When we got to My Favorite Place, Griffin immediately went behind the bar, which I supposed was inevitable. And despite the lecture I had given him earlier in the night about not working, I was kind of relieved he had split from the group.
Casey came out from behind the bar when she saw us and held out her arm. “Right this way, birthday lady.”
I raised my eyebrows.
She dropped her hand. “Just come with me.”
I laughed, and the five of us followed her. In the corner was a round booth that fit several people. It was the only one in the bar, and on top of the table, it had a sign that read Reserved.
“Griffin dropped us a text and told us to make sure the booth was yours,” Casey explained.
“Aw, that was sweet of him,” Christina said and slid behind one side of the table.
Everyone else followed until I was last. I took a seat at one of the ends.
“What can I get everyone?” Casey asked. “I’ll make up your drinks and have one of the servers bring them over.”
The group put in their orders, and then Casey turned to me.
I leaned close to her. “I’ll just have a water,” I whispered.
She put her hand to her ear. “I’m sorry. I can’t hear you.”
I quickly glanced at my friends. I didn’t want them to hear me, and thankfully, they weren’t all staring at me, waiting for me to answer. “Water,” I said a little louder.
“Water?” Casey shouted.
I sighed as all four sets of eyes turned to me. “Yes.”
“And what else?”
“That’s it.”
“Okay. It’s your birthday.” Casey turned and headed for the bar.
April tilted her head. “I thought you were staying at Griffin’s tonight?”
“That’s what I planned,” I said, playing with my purse zipper. It wasn’t a lie. It was what I originally was going to do.
“Then, why are you drinking water?”
“And you gave me half your beer at the last place,” Troy chimed in.
I lifted my hands in surrender. “I simply need to hydrate a little. I’m thirty now. I don’t recover from hangovers like I did when I was twenty.”
JJ frowned in confusion. “Don’t you mean twenty-one?”
“Yeah, that too.”
“Well, don’t drink water for too long, or you’re going to lose your buzz,” Christina said.
That’s the goal.
I gave her a thumbs-up.
“How’s the wedding planning going?” I asked to change the subject. “As a bridesmaid, I keep waiting for you to call me up to do stuff.”
“Ooh, yeah, fill us in,” April added.
“My sister…” Christina looked up at the ceiling and back to her. “I love her. I really do. And most days, I’m thankful she offered to plan the wedding.” She put her hands out and cupped them until they created a circle. “But sometimes, I want to strangle her.” She started shaking her hands as she clenched her jaw.
I bit my lip as I tried not to laugh. “That bad, huh?”
Christina sagged as she dropped her arms. “I said no chocolate cake because Troy’s mom is allergic. That’s it. No chocolate. We could have any other kind, but it’s like chocolate was the only option once I said it was a no go.”
“Sorry, babe,” I said.
She sighed. “It’s fine. Sometimes, I just have to put my foot down.”
At that moment, Casey brought our drinks over and handed them out. I picked up my water and swallowed a couple of big sips.
After Casey left, Christina started telling April a few other things about her wedding that I had already heard about. While April wasn’t in the wedding, she had been invited and seemed very interested in what Christina had to say. Maybe she was going to plan her own wedding soon.
I was sitting, relaxed, enjoying the moment, when two drinks were plopped down in front of me.
I looked up to see Griffin standing there.
“Scoot,” he told me.
Why can’t he sit on the other end?
I didn’t voice my question out loud because everyone at the table would notice, and despite my staring at him for several seconds and not moving, Griffin didn’t budge.
I rolled my eyes and moved over but barely far enough for him to fit his whole ass on the seat.
He didn’t seem to care because he sat so close that we were touching from shoulder to leg. My little plan had backfired, and now, if I moved, he would know I was trying to get away from him.
“Everything okay behind the bar?” I asked him.
“Yep.” He moved the one drink closer to me. “Casey said you didn’t order anything because you were worried about getting too drunk, so I brought you this. It doesn’t have much alcohol, but it’s more fun than water.”
I couldn’t turn down his gift when he had gone out of his way to think of me. And it was sweet of him.
I picked up my glass and sniffed what was inside. It smelled sweet. I probably didn’t need the sugar any more than I needed alcohol, but I couldn’t resist giving it a try.
“Mmm,” I said and licked my lips. “It tastes good.”
“Jesus,” Griffin said again, and I stiffened. It was the same curse word he’d used when I asked him to sleep with me. But he didn’t say any more.
He took a drink from his own glass. I was so busy watching that I wasn’t prepared for his hand that was closest to me to land on my knee.
I froze.
Curiosity piqued, I wanted to know what he was doing and what he was going to do next.
He rubbed his thumb over my knee until I started to relax.
But even though I was no longer stiff, I didn’t move.
Griffin ran his fingers up the inside of my leg until he hit my skirt, and then he went back down. He did this several times until I was squirming.
I was getting turned on. My breathing had picked up, and I was wet between my legs.
I had no idea what Griffin’s goal was, but mine was to go home and break out my vibrator.
I should really stop drinking this time.
But when I looked at my glass, it was empty.
I hadn’t even realized I was still drinking it.
Griffin raised his arm and used his finger to make a small circle, as if he was telling someone something about the whole table.
“What are you doing?” I hissed in his ear.
“Ordering us another round of drinks.”
I leaned in closer, although I didn’t have to go far since I was already sitting so close. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”
His hand disappeared from my leg.
Wait. I take it back. Forget I questioned you.
But he wasn’t leaving. He put the hand that had been on my leg behind my head on the back of the booth. Shifting slightly toward me, he picked up my calf and pulled my leg over his.
I quickly looked at our friends to see if they were staring at us, but they weren’t. And I really shouldn’t be surprised. Griffin and I were close. His arm around me wasn’t anything unusual.
No, what was unusual was his other palm sliding up my lower limb. And this time, he didn’t stop at my skirt.
My eyes widened, but I quickly schooled my face before anyone asked questions.
However, I couldn’t stop the little squeak that came out of me when his fingertips brushed my panties.
Holy shit. My best friend almost touched my vagina.
Almost became absolute when he drew my underwear aside and ran a finger up my slit.
I sucked in a breath and shivered.
With the hand behind my shoulder, Griffin nudged my head closer until his mouth was next to my ear.
“Damn, babe, you are soaked.” He pushed two fingers into me and sucked in a breath. “Is this for me?”
I shook my head, and he started to pull his hand away.
I clamped my upper legs closed as much as I could with one still hanging on his lap.
I turned my head slightly toward him and whispered, “I lied. It’s for you.”
For telling the truth, I got a thumb on my clit.
I moaned softly.
“Do you like that?” Griffin’s mouth was still next to my ear.
I squeezed my inner muscles around him.
He chuckled. “I can’t wait for you to do that on my cock.”
I slammed my hand down on his thigh and dug in my nails as he continued to work me under the table.
I hadn’t had an orgasm in a long time, so I was embarrassingly close. But I couldn’t come in front of all my friends. Could I?
“Why are you doing this?” I managed to whisper. Not only was I curious, but I was also hoping to distract my body from exploding at the slightest touch.
“This is what you wanted. What you asked me for.”
“But you said no.”
Griffin nipped my ear. “I did no such thing.”
I replayed the scene in my head. He wasn’t wrong. He hadn’t actually told me no.
“It was implied,” I said.
He nipped me again. “Stop thinking. This will be the orgasm that’s so good that you don’t care where you are.” He repeatedly tapped his thumb against my clit, and I knew there was no more holding back. “Come now, Madeline. I’ve got you.”
I let my head fall back against his shoulder and momentarily forgot about my friends, the other customers, and the fact that we were sitting in Griffin’s bar.
My orgasm started between my legs and fanned out until it reached the top of my head and the tips of my toes. It tingled all over and felt like a white-hot heat passing through me.
God, it felt incredible.
I had indeed not cared where I was because all of a sudden, I heard voices and music again.
“Is Madeline okay?”
I didn’t even bother lifting my head.
“I think she’s tired,” Griffin said, his fingers still inside me.
He slowly withdrew them, and I immediately felt empty.
Taking a deep breath, I looked up at my friends. “Griff’s right. I’m spent, and I think I need to call it a night.”
My best friend chuckled beside me and pulled his hand out from under my skirt.
At that moment, Mitch came over with another round of drinks.
After he set them on the table, I looked at Griffin. “I’m done drinking. I’d rather go upstairs and go to bed.”
The corner of his mouth turned up. “As long as you understand that you won’t be sleeping. We still have that leg-shaking orgasm we need to work on,” he said, his words only for me.