Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Elle
"I'm so glad I finally got you away from Rhett. I swear it's been ages since we went out together," Molly whined from where she sat next to me on the barstool.
"It's been three weeks." I laughed. "The last time was the night I met Rhett."
"Exactly!" Molly sliced her finger in the air. "Ever since he came into your life, you've ditched me."
I couldn't help but continue to laugh at Molly's exaggeration.
"You realize I see you every day at work, and we meet up once a week to talk about new books," I reminded her.
Molly pouted. "I know."
"Still not good enough?" I took a sip of my wine and raised my brow at her.
"I'm just jealous you're getting some on the regular these days, which is putting you in a good mood."
I spit my wine across the bar.
"I'm sorry," I told the bartender who had the misfortune of being in the firing range.
"It's no problem." The female bartender smiled as she used the bar rag to wipe down the front of her shirt. "Us girls have to stick together, and I'm happy someone is getting sex on the regular because I sure as hell ain't."
It was a good thing the lighting in the bar was so dark because I was sure my face was every shade as red as Molly's shirt.
I gave the bartender a weak smile and then was happy when a gentleman farther down the bar waved her down for another drink.
"Molly!" I hissed as soon as we were alone. "You can't go and say things like that without giving me a warning."
"Oh please." She rolled her eyes. "Our entire friendship should be one big warning for you."
Well, if that wasn't the truth.
"Okay, true, but maybe a heads-up so I'm not taking a drink of my wine would've been nice."
Molly merely smirked at me, and I shook my head knowing damn well the next time my friend would do the same thing if for no other reason than it made her laugh.
"Besides, Rhett and I have yet to have sex."
Now it was Molly's turn to spit wine across the bar.
"Wait, what? I thought you said you've spent every waking second together since he got home from the hospital?"
"We have but broken ribs, remember? The doctor said no physical activity, and I've made him stick to it." I took another sip of wine.
"So all this happiness is just from... hanging out?" She made it seem like it was such a foreign idea that I had to chuckle.
"Yup. Well, and the anticipation. The sexual tension between us is dynamite, so I already know when the time comes, it going to be phenomenal." There was no way with the chemistry between us that it could be anything but great.
"Damn! I think I'm even more jealous now." Molly shook her head in disgust.
There was nothing more to say on that note, so I decided to change the subject.
"Since you think I've been abandoning you lately, why don't you tell me what I've missed?"
My friend dramatically sighed as she took a sip of her own white wine. "Absolutely nothing. Unlike you, my life is boring."
"Your life is far from boring," I reminded her. "You just haven't found the right person to spend it with... Yet." I pointed at her.
"Why must all guys be jerks?"
I watched Molly pout, and I wished I had a good answer for her, but the truth was guys could be jerks. Especially the ones we attracted. At least that was the case before I found Rhett.
I was about to tell her there was still hope, but the male bartender beat me to it.
"The right one won't be a jerk." He gave her a hesitant smile as he wiped down the bar next to us.
"Exactly!" I pointed at the bartender until he gave me his name. "Jake, here, is right. When you find the right guy, he won't be a jerk."
Well, that wasn't the complete truth. Rhett had his jerkish moments when we first met, but that was before things got serious. Now he was the perfect gentleman.
Except in the bedroom.
"Maybe you're right." Molly dropped her chin into her hands and pouted.
I shook Molly's shoulder so violently that her whole upper body moved. "Enough of that. We need to liven this party up." I lifted my hand and waited for one of the bartenders to come over. "Two shots of tequila, please."
That seemed to do the trick. Immediately Molly perked up. "Yes!" She clapped her hands as Jake poured two shots of clear liquid into shot glasses and slid them across the bar with a pair of lime wedges and the saltshaker.
Like the pros we were, Molly and I simultaneously licked the spot between our thumb and forefinger before pouring a pinch of salt.
"Bottoms up," Molly giggled as we clanked our glasses and then did the classic “lick, shoot, and suck.”
"Damn!" I pinched my face together and shook my head. No matter how many times we did that in the past, I would never get used to the bite of tequila.
"Now that's what I'm talking about. It's like old times."
I couldn't help but chuckle at Molly's assessment. She made it seem like we hadn't gone out in months or even years rather than just a couple of weeks.
"I need to pee," I announced rather unceremoniously.
"Want me to go with you?"
I noticed that the cute bartender was eyeing Molly up. "Nah. Why don't you use this time to get to know Jake a little better."
I snickered when my friend gasped and whipped her head in the direction of the bartender.
I used the distraction to grab my purse and slip off my barstool.
With any luck, I could send a quick message off to Rhett without Molly noticing.
My friend wouldn't mind, but I didn't want her to think I wasn't giving her my full attention.
Inside the bathroom, I was just starting to wash my hands when I heard the bathroom door open. I expected to hear giggling women but instead heavy footsteps echoed across the tiled floor. I looked up just in time to see the guy from the bar a few weeks ago, strolling toward me.
"What the..." I didn't get to finish my statement before he grabbed my purse and tossed it across the bathroom.
"You're coming with me," Musclehead––as I so affectionally nicknamed him––said.
"Like hell I am." I tried to argue back, but before I knew it, there was a knife pointed at my stomach.
"You can either come with me quietly or I go back out to the bar and kill your friend."
The mention of Molly got me moving.
"Okay, okay."
My hope that there would be someone just outside the bathroom was quickly crushed when I saw the hallway was empty. From my position, I couldn't see the bar, so I knew Molly couldn't see me. I just had to hope that my friend would come looking for me soon enough and raise the alarm.
"This way." Musclehead grabbed my arm and dragged me to the right. Straight toward a door I assumed led to the outside.
The cool night air hit me in the face just as soon as we stepped out the door. And as it would seem would to be the theme of the night, there was no one in the dimly lit alley for me to request help from.
Musclehead dragged me toward the parking lot, and as soon as we were close enough, he popped the trunk open and demanded for me to get in.
"You can't be serious."
Yes, I realized that arguing with a man with a knife wasn't my smartest decision, but I wasn't exactly a fan of confined spaces.
"Deadly. Now you can either get in or I can go back inside and find your friend. I'm sure her blood would look great pouring out of her body."
Well, that visual did it. Without another word, I climbed into the trunk and waited as he slammed the lid shut.
And the whole time, all I could think about was the fact that I should've texted Rhett before I went to the bathroom rather than waiting.