CHAPTER 22 DANNY
I order another whiskey, and three ladies approach our table.
The problem is that my vision is starting to blur. In the past, that wouldn’t have been a bad thing. Whoever slid in beside me would’ve been the girl I went home with.
Tonight, however, that isn’t in the cards.
“Danny Brewer,” the woman says. She’s blonde and vaguely familiar, but I’m just not in the mood for this. I turn to look at her, and she’s shaking her head with disappointment. “You don’t remember me, do you?”
I squint at her a little, and something about animal print comes to mind.
A leopard, maybe? She’s wearing a leopard print dress right now, and it’s calling up some hazy memory like I’ve seen that dress before.
On my bedroom floor.
Long fingernails. Something about round three.
“Erica,” she says. “We hooked up last March. You didn’t remember my name when you asked me to leave your place.”
“Right, Erica!” I say, feigning enthusiasm. “Of course I remember—both you and your name,” I lie.
I remember being wasted, but most of the night with Erica is shot completely from my memory at this point.
“You don’t have to lie, but I am still ready for round three.” She offers a flirtatious smile at me.
Her friend across the table next to Rush yells, “Smile!”
We both glance over at her out of pure habit when someone yells such a word, but I don’t smile.
“Try again,” she says, and Erica leans in beside me with her cheek against mine as she cheeses it up for the camera.
Well, that’s one photo that will likely end up all over the tabloids by morning.
Last week, I was photographed out with Kit Davenport, and this week, it’s Erica the Leopard.
I think for just a beat what would happen if I did take Erica up on her offer.
In some ways, I want it to feel like it’s my right. I want to feel like it’d be evening the score with Alexis since she’s about to marry some other dude.
But it doesn’t feel that way at all. Instead, it feels like it would be a terrible mistake…one I refuse to make since I have everything I’ve ever wanted with Alexis.
Still, her words about whether it’s all worth it pierce through my skull for the millionth time since she spoke the concern.
I assured her it is worth it…but how can I be sure when there’s so goddamn much at stake? Between her marriage, and her father’s company, and her fucking brand, and her reputation…it’s a whole lot for her to lose by being paired with somebody like me.
The only thing I have to lose in all this is myself. My heart.
Because if there’s one thing I’m sure of at this point, it’s that she owns all of it.
“So where are we at on that round three?” Erica asks, sliding one of those long fingernails down my bicep.
“I had a fun night with you back in March, Erica,” I say quietly, trying my best to let her down gently. “But I’m just not in the right place for round three tonight.”
“Tonight?” she says, clearly grabbing onto some false hope I certainly didn’t mean to give her. “So maybe another night, then?”
“I’m sorry,” I say quietly.
She purses her lips for a beat. “You’re going to regret this,” she hisses at me.
Is there a jungle cat that hisses?
I’m not sure why that is the thought that bears down on me, but it is. “I’m afraid I won’t.”
I thought she would’ve gotten the message loud and clear when I kicked her out without remembering her name, but she didn’t. And now here we are, another mark stacked against us on the side that’s clearly winning the race.
I excuse myself to the restroom and detour for the front door on my way. I head outside and slip around the side of the building where it’s quiet, and I call Alexis.
She doesn’t pick up. I leave a voicemail.
“Hey. I went out with my buddies tonight, and this girl I was with back before we met hit on me. I wanted to let you know her friend snapped our photo together, and I don’t doubt it’ll be all over social media by morning.
Anyway, I hope you had a good flight. I miss you and wish we were still together at the Beverly Wilshire or my place.
I wish we could rewind a few days before my father showed up to throw a wrench into things.
I wish a lot of things, but most of all, I wish you were still here.
Well…I guess I’ll talk to you soon. Bye. ”
I end the call, and when I turn to go back inside, I see Erica standing at the edge of the building watching me.
“Who’d you just call?” she asks.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t owe you an answer to that.” My voice is hard and firm, and I start walking around her to head back inside to my friends when she starts yelling.
“No! Danny, stop it!”
My brows dip as I take a step back from her. “What are you doing?”
“I said no!” she yells.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I hiss.
She offers me a wicked smile. “I told you you’d regret telling me no.”
“So, what, you’re making it look like I’m assaulting you?”
She shrugs. “I guess I am.” She raises her voice. “No means no!”
“What’s going on back here?” a male voice demands.
I close my eyes and shake my head. “I didn’t fucking touch her,” I say to the bouncer, who moves in behind her.
He’s eyeing me warily, and he glances up and nods at a camera. “That should tell us everything. Both of you, back to the offices now.”
What the actual fuck. Is he serious right now?
“I was literally making a call, and she followed me out here,” I protest.
“The footage from the camera up there will let us know who’s telling the truth. We’ll take a look and determine whether we need to call the police,” he says.
“Call them on her,” I say, and I hear the exhaustion in my own voice. “Falsely accusing someone of a felony is a crime.”
Her brows dip as she looks from me back to the bouncer. We both know what we’re going to see on that tape.
She sighs. “Ugh. Fine. He didn’t touch me.” She rolls her eyes and purses her lips before she spins on her heel and walks back into the bar.
“Thank you,” I say to the bouncer.
“I know you, man. You’ve been around here a lot, and you’ve always been respectful. I didn’t believe it for a second, but I had to let her feel that support, too.”
“You’re a good man. I’ll hook you up with some tickets next season, okay?” I offer.
“No need,” he says. “Coop already gave me the hook-up, and any friend of his is a friend of mine.”
I laugh. “Glad to have people like you cheering us on.”
I reserve a Lyft, head back inside to say goodbye to my friends, and decide to call it a night.