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★☆★☆★
Braden dropped me off at the dorms the next day, and I had to do the frickin’ walk of shame back to my third floor dorm room at 10 a.m., which sucked oh-so badly. Hair all messed up, makeup smeared, clothes wrinkled. But the kiss he left me with in his car still made my toes curl at the thought of it.
Totally worth it.
Ten a.m. on a Saturday inside the dorms was pretty active. While lots of girls were still asleep, lots of others, like my new roommate Ariana, were in the laundry rooms, while others were in the communal TV rooms watching TV or chatting. I tried to keep my head down as I slogged into my room. I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized Ariana wasn’t there. I quickly showered and then fell into bed. I should be studying, but I needed sleep. That hot-as-hell Braden had kept me up all night. I plugged my phone into its charger and then slept the day away.
***
I desperately needed to spend a low-key weekend, just studying and finishing a couple of term papers. I felt like I was slipping behind, and definitely couldn’t afford to miss any classes or, God forbid, fail one. I was almost to my senior year, and I needed to pull up my GPA before I lost the support of my parents. I had even gotten on the Dean’s List a couple of times, and I told myself I could do it again. So I vowed this weekend, I was gonna just sit and study. Find a library or a quiet place and knock out these assignments. It just sucked I had to work most of the weekend.
“Can I get you anything else?” I asked the older couple, who barely acknowledged me.
The man with the graying crown of hair shook his head and plastered a tight smile on his face. “No, honey. Just the check.”
I nodded and smiled. “Of course.”
I sauntered back to the servers’ station in my short, black skirt, hoping my fine backside would get me some more tips. As I plugged in the couple’s order into the computer, I looked out the window at the choppy Pacific Ocean waters. While waiting tables wasn’t exactly a career choice, this restaurant on SEAL Island helped me pay the bills. I was so happy I’d be graduating soon, and I could get a real job doing something in law enforcement, which is what I really wanted.
I placed the ticket down on the couple’s table and they barely looked at me. They were totally focused on each other, and I thought that was sweet, and I went to walk away.
“Excuse me!”
I whirled around and saw another couple sitting at a table totally not in my section. I approached them anyway. “Hi, can I help you?”
“A Volcano please?”
The guy had beady brown eyes and he took a sip of his almost empty beer, and I watched as those eyes traveled the length of my body. His female companion seemed to be completely oblivious to the elevator eyes he was giving me, and looked at me expectantly. I dragged my eyes away from her creepy date and suppressed a shudder, then looked at her. Plain, dishwater brown hair and light eyes under thick black glasses. “I’ll get one right out to you!” I said with a smile. I did not look back at her date.
I went to the bartender at the bar we had in the middle of the restaurant and ordered a Volcano. He told me it would be a few, and I could see why; the bar was packed and he was alone.
“Where’s Lee?” I asked, wondering where the other bartender was.
“Called in,” Eric said, as he quickly popped open another beer and handed it to a guy who was so obviously military.
I looked at the guy as he paid Eric, then back to the bartender. “That blows.”
Eric was cute, probably late 20s and had a superhot body. I knew he spent a lot of time in the gym, but he definitely wasn’t into me. He wasn’t into any girl. As I watched him, something caught the corner of my eye, and I spied a beautiful bouquet of red roses.
“Eric, where did you get those?” I asked, pointing.
He snorted. “Girlfriend, I had to get on my knees quite a few times to get those. You should try it sometime.”
I gulped as I felt the red stain creep up my face. I knew Eric was gay; I didn’t know he was so blunt. I smiled sheepishly as I waited patiently until he got a break and made the Volcano the odd couple had ordered. The Volcanos took longer because they had some sort of dry ice type element to them. After mixing quite a few bottles together, he brought me a huge clear glass the size of a small bowl, the liquid inside it blue, and steam and smoke billowed off the top of it. Patrons stared as I carefully carried the steaming drink to the table and presented it to the couple.
Both of their eyes got big and I bit back a smile, as that was the response I always got when I delivered this particular drink. It was a mixture of dark rum, various passion fruits, a Hawaiian flower, and dry ice. Its large cup overflowed with steam, which normally elicited oohs and ahhs from the receiver. Which never got old. I always handed out as many straws as they wanted from the pocket of my apron, which barely covered my short skirt.
I smiled at the odd couple and asked if they needed anything else. They barely acknowledged me, their eyes too glued to the Volcano. I just chuckled and walked off.
As soon as my shift was over, I yanked off my apron and hung it up in the back room, but not before I plucked the tips from its pocket and threw the bills into my purse.
Before I zipped up my purse and walked out to my car, I pulled my cell phone out and saw I had four texts. One from Jayda, rambling about nothing. One from my sister telling me to call her. One was from Braden. Delete. The last was from Chris Ferguson. When was he ever gonna give up?
I debated deleting it without reading it, but of course I couldn’t, ‘cause I was weak like that.
Chris: I know you think about me as much as I think about you.
While this may be true, I didn’t appreciate his cocky attitude. Should I text him back, or ignore his ass? Of course I couldn’t let it go.
Me: What’s your point?
Chris: Meet me. Right now. I want to see you.
What the hell? Was he drunk?
I looked the clock on my phone. It was after midnight. Clearly he wanted a bootie call. I couldn’t believe I actually considered meeting him for a slight few minutes!
Me: No. Goodnight, Chris.
He did not text again.
Whew.
***
Stephanie’s fingers were snapping in my face. “Miranda! Look alive, girlfriend. Hot dudes at ten o’clock!”
I was snapped out of my reverie about everything I had going on with school, graduation, and of course, Chris, when I followed her line of sight over to a group of very hot guys in the corner of the club we were hanging out in. Jayda had secured us a table in the corner, and it was very nice to just sit and watch. But the group of guys who had walked in definitely required me to sit up a little straighter and pay attention. They were of all races and builds, and all were so delicious.
As I was drooling over a tall brunette with a chiseled face and a short haircut and tight shirt, my eyes drifted toward the door when another delicious sight caught my attention. Once I realized who this perfect specimen was, my heart dropped into my stomach and I swallowed hard. In a kneejerk reaction, I reached for the shot of Fireball the waitress had just delivered and slammed it back. Before Jayda could reach for hers, I slammed hers, too.
“Hey, bitch. Those shots are 7 bucks apiece, you paying?”
I winced a little at the cinnamon whiskey burning a trail down to my gut and pointed at the front door. “I need it more than you do.”
She shifted angry eyes away from me and to the door. “Holy shit, it’s Chris,” she breathed.
Stephanie’s head turned and looked, her shot paused at her lips. “Oh crap. You’ll need mine, too.” She slid it over.
I slammed it back without thinking.
Stephanie gathered the shot glasses and pointed at me. “But that’s all for you. Relaxed is good. Drunk and horny is not. You are not going home with that prick.”
A small smile twitched up on my puffy, pink lips. Nothing in the world sounded better than that, actually.
“Oh, hell no. I know that look. Hell no,” Stephanie repeated. “Not on my watch.”
Jayda and I both laughed. “I’m not gonna go home with him, Steph. I’m just admiring the goods.”
She dipped her head and me and folded her delicate olive hands on the table, her almond brown eyes studying me curiously. “I’ll be sure of that.”
As if on cue, Chris’s curious eyes scanned the club and stopped when they landed straight on me and my table’s entourage. He was flanked by two equally hot guys, but not the ones he’d had with him the night we met. He, of course, sauntered over to my table with no shame whatsoever, a big smile plastered on his face.
“What do you want, Chris?” Jayda asked with narrowed eyes, her hand resting comfortably on the back of her head on the light brown ponytail she always wore.
He totally ignored her and said, “Hi, Miranda.”
I swallowed hard and feigned indifference. “Chris.”
Amusement and flirtation were dancing in his impossibly gorgeous crystal blue eyes. His shirt was tight, tattoos peeking down from his biceps. I almost melted into a puddle right there in the booth.
He put his hand out. “Let’s dance.”
I shook my head and took a sip from my rum and Coke as casually as I could. “Nah, I’m good. Nice seeing you again.”
He smiled again. “That’s all you got for me?”
Stephanie snorted. “You heard the lady. Now scram.”
I looked at her and turned my head to the side. “Did you just say scram?”
She laughed. “Yes, my dad says it all the time.”
Chris crossed his impossibly fine arms over his hard chest and measured me with a stare that made me hold my breath. “You really don’t want me to scram, do you?”
I sucked in my cheeks to keep from smiling at his charm, and said, “Yes, Chris. Go find yourself someone to spend the night with.”
Then the asshole had the nerve to sit down in our booth and press his very hot body up against mine. He leaned in and slid some hair behind my ear, giving him full access to whisper in it. “I only want to spend the night with you. I miss you, Miranda. Let me make it up to you.”
I swear, if my friends weren’t there, I would have straddled him right there on the booth seat.
Trying to maintain a strong resolve, I gently pushed him back, quickly growing weak. Looking him in the eyes, I said, “I’m here celebrating with my friends. Maybe another time.” I hoped that would give him some false hope and get rid of him.
He raised an eyebrow at me. “Seriously?”
I smirked. “Yes, seriously.”
No.
“What are you celebrating?” he asked.
I glanced over at his two friends, who were now talking to a group of girls, then back at him. “We all aced our midterms.”
He raised a hand to my face. “That’s great, baby. Proud of you.”
Oh, my God.
Jayda and Stephanie were shooting daggers straight into me. I looked at them, then whispered in Chris’s ear. “I’ll be at your house at midnight.”
A huge smile lit up his face.
I’m such an ass for agreeing to meet him, but in no way was I gonna let my besties know I was breaking weak. But the truth was, I missed Chris. I missed him every day. He’d had an effect on me for those few months we were together, and I couldn’t get him out of my mind, my brain... my heart. Maybe agreeing to meet him tonight was a mistake, but it would be one delicious mistake I’d most likely have as a nice souvenir in the form of a memory when I was old and gray.
Chris lifted off out of the booth without another word, and headed toward his friends. They disappeared into the dark recesses of the club, but I kept an eye on them.
“What in the hell did you say to him?” Jayda asked, eyes wide.
I smirked. “I told him I had already screwed him for the last time, and he’d never get in my panties again.”
“And he bought that?” she asked incredulously.
I sucked down the last of my drink and threw some ice in my mouth. “Yup.”
She shook her head and then went back to her conversation with Stephanie about her plans to get a job at a chemical company.
Yawn.
We sort of sat there the rest of the night. We all danced with random guys; I saw Chris a few times, who was also dancing, but I never saw him getting down and dirty with anyone. Anytime he’d catch me looking in his direction, he’d throw me a wink that made my panties wet. Then I saw him leave with his friends around 11:30.
For fifteen agonizing minutes, I waited, then told the girls I was leaving. They barely acknowledged me leaving, to which I was relieved. I got into my little red Honda Civic and headed toward Chris’s house.
What in the hell was I doing?