The Choice (9 page)

For dinner, Chase takes me to a barbecue joint that’s both local and lively.
Loud fluorescent signs and even louder patrons fill the place, but in less than ten minutes we’re seated at a booth. Chase surprises me by cuddling up next to me on my side of the booth and tucking me into his shoulder.

Since the place is packed, it takes a little longer than normal for our food. We pass the time easily, though, talking about our plans to visit Florida next month for Emily’s wedding.

“Did you tell your parents that I moved in?” I ask and he looks down at me with a cautious grin.

“Yeah,
I actually just talked to them today. They said to tell you hi.”

I can tell there’s something else he wants to say but is holding back.

“What else?”

“Nothing,” he says, taking a long pull from his beer.

“Liar!” I accuse loudly, twisting his nipple and causing him to nearly spit his beer across the table.

“
Ow! Shit, Baby!” he laughs, rubbing his nipple defensively. “It’s nothing, really, I promise!” He keeps his hand over his nipples as I cut my eyes at him suspiciously.

“I think you’re up to no good,” I say, tipping my beer bottle in his direction before taking a swig. “I’ll find out what you’re hiding from me.”

“I’m not lying, Baby!”

“
You’re hiding something! I’ll find out what it is and when I do, it’s your ass, Chase!” He laughs at my reaction and I turn to face him, still trying to read him. “I hate surprises.”

“You told me you liked surprises,” he eyes me curiously.

“I just said that to get in your pants,” I tease, making him bark out a laugh. “I wanted you to think I was fun.”

“Well, I know you don’t like surprises anymore and I still think you’re fun,” he smiles.

“That’s just because I got in your pants and you’re a liar like me,” I say, causing us both to laugh.

“I’m not
lying, Baby.”

“Maybe not, but you’re hiding something and I’m gonna find out what.”

“Okay, my sexy Sherlock,” he says chuckling, kissing me on the head as the waiter makes his way over to our table with our food. “Sleuth away, I got nothin’ to hide.”

“Whatever,” I say, playfully smacking him. “
Get your ass over there, you sneaky bastard, my ribs are here.”

After dinner, Chase and I head to the bar and meet with the others. Ana’s just finishing up when we walk in and runs around to hug me before making our drinks for us.

Once she joins us, we catch up and make plans to spend the following weekend at the beach with them. We’ve been talking for about an hour when a familiar face stops at the end of our table.

“Hey!” Heather shouts over the noise. Smiling and waving back at her, I introduce her to Ana and Drake, giggling when her eyes refuse to meet Chase’s.
She’s dressed up for a night out, but she’s looking a little down. She’s wearing tight jeans with a low cut, hot pink tank top that matches her new highlights and vibrant makeup.

“Do you want to sit with us or are you already here with people?”

“No,” she starts with disappointment staining her face. “I live nearby and Jamie was supposed to meet me here but our plans changed. I was ready though so I thought I’d come over and grab a beer, try to mingle with the locals and all that shit.”

“Who’s Jamie?” Chase asks.

“New manager at work,” I explain quietly and he nods, turning back to face her. “Well, sit with us then. We’re just hanging out.”

“Okay,” she agrees, squeezing in next to Ana.

We slip into comfortable conversation before long and I’m happy to see that Heather is getting along well with everyone.

Once the alcohol hits Ana and me
, we slip into our normal routine of cracking each other up and getting loud while Heather and the guys laugh at our antics. I’m admiring the tattoos that cover Heather’s arms when Ana interrupts.

“So what’s the deal,
Soph? What’s the big send off?” she asks with a smirk.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“I mean, tonight’s my last night in Rockport and you’re my fuckin’ BFF! My sista from another mista,” she laughs, causing me to spit my drink. “What super cool thing are you gonna do to honor the awesomeness that is me?”

“I thought we were already doing it?” I say, laughing harder when she gasps dramatically.  “Well, what do you want
from me? You’re moving an hour away! I’ll see you in a week! Do you want me to build you a freakin’ float or something?” The others let out a loud belly laugh and she flips them all off, facing me again.

“You’re not sad,
Soph?” she asks and it’s then that I realize I’ve hurt her feelings. Grabbing her hand, I squeeze it tightly.

“Of course I’m sad. I’m sorry,” I say seriously.

“You are not! You were just making fun of me, you whorebag!”

“Ana, I
am
sad. Ask Chase, I’ve been a mess for days,” I offer and he nods.

“She is sad,” he agrees, rubbing my back sweetly. Considering this, Ana looks down at our hands and then meets my eyes again.

“How sad?” she says quietly.

“I’m pretty fuckin’ sad, Ana,” I say, causing the others to chuckle. “I didn’t know you wanted to do anything else or I would have planned something. I’m sorry, Honey.”

“It’s okay,” she says quietly. Although I can see she’s trying to hide it, she’s upset and feels let down.

“God, they have some real losers singing tonight,” Heather says quietly and I smile to myself.

“Yeah,” Ana says as she kicks me playfully under the table. “Too bad
some people
won’t sing!”

“Yeah,” I say with a wink, laughing when she stuck her tongue out at me. “That’s really too bad.”

Resting my head on Chase’s shoulder, I take in the scene around me. To most people, we’re just a few people drinking, but two of the people I love most in the world were here with me right now. Not everyone is so lucky, I know that firsthand. 

“Baby, I need to go to the bathroom. Can you let me out?” I ask
Chase and he rubs my shoulder affectionately, kissing me on the back of the head.

“Need me to come with you?” he asks and I shake my head, making my way over to the side exit.

Discreetly slipping out, I place the call I need to before sneaking back in and sitting beside Chase, pretending there’s a line I’m waiting to clear up so I can make my exit when I need to.

Feeling my nerves, I grab his beer fro
m his hand and kill it without thinking.

“You okay?”
he asks and I look behind me to find four sets of eyes on mine.

“Yeah, sorry I thought it was mine,” I say quickly and blow out a breath of relief when they turn back to their conversation.

“Baby,” Chase whispers into my hair and I twist slightly to find his eyes. “You sure you’re okay? You’re acting like you’re nervous or something,” he says, stilling my bouncing leg.

“I’m okay,” I smile. “Just waiting.”

Assuming I meant for the bathroom, he offers to sneak me into the men’s room. When I decline, he laughs and rubs my thigh, returning to the conversation.

After a few more minutes, Lila glances over and gives me the signal. Pretending to head to the ladies room again, I r
ound the corner just in time for Lila to make it to the stage.

“Can I have your attention for a moment, everyone?” Lila says into the microphone and everyone in the packed bar looks her way. “Miss Ana? Can you come up here for a second, please?”

Watching her from my hiding spot, I see her look around in confusion before she stands and walks to the stage to join Lila. Sitting on the stool provided by one of the bouncers, Ana takes a seat and begins to flush with embarrassment.

“Now, as many of you know, this pretty lady has been my number one bartender for the past few months,” she starts and the crowd claps like crazy for my friend. “Tonight is going to be her last night with us here and Lila’s,” that gets a few boos
and Lila waves them off. “Somebody told me that you thought we wouldn’t be sad to see you go. That maybe you weren’t getting a proper send off to celebrate your awesomeness,” she chuckles and I watch as Ana starts looking around for me.

“
Where is Sophie? What did she do?” she yells at Chase as a huge smile crosses her face and he shakes his head, laughing.

“Don’t look at me! I thought she was in the bathroom!” he yells back, causing the room to erupt in laughter. 

Mike, the other bartender on duty, approaches the stage with a beer mug. He hands it to Ana with a grin and hugs her before leaving the stage.

“What is this?” she asks, amused by the soda and ice
cream floating inside.

T
hat’s my cue.

T
he opening riffs to Melissa Etheridge’s rendition of Janis Joplin’s “Piece of my Heart” begin. I make my way to her bouncing frame on the stage, meeting her gaze with a grin.

“It’s your freaking float, you drama queen!”
I say and she squeals with excitement. “Now hurry up and drink the damned thing so I can give the awesomeness that is my BFF her super cool send off!” 

Although I’d caught on that she was up to something before she left the booth, I can’t deny the thrill of excitement that shoots through me w
hen I hear Sophie’s voice in the microphone across the bar.

Over the past few months since Jack’s memorial, I’ve heard Sophie sing dozens of times. Something about her singing in front of a crowd was completely different, thoug
h. Behind closed doors, there is something so sensual and romantic about her when she sings that I can’t get enough of. Onstage though, Sophie’s more than just a natural.

On
ce her fingers touch that microphone, Sophie is pure fucking sex.

When the opening riffs to Piece of My Heart start, something tells me I’m going to be struggling to not take her in the middle of this bar.

Wasting no time, she belts out the first lines
without restraint like she’s performing for a crowd of thousands, not just the locals here in Rockport at Lila’s. I hear the gasps of surprise coming from the patrons surrounding me, but I don’t spare them a glance. Not when my girl’s making her way to that stage.

She struts across the floor and takes her time
, but the crowd clears a path for her, in awe of the gravelly, soulful voice coming from her small frame. She shoots me a wink before pointing at Ana with a playful grin who is still bouncing in excitement on her stool. As she begins to seductively circle the chair Ana sits in on the middle of the stage. I see her walls starting to melt away, taking my sanity with them. 

She seduces every lyric,
wrapping herself in the notes as they fly from her chest effortlessly. I swear I can see her soul while she’s on that stage. It’s the most erotic, sensual, beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life.

God I want her
. 

As t
he song nears its end, Sophie’s got the crowd eating from her hand. As she wails the final time, she throws up the international symbol for rock and roll. Her sexy little off the shoulder top rides up as she instinctively swivels her hips low in a sensual grind.

Holy mother
.

When the song is over, Sophie pulls Ana into a tight embrace as the crowd goes absolutely insane.
In typical Sophie fashion, she blushes deeply and claps for Ana instead of taking any credit for her performance.

Hand in hand, the girls make their way from the stage and back over to our booth. Although their eyes are teary, they’re both beaming.

Drake, Ana and Heather are all complimenting Sophie on her performance. Some of the regulars from the bar are making their way over to her, but all I can do is stare. As soon as her eyes meet mine, she starts to speak but I cut her off.

“Sorry I lied about the bath
…”

Gripping her roughly by the front of her skirt, I pull her to my chest roughly and plunge my tongue into her mouth. Startled at first
by my reaction, Sophie’s body tightens and she squeezes my arms to steady herself. Within seconds though, she’s softening, right there with me in the kiss, ignoring the hoots that are now directed at our very public make-out scene. I couldn’t care less who sees me assaulting Sophie, but sensing she may be shy about it, I start to pull away slightly. Surprising me, she grips the back of my neck, pulling my lips back to hers and causing me to groan into her mouth. Pushing her back against the post behind us with a loud thud, I swallow another moan and begin running my fingertips above the button of her skirt beneath her navel. Brushing my skin across hers only heightens our need for each other and Sophie’s groan is louder this time.

“Are you wet
, Princess?” I whisper against her mouth, my cock throbbing when she lets out a little groan against my lips. “I’m gonna tear your hot little ass up later.”

Pulling her lower lip into her teeth, Sophie lets out a low whimp
er at the same time that I groan against her mouth.

Before we can get any further out of hand, Drake loudly clears his throat, causing her to pull away from me.

“Sheesh, you two! Get a freakin’ room!” Ana teases from across the booth, causing Sophie to blush.

“
It’s cool, we live together,” Sophie explains to Heather and everyone laughs at her nonsensical reply.

Giving her a chaste kiss on the mouth, I release her and watch her slide in across from Ana and Heather
. Heading to the bar, I grab Sophie another drink and a bottle of water for each of us. When I set the water down in front of her, she pushes it away and takes a long sip from her beer as she continues talking to the girls. I know she’ll have a hangover in the morning if she isn’t careful, so I nudge the water closer to her.

“
Drink that,” I say innocently, sweeping my eyes over her. “Trust me, Baby. You’re going to want to stay hydrated.”

Stopping midsentence, Sophie’s jaw drops and she covers her mouth in amusement, gawking at me.

“Oh, my God, Chase!” she shrieks before smacking me. “You’re so inappropriate!”

Her reaction causes everyone else at the table to laugh loudly and choke on their drinks.

“Good Lord, Baby! That’s not what I meant, you little pervert!” I look down at her and laugh. “Damn woman! What do you have planned for later?”

“
Shut up and drink your water, Chase,” she says quietly before she winks and gives me a grin.

“Hi Chase,” I hear from beside the booth and my insides cringe.
Please be someone else, anyone else.
Slowly turning my head, I find Lauren standing there. “Hi Sophie,” she says quietly.

Taking in the collective groans coming from around the table, I affectionately squeeze Sophie’s thigh in my hand and brace myself for what’s about to happen. This isn’t going to be pretty. Feeling her tense in my grip, I know it’s about to be much worse than I ever could have anticipated.

“Uh oh,” Heather says from across the table when she sees the looks crossing over our faces.

“Girl, you have no idea,” Ana tells her under her breath.

Slowly turning her head, Sophie glares at Lauren with a hatred I’ve never seen. Not just in her, but in anyone. I’m about to speak, about to tell Lauren to leave when I hear Sophie starting to yell.

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?”

***