CH 31 - #ohhellno
#ohhellno
Madison
Songs: “White Liar” by Miranda Lambert, “Lying with You” by Chase Wright, and “Love You Tonight” by Ella Langley
“I need another whiskey,” I told my sister.
“I need another glass of wine. We’re going to be here for a while, I can tell.”
“We sure are. I’m so angry about this bullshit with Luke. I saw a side of him that I’d never imagined.”
“Well, you’ve never been in a situation like this with him. Your relationship with him is so new, so there’s no way you could’ve predicted his reaction. We don’t really know someone until we’ve spent a good amount of time with them.”
“He’s probably thinking that about me right now and what a mistake he made by pursuing me.”
“I don’t believe he thinks you’re a mistake. He’s just grappling with his jealousy and insecurities. I have no doubt he’ll sort them out and want to talk to you about everything.”
Meredith and I ordered another round of drinks and kept sitting at the bar, talking some and people-watching. A damper had certainly been put on our girls’ night out, but I was determined not to let it ruin it completely.
I had just asked my sister what time she was planning to head back to Dallas tomorrow when I saw Luke out of the corner of my eye and looked straight at him as he passed by, holding a blond woman’s hand. He peered over his shoulder at me, his eyes still full of anger.
“That was Luke,” I said to my sister as I pointed toward him.
“What? I thought he left.”
“No, he didn’t. He’s with another woman too.”
Meredith looked in his direction, spotting them heading toward the dance floor. “And now the games begin,” she said, turning back to me.
“He is totally playing games. He’s intentionally trying to hurt me.”
“I am so sorry.”
I stood up from my barstool and stared in disbelief at Luke and the blond dancing. I felt in my gut that she was Sierra.
“Fuck this!” I said, slamming back what was left in my glass of Buffalo Trace.
“What are you about to do?”
“I’m going over to the dance floor and watching Luke with that woman. I’m going to stare him down. He wants to mess with me; then I’m messing with him.”
“You’re just going to be adding fuel to the fire, Madison.”
“I don’t care. Luke started this. I’m going to finish it.”
“You’re going to regret it.”
“No, I’m not.”
“I swear, your damn temper, sister.”
“I am who I am, and I will not sit back and do nothing about Luke treating me in this shitty way. How easily he turned to his hookup hooch.”
“Do you know her?”
“I have a really good idea of who she is. She’s Luke’s ex-girlfriend, Sierra, from high school. He told me that before I came along, he would hook up with her on occasion. They’re fuck buddies.”
“Oh, wow. This plot just keeps getting messier and messier.”
“You stay here. I’ll be back.”
I was approaching the edge of the dance floor when Luke looked over Sierra’s shoulder and saw me. He kept his eyes locked on mine for several seconds, then spun Sierra around, pulling her back to him. They smiled at each other and continued dancing to Miranda Lambert’s “White Liar.”
I huffed, listening to the lyrics. They made me wonder if Luke had been lying to me this whole time, deceiving me by still seeing Sierra.
Going by the way they were moving their bodies together and how they were touching and looking at each other, I could tell they hadn’t stopped having sex. Luke had played me.
“Ma’am?” a man said from behind me.
I turned around, facing him. “What do you want?”
“I was just going to ask if you wanted to dance,” he said, holding up his hands for me not to take offense.
I sighed and looked him up and down. He was as tall and built as Luke and almost as handsome, with green eyes, dark brown hair under his cowboy hat, and scruff around his mouth and along his strong jawline.
“What’s your name?” I asked him.
“Wyatt Robinson.”
“Are you from Amarillo?”
“No, Houston.”
“What brought you to this part of Texas?”
“I’m in town for the weekend. Came here to see my parents.”
“Then why are you at Midnight Rodeo?”
“You don’t hold back, do you?”
“Nope.”
“I came here to have a drink and listen to the music to escape everything in my mind for a bit. My dad is fighting cancer.”
I swallowed hard. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“What is your name?”
“Madison Brooks. I’m from Dallas, but have been staying at my parents’ ranch here in Amarillo, working remotely.”
“I see.”
“Have you danced with anyone else since you got to Midnight Rodeo?”
“No.”
“Why do you want to dance with me?”
“You caught my eye. You’re an exquisite-looking woman. Beautiful. I say that respectfully.”
“I took it as such, and thank you. You’re a handsome man.”
“And I thank you. Would you dance with me? I’d be greatly honored,” he said, holding out his hand for mine.
I looked over my shoulder at Luke still dancing with Sierra, now to “Lying with You” by Chase Wright. I knew the song well and hoped that when Luke saw me dancing with the Houston cowboy, it would make him a wreck as the fucking lyrics described.
I faced Wyatt again and took his hand. He smiled kindly, then led me to the sawdust-covered floor, immediately moving me across it with him.
Luke and Sierra were only a few yards away from us.
I could feel Luke’s eyes on me, but I didn’t look at him.
I just kept focusing on Wyatt. He danced well, he looked good, and he smelled scrumptious in whatever cologne he had on.
“Do you mind telling me what you’re angry about?” he asked, studying my eyes.
“Am I that obvious?”
“You are.”
“I’m angry at a man.”
“He must’ve hurt you.”
“He did.”
“I hate that for you.”
“Has a woman ever done you wrong?”
“A few of them have.”
“Yet you keep trying with them.”
“I’m not looking for anything from you, Madison. I just wanted to dance.”
“How long ago was your last heartbreak?”
“Four months. How long ago did that man hurt you?”
“Tonight.”
Wyatt nodded. “Now I understand why your hair is on fire, so to speak. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Yep, hold me closer.”
He pulled me all the way up to him, holding me tight with his right arm wrapped around my waist, the fronts of our bodies touching, and his muscular thighs brushing against mine as we kept moving together and gazing into each other’s eyes.
“Have you ever been married?” I asked.
“I came close once. Bought an engagement ring and was planning how I would propose to my girlfriend when I found out she was cheating on me.”
“What did you do with the ring?”
“Sold it.”
“Good! I was hoping you wouldn’t say that you flushed it down the toilet.”
“No, I was determined to get some money back on it. It cost me a small fortune to buy.”
“Hell, I’d be happy with a gumball machine ring from a man if he was true-hearted.”
Wyatt turned us to where I could see Luke over his shoulder.
His eyes met mine, full of anger once again as he held Sierra to him, and she rested her head on his shoulder, lost in him as I’d been.
Her body language told me she was still in love with him, despite their breakup several years ago.
I couldn’t help but wonder if Luke was still in love with her, too.
Why else would he keep letting her into his bed?
“The man who hurt you is behind me, isn’t he?” Wyatt asked.
“Yep, and he’s dancing with his ex-girlfriend.”
“Does he keep looking at you?”
“Bingo.”
“This may be wrong for me to say, but would you like to push his buttons?”
“Depends on how.”
“Let me kiss you.”
I searched Wyatt’s eyes. He was serious. This entire situation was serious, but the whiskey flowing through my veins was making me care less and less. Then, as timing would have it, Ella Langley’s “Love You Tonight” started playing.
I shook my head to myself, thinking about the lyrics: “One drink, what’s that gonna hurt?
One dance never killed nobody. One kiss just for old time’s sake.
Head back to your place, hands on your body.
Sounds like a good idea when I’ve been drinkin’, but when I sober up, I’m thinkin’, what was I thinkin’?
’” Right now, all I was thinking about was kissing this Houston cowboy, still looking at me and waiting for my answer.
“Okay, kiss me, but do it like you’re my lover,” I said.
“Are you certain you want me to take it that far?”
“Yep.”
Wyatt unwrapped his arm from around my waist and placed his hand on the back of my head, keeping his eyes steady on mine. “Ready?” he asked.
“It’s now or never.”
He leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. We breathed into each other, then our tongues touched, our kiss quickly deepening. Seconds later, I was suddenly yanked away from him.
“This isn’t happening!” Luke yelled, his grasp still tight on my arm.
“Get your damn hand off me!”
He dropped it at his side, fuming as his eyes bore into mine. “I know what you’re doing here. Stop fucking with me, Madison.”
“You started this by dancing with her,” I said, looking at the blond woman standing a couple of yards away. “You’re Sierra, aren’t you?”
“I am.”
I looked back at Luke. “Missing your hookup after all I gave you of myself? You just used me, you piece of shit!”
“I didn’t use you!”
“As the saying goes, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. You can’t convince me that your dick hasn’t been back inside Sierra.”
He turned to her, holding his hand out toward her. “Would you please tell Madison the facts?”
“We haven’t been together since you came into Luke’s life,” she said.
“Save it!”
My sister walked up to me. “Let’s go.”
“Nope, this isn’t over.”
“It is for tonight. You’re both playing a hell of a childish game,” she said, pointing at Luke and me.
Neither of us responded, then Meredith looped her arm through mine and started pulling me off the dance floor. I looked over my shoulder at Wyatt, giving him a sympathetic smile.
When my sister and I reached my car, she pushed me backward against the driver’s side door.
“Don’t you do that again!” I yelled.
“What are you going to do? Whip my ass, little sister? You can’t in the drunken state you’re in.”
“I sure can!”
I swung at her, missing. She shoved me backward again. “I can do this all night long if that’s what you want,” Meredith said, her eyes angry.
“Take me to the fucking ranch! I’m done!”
“Give me your fucking keys!”
I reached into my jeans pocket and threw them at her.
She caught them, then grabbed my hair like she used to do when we were teenagers and pulled me around to the other side of my car while I swung my fists at her, still missing.
After unlocking my car with my key fob, Meredith shoved me down into my passenger seat and buckled me in.
I’d stopped fighting her. Watching her storm around to the driver’s side, I buried my face in my hands and bawled.