“Well she knows what she’s talking about.” She nods her head. “I’m not saying you have to give in and sleep with him. I’m just saying, take it easy on him. He treats you different because he thinks you’re different than all the others.” She slides a glance my way “And that’s something I’ve never seen Slade do.”

I nod my head in understanding and laugh. The alcohol is making me feel all warm inside. “You’re right. I’m really tired of being a bitch to him. I’m just going to go with the flow.” And hope that I can keep myself a float.

She laughs “That’s my girl.”

I see his black Cadillac CTS coupe as we pull into the back parking lot. I close my eyes and take a deep breath before we enter Larry’s. Here goes nothing.

Chapter Eight

Slade

Holly:
She has already started drinking, just thought you should know. And just wait until you see what she’s wearing
.