Walk Of Shame(48)

By the way she keeps looking at me, I can tell she’s just as ready to get out of here as I am.

“You taking off soon?” Cale’s voice causes me to look up from wiping down the bar.

“Yeah.” I toss the towel in the bucket and walk over to the register to see what tabs I need to close out still. “As soon as I close out these two tabs.”

I look up just in time to see Aspen waving the girls off that she’s been hanging out with. She laughs at something one of the girls says and then starts making her way over to us.

Just as she’s about to walk up in front of me, some guy calls her name, stopping her in her tracks.

“Aspen.” The guy has light brown hair, styled in the front and is wearing a black button down shirt with dark jeans. He’s about two inches shorter than me and almost as thick in build, but is clean cut.

There is something about the look on her face that I don’t like. She seems surprised and not happy at all.

She turns around slowly and rubs her hands down the side of her skirt. “Jay. What are you doing here?”

Jay as she called him, walks over to her and wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her body against his.

Without thinking, I take a step forward, about to kill this asshole for putting his hand all over her, but Cale stops me.

“Get the fuck off me, Cale.” I push his hand away, but he just pushes my chest harder. “Back the fuck up. That asshole is all over her.”

Cale takes a long, deep breath and then exhales. “Yeah well, that asshole is her boyfriend.”

What the fuck . . .





THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING RIGHT now . . .

Jay leans in and presses his lips against mine while lifting me in the air. Without thinking, I press my hands to his chest and push away from the kiss. This is so unlike me, but he doesn’t even take notice. “Damn, baby,” he moans, while looking down at my breasts and setting me back down to my feet. “You’re looking sexy today. It kind of makes me regret this last week.”

Kind of? Asshole!

I hear something break from behind the bar before I hear Cale calling out Slade’s name. When I look behind me, Slade is leaning over the register, gripping the counter, all of his veins popping out as his muscles flex. He looks like he’s about to kill someone. I cringe at the thought of Slade being pissed off at me. I have no idea how I’m going to explain this all to him. It’s not what it looks like; not exactly.

Jay looks over at the bar and shakes his head before slipping his hands up my skirt and cupping my ass. I instantly grab his hands and yank them away. I don’t like the idea of him touching me sexually in public. When it comes from him it makes me feel dirty; always has.

“Jay. I thought you weren’t coming until tomorrow. Why are you here today?” My heart races at the idea of leaving so quickly. I don’t know why, but I don’t feel ready; not one bit. “Why today?”

Jay flashes me his perfectly charming smile and grabs my chin, causing me to look into his brown eyes. They seem so dull compared to Slade’s. “I’m here to hang out with a few of my boys. They’re going out for a few drinks here soon. Figured I would come a day early and have a little fun of my own here in Chicago. Now that I see how incredibly sexy you look, I think I’ll swing by later tonight, pick you up and bring you home.”

“I . . . you should’ve at least told me. Called or sent a text. Something. What if I had plans?” I can’t help my eyes from landing back on Slade. They can’t seem to focus on anything but.

Jay laughs, bringing my attention back to him. It’s not just a laugh, it’s one of those laughs he does when he’s making fun of me. I’ve grown to hate it. He can be such a prick at times. “What is the fun in that? You know I’m a surprise kind of guy and you have plans? I doubt it. Don’t be stupid, Aspen. You know you never have plans that doesn’t include me and that’s the way it will stay.” He leans in and gives me a quick kiss before backing away. “I gotta go. The guys will be meeting up soon. It’s a good thing I remembered where you said Cale worked at. I love surprising you. I’ll text you in a bit for the address. Be ready when I get there.”

He backs away while laughing as if he still can’t get over the idea that I may have plans. It makes me want to scream. I hate when he makes me feel this way. Once he gets to the door, he turns around and heads outside without another word. Good thing for him. I don’t even know what to say or think right now.

I look down at the ground and take a few deep breaths, in an attempt to calm my racing nerves. I can’t even look up right now. I know how bad this must look to Slade and I’m not sure he’ll even give me the chance to explain. It’s why I got so nervous earlier when he was spilling his guts out to me. I just don’t know what to do. I shouldn’t have pushed for him to open up to me. It’s a bit hypocritical when I can’t even return the favor. I shouldn’t have let it get this far.