"Stop it," I hissed, frantically looking around to ensure that Lauren and Caleb were nowhere within our field of vision. "I told you this was over and I meant it."
"No you didn't," Jack whispered, his words firm, his eyes burning daggers into my own. His grip was tight on my wrist, and no amount of struggling would make him loosen it.
A sliver of an old feeling crept its way down my spine, but I dismissed it, focusing my attention on the strong urge I had to slap him across the face. I felt like cussing him out, but what came out instead was a raspy, "prove it".
I really shouldn't have said that, because as soon as I did, Jack's mouth was on mine and he was tugging me towards him with little regard to the fact that his fiancée and my date were just a short walk away. I struggled with my conscience for a few seconds before inevitably giving in, and just like that he was forcing me into the bathroom and rushing to lock the door behind us. I bit his bottom lip just hard enough to make him groan, and when our tongues made contact I wasn't surprised to discover that he tasted heavily of alcohol and the strident gum he'd gotten into the habit of chewing whenever he was stressed.
At the risk of sounding incredibly cliché, everything from that point on was a blur. I returned to the booth a few minutes later, explaining my prolonged absence away with the fact that I'd run into a client from work, but neither Lauren nor Caleb seemed to be buying it. To make matters worse, Jack returned to the table shortly after I did looking like he'd just run a marathon.
I'd told him to wait a few minutes before coming back out so that it wouldn't look suspicious, but who was I kidding? There was no way we were getting out of this one unscathed.
The four of us sat in a heavy silence for what felt like an eternity, and all I could think about was how I wished I was anywhere but there.
"Uh, I'm not feeling too good all of a sudden," Caleb finally spoke up, breaking the tension. He looked over at me with an unreadable expression and faked a cough. "I'd drive you home, but … "
"That's okay," I assured him. "I can take an Uber."
"Oh no you won't," Lauren said, looking away from me just long enough to give Caleb a reassuring smile. "Jack and I can drop her off, can't we honey?"
"You really don't have to do that," I said, cutting him off before he could respond. "I'm fine with taking an Uber."
"Please," Lauren said, refusing to back off. "I insist." She turned to Caleb again and waved a hand at him. "Don't worry. We'll make sure she gets home safe."
Caleb thanked her and made a beeline for the door without giving me so much as a second look. I chanced a glance at Lauren when he was finally gone, swallowing hard when I saw the peculiar look she was giving me. It wasn't exactly anger, but it definitely wasn't on the friendly end of the spectrum either.
"Well alright," she finally spoke up, breaking my train of thought. "Lets get you home then, shall we?"
We pulled into my driveway not even ten minutes later, but that was only because Jack sped the entire way. It was obvious that he wanted this night to end just as badly as I did. Lauren had attempted to make small talk with us a few times, but it was awkward, and she was quick to get the hint and shut up when neither one of us were very receptive to it.
My guilt was the driving force behind what I said before I got out of the car, and I'd spend the rest of my night kicking myself for it.
"Hey, um … my company's hosting this party next Friday night at Pinecrest Gardens. You guys should come. It'll give you an idea of how we do things."
Smooth.
"Really?" Lauren gushed. I was beginning to think she had no idea what had happened between Jack and me back at the restaurant. Either that or she genuinely didn't care.
I nodded even though I was more than a little tempted to revoke the offer. "It's a twenty-first birthday party, so I'm sure the guest of honor will be too hammered to notice two extra RSVP's on the list … "
Lauren glanced over at Jack for his input. I crossed my fingers that he'd protest, but it came as no real surprise when he didn't. "Sure," he said instead, his eyes never leaving mine. "We'll be there."
~ CHAPTER THIRTEEN ~
I shrugged into my coat and pulled my hair free from my collar. Maybe I should have worn it up. A few strands were already threatening to frizz up, and I'd yet to even leave the house. Wonderful. I blew out a breath to calm my nerves and grabbed for my keys. If a bad hair day was the worst I'd have to deal with today, then I'd be fine. Better than fine actually. I'd be great.
Somehow, though, I knew that wouldn't be the case.
Tonight was going to be a nightmare. If I wasn't already aware of this, there was always the fact that Kiana wouldn't stop calling to let me know. "I really don't understand what you were thinking," she said as I made my way out to my car. "You swap spit with him on a double date, then when it seems like you've been caught, you invite him and his fiancée to a party?"
"That was a mistake," I rationalized. "And it's just a party. It's not like I'm going to be babysitting them or something. Plus, it'll give them a chance to see what one of my events is like."
"Uh-huh."
"I'm serious," I said, pulling away from the curb. "I think seeing me in action is exactly what it's going to take for Jack to finally look at me as his wedding planner."
"Oh it seems like he's already seen you in action quite a few times … "
"Kiana!" I hissed. I'd already told her too much. "I have to go. I'll call you later."
I hung up the call before she could say anything else, focusing my attention on the road. I arrived at Pinecrest Gardens shortly after and handed my car over to the valet, making my way out to the back patio to find the guest of honor having a very public bitch fit about the color of the car her father had bought her. She was behaving like a child, not a blossoming young woman, and her mother was just standing off on the sidelines letting it happen.
Not wanting to get caught in the crossfire, I set about in helping the crew organize the decorations and looked up when I felt a hard hand clamp onto my arm. "There's a bunch of flower arrangements missing," a random family member told me in passing, scurrying off before I could ask her to elaborate. I sighed and went to go find them, but I was stopped again a few seconds later by someone asking when the hors-d'oeuvres would be ready.
"Soon," I called over my shoulder, rushing to set each table in preparation of them. Kiana was right. Under no circumstances should I have invited Lauren and Jack to this. The impending doom of their arrival made me want to hurl all over my shoes, and a little more blood drained from my face every time I glanced up at the clock to find the hands inching closer and closer to the eight p.m. mark. At this rate it was really only a matter of time before they got here.
"Not so fast," I said to the guest of honor's underage sister when I caught her attempting to steal a drink from a passing cocktail waitress's tray. "Those are for adults only."
The girl rolled her eyes and muttered something offensive before walking off in the other direction, and I took a seat in the first empty chair I could find to catch my breath. It wasn't normal for me to intervene in the behavior of my clients, but I was more than a little overextended right now. The last thing I needed was a drunken teenager on my hands.
"Enough!" I overheard the guest of honor's mother yell. Apparently she'd finally grown a pair. "Your attitude is despicable. Your father wasn't under any obligation to buy you a car at all, but since you hate it so much, I'll make sure we return it to the dealership in the morning. Now I suggest you stop pouting or you won't have a party either!"
The girl's eyes widened at her mother's harsh tone, but she clenched her jaw and reluctantly slumped off to greet some friends without any further protest.
I smiled to myself before standing up to finish the long list of things I still had left to do, but I stopped in my tracks as soon as I saw Jack staring at me from the entrance. He had his hair slicked back away from his face, bringing attention to those incredible eyes of his, which wasted no time in focusing in on me.