Page 11 of This Side of Beautiful

The benefit of being sober while everyone around me became intoxicated was that I could observe people in their true form, with lowered inhibitions. My three bandmates laughed and cursed more than they otherwise did. Cedrick became irritable and moody, and I usually kept my distance when he drank too much. Tonight was no exception. Once he snapped at the waitress for trying to remove what she’d assumed was a dirty plate off the table, I knew my time at the party was ending.

I excused myself to go to the restroom. As I walked between our booth and the table where Janae, Del, and Cash sat, I noticed that Cash’s hand squeezed Janae’s upper thigh underneath the table, and she pushed against it. I glanced at her face, and she downed a cocktail and slammed it on the table next to two other glasses. Disappointment hit the pit of my stomach. The allure of Janae, the performer, didn’t mesh with the reality of the flawed woman who would even speak to a man who had disrespected her in front of others, as Cash had done.

After I came out of the crowded restroom, Janae danced in front of her table to one of her songs. Cash stood behind her, groping her as she moved seductively. Her eyes were glazed over, and her gait was unsteady. Although her moves suggested that she didn’t mind Cash’s hands, I noticed her grimace and that she periodically would tap his hand. I looked around the restaurant at the merriment and the intoxicated people from all the free alcohol and pills that had been passed around. Besides the staff, I might have been the only one not under the influence. It was way past time for me to go.

The Janae from last night wasn’t the one there tonight. She’d ended her sobriety at some point, probably before her show. She had been too much of a hit to need drugs at the after-party. Disappointment filled me that she hadn’t been able to remain sober.

I walked back to the table. “I’m out.”

Brian pushed back his shoulder-length locs. “Come on, the night’s young.”

“It’s after one in the morning.”

He grinned at me. His eyelids were almost closed. “Exactly.”

I waved at the rest of the guys, and as I headed toward the door, Janae pulled against Cash, who firmly gripped her wrist. The cameramen were filming. I went to one of the men. “Has he been grabbing on her like that all night?”

The guy nodded. “She seems to like it.”

The other man shrugged. “I’m not sure. She seems too out of it to fully comprehend what’s happening.”

I assessed the situation, and Janae couldn’t even stand on her own two feet. She leaned heavily on Cash, who gripped her hips, leading her out of the restaurant. Normally, I avoided situations like these because it was often hard to tell whether it was consensual. And I hated confrontation. Getting involved in a fight with Cash during rehearsal had been so out of character for me that the rest of the band had kept staring at me as we packed up.

I eased past Cash and Janae to move in front of them as they walked toward the exit. Or should I say, he dragged Janae.

Donning a fake smile, I suggested, “I think we should take her to the hotel room and let her sleep it off.”

“I got her.”

I firmly shook my head. “No, you don’t. She isn’t up for whatever you think she is.”

He frowned. “What? Are you her bodyguard now?”

The cameras were on us, and I gritted my teeth. I could have walked away, but my soul wouldn’t rest. Janae still hadn’t responded with her usual spunk.

I leaned closer to him. “The cameras are following her. It’s not a good look to walk out of here with her like this.”

He looked over his shoulder. “I didn’t make her take anything. She wants to go home with me.”

Too tired to argue with a man with ill intent, I took Janae’s hand. “Hey, I’m going to take you back to your hotel.”

She frowned and looked at Cash. “I thought we were going to your place.”

Cash smiled, his grill flashing. “See?”

I held three fingers in front of her face. “Tell me how many fingers I’m holding up, and I’ll leave you alone.”

A small crowd behind us laughed when she proudly yelled, “Five.”

I shook my head and grabbed her hand. “You can go play with Cash tomorrow when you’re sober.”

She tried to yank her hand free as Cash grabbed my arm. I swung and connected my fist to his jaw.Oh shit. Um… I hadn’t meant to do that. His eyes rolled back before he fell against the wall.

The silence was deafening in the small hallway leading to the exit as I tossed a fighting Janae over my shoulders. “Don’t worry, she’s my friend, and I’m bringing her to her hotel to sleep it off.”

When we made it outside, I hurried to my car, needing to get the hell out of Dodge. The fellas would have to find their way back to the house. I’d never had a fight in my life and didn’t want to start today with a man almost twice my weight.

“Put me down, Landon,” Janae yelled.

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