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Fifteen
Sage
“So, dance, drinks, or both?”Steven asks me as I stroll into the Marooned Pirate on his arm. I’ve got my sky-high stilettos on and some jeans so tight I can barely breathe. His jet-black hair is back in a loose ponytail, and he’s wearing a shark-tooth necklace.
He looks super bohemian—and super not my type.
But he’s fun, he’s free, and he was all about going out for a good time. And I know more than anything this week, that’s what I need. From the Monticello debacle to the whole Cash thing—the thing that isn’t a thing, I remind myself—I need to get away from all this.
“Drinks, then dancing,” I say. “Martini to start, please.”
He kisses my hand in what’s supposed to be a suave move, and it’s kind of cute. But in truth, I’m not feeling it. I sigh, leaning on the bar, glancing out at the dance floor. I’m hoping to get my head in the game. Maybe this was a bad idea after all. Maybe I should’ve gone to the warehouse tonight and worked on inventory. Or maybe I should’ve stayed home with the cats. But it’s too late. I might as well see this whole thing through with Steven.
A new song comes on, and apparently the crowd isn’t digging it because there’s a mass exodus. Steven orders our drinks behind me, and I’m staring at the dance floor that’s now almost empty. Except right in the middle are two people.
Cash Creed, his hands wandering over a tall, tight, tan brunette whose skirt is so short, it could probably count for underwear. They’re basically eating each other alive, their kiss so steamy even I’m blushing. She pulls back and giggles wildly, pawing at his chest. They start dancing, her moves definitely stripper inspired. I shake my head. Unreal. So unreal.
“Hey, here’s your drink,” a voice murmurs in my ear. I jump, forgetting that Steven is with me. I can’t take my eyes off Cash Creed, who is smiling that gorgeous smile at her, who is murmuring in her ear. He’s probably saying all the things he said to me. And I don’t know why, but it pisses me off. Royally pisses me off.
Just last night, he was teasing me with those eyes, bringing my cat back like some sweet hero in a romance novel. Now, he’s here with another woman, clutching onto her like she’s his everything. Thank God I didn’t invite him to stay. Thank God I’m moving on. But dammit, my blood is boiling. The sight of him with her—it just infuriates me.
“Be right back,” I say sweetly to Steven, turning to look at him. He looks confused. Hell, I’m confused. What right do I have to be pissed? I’m here doing the same thing. But I’m not hanging all over Steven… yet. God, this is enraging. This is why I don’t get seriously involved. This is exactly why I keep things simple. I’m starting to sound like an insane, desperate, clingy woman with a man who isn’t even mine.
No matter how much I tell myself to just slow down, take a breath, I can’t seem to stop my stilettos from marching out onto the dance floor. I have no plan for once in my life, and I’ve got no time to think about it. Before I know it, I’m tapping Cash Creed on the shoulder, his date of the night turning to eye me. I smile at her.
“Hi, how are you?” I ask. Wow, Sage, great one. Great plan.
“Sage, hi, how are you? How’s Monticello?” He grins at me like I’m some acquaintance he’s so happy to meet.
“He’s great. What are you doing here? Who’s this?” I ask, like I have a right to know. The brunette twirls her ponytail like some high school cheerleader. The only way it would be more fitting is if she were loudly cracking her bubblegum.
“Oh, this is Prudence,” Cash says.
“Hi, I’m Prudence,” she announces. I smile weakly back. She keeps twirling her hair. I’m pretty sure she’s about twenty-two going on thirteen. Seriously.
“So,” I say.
“So, is that lonely looking hippie guy in the corner your date tonight?” he asks, and I turn to see Steven standing with his hands in his pockets by an empty table, our drinks sitting on it. He’s staring like a lost puppy. For some reason, it makes me sad.
“Yeah, we’re here for a good time.”
“Well, so are we. Want to join us on the dance floor?”
I stare at him, disbelieving of what I’ve just heard. What, we’re going to bump and grind, the four of us in some odd little date?
“Um, we’re good, thanks,” I say. “I should probably get going.”
At that, the music turns to a slow song. Prudence wraps her arms around Cash, pulling him in. She barely waits until I’m turned around to shove her tongue down his throat. I sidestep so I’m not coated in what I’m imagining to be a waterfall of saliva. Disgusting.
“Shall we?” a voice asks. I turn and bump into Steven, who is apparently ninja-like in his ability to cross a dance floor.
“Um, well,” I say, wanting far away from the scene. But, before I can interrupt, he’s pulling me in close, his hands sliding down to my hips, his forehead pressed against mine. Wow, this got intimate fast, even for me.
Usually, I’d be feeling it. After all, I came here to forget, to have fun, to have a good night. Swaying to this sappy song, though, this close to Steven, a man I barely know, I’m not feeling good or like this is fun. I actually feel kind of sweaty. About two feet from us, Prudence and Cash are practically making love on the dance floor, their bodies all intertwined. Okay, it’s not really that bad. But out of my peripheral, it seems that way.
I pull back from Steven a little bit, and he leans in to kiss my neck. It’s not sexy. He doesn’t find the right spot, not like….
I find myself turning to eye Cash. Prudence has her head on his chest now, the lovemaking dance at least temporarily halted. He catches my eye, Steven still doing God knows what to my neck. He winks at me, and my heart flutters. It’s just a damn wink. It means nothing. He’s just toying with me.
