Page 23 of Closer

“No, you won’t. Ali is mine. You kiss her again, I’ll kick your arse. The only reason I’m not doing it right now is because I feel sorry for you. I can’t imagine how much it hurts to have had her and know you’ll never get to touch her again, so I’m giving you that, but if you ruin this night for us, if you embarrass her in front of our friends and family, I’ll see to it that you’re out of our lives for good. I don’t want that. The guys don’t want that, and she doesn’t want that.”

“Doesn’t matter. Everyone knows that whatever Cooper Ryan wants he gets anyway, so you say the word, buddy, and I’m out.”

“Hard as this is to say after your shitty behaviour lately, I don’t want you gone. There’s a reason we’re a multi-platinum award winning band and it isn’t my vocals, or Zed’s drumming, Ash’s bass, or your axe, it’s all of us.”

“Right, just one big happy fucking family.” I stand and kick my stool from under me.

“Quinn,” Coop says, and I turn and face him, grabbing a drink from the bar that belongs to the woman beside me. I gulp it down.

“Congratu-fucking-lations, the best man won.”

“Jesus, she’s not a competition, Levi. She’s my wife. I’m not sorry it didn’t end the way you wanted it to. And I am sorry that you’re hurting. I wouldn’t wish that kind of pain on my worst enemy.”

“Well, it’s a fucking good thing we’re best buddies, isn’t it? Cheers,” I say and turn so that I can see Ali, who is approaching the two of us warily. “To the bride and groom, may they live happily ever after. If anyone needs me, I’ll be stroking my gigantic cock while I imagine sinking it inside her again. You remember that don’t you, Coop? The way she begged me for more?”

From out of nowhere I’m smacked in the side of the head so hard I land on my arse, and a livid Cooper shakes out his fist as I drag myself to my feet. Before I can hit him back, Ali throws herself between us and shoves my chest.

“Stop it! You’re embarrassing yourself.”

“Come on, Red, let’s not pretend you don’t love this shit. You always did love seeing me bending over backwards just to please you. You loved to keep the two of us on a tight little leash, especially me, and just when I thought you’d let me get all up in that fucking glorious pussy of yours, you’d pull the rug out from under me.”

Coop lunges for me again, and I stagger back, But I’m not quick enough. I’m clumsy, and drunk, and I stumble several paces and topple to the ground, right on top of Angry French Girl’s cello. A collective gasp goes up from the guests. Splintered wood digs into my back and I stare at Brielle whose face is red with what looks like unshed tears.

“Shit! I’m sorry,” I mumble.

“Espèce de trou du cul! Abrûti d'ivrogne!”The sorrow in her face turns to fury. Her arm lashes out and she beats me with her bow. The delicate hairs snap against my skin like a whip, and then I’m forced to hold my hands protectively in front of my face as she beats me until the stick breaks. “Tu n'est qu'un misérable déchet humain! Je te souhaite de mourir en enculant un mouton!”

“Même pour une raclure dans ton genre cela semble être une bien trop belle mort.” Angry French Girl throws her hands up in the air. I scramble to my feet, and she points a long, slender finger at me. Poking me in the chest, stabbing with each new word. “Je te souhaite de contracter une maladie nécrosante qui te rongera lentement la queue!”

She stalks away, and then out of nowhere, Ali slaps me. The sound cuts through the murmurs from the scandalized guests. My cheek smarts where her small hand connected with my face, my eye throbs like a bitch from her husband’s fist, and my arms are covered in red, stinging welts from Angry French Girl’s bow. “You need to leave.”

I laugh. “I thought you’d never fucking ask.”

“You know earlier when you came to my room, I actually felt sorry for you.” Her voice trembles as she whisper-hisses the words. “It hurt seeing you in so much pain, but I won’t forgive you for ruining this day for us.”

I feel like shit, not because she hit me, or her husband hit me, or because their damn cellist went nuts and beat the shit out of me with her bow, but because I can see, really see how much I hurt the woman I love, on the one day that should have been magical. I ruined it for her, I ruined any chance of her being happy because I wanted her to feel as miserable as I do.

“Ali—”

“Just go, Levi. Go and sleep it off because if you don’t leave now, Cooper will hit you again, and I won’t stop him.”

I wipe the blood from the corner of my mouth and turn away, pushing through the throng of wedding guests. I don’t walk to my room like she suggested, but instead, I make a beeline for the front gate of this fucking mansion. I want out of here, out of France, and as far away from the happy couple as possible.

***

“Give me my fuckingkeys,” I shout at the valet, grabbing his lapel and shaking him, hard.

“S'il vous plait, Monsieur, je vous en prie. I cannot.”

“Levi!”

Christ. I let go of the tiny French man—though looking at him now I can see he’s just a boy, probably no older than seventeen. He stumbles back a few paces. “What do you want, Ali? Don’t you have a husband to annoy now?”

“God, you just can’t stop fucking everything up, can you?” She throws her hands up in exasperation. “I told you to go to bed, not accost the valet and go off half-cocked.”

“You should know by now that I don’t do what I’m told, and nothing involving my cock is ever done by halves.” I snatch the keys from the stunned kid and jump in the car. Best thing about convertibles? You don’t need to use a door.

“You’re not leaving in that.” Ali points to my shiny red Ferrari 458 Spider.

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