Page 17 of With a Broken Wing
“Same to ya,” I said, taking a sip of wine.
He turned to put the used glasses in the sink and return the bottle of tequila to its spot on the shelf. I reached into my purse for my phone. I unlocked it and squinted my eyes when I didn’t recognize the number on the screen.
UNKNOWN:Those pills are going to come back to haunt you, one way or another.
I turned around in my seat, expecting to see somebody else in the bar with me. It was empty, though, and even the sexy bartender had stepped away. The feeling I was being watched settled like a stone in my stomach, and I typed back with shaking fingers.
ME:Who is this?
UKNOWN:You’ll find out soon enough, princess.
When Jameson spoke, I jumped in my seat and covered my chest with my hand. “Are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Uh, yeah. I’m fine. Guess the tequila shot went to my head a little quick,” I said with a convincing giggle.
I tucked my phone back in my purse without responding, taking a gulp of wine to swallow the fear that had settled in my gut. I didn’t recognize the number, and I couldn’t recall anyone ever calling me “princess” before. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I took several deep breaths in hopes of calming it.
A comfortable fog came over me as the mix of substances I’d taken settled. Jameson looked at me, still slightly concerned, until I flashed him a wide smile.
“You know, tequila makes me want to do something senseless,” I said, leaning forward on the counter. “Somethingrisky.”
He opened his mouth to respond, but then a voice came from behind me. “Risky, hmm?”
I gasped and whipped around on the stool, coming face-to-face with Demetri. He looked angry. His brow was furrowed, and he glared at me from under narrowed eyelids. “Demetri, how was the meeting?” As I asked him, I looked around to see the rest of the team just approaching.
“I am willing to bet a lot less fun than you’ve been having here.” When he crossed his arms, I wanted to snap my fingers and be back in my room.
“I haven’t…”
“She just got down here, sir. I was only offering her a drink.” As Jameson spoke, Demetri clearly debated whether to believe him. For a moment, I thought he might ask to smell my breath, but he didn’t.
“She doesn’t need you to lie for her. Andy is a grown woman and can do as she pleases.” I gaped at him, confused at what seemed like a sudden change of mind. He acted like he would yell at me, and the angry look in his eyes told me I wasn’t off the hook just yet.
In an attempt to change the subject, I addressed the full group. Erin stood silently behind Demetri, a straight look on her face, but both Shelby and Scott looked defeated. “So was the meeting that bad?”
“We got the signature on the contract. He’s investing.” Demetri was stone-faced, his voice low and grumbly.
“That’s great!” I clapped a couple of times. The group should have looked so much happier than they did. What was I missing?
Shelby rolled her eyes, and Demetri sighed. “They only invested fifty percent of what we expected. It doesn’t break us, but I don’t enjoy being told no.” Shelby’s wince was almost subtle enough to miss completely.
“Something is better than nothing, though! You should celebrate all the accomplishments, not just the big ones.”
“Cut the happy-go-lucky bullshit! It’s not an accomplishment. It’s a failed presentation. There is nothing to celebrate.” His voice left no room for argument, and he made it clear he didn’t want to talk about what went well.
“Well, then. Onthatnote, I’m going to excuse myself from this pleasant little exchange.” I turned back towards Jameson and flashed him a sweet smile. “Thanks for the drink, handsome. See you around.”
I felt Demetri glaring after me as I walked away from the bar, slinging my purse over my shoulder and not looking back.
* * *
I was curled up on the small couch in the hotel suite when the door opened. Demetri stood in the open doorway with a scowl etched deep in his face. He stepped into the room and the door swung shut behind him. As it slammed, I winced. The scowl on his face didn’t look as angry as it had in the bar. He looked pained.
“I should go to bed,” I said, unfolding my legs and standing up from the couch. He moved towards the counter where the bottle of bourbon he’d drank out of the night before still sat—the one that had been tempting me since I got back to the room.
“Don’t go.” He didn’t turn to face me.
I stood and faced him, unable to move from my spot. Every part of me was screaming I needed to go to bed, that I should go, take a pill or two, and fall into a sleep deep enough that I wouldn’t think about anything that had happened that day. I didn’t want to think about the way I’d just followed his demands this morning or the way my clit throbbed standing in this room with him. Even more so, I wanted to forget about the text messages taunting me on my phone.
