Chapter 13
A YearLater
Colton
It was Friday night. My best friend Eric and I had eaten our weight in pizza and were Ubering to the After – the hottest nightclub in town which was also a local, favorite hidden gem that was on every tourist’s bucket list. We’d both had long days at work and needed a night to forget. I needed to get the blonde bombshell out of my mind long enough to think coherently about my fiancée to know if ending the relationship with her was a good idea or if I was only thinking of the game and my need to win.
Eric had more to forget than me tonight, and I wasn’t about to make it about me. His girlfriend had just broken up with him after claiming she wasn’t in love anymore three years into the relationship. He wouldn’t admit it, but he was a wreck, waiting to combust at the seams.
I, on the other hand, couldn’t stop thinking about my boss’s daughter – his recent, college-graduate daughter. She had started working full time this week, and after a whole year of watching her grow up, I definitely could appreciate the beautiful woman she had blossomed into. She worked hard, came in before everyone else, and left long after. She really wanted to prove herself, and yet, none of the guys took her seriously.
Guys who spent their days building cars and swearing like sailors had no time for a girl to come in there and mess up everything. They didn’t want to hear her complaints about their foul language or the messy way in which they worked. They didn’t want change, and that was exactly what she planned. She was the eyes and ears for her father, and everyone was scared.
They spoke about her behind her back, meanwhile remaining well-mannered in front of her and the boss. Nobody dared to say anything in front of him. I didn’t like how they spoke about her. I didn’t like how she dressed for work either. The black leggings that molded to her calves, thighs, and butt were a tease. And she knew it. The tight shirts she wore emphasized her chest, and she loved the attention she received. The desire-filled glances from the guys kept a flirty smile on her face.
Shaking thoughts of her from my head, I focused back on my friend who was busy deleting photos from his phone of his ex.
“Are you sure you want to do that?” I looked away, watching the city lights pass us by. People lined the streets. Girls were wobbly on their feet in heels way too high, and guys were getting handsy.
I hadn’t missed the partying scene, not one bit. Shannon insisted I take Eric out to forget, to let him find a girl for the night to numb the pain. She sounded more like an insensitive man than a woman, but I didn’t object at the free pass to go out.
Eric and I were walking past the young teens all bustling with energy. We strode past them to the VIP entrance, showed our cards to the bouncer, and entered the busy building, squinting through the fog and strobe lights. We could see bodies moving to the beat of the music that was shaking the place. Eric smiled as a busty brunette pulled him onto the dance floor, his broken heart momentarily forgotten. I headed over to the bar, avoiding the sweaty bodies. This brought back every bad memory of college all at once – drunk friends, girls getting drugged.
I tried to remember that I was above all of these kids. I wasn’t twenty anymore, only worried about the next high or who had the biggest tits. I had grown up.
Reaching the bar, I signaled the bartender and ordered two beers. While I waited, I turned back to the dance floor to see if any of our other friends were here. After seeing Eric in between two girls and no one else, I turned back to the bar, handed the bartender a bill, and walked over to one of the booths in the back corner of the club. I sat down and nursed the beer while scanning the room until I saw her.
My eyes zeroed in on her. My entire body tensed at the sight before me. I wouldn’t let it happen to another girl.
Stumbling around on the dance floor, heels way too high, dress too short – there stood my boss’s daughter. Her blonde hair shone under the lights, and her lips remained in a smile as she shook that firm ass to whatever song was playing.
I watched her for a few songs, not wanting to intervene. She was just dancing all alone, no creepy guys feeling her up, just a girl with her eyes closed, her whole body absorbing the beat of each song. I wanted her more and more with every passing minute.
Until suddenly, that mesmerizing smile dropped from her sexy lips when a guy stood in front of her, putting his hands on her hips and pulling her close to him. She pushed away from him, but not taking the hint, he only pulled harder. I pushed from the table quickly and rushed to get that creep away from her.
I yanked him away, looked into his eyes, and glared. “That’s my girlfriend you’re fondling, mate.” He raised his hands in surrender.
“You better get a shorter leash for this one.” He grinned before walking away. I clenched my fists, the urge to knock him down a few notches pulsing through me, but I forced myself to relax. Getting arrested was the last thing I needed.
Summer was looking at me now, those big, blue eyes wide with shock.
“What are you doing here, Summer?” I couldn’t keep the anger from my tone. I rested my hand on her sweaty arm.
“What are you doing here, Colt?” Her eyebrow lifted as she screamed over the music.
“Are you here alone?” I asked her as I gently pulled her off the dance floor and led her towards my booth.
She nodded and slid into my booth, immediately sucking down a glass of water. “Are you drunk?” I questioned, somehow already knowing the answer.
I inspected her dilated eyes, flushed face, and cheeky grin. Yep, she was definitely drunk.
She still swayed to the music, her plump, red lips wrapped around the straw as she nodded to the beat.
“Where’s Devin?” I struggled to remember the name of her lanky boyfriend, knowing I probably got it wrong anyway. The guy looked like a tool.
“Dylan, his name is D-y-l-a-n,” she slurred, spelling out each letter of his name. I almost cracked a grin at her sassy attitude, but I was too aggravated about her being by herself. Didn’t she know what happened to beautiful girls like her?
“Well, where is he?” She just shrugged.
“We had a fight. He went out with his friends instead of me,” She stuck her thumb to her chest, her pretty eyes becoming glassy. “So, here I am.” She slumped against the plush backrest of the booth, her big, stunning eyes taking me all in.
Eric chose this exact moment to saunter over, the same brunette from earlier clinging to him. “Who is this?” He grabbed the other beer from the table and brought it up to his lips with an amused expression lighting up his eyes.
He knew about Summer, knew that I wasn’t in love with Shannon anymore, and yet, this fucker just wanted to rub it all in. Apparently, he wanted us to be miserable together.
Summer stuck her hand out in greeting, not batting an eyelid or giving me a chance to introduce the two. “Summer, and who are you, handsome?”
My eyes just about fell out of my head. Was she actually flirting with my best friend right now and not me?
Eric laughed and shook her hand before bringing it to his lips, placing a soft kiss on the top. I gritted my teeth. “This idiot’s best friend, Eric.” She smiled widely at him.
That smile.
That smile was meant for me and only me.
“Alright; enough small talk. I’m taking you home.” I pointed at Summer, and the little vixen actually pouted.
Eric slammed his empty bottle down on the table, gaining my attention. “Let’s have a round of drinks first – on me.” Summer eagerly nodded her head. All I could think was that she was already drunk. The very last thing she needed was more.
“I’ll have anything with tequila in it,” she giggled, falling into me. I caught her slumped body easily, ignoring the way my body responded to her closeness. Her perfume washed over me – intoxicating me. There was nothing I wanted more than to wrap my arm around her body and pull her into my chest, to hold her to me and let every guy in the club know that she was mine.
But she wasn’t. And I had to learn to live with the reality of it. She would never be mine.