AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Pierce beckoned Chase and the guy standing beside him with the dark hair. He left the girls where they were. I noticed that Chase hadn’t really talked to the girls, but they had peered at him occasionally. How could they not?
Chase looked directly at me when he and his friend stood in front of the big couch.
“Is your back feeling all right?” Chase asked me in a controlled tone, but I saw the unabashed lust in his eyes. I thanked God when I didn’t feel my body overcome with excitement like it had hours ago.
“Just a little out of whack.”
“I’ll get you some painkillers,” Joel said as he got up and tapped Chase on his broad shoulders.
“So, Beth, this is Rylan,” Pierce said. “He and Joel have been my friends since we were nine years old.”
“Having a good time?” Rylan asked.
“I am. You’re a tough competitor. Joel thinks I am flexible, but you’ve got me beat!” I told him. For a guy with such an athletic and similar muscular build to Chase, I wouldn’t have pegged him to be almost as pliable as me.
Joel came up behind me with a bottle of cool water and a packet of painkillers. I smiled brightly at him and he resumed his seat beside me.
“Good lookin’ out,” Pierce said, and he easily pulled himself up from the incredibly comfortable couch. He was in between Chase and Rylan. Pierce said something to Chase that I couldn’t hear. Walking away, they momentarily stood in the middle of the penthouse. They both looked like freaking giants compared to most of us here. Then Chase followed Pierce towards the front of the penthouse and I couldn’t see them anymore without drawing attention to myself.
“You should take them if you’re feeling that bad,” Rylan said, frowning. I felt fingers in my hair and I canted my head at Joel. With a wry grin, he brought his hand back to the side. I wasn’t put off by his move.
Joel motioned his hands to Maude and Amberlynn and two other girls they’d been with all night, but Rylan appeared to be indifferent to them now. I downed the pills with some water and Cassidy was in fro
nt of me. I had to credit her; even with her dampened hair and face, she looked great. Tonight she didn’t remind me of the prissy little girl who wouldn’t dig her feet and hands in the soil of my backyard or run around because she had said she’d sweat. Cassidy hauled me to my feet. My bottle of water thudded on the floor. I didn’t have a chance to pick it up as her grip on my arms tightened.
She swirled me around numerous times, which was not in sync with the beat of the music at all, but I went along with it.
The song was ending and Cassidy said, “He’s a sucker. He wasn’t going to ask you to dance.”
Taking a step away from her, I managed to knot my hair into a tight bun at the crown of my head. “Who?”
“Rylan.”
I laughed. “My back was hurting. He just wanted to make sure I was okay. I don’t think he wanted to dance with me.”
“His loss then.”
I slowly swayed to the slower-paced song. “No, it’s not. He’s got more than enough company if he wants to dance.” It was sweet that Cassidy was defensive of me, but I liked the idea of having another platonic guy friend. On the other hand, Joel struck me as the kind of guy that would be happy being near any female.
Two guys came by and asked us to dance as the music changed to one of my favorite songs, Sugarland’s “Already Gone.” And then Cindy flashed through my mind. I didn’t want to be here anymore.
***
Chase
I took the remote by the table and dialed the knob and the light came on. This suite was the perfect setup for a couple on their honeymoon or after having a date. Red and white rose petals trailed down the center of the bed, and were lined up on the floor. My favorite brand of scotch and two glasses were on the table, which would’ve been more than enough for me to stay in the room months ago. A plate filled with various types of breads and a bowl of green and purple grapes. It was the kind of room I’d arrange myself for someone special. I represented a dude to her who was semi-popular on campus and could tell the other guys that she was a fun time. I’d thought that I could end my bout of celibacy tonight to get my mind off Beth. I hadn’t gotten in the way of Beth having her fun tonight, even though I despised the company she kept. This meaningless situation was what I needed to understand that fucking Darcy wasn’t what was best for me.
“What’s wrong, Chase? You don’t like?” Darcy queried in a falsely sweet voice. “I can change into something else.”
Seeing her twirl around in a red and black corset and thong did nothing for me. “You look fine, like you always do. It’s nothing personal.”
“Ain’t nothing more personal than rejection and betrayal, Chase.”
“Take it that way, then.”
Darcy look dumbfounded. Perhaps letting her give me a hand job in August hadn’t been the smartest move. She had been nice to me, had traveled to all of our away games, and was the most vocal unofficial cheerleader. “Is the girl foolish enough to string you along that Pierce had to arrange this for you?”
“Nope, it’s not like that.”
