Page 6 of Behind the Cascades
His eyes widen slightly before he shakes his head andsmiles. He slides out of the booth to greet her. "Hey! What are you doing here?"
Maleficent grins mischievously, her eyes flickering around the table while she hugs him. "I'm in town for Laura's bachelorette party!" She gestures toward the table of scantily clad girls wearing sashes. They all look like they should be on a pole rather than having a nice dinner.
Charlie squeezes my hand a little harder and I resist the urge to chuckle. She's always had similar feelings about Heather as I have. Never outright hatred, but we both agree Heather cares about herself and only herself. And maybe her plastic surgeon.
"Chad finally proposed? Good for him."
"What has all of you in Vegas?" She doesn't glance at us again. I guarantee she'll only be focused on sinking those red talons back into Drew.
I hear Odessa's humorless laugh and look over to see her roll her eyes. Everett tries to scold her under his breath but it only spurs Dess on further. "What? They've been on-and-off foryearsand she doesn't even know it's his best friend's birthday."
My teeth hurt from clenching them so hard and trying not to chuckle. Odessa, the wildcard, has no filter, and I love her for it. She calls it like she sees it. Am I offended that Heather doesn't remember my birthday? Not in the slightest, but I appreciate Odessa's protectiveness.
Heather's smile falters just a touch but she recovers quickly. "Oh my god! I completely forgot. Happy birthday, Hayes! Where are y'all going after this? I'll buy you a shot."
I nod and offer a tight smile but don't respond. There's no way I'm revealing that information. If Drew wants her there, he can invite her.
"We were just talking about that. I'll text you when we setplans." His grin widens as he hugs her again. "It's really good to see you."
Charlie's nails dig into my hand and I shake my head. That man only thinks with his dick when it comes to Heather and as much as I hate it, it's not our place to call him on it.
Thankfully, Heather walks away, her blonde ponytail swinging dramatically as she left. The mood of the table shifts to slightly uncomfortable. None of us know how to handle the Heather situation or our distaste for her.
Leave it to Everett to break the ice by starting to sing. "What do tigers dream of when they take a little tiger snooze?"
Odessa curses under her breath but grins. "Honestly surprised you last this long before making a 'Hangover' reference."
Charlie tries to pull her hand away but I keep it locked in mine until our food arrives. Apparently, Drew's approval changed everything. All I can think about is convincing Charlie to be mine. No better birthday gift than getting the girl of my dreams.
Chapter Four
Charlie
The club that Odessa dragged us to is loud, overcrowded, and smells like sweat and alcohol. Yet, there isn't anywhere else I'd rather be. Well, maybe in a hotel room with Hayes. Alone… But this is an okay second place. Hayes hasn't taken his eyes off of me since we got here. He's been different tonight—more attentive, more flirty, more touchy. Either the booze is flowing more freely than I thought, or he's letting his guard down.
The guys reserved a table for us, splurging on bottle service and making sure we had the nicest spot in the club. It was great until Drew invited Heather and her hoes. I mean, friends. They waltzed in half-naked and after spending ten minutes with them, I could feel my IQ dropping. Dess didn’t last more than five minutes before quietly escaping to the dance floor without anyone but me noticing. I glared at her retreating back the entire time she walked away, but knew it was probably for the better. No reason for these women to ruin her night, not when she doesn’t have a stake in the game.
Drew and Heather excused themselves to go dance as well.She’s been all over him since she got here, and my stupid brother hasn’t stopped smiling. He thinks he’s sly, but she’s got him wrapped around her finger. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up marrying her and then divorced within the first three years. The thought has me downing the last of my vodka redbull and glancing around the table. I haven’t been paying much attention to the conversations around but the dynamic of the table shifted when they left.
Hayes, Everett, me, and four gorgeous women are left sitting at our table.Oh, shit. Everett is across from me with two girls on either side of him, laughing at whatever he says. The other two are sitting in middle booth, leaning as close to Hayes as they can. It’s like watching group dates on ‘The Bachelor’ when the woman are fighting for just an ounce of attention.
The pit in my stomach only amplifies the longer I sit here. If Hayes didn't have his arm firmly around my shoulders, I'd already be on the dance floor with Dess. There's no way I can sit here and watch Hayes flirt with them. Yeah, he may have been a little more flirty toward me when I was his only option. Now? I don't stand a chance next to Double D Deb and Brazilian Butt Betty.
With every question they ask, they slowly inch closer to him and me by proxy. I feel like the opposite end of a magnet, trying to get away. He’s not outright flirting with them, but he’s not shutting them down either. Occasionally he tries to bring me into the conversation, but the more they talk, the more energy I lose to fight for his attention. No self-respecting woman should have to work this hard for a man’s attention.
They all swap stories about living in Southern California, and the lifestyle they live. Brazilian Butt Betty is a fitness influencer like Heather is. She’s practically started salivating when Hayes talked about his workout routine. Things I just don’t care about anymore. Give me a mountain to hike or a trail torun on and I’m in. Kickboxing? Did it for years. But going to the gym daily to lift weights? Never been my thing.
The mortification I feel hits an all time high when Double D Deb reaches her hand out and runs her hot pink nail down his forearm. The music is loud, but not so loud that I can’t hear her ask where he's staying and then invite herself to the suite.Nope.
I do what I do best. Bail.
Without a word, I get myself the hell out of that booth and down the stairs. No, goodbye; see ya later; I have to pee; nothing. One second I'm there and the next I'm jogging down the stairs in four inch wedges. Fuck Hayes. Fuck this night. Fuck social media influencers.
I weave my way through the dance floor, trying to get to the exit. It’s dark, sweaty bodies are everywhere and I get shoved from side to side, but I’m not stopping. I’m mustering up whatever little confidence I have left and putting an end to my feelings toward Hayes. Even if that means cutting off conversation for a while. Cold turkey, or whatever.
I have a feeling everyone is going to give me shit for leaving without saying anything, but I don’t give a damn. I'll text them when I get to the hotel and tell them I wasn’t feeling well or some other believable excuse. All that I can think about is getting to the hotel first, locking myself in one of the rooms and sleeping with headphones on. Or. OR. I'll splurge and book my own suite at the hotel. The credit card bill is worth it to avoid the party that is being brought back to our room.
I slink past the bouncer at the front door, and start my fast-paced walk back to the hotel. It isn’t far enough for a taxi, but walking alone in the middle of the night probably wasn’t a good idea. Definitely will be getting a lecture in the morning. I’m not even twenty feet away from the club when I feel a large handwrap around the inside of my arm and yank me back. Fight, flight, or freeze hits and my body always chooses fight.
