Chapter Twenty-Six
Chloe
The bass thumps through the walls, pulsing like a heartbeat, like my own heartbeat — erratic, uneven, fueled by a heavy frustration I can’t shake. I’m standing in the VIP section of my friend’s club, a glass of whiskey in my hand, barely even touched.
Around me, the usual chaos of the nightlife scene plays out — women in tight dresses, men throwing money around like it means nothing, bodies pressing together in dark corners as they all chase something meant to be fleeting, like two ships passing in the night. This used to be my scene. This used to be easy.
Tonight, though, all I want is to be anywhere but here. I came to get Chloe out of my head. I came to remind myself that she’s nothing more than an illusion... a passing fixation I can break if I drown myself in enough distraction. What I feel toward this woman has to be a fluke... doesn’t it?
I try to convince myself that she’s just another woman, no different from others I’ve already had and left behind. I’m trying to prove this to myself.
A blonde slides into my space, her body draped in a tight black dress that leaves little to the imagination. She’s stunning... the kind of woman I’d normally go for... that is until Chloe ruined me to all others. She’s become all I seem to want.
“Are you here alone?” The woman’s smooth voice is playful, confident, and seductive. She presses close, her perfume wrapping around me in a suffocating cloud of sweetness. “That seems like it should be a crime.”
I barely look at her. “I’m not in the mood.”
She laughs, tilting her head back. “I don’t believe that,” she says with a perfected pout.
Her fingers trail up my arm, light and teasing. I feel nothing. She’s doing everything right... the slow smile, the flirty touch, the subtle lean into my body. I simply don’t give a damn. I feel absolutely nothing for her.
“You don’t seem like the kind of man who sits back and broods,” she says, sipping her drink, her eyes sharp. “Come on, sexy, let me help you forget whatever’s got you looking like you’re about to burn this place down.”
I can’t let go of Chloe... can’t keep her from my mind.
I grit my teeth and try to force these thoughts away. The woman smiles as she sidles closer, pressing her body against mine. “Let me guess...” she muses, her lips inches from my jaw. “Work stress? No, that’s too simple. Woman problems?”
I don’t answer.
She takes this as confirmation. “Whoever she is, she’s an idiot for not being here right now,” she purrs. “It’s lucky for you that I am.”
She rises onto her toes and kisses me. I allow it. I tell myself I need this. I try to convince myself I need anyone but Chloe. The woman’s lips are soft and practiced, her hands sliding up my chest in an invitation that tells me I can take her right here against the wall. This is an invitation I might’ve taken a few months ago.
I deepen the kiss, forcing myself to feel something... anything. All I feel is disgust. The taste is wrong. The touch is wrong. She’s wrong. With a growl, I tear my mouth from hers and step back, my stomach twisting in revulsion. She blinks up at me, stunned, her lips swollen.
“What the hell?” She looks mad, not used to being rejected. She’s stunning and skilled. I can see why she feels this way.
“I’m not doing this,” I mutter, my voice foreign to me, jagged.
Her expression darkens. “It’s your loss,” she says, trying to gain back her confidence.
I don’t bother explaining anything. I turn and walk away, shoving through the VIP doors and out into the cool night air. I drag a hand down my face, my jaw clenched so hard it aches.
This is only an obsession because I haven’t had her yet.
I try convincing myself it ’ s the truth. One night with Chloe and I’ll be free of her. But something inside of me calls me a liar. No other woman will ever satisfy me again. This is my biggest fear. I hang my head and move to my vehicle. It’s time to go home. It’s time to finish this thing with Chloe.