Olivia placed her hand on my shoulder. "See, it's not so bad, right? What are you going to get to drink?"
"Uh, I'm not sure yet."
Olivia turned her attention back to Taylor. I felt like a third wheel as their voices were drowned out by the crowd. Truthfully, I was probably too distracted to listen anyway. I found myself studying Alec again as he chatted with two women he was preparing drinks for. Neither of the women could have been more flirtatious if they tried. They both wore undersized shirts that displayed as much cleavage as they could possibly get away with. The way they stuck out their chests, you would think they wanted Alec to take a bite. Personally, I found it more funny than attractive, but clearly Alec knew how to handle himself. He leaned in close while they talked before throwing his head back, laughing deeply. The two skanks absolutely ate it up, like either of them stood a chance.
I didn't know what had come over me. Alec and I were not a couple. We were nothing. Certainly nothing to elicit jealousy over. It had to be his off-the-hook sex appeal. It was clouding my judgment. As if he could hear my thoughts, he turned my way, flashing a devastating smile as he sauntered over.
Be cool. Be cool. The words rang through my head.
"Hey, Olivia," he said, greeting her with enthusiasm. "Taylor, my friend, how's it hanging?" They fist-bumped before Alec turned his attention to me. "And the lovely Nicole," he said, winking again. Holy hell, there went my hormones again. Was it possible to fall into insta-lust with someone? I'd never believed in love at first sight, even though my current thoughts had nothing to do with anything lovey dovey and everything to do with the persistent throbbing between my thighs.
I had every intention of returning his greeting. I even opened my mouth with the expectation of saying something, but my tongue stuck stubbornly to the roof of my mouth like I had just eaten peanut butter. He may have just seen my impression of a guppy, but I at least nodded my head for good measure.
Olivia coughed slightly, trying her best to hide her laughter. Taylor unwittingly saved me by engaging Alec in a play-by-play account of the last Tampa Bay Rays game. Ironically, I had also watched the game while eating dinner at my family's house Sunday night. Even after getting my own place, Mom insisted I still come over every Sunday for dinner. She said it was the only way she could be certain I ate at least one good meal a week. Not that we ever ate a traditional family dinner at the dining room table. In our house we ate while watching TV, usually sports of some kind. It may have been unconventional, but we never claimed to be normal.
Listening to Taylor and Alec trade stats about the game was like listening to my brothers, Tony, Zachary and Riley. I could have easily joined their conversation and held my own. Like how Davis should have been pulled in the sixth before giving up a two-run homer to tie the game. His arm was obviously shot at that point. I was hesitant to give my two cents, fearing Alec would see me the same way my brothers' friends had back in high school. A cool chick to talk sports with, but not worth dating.
Olivia knocked on the counter to get their attention. "Boys, if you're going to talk about boring sports all night, Nicole and I will have to find other ways to occupy our time."
Taylor stopped mid-sentence with his eyebrows raised. "Oh yeah? I'd be up for watching that."
"Get your mind out of the gutter, perv. How about you get me a drink instead?"
"Sorry, babe. My manners are horrible," Taylor said, planting a kiss on the back of Olivia's hand. She practically melted against him before straightening up. I knew from our conversations she was trying to maintain boundaries with Taylor, but clearly he was slowly finding a way beneath the cracks. I silently cheered for him.
"So, what's your poison?" Alec asked, turning his attention to me.
I took a deep breath before answering. "Uh, I'll take a Coke." It wasn't the most cosmopolitan choice, but at least I didn't choke on the words.
"Hell no. We're doing shots tonight," Olivia crowed, tearing her eyes from Taylor. "We're here to loosen you up tonight."
Alec chuckled lightly at her words.
"Liv," I warned, glaring at my friend.
"Come on, Nicole. It's been ages since you threw caution to the wind. You need to relax and let loose a little. If you're not careful, you'll develop a reputation as some crazy cat lady."
I would never admit it to Olivia, but my worst fear was that she would turn out to be right. I had a recurring nightmare that ten years from now I'd still be a virgin holed up in my apartment writing stories about other couples' love lives. I wished I could change my personality. I wanted to badly. Remaining a virgin at twenty-two was not a status I set out to achieve. Hell, in high school sometimes it was all I thought about. When you're an underclassman you don't want the reputation as a slut, so you kept your knees together, but somewhere between junior year and graduation that stigma began to change. It started with one of my friends losing her V-card, and then another friend after that. Before I knew it, I was the only one in my group of friends who hadn't had sex yet. It didn't feel like a big deal at the time since there were plenty of girls in my graduating class who held the same status as me. All of that changed during my first year of college. Everyone seemed to be hooking up—except me.
Alec laid out four shot glasses—after I nodded my consent—and filled them to the brim with whiskey. Everyone reached for a glass, leaving the last one for me. "Are you allowed to drink on the job?" I asked, stalling for time as I picked mine up tentatively.
"I can now. I'm off the clock. It's sorta hard to be on a date while I'm working." He winked at me again.
I gaped at him before turning to Olivia, who wore a feigned expression of innocence. And I was back to wanting to kill her. Throwing caution to the wind, I brought my glass to my lips, downing the contents in one gulp. The fiery liquid burned a path down my throat before settling in the pit of my stomach. A cough trickled up my throat, begging to be released, but I held it back as tears filled my eyes.
I couldn't believe Olivia pulled this shit on me. We had both decided after the disastrous blind date she set me up on two years ago that I would handle my own love life. The guy patted my ass so many times during our date it resembled a bruised eggplant. I finally ended the evening early, believing I was on the verge of drinking a roofie cocktail and not waking up until the next morning. The guy was a creep. Of course, the prospect of Alec touching my ass didn't sound like a bad idea.
Alec refilled our glasses again before heading around the counter to join us. We all clinked them together in the air before downing the contents and slamming the shot glasses on the counter. Everyone except me seemed to be able to handle their liquor like old pros. I remained on the verge of coughing with each drink.
After a couple shots I was already getting used to Alec's presence, which was good because the crowd around us left him no choice but to move in close. Meaning I could literally see the flecks of gold in his eyes and a small dimple in his chin I had previously missed. He stood with his arm draped casually across the back of my seat. With a little effort I could have leaned sideways into his embrace and we would have practically been hugging. The spicy dark aroma of his cologne tickled my senses. Closing my eyes briefly, I inhaled softly, imprinting the scent to my memory. I could definitely work a moment like this into my current book.
"Here's to the loss of the crazy cat lady," Olivia announced, holding up her shot glass. I meant to kick her in the shin, but I missed and nearly fell off my stool before catching myself on the counter. "Whoa, easy, sister. We'll have to get you a seatbelt," she teased. I guess I was more of a lightweight drinker than I thought. My depth perception was a little off. Alec reached around from the back of my chair and handed me my shot glass that had magically been refilled. The move brought us intimately close, just like I had imagined.
I emptied the glass again without hesitation, feeling an increased level of confidence I hadn't possessed when we arrived earlier. Pressed up against the hardness of Alec's body, I had a sudden desire to snug
gle in closer. From there I only meant to take a quick whiff of his neck. It was supposed to be harmless. How my mouth became involved was beyond me.
Somehow my lips found the soft warm hollow where his neck met his shoulders. Even my tongue decided to join the action, experiencing the subtle salty taste of his skin.
At first I thought I had imagined the whole thing until Alec's sharp intake of air followed by a reflex tightening of his arm caused me to pull back. My eyes met his as he studied me intently.
I wanted to drop dead. I couldn't believe I'd actually licked him. Olivia and Taylor sat giggling as I twirled away. I grabbed for the first glass I spotted on the counter and gulped it down. My hasty action caused the harsh amber liquid to go down the wrong tube, making me cough. My breath felt like dragon's fire trying to push through my airway. There would be no end to my embarrassment.
Chapter Five
Shockingly, I did not die. That would have been too easy. Instead, I was pounded on the back by my best friend, who eyed me like she was waiting for my head to spin around.
Once I could breathe again, and the black spots disappeared from my vision, Olivia dragged me toward the ladies' room. "Get in here," she said, pulling me into the handicap stall. She closed the door behind us, locking it in place.
"Ah, we've reached a new level in our friendship. You're peeing in front of me."
"Well, don't get used to it. I just don't trust you enough not to slide out the back door," she said, lining the toilet with a couple layers of toilet paper before sitting down.
I shot her a wry look before moving to the mirror. My face was a wreck. Thanks to the tears from my coughing explosion, my black eyeliner had smudged beneath my eyes and my cheeks were flushed. Even the knot I had gathered my hair into was sitting askew on my head. On a positive note, I no longer felt buzzed. Using my finger, I worked to repair my eyeliner so I no longer resembled a demented raccoon. By the time Olivia had finished, I had the knot back in position on my head, looking more presentable.
Olivia washed her hands, turning to me when she was done. I leaned against the stall door with my arms folded across my chest, waiting for some kind of tongue-lashing. I probably deserved whatever she felt she had to say. "In my defense, you said I needed to go wild, and if you remember, all I wanted was a Coke."
Olivia surprised me by grinning gleefully. "That was fucking awesome. I knew you liked him. You wouldn't answer any questions yesterday at lunch, but I knew there was something there. Alec could be the one to take your flower." I clapped a hand across her mouth. The acoustics in the bathroom carried her voice outside the stall where I heard an eruption of giggles. "You go, girl," someone said, rapping on the stall door.
"Oops." Olivia's eyes danced with mirth as she laughed behind my hand.
"Why do you insist on announcing my virginity to the freaking world?"
"Oh, so what? It's just a roomful of girls. Believe me, we all appreciate the significance of this moment. So, what do you think?"
"God, I don't know. Is this even something we should be talking about? Isn't your first time supposed to be spontaneous and exciting?"
"Not always. Trust me. It's nothing like the romance books you write. Sometimes the first time is wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am, but looking at Alec, I'm pretty sure that wouldn't be the case. The important thing is you'll finally have it behind you and it won't be the noose you're always acting like it is."
"You're talking about it like it's a foregone conclusion already. Like all I have to do is tell Alec I'm ready and he'll cooperate. What makes you think he would even want to sleep with me? We've said like five words to each other."
"Please. He's male. Of course he wants to sleep with you."
"That's easy for you to say. You can get any guy you want. Even one as delicious as Alec. Just because he's male doesn't mean he wants to stick it in any girl who throws herself at him."
Olivia placed her hands on my shoulders. "When are you gonna stop that shit? Girls are attractive for different reasons. So, you're not as tall as me. What does that have to do with anything? Your ass is bangin'. And look at these tits," she said, reaching for my bosom until I grabbed her hands.
I couldn't help but laugh even though it was clear people outside the stall were still listening. "Cool it, freako," I whispered.
"Believe me, Nicole. He's interested. I can tell by the way he looks at you. The guy is definitely jonesing for more of that tongue action."
I backed my head against the stall and looked to the ceiling. "I still can't believe I licked him." The past couple of days had become the most embarrassing of my life.
"I wouldn't have believed it myself if I hadn't seen it."
I shook my head. "Like he was some freaking popsicle."
Her laughter bounced off the tiled walls as she doubled over. "Go out there and tell him that and you're golden for sure."
"It's not funny, Liv. I don't know what's happened to me. Never in my life have I felt this way. My entire body reacts to him anytime he's within a ten-foot radius. I feel utterly ridiculous."
"It's called lust, slutbag. Trust me. Good old-fashioned lust is good for you every once in a while. It makes things interesting. Give me lust over love any day."
I debated asking her which one Taylor fit into. Was she in love or lust? I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer. It was a double-edged sword. If her feelings for Taylor were based only on lust, then their relationship was superficial with no substance and would inevitably fizzle out, which had been the case with several of Olivia's relationships in the past. If that was the case, what did it mean I was feeling for Alec? Not that it should matter. How could I even consider being in love with someone I hadn't even had a full conversation with yet? This was just a means to the end of my virginity. Nothing more.
"Are you sure?" I asked as she fooled with my hair for a moment. Glancing in the mirror, I saw she had pulled some of the hair loose so it fell around my face, giving me a softer, sexier look.
"I'm positive." She opened her purse and pulled out a tube of lip gloss.
"I have lip gloss."
"This kind is special. It plumps up your lips. Trust me, guys can't resist it."
She slathered on a liberal amount. A pleasant heat followed by a burning sensation covered my lips. "What the hell, whore? My lips are on fire." I raised my hand to wipe them clean, but she stopped me.
"Don't be a baby. It's got cayenne pepper in it. Sometimes beauty hurts a little."
"You sound like a sick advertisement for some demented horror movie." Thankfully, some of the heat had dispersed and my lips no longer felt like they were melting off my face.
Olivia applied the lip gloss to herself before turning to me. "Let's go get you laid, my trampy whore."
"God help me," I mumbled as she led me from the bathroom toward the opposite side of the club where the lighting was much dimmer.
I leaned in close to speak over the thudding music. "What about the guys?"
"Taylor texted me. They got a booth."
After weaving through a sea of bodies gyrating on the dance floor, we came upon a row of booths tucked into a far corner where Taylor and Alec were sitting. My heart thumped wildly in my chest as we approached. At least Alec hadn't run for the hills. I could take that as a good sign. My hope was that everyone would let my embarrassing move slide and I wouldn't be forced to explain.
Taylor stood from the booth when we arrived, allowing us to slide in to join them. A fresh round of drinks sat on the table and as we got comfortable, a waitress arrived with a plate of appetizers.
"Wow, talk about good timing," Olivia said, snuggling close to Taylor.
Alec answered, winking at me. "It's all about who you know."
I crossed my legs under the table, willing my body to behave. If I was going to have any shot at even starting a relationship with Alec, I would have to learn how to handle the winking that turned my insides to mush. "Perks of the job, huh?" I asked.
"Most definitely."
He slid his arm along the back of the booth where I was sitting, angling his body toward me so we could chat over the music. "So, Olivia tells me you wrote your first book when you were a freshman. That's pretty awesome."
These were normally the types of situations when I looked to Olivia to rescue me, but she and Taylor were wrapped up in their own little private world. Sink or swim. If I wanted Alec, I would have to jump into the deep end myself.
"Uh, yeah," I answered reaching for one of the glasses of water the hostess had brought out with the food. I took a quick sip to gather my jumbled thoughts. Come on, Nicole. Pull your head out of your ass. "It started as an assignment for my creative writing class. My professor asked for a ten thousand-word short story, but once I started writing, I couldn't shut the story up. Before I knew it, I had seventy thousand words written."
"That's seriously impressive. Would you judge me if I admitted I struggle with three thousand-word thesis papers?" His eyes lit up when he laughed, giving him a different dimension of charm.
"Not at all."
"What if I told you on one paper I resorted to lots of quotes and narrowed the margins slightly in order to hit the ten-page requirement?"
I laughed. "Been there, done that."
"Really? I thought writing came naturally to you."
"Oh, hell no. I love to write, but about something I'm passionate about. Ask me to write a ten-page microeconomics paper and you might as well be asking me to have my teeth pulled."
"That's funny. You're passionate about love stories, I guess?" He moved his hand from the booth behind me and began lightly stroking the back of my neck. Luckily I was wearing a long-sleeved shirt, hiding the goosebumps that I felt covering my arms. His touch felt warm and inviting, tempting me to roll my head forward to give him more access. I resisted the urge, not wanting to embarrass myself more than I already had.
"I'm a sucker for romance," I answered.
"Me too." His arm continued forward past my neck before settling across my shoulders. He gently nudged me toward him. I took the hint, sliding along the booth until I was tucked against his body.