Chapter 3
I wake up feeling like leftover garbage.
How did I get home?
And why am I still wearing my Desdemona outfit?
I didn’t drink that much, did I? I remember the PR party. Meeting Heath and his friends. Sexy friends even. Heath all grown up and looking like a bad idea and a good time rolled together. Calling himself Priest now.
Wait. Did I get his number? God I hope so.
The air mattress sinks dangerously when I sit up, leaving my butt nearly on the floor. I shake my head gently. Instant regret.
Bleh, my mouth feels like it’s stuffed with cotton. I need to drink a gallon of water, take a hot shower and brush my teeth, in no particular order.
Peeling my clothes off as I go, I let them stay where they fall like breadcrumbs in a path to the bathroom.
Getting free of all that leather is glorious, like how I bet a butterfly feels breaking out of its cocoon.
Even better is when the hot water first hits my face and washes over me.
Closing my eyes and tilting my head back, I just stand in the spray holding my toothbrush in one hand while trying to piece the rest of the night together.
My clothes were still firmly in place, and my bed wouldn’t have survived bringing anyone home. Not like I’d dare. It’s been nearly three years since I actually let myself get close to anyone and I still haven’t forgotten that disaster.
Washing my hair takes every last ounce of energy.
When I’m done, I lean against the tile and slide down until I’m sitting.
It’s far from an everything shower. Nothing gets shaved, clarified, deep conditioned, or exfoliated, but I do manage to brush my teeth while sitting on the shower floor, and eventually stand up and wash off my makeup.
A win is a win. Fortunately I don’t have to be anywhere until the interview with Cliff this afternoon.
I throw on the oversized T-shirt I’ve been wearing to bed, and drag myself out of my room to figure out what I did with my phone. I hope I didn’t leave it at the club or in the car on my way home. That would suck.
I freeze mid hallway. There are boots by the door.
Holding my breath, I inch forwards until a pair of very large feet hanging over the end of my couch comes into view. It’s amazing how fast terror can clear your head.
Shit. Shit, shit, shit.
“I’m on the phone with the police. Stand where I can see you!” I yell before ducking back into my room to panic. Maybe I can lock myself in the bathroom. I’d have water at least, right?
A man laughs, not a mean sound, but not a worried one either. “I’ve got your phone, Q.”
“Priest?” Cautiously, I slink back out, ready to dash away again if I have to. “What are you doing in my apartment?”
It’s not just him. Sinner is on my balcony drinking a cup of coffee from the cafe down the street, Colt is sitting at the counter, and Priest is stretched out on the couch holding my phone.
I tug down the hem of my shirt. It comes halfway to my knees, but suddenly that doesn’t feel as modest as it should.
Neither does the fact that I’m not wearing a bra and my damp hair is slowly turning the top of my shirt see through.
I let go of the hem and cross my arms over my breasts.
Colt takes it all in, his eyes dragging their way up my body from the sparkly purple polish on my toes, to my makeup free face. “What do you remember about last night?”
The way he says it spikes my heartrate. “Wh—what do you mean?”
Priest stands, expression serious. “We should talk about what happened.”
“You know what? This sounds like a conversation that needs clothes.” I spin on my heels and stomp back into my bedroom.
“Not on our account” Sinner yells after me.
I pull on a pair of soft sweatpants, a stretchy yoga bra that will at least hold things in place, and a T-shirt that doesn’t look slept in.
I pull my hair up into a clip and briefly consider makeup, but then they’d think I did it for them, which might be true, but is also annoying, so they get what they get.
“Alright, I’m going to need the short version of what happened last night, before I decide whether I’m supposed to thank you or call the police,” I announce when I rejoin the party.
My microwave dings, and Priest pulls a takeaway coffee cup out of it, handing it over. “I had no idea how you like your coffee but you had normal yogurt in the fridge so we went with a latte. There’s donuts on the counter.” He gestures to a box I missed sitting between the sink and the stovetop.
It’s hard to stay annoyed at people who bring breakfast. “Thank you.” I sit at the counter and take a sip of coffee.
It’s overly hot from the microwave, but tastes like heaven.
“Okay, start from the beginning. I remember meeting Colt and Sinner after the photos. We danced for a while, then… you showed up? We were talking about Axel, and then things got a little fuzzy.”
Sinner nods. “You started acting a little funny when we got a round of drinks and started talking.”
“Funny? What do you mean? Did I do anything—” I clap a hand over my mouth and try desperately to fill in the blanks. I didn’t realize how much time I was missing until I really start trying to think.
“Hey!” Priest taps the counter to get my attention. “Relax. We noticed something was wrong and got you out of there. You started acting like you were about to fall asleep, and you seemed to lose track of what you were saying.”
“But… why? I had maybe two drinks all night and I don’t think I finished either of them. It was hot in the outfit though, could that have done it?”
“Someone put something in your drink,” Colt says without even trying to sugarcoat it.
Priest nods. “Your friend Erika noticed us with you and came to check. She took the drink and was going to report it. You checked in with her after we got you back here, and she’s expecting a call this morning.” He slides my phone across the counter.
I pull it back towards me, half in shock. “How did I get back here?”
“On my bike,” Priest answers.
“Wait, I got to ride on a motorcycle and I don’t even remember?”
Sinner laughs. “That’s your takeaway from this whole shitshow?”
I scrunch my nose at him. “No, but it’s the one I can handle thinking about right now.”
“If a ride’s what you’re looking for, we can make it happen whenever you want, baby,” Colt says smoothly.
The way he’s watching me makes it hard not to take that comment the wrong way. Or maybe it was the right way? Our eyes lock, and there’s a challenge in his hazel gaze that I really can’t afford to think about right now.
I look down at my phone. The battery is almost out, but I have time to check the string of unread notifications. A few from Erika, the latest warning me that I have until noon to respond or she’ll start calling around.
I’m alive! Will call later, I text with a little heart emoji.
One from my mother, annoyed that I didn’t post enough from the club.
Roger, getting back to me about visiting hours.
I check my social media and find a flood of tags from last night. Not only are there tons of pictures from when I was posing with Colt and Sinner, but a few people caught us dancing after.
I laugh softly. “They really liked you guys.”
Sinner looks over my shoulder. “Niiiiice. You look fucking hot in that outfit.”
“Let me see.” Priest grabs my phone. He flicks through, scowling. “Some of these messages are fucking disgusting.”
“What are you looking at? Gimme that!” I lunge over the counter and snatch it back. Ugh. A dickpic. “Never seen one before?”
Colt doesn’t look amused. “Do you report this shit?”
I shrug, and right away I can tell that’s not the answer they’re looking for. “I tell someone if they keep doing it, or if it gets really gross or scary, but if I reacted to every creepy DM I’d go crazy.”
“Take it fucking seriously, Q. Someone slipped something into your drink last night. If we hadn’t been with you, it could’ve gotten bad.”
“I know, but there’s a good chance it was just bad luck that it ended up in my drink.
It sucks, but sometimes stuff like that just happens.
I’ll check in with Erika later and see if they found anything out.
” I reach out and hook my index finger with his, giving it a little squeeze.
“I’m glad you were there, all of you, but I’m not some delicate flower.
I’ve managed this long, I don’t need you swooping in and taking over my life. ”
Colt shoots Sinner a look. “We should head out. Got that job later.”
It takes Sinner a second before he nods. “Yeah, yeah. Right. The job in that place for the guy.” He grins and tips his head my way. “Thanks for the dance, demon. Let’s do it again sometime, ‘k?”
Just because I think it’ll annoy Priest, I stand up and put my palms on Sinner’s vest, stretching up and giving him what starts as a kiss on his bearded cheek, but he turns his face at the last second and our lips meet.
It happens so fast. One second I’m in charge, and the next his arms are around me and I’m being kissed by a biker.
He lets me go with a wink, leaving me speechless.
Colt laughs. “See you back at the club, man.”
Priest glares.
With Sinner and Colt gone, the mood shifts again.
“Are you managing, really?” Priest gestures to the apartment.
“If I come back in a week, will this place look exactly the same? Quinn, you could pack up and be gone in an hour. It would take me longer to move out of my quarters and it’s one fucking room.
Last night when you were out of it, you told us you didn’t have friends.
From the way that Erika girl reacted, I think you’ve got at least one, but how about this?
I’ll back off and leave you to it if you tell me who’s looking out for you. ”
“Stop. I… I was out of it when I said that, and I’m too tired for this.
Thanks for the coffee and everything. I think I’m going to take a nap.
” I hate that he’s been back in my life for less than a day and he’s already picking at the ragged edges of my lie.
“You made yourself at home, so you probably know the way out.”
Priest doesn’t let me run. Instead he pulls me into his chest, sliding his fingers into my hair and holding me around my waist with the other. “It was good to see you again, Q. If you don’t mind, I’d like it to not be quite so long before the next time. You’re doing fucking amazing.”
“You think?” I whisper.
“Fucking crushing it.” He’s not a soft man, none of them are, but there’s a world of feeling behind his gaze.
“I hope you’re right.”