Chapter 22
LIZA
“Are you hungry?” I wiped a smudge of lipstick from my chin. I was real glad I hadn’t gone with the lip stain for tonight.
Putting makeup on in the back of an Uber while we hit multiple potholes wasn’t exactly the best idea I’d ever had. Sabrina had called earlier in the day and asked if we could please have a ladies’ night out.
It had been so long since we’d done more than speak on the phone, and the brunt of it was my fault.
I’d been so busy between work and trying to figure out my relationship with Ty, I’d completely neglected my best friend.
A night out on the town and a distraction from work and everything that was going on was exactly what I needed to set my head straight.
Sabrina harrumphed. “Nah, I’ll just eat some pretzels at the bar. I want to save room for the alcohol.”
I chuckled. On her best day, Sabrina couldn’t hold her liquor, and I worried that her stomach would be too empty when she started throwing back beers. Who was I kidding? She’d be sloshed within minutes, pretzels or not.
“If you say so.” I zipped my purse and stared out the window at the old brick buildings that lined the streets of downtown. “What’s the name of this bar again?”
Sabrina had convinced me to go to a new bar that had opened a few weeks ago.
It was country-and-western themed with live music and a mechanical bull.
It wasn’t exactly what I would have called my style, but it was the perfect spot to go dancing with my friend.
I’d even pulled out an old pair of pink cowboy boots and a matching hat I’d bought during college.
“It’s called The Boot Scootin’ Bar,” Sabrina answered, as if she were one of their national spokespersons. “And I heard they have the best margaritas in town.”
The Uber driver pulled up to the entrance of the bar and we handed him a cash tip before hopping out.
The neon lights around the perimeter of the sign of a giant cowboy boot outside the entrance were a bit garish, but men and women dressed in their finest western boots and hats funneled through the entrance as fast as the bouncers could open the stanchions.
It seemed Sabrina had been right about it being the latest hot spot in town.
As we made our way inside, my heart raced with anticipation.
The bar would, no doubt, be full of single men.
I said a quick and silent prayer that the new medication would do what Doc had promised, and I wouldn’t have to live through another nightmare.
I should have considered that before I left, and if Ty asked, I would assure him I had thought of it.
The smell of stale beer and whiskey hit me as soon as we stepped through the entrance. The country music was loud, and I couldn’t help but smile. This was exactly the kind of place I needed. I’d been so focused on Ty and my business that I couldn’t wait to let loose.
Sabrina grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the bar. She shouted her order over the noise, and within seconds she had a beer in her hand. I was more of a margarita kind of gal, so I ordered one and sipped it slowly as we made our way to the dance floor.
As soon as we stepped onto the wooden planks, Sabrina twirled around and squealed with excitement.
We put our empty drinks on a nearby table, then she grabbed my hands and pulled me into the fast-paced line dance.
There was kicking, thigh-slapping, toe-tapping, hip-gyrating, and spinning.
I laughed and followed her as best I could, trying not to trip over my own feet.
I wasn’t exactly the most coordinated shifter in town, but no one pointed or laughed.
It didn’t seem to matter to anyone that I was a stumbling, bumbling, trainwreck of a dancer.
The music was intoxicating, and in this place, with all these random, unassociated people, I finally felt free from all of my worries. The night had just begun, but I already knew that it would be one for the books.
After the song stopped, we went back to the bar and pulled out a couple of stools.
“I think I’m ready for those pretzels.” Sabrina signaled the bartended for another round.
As we snacked on pretzels and sipped our drinks, I noticed a couple of guys over Sabrina’s shoulder. They were eyeing us pretty intently, so I wasn’t surprised when they got up the nerve to walk in our direction.
It was nothing new for us. We were used to men hitting on us in bars. The only difference now was that Ty and I were together, so I had no interest in their attention.
“Hello, ladies.” A man with a slight southern drawl stepped in front of Sabrina when she turned on her stool to look at them. His black hair was slicked back, and he wore jeans with a nice blue dress shirt that had pearl button covers.
Sabrina looked from him to me and back, then flashed her sexiest smile. “Hey there, cowboy.” She had a tone, a way of being that conveyed everything she wanted to say without actually saying it.
She oozed sexiness. It came naturally to her, and I had yet to see a man who wasn’t drawn to her flirtatiousness like a moth to a flame. I sipped my drink, trying to stay in the background as Sabrina soaked up the attention, but my presence was a safety net in case anyone got too aggressive.
The man smiled broadly, flashing a set of perfect white teeth. He extended his hand to Sabrina. “Hi.” He gave her another smile. “I’m Jack.”
“Very nice to meet you, Jack. I’m Sabrina.”
Jack’s friend eyed me. I flashed him a smile, but shook my head. Ty would kill these guys.
“She’s in a happy relationship,” Sabrina said. “Don’t mind her.” She gave the other guy a once-over. He was blondish with stormy gray eyes, an equally gray shirt, and pointy boots. “What’s your name?”
He cleared his throat. “Jason.”
Sabrina continued to flirt with Jack and Jason while I stayed distantly friendly.
“Want to dance?” From the other side, a blond-haired, blue-eyed man placed a hand on my shoulder.
I didn’t like being randomly pawed, and I wriggled out from under his grasp. “No, I’m sorry. I’m taken.”
He shrugged, then went to the other end of the bar where a group of scantily clad women were giggling loudly. They might as well have had a blinking LED sign that announced they were there to get laid.
Jack must’ve overheard my comment about me being taken. He leaned down and whispered in my ear, “Oh, come on.” I shook my head, but again, he moved in closer. “He isn’t here, and no one but you and I would ever have to know.”
“I said I’m taken.” My voice was firm and brooked no room for further conversation. I turned and faced the bar, slurping down the last of my margarita, hoping I’d seen the last of Jack.
I overheard him asking Sabrina to dance, but she took my cue and turned him down.
“Hey, are you going to be like this all night?” she asked me.
“What do you mean?” I popped another mini pretzel into my mouth. “Like what?”
“Like a stick in the mud, that’s what.” Sabrina laughed and rolled her eyes. “Just because you and Ty are dating doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun.”
I grimaced. “Do I need to remind you that it’s girls’ night?
Not ‘pick up random strangers for a quickie in the bathroom’ night.
” Tonight was our night. Besides, I had Ty.
I simply had no desire to flirt, dance, or otherwise associate with another male tonight, or likely, any night.
Ty was the only one for me, and I wanted it to stay that way.
Sabrina snapped her fingers in my face. “Liza, I asked you a question.”
“Oh, sorry. I was thinking about something.”
“Uh-huh.” Sabrina took a swig of beer. “You weren’t thinking about something, you were thinking about someone. I asked if you’re still a card-carrying member of the V-club.”
Oh, for the love of fuck. Was she really going to ask me about my virginity at a bar?
“I am, as a matter of fact, and maybe we could talk about this another time,” I whispered the last part, causing Sabrina to burst into a fit of laughter.
She wasn’t even two beers in, and she was already losing control. It was going to be a long night.
“Let me get this straight. You’re dating the future alpha, who also just happens to be the hottest man in Texas, and he hasn’t managed to talk you out of your panties yet?” She laughed even harder. “Can he not… perform?” She puffed out her lower lip in a pout.
“He can perform. Absolutely, he can.” And now I sounded like the lady that doth protest too much. I shook my head. “You have no faith in my self-control, do you?”
“Liza, sweetie, you do realize that the process of him claiming you involves sex, right?”
Sometimes I didn’t know why we were friends because she said the most horrendous things, and she said them when other people could hear. My cheeks burned. “Yes, I’m aware,” I hissed at her in a low, semi-angry whisper.
I didn’t tell Sabrina about Ty’s magic tongue or his ability to make me see stars multiple times. She was already tipsy, and I wasn’t sure how she’d handle that information. She’d probably fall off her barstool.
The night went on as usual and, just as I expected, Sabrina ended up wasted. I, of course, remained sober so I could look after my friend. It helped that my alcohol tolerance as a shifter was pretty high. Poor human. If only she could hold her liquor like she did the attention of random men.
Jack and his friends circled back around to us. He leaned in and tucked a stray hair behind Sabrina’s ear.
My asshole radar went off. Surely this guy could see that Sabrina was drunk.
“Why don’t you ladies come back to my place?
We can have some fun.” Jack leered at me and Sabrina, his gaze tracking lasciviously down our bodies.
Every hair on the back of my neck stood on end.
I didn’t trust this guy, and the more he spoke, the worse it got.
“I’ve never been with a shifter before, not to mention two at the same time. ”
Gross. I shuddered, my body tensing as my wolf’s hackles rose.