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“Not me. I feel like I’m in a rom-com that’s going south and people are going to start yelling, ‘she sucks’ while throwing popcorn at the screen.” Drawing in a deep breath, she thought about the many times she’d walked into events on a client’s arm, how she’d pull out her best acting skills to blend into situations where she didn’t belong, carrying herself as if she were born to money.
“Come on, Rakell, it’s time,” Jonathon whispered before taking a swig of his drink, clearly nervous as well.
“Here’s to public humiliation.” She clinked her martini glass to Jonathon’s and Matt’s before taking a long drink of the herbaceous cocktail, the sweetness of the vermouth teasing the tip of her tongue. The visual and taste tapped into the memory of Jake’s large hand holding the martini at Eddie V’s more thana year ago, his arm noticeably trembling as she purposefully slurped off the top, her saucer-like eyes fixed on him. She knew how to yank at his resolve, she thought, setting down the glass in front of her as she turned to walk the long way around the bar to the bathroom, ignoring the hyper-beat of her heart waving a red flag:Don’t do this!She looked back over her shoulder to Jonathon, who waved her on, his face overly animated. She drew her lips into a forced wide smile, walking as if on a catwalk, her shoulders back, hips forward, legs reaching out in front of her, knees up, as if an invisible puppeteer sat above the ceiling controlling the strings to her appendages.
His eyes didn’t catch her until she was upon the group. His heart seemed to skip when he got a glimpse of her passing by behind him. The dress, the Best Day Ever dress—her long legs were moving precisely as if she was modeling that damned dress. His mind reversed to that day when he’d lifted that silk up over her bare ass.Shit, she doesn’t have anything on under the fucking dress.His pelvis recalled the tactile feel of the silk bunching around his pulsing cock as he pressed himself into her wet pussy from behind. His crotch alerted his whole body to the memory of that night.
“Damn, Dwayne, you know who’s here?” Jake hissed, his mouth tense before he purposely loosened his lips into a soft smile as the woman who’d been chatting him up while standing next to him touched his arm.
“Everything okay, Jake?” Her syrupy Texan drawl oozed from her red full lips.
“Yep, sorry, Cherri. Just giving Dwayne a hard time.” Jake’s smile froze, taking on a menacing edge as he squinted his eyes at Dwayne.
Dwayne scanned the circle of women that had surrounded them. “Not me, dude, I didn’t tell her anything. It wasn’t me. No way was I going to risk this,” he said in a hushed murmur,hoping Jake heard him as he subtly gestured to the women encircling them.
Jake nodded, forcing his attention away from the pink dress as she turned down the hallway that led to the bathrooms. He then conjured up his lethal combination—that wide, dancing smile and his piercing blue eyes that he could steer from formidable to openly fascinated on cue. “So, Cherri, you work at Clark’s. Is that what I heard you say?”
“Yes, just started.” Her heavily mascaraed lashes, encasing her light brown eyes, fluttered up to Jake as she spoke. “Have you been?”
“Hell yeah, love their oysters.” He took a quick gulp of his beer, listening to her explain that she’d worked at Eddie V’s for a while before Clark’s. Then she started talking about where she was from and why she’d moved to Austin. Jake nodded his head, smiling, but over her shoulder, he caught sight of the pink dress shimmering from the hallway. He willed himself to ignore the panty-less blonde casually coasting by and concentrate on Cherri. But damned if his eyes didn’t roam right back to Rakell. The way she sashayed in that silky dress, strutting herself around on his turf, his night, knowing exactly what she was doing just about un-did him. The fact that men’s heads were snapping around as she walked by the bar, their captivated eyes dropping from her face to the pink dress—his fucking pink dress—further antagonized Jake.
“Sounds like you like Austin,” he finally responded to Cherri, knowing he was appearing rude.Damn Rakell and that fucking dress.
He sensed her body swish by him as her face lit up on Dwayne as if it was the first time she’d noticed him all night. “Dwayne!” Exaggerated surprise bounced off her voice. She smiled, biting her bottom lip and offering a quick wave. Jake knew it was bullshit, wishing he could call her on it, but he wassurrounded by a handful of women he didn’t know. He had to control his reactions to her antics so he didn’t seem like an ass. He suspected she’d make it known she was here, then return to Matt and Jonathon.
“Oh Rakell, hey, you, you…look great.” Dwayne fumbled with his words as she moved in beside the woman standing next to Dwayne.
“Thanks, Dwayne. This is my man’s favorite dress,” she cooed, winking at Dwayne. “Looks like you guys are having fun.”
Dwayne’s eyebrows arched up. Shiiiit…did she say ‘my man’? Not good, this is not good. “Um, yes…I mean, it’s nice to get out,” he sputtered. He glanced toward Jake, but Jake’s eyes were firmly on the brunette next to him.
“Great, good…” She was about to turn and return to Matt and Jonathon. Then she summoned up Jonathon’s coaching. She had to make it known she was his, even though it seemed ridiculous. Still smiling, she scanned the circle, her eyes landing on Jake, who was actively ignoring her, talking to a brunette who was enrapt with him. “Jake, Sweets,” she said, trying to sound light, her voice laced with sugar, a tone she didn’t even recognize.
Jake heardSweetsswimming in an exaggerated Australian accent. “Huh, yeah,” jumped out of his mouth. A few of the women in the group flipped their eyes between him and Rakell.
Rakell focused on him. “Sweets, I didn’t know you’d be here.” There was an animated cheeriness to her tone. Anyone who knew her would know it was fake, especially Jake.
He wanted to spit out a line of curse words at her, but he caught himself and matched her smug grin. “I forgot to mention it, Sweetheart.” His smile widened on a clenched jaw.
The woman standing on the other side of Dwayne looked at Rakell, then her friend, Cherri, standing next to Jake, then back to Rakell. “You’re the girl on the Jumbotron.” Her eyes went toJake. “Youdoknow each other.” Then back to Rakell. “You’re theSports Illuminatedcover model, right?”
“Oh, wow,” another woman said. “Wow, so you guys are a thing? You are…”
Rakell looked at her, smiling. “Yes, hi, I’m Rakell, Jake Skyler’s girlfriend,” she said sheepishly with a twinge of guilt punctuating her tone, extending her hand to the woman staring at her.
Cherri looked up at Jake. “You didn’t say…”
“Sorry, long story,” Jake blurted out, looking at her brown eyes, wishing he could strangle the beautiful girl in the pink dress who’d just sabotaged his night.
“Jake, Sweets, there’s a popsicle waiting for you at my house,” Rakell said, purposefully emphasizing ‘pop.’
Jake’s eyes shot up, stunned.She did not just say that!He shifted his gaze downward.Damn her.
Dwayne’s head dropped, realizing Rakell had just introduced herself to the circle of women as Jake Skyler’s girlfriend. He kept his eyes focused on the floor, looking to avoid the fire jumping off Jake and the bewildered looks on the women’s faces. Scrambling for a way to shift the unsettling air that was now stirring among the group, he jumped in. “Rakell, can I get you a drink?” Dwayne asked, hearing the uttered whispers among the women.
“Oh, no thank you. You guys look like you’re having so much fun, so enjoy. I’m going…” she said, forcing an overly chirpy tone to her words, her face adopting the fake Marietta smile reserved for formal events, scanning the group.
Jake slammed his drink on the bar, raking his hand through his hair as if determining his next move. Then his eyes snapped to her, causing her heart to jolt, her contrived smile collapsing as he glowered at her.
