Authors: Jordyn McKenzie
Ty tipped his finger under her chin. “She wasn’t even a blip on my radar. I’m completely and utterly consumed by you. And so are half the men in this bar. Face it, doll, we’re two pretty people. That Brandie chick isn’t the first, nor the last girl to throw herself at me, and I’m willing to bet if it were just you and my sister here in this bar tonight, you wouldn’t have to spend a dime on your drinks if you didn’t want to.”
Jasmine was briefly taken aback by Ty’s lapse in humility. He wasn’t a vain person though, and she took his words for what they were—a compliment and matter of fact. Well, at least from his perspective. There was no doubting he was gorgeous, and while she knew she wasn’t ugly, she had to work for the passably fit body she had today. Brandie—she couldn’t even think the name without a sneer—had a stomach so flat, one could probably bounce a coin on it. Brandie’s face was smooth, without the hint of crow’s feet at the eyes or creases in her forehead, and her ass was perfection. Soon enough, Tyson would tire of her too, and toss her aside for a younger, prettier girl. Jasmine felt her eyes fill with tears.
Then Ty started singing softly along with the band into Jasmine’s ear.
Jasmine looked up at him through her tear-blurry eyes, a salty droplet escaping from the corner of one. Ty cupped her cheek, brushing the tiny trickle away with his thumb. “Hey now, none of that. Is my singing that bad?”
Jasmine smiled sadly and shook her head. “I’m being dumb.”
“Well cut it out. I’m trying to impress you with my mad dancing and singing skills. I’m hoping to get lucky after we leave here, you know.” He smirked.
“I think I’m the lucky one,” Jasmine replied, popping up slightly on her toes to kiss him.
* * * *
And so the night went. She remained dancing in Tyson’s arms, Laurel joining in during the faster numbers, while Saul and Freddie managed to score phone numbers from Brandie’s friends. It appeared that Brandie had found a new victim to sink her claws into at the bar. Eventually, Jasmine begged off to visit the Ladies’ room yet again.
“That’s what you get for cracking the seal,” Laurel joked from the sink where she was checking her make-up. “You know that’s how that works.”
“A girl can only drink so much beer before it needs to come back out,” Jasmine replied with a laugh.
“All right, girl, I’m heading back out there. I want to make sure our table is still secure and no one’s jacking our beer.”
“Okay, I’ll be right out,” Jasmine replied. She flushed, re-situated her clothing, and emerged from the stall to wash up. As she was washing, Brandie walked in, sneering at her when their eyes met in the mirror.
“What the fuck are you looking at, bitch?” Brandie spat, now exceedingly more drunk than she was when they’d first run into each other.
Jasmine narrowed her eyes, shutting off the faucet. “Not a thing. Don’t come in here and give me attitude because my man didn’t want you. Carry on with your business,” she finished, waving her off dismissively towards the empty stall as she reached for a paper towel from the dispenser inches from Brandie.
“Don’t flick water at me!” she snapped, slapping away Jasmine’s hand.
Jasmine rolled her eyes, taking a breath in attempt to calm herself. She’d had about enough of this little girl. “You’re blocking the towel dispenser. And I’m going to ask you once to refrain from putting your hands on me, or you’re gonna have a problem.”
“Excuse me? Is that supposed to be some kind of a threat? Fuck you, you raggedy old bitch! I’ll take your fucking man anyway!” Brandie shouted and shoved Jasmine hard back towards the sink. Jasmine stumbled in her wedge-soled shoes but managed to quickly regain her balance.
“Put your hands on me again and see what it gets you.”
Brandie shoved her again, but this time Jasmine was ready. She grabbed Brandie’s wrist from her chest and yanked hard as she stepped aside, causing Brandie to crash into the sink. She then turned her arm out and up to slam her against the wall of one of the stalls, pinning her by the throat. Jasmine leaned towards her and spoke quietly, her voice nearly lethal. “You may be younger, but I will beat your ass and not break a sweat as I do it.”
Just then the restroom door opened again and Laurel peeked inside, groaning, “Oh, hell no, not this bitch again. What the fuck is going on?”
“This doesn’t concern you. This is between me and her!” Brandie argued, as though she wasn’t seconds from having the ass-kicking of her life handed to her by a rather pissed-off Jasmine.
Laurel smirked. “Well see, that’s where you’re wrong. You see, that’s my best friend who’s on the brink of beating your ass and oddly enough, she doesn’t get angry like this very often. But when she does, she makes it count. If you think I’m going to miss out on this, you’ve got another thing coming.”
Chapter Eight
“I can’t believe you got us eighty-sixed from the bar, Jasmine! Who knew you were such a badass?” Saul laughed from the front seat.
Jasmine scowled and leaned her head against Tyson, dabbing at her bleeding lip with a wadded napkin from the bar. “I’m just glad the cops weren’t called. What a fiasco.”
Her injury was minor, compared to the make-up task Brandie would have ahead of her tomorrow to cover up the shiner she was likely to have as a result of their fight. To be honest, she was a little mortified at her actions. This was the first fight she’d been in for years, let alone over a man, and in a bar no less. What was happening to her?
“Aw, sweetie, you know I’d have bailed you out of jail,” Laurel said, reaching back between the seats to pat Jasmine’s knee.
Ty chuckled, kissing the top of Jasmine’s head. “I must say, I’m a little flattered to have such a hot woman fighting for me. You kick ass for an old woman,” he teased.
“Well, I certainly don’t plan to make a habit of it,” Jasmine huffed. She remained silent all the way back to the house. Once they arrived, she announced that she was tired and really just wanted to turn in for the night.
Tyson looked perplexed, as well as a little hurt. “You mean, alone?”
She shook her head. “I don’t mind the company. But if you want to stay up and socialise, feel free.”
He pretended to mull it over. “Let’s see, stay up to hang out with my sister and those two knuckleheads, or come and snuggle with a hot chick with a fat lip…”
“Very funny.”
He smiled at her then poked his head inside the house. “Good night, you guys,” he called.
“G’night!”
He turned back to Jasmine. “Do you want ice for that?” he asked, pointing at her lip.
“How bad is it?” She pushed at it gently with her fingertips. It was tender, but didn’t feel like it was grotesquely large.
“Eh…” He shrugged. “It might look better in the morning.”
She shook her head. “I’ll be all right. It doesn’t really hurt anymore.”
He fetched a beer from the garage refrigerator, offering one to Jasmine, which she declined then they walked to the shop and climbed the stairs to the studio. “I’m going to take a quick shower, I think,” Jasmine sighed when they walked inside. “Alone, if you don’t mind,” she added with an apologetic smile.
He nodded and she shut herself in the bathroom and switched on the light. The reflection staring back at her made her gasp. Yes, her lip was puffy, with a now-crusted over split near the centre, and she also had a scratch across her forehead over her left eyebrow.
Fabulous
. Add to that the small hickey on the side of her neck, and she was quite the hot mess. She turned on the shower, undressed, then entered the stall, sighing as the hot spray doled out a much welcomed beating on her back and shoulder-blades. She accepted it like a punishment, atoning for her sin of acting like a complete and total asshole at the bar, as though she were some snot-nosed…twenty-year-old.
Her inner turmoil spiralled.
Oh God, what have I got myself into? Is this what dating that beautiful boy is going to entail? Do I have the strength for this?
There had been so much drama in her life in recent months and Kyle had put her heart through the wringer for years. She cared for Tyson, a lot, but she wasn’t so sure she was ready for this. She had so much baggage that he didn’t deserve.
Just tonight
, she thought, marginally ashamed at her selfishness of needing to quench her desire for Tyson one more time.
Just one more night of reckless abandon, and then I’ll go back to my life. He’ll have no trouble finding someone new.
She finished her shower and stepped out of the stall wrapping the large bath towel around her body once she’d dried off. After carefully brushing her teeth, she emerged to find Tyson seated on the mattress on the floor, toying with his phone while he waited for her. He looked up with concern in his eyes. “Are you okay?”
“I will be,” she replied, walking towards him, then let the towel drop to the floor.
“Come here.” His voice was husky as he reached his hand out towards her. She gave him her hand and, at his slight tug, dropped to her knees beside him. She gripped the lower hem of his shirt and pulled it up and over his head. Their mouths crashed together once the obstructive garment was out of the way. She needed to feel his skin against hers, one last time.
Kissing was a little painful with the split on her lip so she had to pull away and break the kiss. “Sorry, my lip’s a little tender still,” she said wanly.
“It’s okay, you have lots of other places fit to kiss,” he smiled, then proceeded to demonstrate, starting first by trailing open-mouth kisses down her jaw, working his way to her ear. He nibbled her earlobe lightly then traced the small tender spot behind it with her tongue. She moaned, prompting him to move southward, his lips burning a trail down her neck, licking and sucking, sliding down her body, stopping when his head was between her breasts. He spent a leisurely amount of time lavishing each soft mound with plenty of worshipful attention.
This time their union was slow, tender, and sweet—it was the truest experience of making love that Jasmine had ever had. Their breathing was in sync and they moved with the fluidity of a finely tuned machine. She wrapped her legs tightly around Ty’s waist, her hips rising and falling to meet his every thrust. And when the waves of orgasm overcame them both, tears fell from her eyes when she heard him whisper words of love to her, vowing never to let her go.
It took at least another hour for sleep to finally claim Jasmine, and it didn’t last very long.
She awoke early to Tyson softly snoring by her side. She reached for her phone to check the time and saw that it was just after six a.m. No one would be up for at least another hour or so. She dressed quickly, quietly, then dug around in her purse for the small notepad she kept in there for shopping lists and whatnot. Finding it and a pen, Jasmine then scrawled a note—
‘Tyson,
This weekend has been one of the best I’ve had in a long, long time. I hate myself for doing this to you, but I think it’s for the best. I’m horrified about the drama I found myself in the middle of last night, and am ill-prepared to deal right now with women throwing themselves at you, though I know it isn’t your fault that you’re beautiful. The problem is the stark reminder that I can be and am replaceable.
You’re a wonderful guy and deserve a gorgeous young woman with no baggage and a less cynical look at life and romance. Know that you have permanently taken ownership of a piece of my heart. It is with regret that I leave you, because I know I’ve had a taste of what could have been.
Love Jasmine’
Briskly wiping a wayward tear away with the back of her hand, she quietly tore the note out of the pad and left it underneath his phone on the end table. She knew that she’d be getting a phone call from Laurel later and would deal with her then, in the safety of her home. So with nothing further to be said or done, she slipped on her sandals, gathered her purse and overnight bag, and crept out of the studio down the steps to her car.
What she wasn’t expecting was to find Freddie leaned against it, smoking a cigarette.
“Oh! Ah, good morning. I didn’t know you…smoked.”
He nodded and exhaled a plume of smoke. “Which is why I’m out here at the ass-crack of dawn enjoying a cigarette in the crisp morning air,” he deadpanned. “And where are you off to at this ungodly hour?”
“I…I need to get a head start on the road,” Jasmine stammered, hitting the ‘unlock’ on her key fob to open the door and throw her bags onto the passenger side. “It was great meeting you, Fred, and I wish you well.”
He looked at her with an odd expression. “You sound as though you’re never seeing me again. You do know that Tyson and I are housemates, thus, I’m sure you and I are going to see a lot of each other.”
“I didn’t know. Um…okay, then.”
“You’re bailing on him, aren’t you?” Freddie’s expression was shrewd.
Jasmine bit her lip, fighting back the tears welling in her eyes once again. “I’m a little…overwhelmed right now, Freddie. It’s nothing personal on Ty, he’s a great guy and I’m crazy about him…”
“And that’s why you’re running away and breaking his heart? Because you’re crazy about him? I’m assuming he’s still asleep and has no idea that you’re leaving.”
Jasmine looked to the ground in shame, unable to answer.
“Wow, that’s cold. That dude loves you, this weekend has been his lifelong fantasy come true, and here you’ve been just leading him on.” Freddie’s tone was laced with disgust, and when he saw her flinch, he stopped and changed his tone. “That’s not true either. Anyone could see you were feeling it too. So what, you’re gonna let a stupid catfight with some stupid small-town slut ruin it all and just run away? Whatever, Jasmine. Do what you gotta do to make yourself believe you’re doing the right thing. Me and Saul will make sure your boy gets through this in one piece.”
“I left him a note,” Jasmine said quietly, her voice rough from the lump in her throat.
Freddie took a last drag of his cigarette and crushed it out on the sole of his flip-flop. “Fuck your note.” And with that he went back inside the house without another look back at her.