1. Derek
Five months later, Las Vegas, Nevada
Tequila burns my throat as I down my second shot of the night, alone.
I’m the perfect image of a pitiful man, as all of my friends find themselves on the dance floor of some rinky-dink Vegas bar.
I huff a sigh, twisting in my seat to face them.
A flitter of amusement passes through me as Sienna, the birthday girl, shakes her ass sloppily on the floor.
But the sight of my friend, her boyfriend, Jace, staring wide-eyed at his girl is what makes me laugh the most.
Too bad that feeling of happiness is fleeting.
In an instant, my somber mood is back, and I’m twisting back around to face the bar.
I need to get through the next forty-eight hours in Vegas without a hitch and then get to work at home.
I need to find a way to appease my mother and fast. There’s no way I'm getting married, not right now, at least. I’m deep in my thoughts, my internal turmoil running rampant until it’s interrupted by a loud smack of a hand against the bar and blonde hair flipping in front of my face.
I’m sucked into her orbit immediately. Her light perfume smells of bergamot and mandarin, filling my being with her sweet scent. I lean in close, eyeing her as she turns to the bartender, immediately catching his attention as well as the other two patrons nearby.
“I need two lemon drops and one lime.” She grins, her smile devilish as she winks at the bartender.
God, she’s gorgeous.
The bartender must think so, too, because he grins widely at her, the crow’s feet in the corner of his eyes crinkling as he takes her in with a raised brow. “Coming right up.”
I’m about to take a swig of the club soda I’d ordered when the blonde twists in her seat, her sharp feline green eyes staring holes into the side of my face as she eyes me.
“You need a drink,” she says, eyes flickering between the glorified sparkling water in my hand and me.
“I have a drink…” I chuckle, side-eyeing her as I sip from the cup.
Georgia purses her lips, clearly unamused by my answer, as she settles in next to me. Without warning, she reaches out and grabs the cup as it grazes my lips and pulls it to her own. She eyes the contents of the glass, her eyes squinting as she swirls the cup before taking a sip.
My body reacts to her without warning, and I gulp deeply. My eyes are fixated on her mouth as she sips from my cup.
Snap out of it, dude.
The angel on my shoulder tries to tell me, but how can I? Georgia Adams is one of the most gorgeous women I’ve ever met, and I’m not saying that just because she’s my friend.
We’re all in Vegas tonight for Sienna’s twenty-first birthday, and by “we,” I mean the golden crew of Summerfield University.
Cleo, Ryan, and Sienna Jones, the cousins and children of my hockey coach, Clef Jones.
There is also Blake Wilder, the captain of my hockey team, one of my best friends, along with Jace, as well as Sienna’s two friends, Denver and Georgia.
In the short months our small group has formed, we’ve gone through a lot and grown closer.
Sienna and I, for one, hated one another’s guts.
Or… more like, she hated my guts, and I found her to be the most annoying pink-haired gremlin alive .
Now, she and I have a brother-sister-like friendship after I helped her with her relationship troubles, and she helped me take care of my daughter’s hair.
I’m not too close with Cleo, Ryan, or Denver since I keep to myself and stay out of the way with Delilah, most times, but Georgia Adams is different.
She and I have met and hung out together after learning that we were the only people who knew of Sienna and Jace’s secret relationship—long story.
She’s a fun girl—outgoing and always down to have a great time.
Georgia brightens every room she enters with her deep golden skin and blonde hair.
She’s become a good friend of mine in our short time knowing one another, and it doesn’t hurt that she’s one of the most gorgeous women that I’ve ever seen…
I don’t realize that I’m staring at her until she scrunches her nose at me and hands me two shot glasses.
I raise a brow at her as she smirks, nodding her head slightly.
A part of me wants to decline; I’ve already had two shots tonight, and my limit is zero, but I’m also childless at the moment and in Vegas with my friends…
Fuck it.
The two of us go shot for shot, matching each other's paces and tripling our drinks.
“You know,” Georgia starts, loosening her jaw as she turns to face me. Her eyes dim as they search my face. “These last few days sucked…” She sighs.
Tell me about it.
I nod, clinking my glass with the one in her lowered hand, throwing back my… What shot is this? Sixth shot?
“I don’t mean to dump on you, but I need to rant… You cool with that?”
I open my mouth to decline, but one look at her downcast face has me thinking otherwise. She and I are friends… What’s the harm in talking about our problems with one another?
“Spill.”
She chuckles humorlessly. “Oh, trust me… I will.”
I watch her carefully as she settles into her chair, sliding in so close to me that our knees touch. I suck in a deep breath, inhaling the sweet smell of her perfume, and freeze.
What the fuck am I doing?
When someone approaches the bar, getting too close to Georgia, I immediately pull her closer to me. She gasps, surprise shooting through the both of us as our shoulders collide.
“You were saying?”
She blinks, shifting to where half of her body is resting against mine, and tilts her head slightly up to me.
I pick up my drink, courtesy of the blonde, and almost die from aspiration when her words finally hit the air.
“My dad fucked his secretary.”
Now… I thought that I had a shitty week. That maybe, getting denied for a building in Texas and from my inheritance—yet again, was the worst thing that could happen this weekend.
But Georgia’s issues take the cake.
“Wow… I—”
“In my bed.”
Shit.
I blink, trying to make sense of her words, but I can’t.
“Your dad…”
“Uh-huh…” She rolls her tongue over her teeth.
“Had sexual intercourse—”
She interrupts, shaking her head. “He fucked her in my bed, it’s okay, ‘Mama Bear,’ I won’t tell anyone you said a swear word.” She chuckles, taking the drink that I’d almost drunk, downing it.
“Jesus, Blondie… I’m so—”
She waves a hand in the air. “But that’s not all. Not only did Daddy Dearest fuck his twenty-five-year-old secretary in my bed—I caught them a year ago—but this morning, I got a long- ass email inviting me to the wedding.”
My jaw drops, and I truly don’t mean to, but I laugh. Well… More like snort, but the notion still stands.
Catching myself, I cover my mouth with wide eyes.
Georgia sighs, her shoulders shaking as she rolls her eyes, chuckling at her situation.
“Aren’t you only twenty-one? She could be your sister…” I muse, feeling absolutely horrible for her but still finding the entire thing hilarious.
“Oh, trust me… she’s told me that more than once. Imagine a chick not even a decade older than you, asking to borrow your vintage Dior tube top to hit up a club in Ibiza with your dad. I was pissed.” She shakes her head, a bright smile on her face.
Nodding, I chuckle, “Rightfully so.”
She sighs, running a hand through her waves, “But my dad marrying his child bride wasn’t the worst thing to happen—I mean, it sucked—gutted my mom and completely stole her shine, but it wasn’t the worst.”
What could possibly be worse than that?
I stiffen, straightening my back and pulling her close as if this brief movement will protect her from her own words. Resting a hand on the small of her back, I tilt my head, giving her my full attention.
She exhales deeply, gulping. “I didn’t get into my internship.”
Like a boulder thrown into a lake, I feel the impact of her words more than hear them.
Since I met her, there’s only been one thing on Georgia Adam’s mind—her spring internship with ASTERI.
Georgia’s a fashion major, and this internship with the largest fashion house in the world has been her sole focus since she entered college—or at least that’s what Sienna told me when I asked about her friends.
No wonder she’s been getting me to drink with her for the past hour. I wonder if there’s something that I can do…
“So yeah… Didn’t get into my dream internship, and my dad is fucking someone four years older than me. I’m living the dream, right?” she asks, a synthetic smile coating her pink lips as she peers up at me.
How do I fix that look on her face? And why do I want to?
“I think my ex-girlfriend may be in town,” I blurt out, cringing as Georgia gasps.
“Who knew the ‘mom’ of the group dated?” she jokes at my expense, a bit of her light coming back into her eyes as she raises a playful brow at me.
“Ha… Ha. It’s just a thought, but I could’ve sworn I saw her on campus, not sure though.” I shrug as the woman next to me lets out a dramatic sigh, rolling her eyes and throwing herself against my chest.
“Booorinnnggg. Give me the real tea—the nitty-gritty. You were sulking when I approached. Why?”
I raise a brow at her, and instead of shying away from me, she mimics my expression with a sassy tilt to her head.
“You want the nitty-gritty?” I ask, a hint of my southern accent thick as I lean in close to her.
Georgia’s eyes widen, falling into a satisfied gaze as her tongue pokes the side of her cheek. “The grittiest.”
The air between us grows thick with tension. I clear my throat, backing up slightly.
“Where do I start? My offer on a building in Texas was rejected a few days ago. My mother believes that the only way for my daughter to live a happy life is if she has a mother and I, a wife. She also rejected my attempt to get my inheritance, changing the stipulations of the agreement. And I’m pretty sure I’m stuck at Summerfield for an additional semester,” I dump, taking a dry swig from my empty glass and sigh.
I didn’t need it anyway.
Georgia perks up, bouncing off of me as she turns to look me in the eyes.
“When you say ‘inheritance’... You don’t mean like ‘trust fund baby, ultra-rich boy, shit-ton of money’ inheritance, do you? Because if you do, then I have no other option than to treat you like a spoiled brat,” she jokes with a shrug, a hint of a dimple poking into her right cheek as she grins.
“I’m comfortable,” I say nonchalantly, watching her.
Georgia’s eyes widen like saucers as she smacks my chest.
“You’re so full of shit, you’re fucking rich!” she exclaims, laughing loudly as my cheeks redden.
“I’m not—”
“My mummy won’t give me my inheritance!” She mimics a shitty English accent at my expense.
“Alright, alright, enough out of you, Blondie.” I chuckle, jokingly pushing her away as she cackles.
When she sobers up, she sighs. “Since we’re both having a horrible time, why not have a horrible time together? Don’t get me wrong, the whole brooding ‘DILF’ vibe works for you back at home, but we’re in Vegas. I say, we get fucked up, have a ball, and then pass out somewhere. You in?”
“This seems like the start of a horrible romantic comedy.” I chuckle, shaking my head as her grin widens.
“Perfect, you’re in! Oh, bartender, pour us some shots. ?Por favor!”