Just then, the bartender placed the drinks in front of us. “Here you are, ladies,” he said with a smile.
Paige handed him her credit card. “Thanks. Go ahead and start a tab.”
“I will, but these drinks are courtesy of that guy over there,” the bartender said with a quick nod in the cover model’s direction and then shot us a grin. “Better watch ol’ Blue. He’s a lady killer.”
“Humph.” Paige put her hand on her hip with attitude. “We ain’t afraid of no stinkin’ kid.” She nudged me with her elbow. “Right, Salem?”
“That’s right,” I said with a little less confidence. I was pretty sure Mr. Blue Eyes had already sunk his fangs into me and was drawing me closer with that deliciously, sinister stare.
I admit, I was lonely. I was hurt and frustrated… and lonely. I was out at a bar and my brain was off, while my animal instincts were on auto-pilot.
A few drinks later, I was sitting side-by-side with Blue, leaning toward him like a desperate college chick.
“I’m Damon,” he said with a nod of acknowledgement. An air of confidence exuded from him.
“Hiiii, Damon,” I said, stretching the words in a singsong voice. Flirty wasn’t really the word I would’ve used to describe my tone. Tipsy, horny, and hell-bent on forgetting my heartache described it better. “Thanks for the drink.”
“You’re welcome,” he said with a cocky half-smile.
The cute guy sitting next to Damon leaned in to join the conversation. “I’m Charlie. What’s your name?” Charlie was a little shorter than Damon with green-eyes and brown hair, but just as handsome.
“Oh, I’m Salem.” I pointed a sloppy hand at myself, barely noticing that I was beginning to slur the simplest of words.
“Salem, why don’t you tell your hot friend to come join us?” Charlie pointed down the bar where Paige was checking her phone.
I rolled my eyes, suddenly annoyed by the idea of such a boring commitment, and snorted, “Because she’s married.”
“Damn, they’re always married,” he whined.
“Do you always buy drinks for girls?” I asked Damon, his sea blue eyes mesmerizing me.
“Only the pretty ones,” he said with a wink.
Ha. Right. “You know I’m thirty-eight, right?”
Without a hitch, Damon said, “Even better. I like older women.” He elbowed Charlie in the ribs, knowingly.
Charlie laughed. “I’m going outside to smoke, bro. Hey, Salem, tell your hot friend if she ever gets divorced to look me up.”
I winked. Hopefully only one eye. Hard to tell. “You bet, hot shot.” Clearly, my tipsiness improved my sarcasm.
As soon as Charlie was out of sight, Damon leaned in and whispered, “So what’s a sexy thirty-eight year old doing at a bar with her married friend on a Thursday night?”
Wow. How did I begin to answer that? Even in my drunken stupor I wasn’t dumb enough to mention Chris King. “Just wanted to have a little fun,” I shrugged, wiggling my tongue to get my straw in my mouth.
Damon’s expression screamed his intentions, as he placed his hand on my thigh. “Well, you came to the right place,” he said, low and sultry.
“Salem.” The familiar voice from behind pierced through me, sobering me up in an instant.
I spun around to see Chris staring at me. He looked like a train wreck. Disheveled hair, dark circles under his eyes, jacket hanging crooked off his shoulders. I nearly spilled the rest of my drink down myself. “Chris. What’re you doin’ here? How did you find me?” The words tumbled out of my mouth.
Ignoring my question, he glared at Damon sitting on the bar stool next to me. Damon, who’d just seconds earlier had his hand on my leg, was now leaning away from the scene and looking the other direction.
Finally tearing his eyes away from the back of Damon’s head, Chris said, “I drove by your house and you weren’t there. I figured you were at one of the only two places that stay open past eleven in this town.” Chris’s glare continued to bounce between me and the back of Damon’s head. “I needed to see you. I just needed a chance to explain myself. Please Salem, let me take you home.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, swaying a little on my unsteady five inch heels. “Why should I go with you?”
Damon took our exchange as a hint, easing off the barstool and heading out the back door to the patio. I watched him through the window as he found Charlie and bummed a smoke, never even glancing back.
Chris stepped toward me. “God, Salem. Look at you. What are you doing?”
I wanted to slap that look of disappointment right off his face. What right did he have after what he did? He’s judging me? “What business is it of yours?” I sneered.