Between You & I Page 2

  “I wouldn't be against it.” Fran drops the towel then leans both hands against the bar in front of us. “So what’ll it be?

  Casey pulls her purse from where she hung it on the stool and rummages through it as she orders, not bothering to lift her eyes in Fran’s direction. “I’m just going to have a beer, but something good, not the usual shit.”

  “Dark or light?”

  “Make it dark. Then I’ll at least get a good buzz before I have to stop.”

  Fran’s eyebrows lift, accentuating the lines in her forehead. “Are you being the responsible one tonight, Casey?”

  “Yeah, Tay had a fuck of a day, so I’m getting her wasted.”

  “For once,” I mumble, but apparently I was louder than I meant to be, because Fran bursts out laughing.

  “Hey now, you do your fair share of drinking,” Casey murmurs, sounding a little hurt.

  I don’t acknowledge her, deciding it would be best to continue looking at the drink menu. The sound of a pint glass thudding against the bar top brings my attention back to Fran. “What the hell is that? It looks like tar in a glass.”

  “It’s a porter, tastes like coffee and chocolate. Casey wants something that doesn’t taste like shit, that’s strong, so this is what she gets. What are you thinking about?”

  Blowing out a big sigh, I flip the menu down in front of me. “Get me a double grape vodka and water with a shot of tequila.”

  “You want the tequila in with the grape vodka and water?” Fran asks, feigning confusion, although I can clearly see the amusement in her eyes.

  “Ew, no, that’s disgusting. I want vodka and water with the shot of tequila on the side.”

  “That’s not what you said,” she argues, while Casey starts giggling to my right.

  “You know what I mean! It’s been a rough day, okay? I just want to forget it.”

  Shooting me a look of disdain for my ‘tude, Fran nods once before walking away. Casey gives me a side glance as she sips her beer, which I choose to ignore. Instead, I stay quiet, listening to the sounds of the bar as I wait on my life fuel for the evening. The clanking of pool balls, the slam of darts hitting the boards, and the rumble of the jukebox playing classic rock fills the room. The soundtrack of my night is already starting to ease the tension of my day.

  Fran slides a pint glass full of clear liquid in front of me before slamming a shot glass down and filling it with Patron Silver, the only tequila Casey and I drink. “You girls opening a tab?”

  “You know it,” Casey answers, flicking her credit card across the bar to Fran.

  “Salt?”

  I nod.

  “Lemon or lime?”

  “Lime please,” I answer sweetly, trying to redeem myself after my earlier bitchiness.

  “Just let me know when you need another,” Fran counters, seeing right through my bullshit, before turning toward the other end of the bar.

  Casey’s giggling bubbles up again. “You've gone and pissed off our alcohol source with your shit attitude.”

  “It’s not like you didn’t warn her that I’ve had a bad day.” I lick the back of my hand before sprinkling salt onto it. “Besides, I’m about to get really happy.”

  “No shit. Unless you end up being an emotional drunk tonight.” Casey studies me licking the salt from my skin then slamming my shot.

  I have to squeeze my eyes shut as the burn travels down my throat, then I blindly stick the lime between my teeth. Biting down hard, I suck all the juice from the wedge before swallowing it down.

  “Feel better?” Casey asks.

  “I’ll get there.” I bring the pint glass to my lips and sip.

  I turn my bar stool to face Casey as she rambles on about some new guy working for one of our clients. She’s saying something about the sound of his voice and how hot she thinks he might be even though she’s never met him and probably won’t. I have no desire to get too involved with this conversation, but instead of blowing her off, I add my comments when they’re needed. Casey doesn’t seem to get that I have to meet these people face to face, and in order to keep things professional, I cannot think about them in any other way.

  Speaking of meetings, the new guy Reid whatever-his-name-is is probably going to need someone to introduce him to clients. Which will be wonderful for me considering he’s taking over the portfolios I’ve been working on for the past however-many-months since Lindsay decided to be a lazy ass. With my luck, I’ll probably be the one Miranda assigns to pass the torch, which is just not fair.

  “So you’re probably going to meet with them to introduce them to the new guy, so let me know what you think.”

  Casey’s words register in my head, but I have no idea what she said before that. “Huh?”

  “Were you even listening to me?” she asks, giving me “the look.”

  “Yeah, sorry I checked out for a minute. Yeah, you're probably right, just another thing I have to look forward to, handing my clients over to someone else.” I suck on my straw and drain the glass dry.

  Before I even have a chance to wave Fran down, she’s in front of me, waiting for my glass.

  “Thanks, Fran,” I say, still trying to get back in her good graces, but she takes the glass without a word. She a touchy grudge holder. I didn’t even say anything wrong!

  “Well, at least you won’t be in the hot seat, so you’ll have more time to check out the goods for me.”

  After Fran slides my full drink back to me, I scoop it up and sip it again. “If I see anything worth talking about, you’ll be the first one I tell. Are we done talking shop now?”

  Casey lets out a huff. “I’m done if you’re done thinking about it.”

  “What makes you think that’s what I was doing?”

  “Please, I know you better than you know yourself. Plus, your face gives you away.”

  “Whatever. Let’s go play darts—I’m done with sitting here. I need something to keep my mind and hands busy.” I waggle my eyebrows before pushing the stool back, scraping the heavy wood against the floor as I stand.

  “I’m game, and I’m sure one of those guys wouldn’t mind helping you keep your hands busy.” Casey nods toward the dart boards, where a group of guys is hanging out. “And I’m pretty sure they’re not college-aged.”

  Turned out Casey was right. Within seconds of us setting a quarter on the dart machine to claim the next game, the guys are introducing themselves to us. It only takes about five more seconds for Casey to rub up against Josh and his tall hotness. She’s got a thing for tall blond guys; add in blue eyes and bulging muscles and Casey is officially in heaven. Me, on the other hand, I’m left volleying between his two attractive friends, Adam and Mike. Both of them are totally my type—tall with dark brown hair and eyes and, by the looks of it, mirroring Josh’s build. But it’s Adam’s easy flirting and laid-back personality that pulls at me more so than Mike’s take-charge attitude.

  “If we’re playing darts, I need another drink!” Casey whines, stepping around Adam to get right in my face.

  “You’re driving, you promised.”

  “I know, but you know I suck at darts unless I’m drinking. We can call a cab, or just walk back to your house; it’s only down the road. My car’ll be fine in the parking lot,” she pleads with her big doe eyes.

  “Ugh! Why do you always do this?”

  “The question isn’t why do I always do this, it’s why do you always give in?” She bounces her finger up and down as she waves it in my face. “Which you’re about two-seconds away from doing. You know going out is way more fun when we’re both drinking.”

  “More fun my ass. When you drink, your game is better, but mine is a million times worse,” I say, pointing right back at her.

  Barely able to contain her giggle, she asks, “So you want another drink then? I won’t get you a double.”

  Lifting my head toward the ceiling, I blow out a, “Gah!” Then I look at the half empty glass in my hand. “Yeah, might as well. What the fuck, we c
an walk home.”

  “You’ll be done by the time I get back.” She leans in and lowers her voice so only I can hear. “In the meantime, pick one. You don’t need both of these boys following you around like a lost puppy for the rest of the night.” Casey backs away with a devious smile before turning toward the bar, then she screeches as Josh playfully grabs her hips from behind.

  As soon as Casey is out of earshot, Mike saddles up next to me as I take a long pull from my glass. As I lower my hand, I notice a sly smile cross his face. Something about this guy just doesn’t seem right. It’s as if he’s waiting for the alcohol to take charge of my inhibitions.

  Before I can work up the guts to say something to send him away, Adam takes up residence on his other side, throwing an elbow into his ribs. Almost too quiet for me to hear, Adam says, “Dude,” and nods toward the door where a leggy brunette, with an indecently short skirt, is standing.

  “Yeah, hey, Taylor, it was nice to meet you, but ah, I’m gonna need to take off,” Mike says a little too fast, not quite matching the vibes he’s been throwing my way.

  “Oh, okay, I guess it was nice to meet you?” I ask, not bothering to mask my confusion.

  Ignoring my question, Mike steps away and faces Adam. “Catch ya later?”

  I notice the knowing look Adam gives him. “I’m sure that’ll happen.”

  “See ya, bro,” Mike says, grabbing Adam’s outstretched hand and leaning in to bump shoulders.

  “Okay…” I say to no one as I watch Mike cross the bar and land right in the brunette’s arms.

  “His girlfriend. She was supposed to be out with her friends tonight,” Adam explains.

  “Ah, so while the cat was away, he thought he’d play?”

  “Something like that, but I wouldn’t have let that happen,” he adds before stepping in front of me, right into my personal space. Something I might have minded if I wasn’t three-quarters drunk.

  “Really? Puttin’ chicks before dicks?” I ask sarcastically, then I curl my lips around my teeth and bite down, attempting to hold myself back from laughing at my lame joke.

  Adam blows out a forced laugh before taking another small step toward me, placing his free hand on my hip just below my waist. Making it so I have to tip my head back to look at him. “I don’t need to. Mike wouldn’t cheat on Kelly, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t make it as hard as possible for me to get this close to you.”

  “So that’s your end goal, to get close to me?” I pull out my flirt game hard, cocking an eyebrow, a smirk firmly pasted across my lips.

  “For now, but I’m hoping it leads to more as the night goes on.” His voice gets softer, his eyes dropping to my lips.

  “Whoa, we leave you for, what, five minutes, and you’re a half an inch away from sucking face!” Casey practically screams, returning from the bar.

  I try stepping back from Adam, but he tightens his grip on my hips.

  “She’s your Mike, I take it?” he asks, keeping his voice low enough for my ears only.

  “If you mean cock block, then yes, yes, she is.”

  “Good to know. Now I’ll have to make sure Josh keeps her good and occupied.” He leans in closer, running his nose up the outside of my ear and making chill bumps break out all over my body.

  “Are you two done?” Casey interrupts, glaring at us from next to the dart board. “I’m putting your drink over here with mine.” She motions to the small high-top table to the left of the machine. “And by the way, Josh and I are up first.”

  Instead of acknowledging Casey, who’s already lining up her shot, I look back at Adam’s face and his sexy smile. Feeling bold with all the liquor flowing through my veins, I raise up on the balls of my feet and place a chaste kiss on his lips. The shock has him loosening his grip so I can pull away to go retrieve my new drink.

  With each of us taking turns, the game goes a lot quicker than I expect. But every time I throw a dart, it ends up in no man’s land, either bouncing off the wall next to the board or nearly hitting an innocent bystander. Thank god for Adam's skills. Without him, this ship would have sunk after round three, since Casey and Josh are clearly hustlers. The game comes to an end with Casey jumping up and down then right into Josh's arms as they celebrate their win. Although, being the good sports they are, they offer to buy the next round.

  "We're getting shots too. That good with you, Taylor?" Casey asks, picking up her almost empty pint glass then tipping it back to drain the contents.

  "I'll do another shot, just not tequila. Make it something girly."

  "Pineapple upside down cake it is!" She knows that’s my favorite “pussy shot”—her words, not mine.

  Lifting my own drink, I slip the straw between my lips and take a long sip before looking at Adam, whose eyes are glued to my every move.

  "Let's move over there." He nods toward the makeshift dance floor, then waits for me to take a couple of steps before he falls in line behind me.

  As we move closer to the small space Fran clears every weekend for college kids to grind up against each other, I look toward the bar and try to catch Casey's attention. Thankfully, I’m able to lock eyes with her to silently let her know we’re on the move. Coming up to another small high-top table, I set my glass down. Adam steps in not quite behind me, but close enough to let the other guys at the bar know he’s staking his claim. Too bad for him it'll probably only be for tonight.

  "So what's your deal?" I ask, turning my head so Adam's face is in my line of vision.

  "What do you wanna know?" he answers with a mischievous grin. He’s not really avoiding answering, but it seems like he needs to know exactly what I'm digging for.

  "I don't know. What do you do? Are you a student? Do you work around here? I'm just trying to get to know you a little.”

  "Not a student, finished college two years ago, and I work as a peon for my uncle's landscaping company. What about you?”

  “Same. Well, not a peon for your uncle’s company, but a peon just the same. Actually, my shit luck is the reason Casey is supposed to be letting me get drunk tonight.” I pick up my glass and take a gulp, waiting for Adam to probe, but he doesn’t. Although he does give me a curious look. “I didn’t get a promotion I thought I had in the bag. Now I’m a little bitter even though I told Casey I wasn’t. But thankfully, she can read through my bullshit.”

  “Most friends can,” he remarks, squeezing my hip a little.

  Casey and Josh come back with a commotion, which is not at all surprising considering I gave her the green light to get her drink on. Sliding a small tray across the table to the center, Casey lifts a shot glass containing red and yellow liquid and holds it out to me. I immediately lift the shot to my lips and tip my head back.

  “What the fuck, Taylor? You’re supposed to wait for us.”

  “I wanna dance, and you were going too slow.” I step to my right, pressing my body tightly against Adam’s chest.

  After quickly downing his shot, Adam slams the empty glass on the table. He grabs hold of my other hip, pulling me in tighter and eliminating the last bit of space between us. Swaying his hips against the swell of my ass, he moves both of us along to the beat of the music. I take a peek across the table at Casey, and she offers a wink of encouragement. I step forward onto the “dance floor,” pulling Adam into the small space packed with grinding college students, just as the beats of Calvin Harris fill the bar.

  Without breaking our connection, Adam keeps me tucked tightly to his front. The movement pushes the evidence of his arousal into the small of my back as his cock hardens behind his jeans. Knowing he’s affected by me lets me know that tonight is going to be just what I need—a release from this shitty ass day. There’s nothing better than a hot, hard body rubbing against mine until the satisfying bliss followed by an orgasm courses through my veins.

  I circle my hands behind Adam’s neck, pulling his head down toward me. “Do you wanna get out of here?” I ask as seductively as I can manage, making sure I make dir
ect eye contact to let him know I mean business.

  He answers with a blazing fire in his eyes. “Lead the way.”

  Chapter Two

  Reid

  The trees on the side of the highway blur as hour number seven of eight creeps up on me. I should’ve considered leaving later, but the idea of arriving when Jennifer isn’t home is so much more enticing than having her there to awkwardly greet me. God, I should want her there—she’s my girlfriend and I’m moving in with her! This is my decision, it’s a solid investment in my career, and who knows? This thing with Jennifer could pan out. With a little time and effort, maybe dating like normal people who just happen to live together… yeah, it could work out.

  It’s not like I don’t know her. I mean, we met virtually several months ago. We’ve talked almost every day since, we’ve seen each other several times, but still, packing my life and moving four states away to live with a woman I’ve barely dated is freaking me the fuck out. I’m not a pussy, I’m an asshole, and that’s the number one reason I’m thirty-nine and still single—or at least that’s what my mother says. Which leads me to another reason for being nervous. Both Mom and Dad are happy as pigs in shit that I’ve taken the leap with Jennifer. They don’t even give two shits that I’ve only seen her in person a handful of times.

  At least Jordan, my younger brother, has always been on my side. Mostly because we’ve been each other’s wingmen since he turned eighteen and realized I had a knack for scoring every woman I talked to. Although he thinks this is the most fucked up thing I’ve ever done, he sees a bright side too—an excellent new job and getting laid on the regular. That second part probably won’t even happen though, considering I’m moving in with a woman who has high moral standards. But I have high hopes for her, based on the few hot make-out sessions we've had.

  The sound of the GPS telling me my exit is a mile away pulls me out of my head. Glancing at the clock on the dash, I notice it’s just before one so I try calling Jennifer, wanting to catch her before she heads to lunch with her parents. She answers on the second ring.