Back to Square One (Brandon Bay Babes) (31 page)

“Nice of you to have me Charles” she said in a breathy voice; if she was going to play the part, why not go the “whole hog”.

“The bars over there; help yourself” he said warmly, pointing towards the back of the living room.
 
“But be warned, I’ll be looking for you later”

Jasmine grinned. “I’m sure you will” she replied, thinking with dread that he
could
be looking for wife number four.

As she made her way through the throng, she looked around for Kit.
 
Where the hell was she?
 
She’d come to this shindig with the knowledge that her BFF would be there; but so far she was nowhere in sight.
 
Tamping down her irritation, she spotted an empty barstool calling her name.
 
Oh well, might as well get a drink, she thought glumly.
 
No use looking like a lost sheep amongst the wolves.
 
And there were certainly wolves aplenty; from what she could see; Charles Rydekker included.
 
This could be fun and she needed to keep her wits about her; but one drink certainly couldn’t hurt.

Propping herself up on barstool, she sighed heavily.
 
“What can I get you beautiful?” said the blonde, buff bartender, grinning at her with interest.

Jasmine grinned back with wide-eyed innocence, “I was wondering, do you have any
pink
champagne?”

He looked baffled, “Well I'm not sure, I can check; hang on just one minute”
 
He left the bar in search of her request.
 
Jasmine was pleased as punch.
 
She touched her blonde wig in reverence; maybe blondes did have more fun.
 
They certainly seemed to get men to do their bidding, at the very least.
 
The fact that the bartender was employed to do her bidding seemed to have conveniently slipped her mind.

“I’m pretty sure it tastes like the regular stuff” said a voice from the barstool beside her.

“Excuse me?” she asked turning to face the voice.
 
Nice profile, she thought.
 
Pity he was nursing a glass full of scotch, and not his first from the slur in his words.

“Pink champagne tastes like the regular stuff” he replied gruffly, turning to her with a lopsided smirk.

“Oh, I just want it because it’s
pink
, I don’t care what it tastes like” she said brushing off his comment with a smile. Getting a better look at her bar companion, Jasmine whistled inwardly.
 
Wow, he was a cutie-pie; even if he’d had one too many. Maybe tonight’s party wouldn’t be a total fiasco with Kit MIA after all.

He snorted.
 
“Quite the
connoisseur
, aren’t you?”

She frowned at him with a look of disdain, “And you’re quite the party pooper; aren’t
you?

He immediately backtracked.
 
“Sorry; just not in the
mood
for a party, I guess”

“Strange that you would come to one then, isn’t it?” Jasmine said with sarcasm; re-evaluating her previous assessment of her neighbour; he was no longer a cutie-pie, just an obnoxious drunk.

The bartender returned from wherever he was searching, “Sorry, no pink champagne.
 
Maybe you’d like to try a nice rose’; it’s
sort of
pink”

“That would be lovely” she said sweetly.

The rude man beside her snorted.
 
Jasmine raised one eyebrow at him until he noticed her staring him down.
 
“What?” he remarked.

“Maybe you should lay off the hard stuff for a while
Slick
; your
mood
may improve.
 
Who knows, you may even be fit for human society” she replied haughtily.
 
Oh darn, she sounded like her mother; that was just the sort of thing she’d say; though usually behind people’s backs.

“You know what
Blondie
” the jerk said, “You may be right”.
 
He pushed his scotch glass away and took a sweeping glance over Jasmine and all her worldly goods.
 
She could feel the blush go over her as his blue eyes took her in.
 

“Oh bartender” she spoke through gritted teeth, “A ginger-ale for my friend here, please; apparently his
wagon
has arrived.”

“Sure thing” the barman responded, quickly snapping the tab on a can and pouring it over a tall glass of ice.
 
“There you go, sir”

“Thanks” the surly barfly barked.
 
He smirked again at Jasmine. “Now about improving my
mood
” he said leaning closer to her, “How about hitching yourself to my
wagon
and we go somewhere and work on that”

“Sorry
Slick”
she smirked back, getting off the barstool, rose’ in hand, “I don’t do charity work”.
 
As she walked away she threw a glance back at him; his jaw had dropped open in astonishment and what Jasmine believed to be a little awe.
 
Good, she thought smugly, the rude SOB.
 

It was eleven o’clock when Jasmine decided that it was probably time to go.
 
It looked like Kit was a definite no-show.
 
There would certainly be words said tomorrow when she got a hold of her.
 
The party was starting to disintegrate into a group of misfits who pretty much had nowhere else to go on a Saturday night; her included.
 
She noticed
Slick
eyeing her from across the room from time to time; but she ignored his solemn stare.
 
The man was impossible; what the hell was his problem?

“Jasmine, there you are” Charles cornered her on the way to the little girls’ room.
 
“You’re not leaving, are you?”
 
He leaned towards her in a predatory way.

“No, nature calls” she said honestly.

“Oh” he replied, obviously a little put off by a woman who pees.

Jasmine almost laughed in his face; Charles was in no way a ladies man or a serious threat.
 
He’d just had a little too much to drink and was quite taken with his charms.
 
The fact that most ladies
weren’t
enamoured by his rotund persona, didn’t seem to faze him in the least.
 
Still, she had to give it to the man; he’d managed to accrue three wives over the years.

A sudden movement to Jasmine’s right had her arm being pulled rather roughly by an unknown assailant away from her host.
 
“Ready to go?” the thug said quickly, moving them both towards the door.

“
You
?” she retorted, turning around and wrenching her arm out of his grasp.
 
“You know what
Slick
, I don’t know who the hell you think you are, but I’m not going anywhere with you”

He frowned at her, “I thought I was doing you a favour.
 
That guy had you cornered”

“That
guy
was harmless” she replied with a roll of her eyes.
 
“Look friend, I don’t need a knight in shining armour to ward off the dragons, I can handle anything that comes my way”

“Can you now?” he put his hands on his hips and looked at all five-foot-three of her.

“Yes indeedy, I can.
  
So … don’t get your knickers in a knot on my account; because nobody messes with me” she then grinned wickedly, “unless I
want
to be messed with”

He shook his head at her in exasperation.
 
“Look
Blondie
, I don’t think you quite realise it, but every guy has had his eye on you this evening; hoping he’d be the lucky one to take you home”

“Really?” she said in amazement; well that was news to her.
 
She noticed
him
getting an eyeful, but others?

“Yeah, really” he leaned in and whispered in her ear, “You’ve got a body made for sin and think it’s wise for
me
to take you home before you get yourself into trouble”

“
For sin you say?
So, can I ask, who made you the Pope?” She stepped back from his close proximity and crossed her arms over her chest.
 
His eyes immediately noticed how it pushed her
girls
up even more pertly.
 
“And just how do I know I’d be safe with you?
 
You seem to be in the mood for a little sinning yourself.” she added, following his gaze.

“Believe me, I am in
no
way interested in doing the horizontal mambo with you,
Blondie.
 
That’s why I’m the perfect guy to escort you home” he remarked crossing his own arms across his chest.
 
“I wouldn’t touch you with a ten foot pole”

Jasmine looked him up and down in wide-eyed innocence, “You got a ten foot pole
Slick
?”

He cleared his throat and she laughed heartily.
 
The guy almost seemed human when he was uncomfortable.
 
“You know what?
 
I might just take you up on your offer Big Boy.
 
Not because I think my virtue is in any danger from anyone here or even
you
; but I came by cab and you’ll save me the ten bucks fare getting home”

“Well okay then” he said in agreement.
 
“Let’s go” He took her elbow and she stopped short.

“Just hold on a moment; I don’t go anywhere with strangers.
 
What’s your name?”

“My friends call me …
Slick
” he grinned.
 
When she didn’t budge, he added, “My name’s Barnaby.
 
Barnaby Calder”

Jasmine scowled at him.
 

“What?” he asked grumpily, “now my name is pissing you off too?”

“Yeah; it certainly is” she said glumly as he looked on in confusion.

“You’re awfully quiet”

“How would you know?
 
You don’t even know me” Jasmine replied, gazing out the car window as they sped along the winding road to downtown Brandon Bay.

She was still in shock.
 
Jasmine couldn’t believe it.
 
So this guy was Barnaby Calder.
 
The
Barnaby Calder.
 

Kit certainly hadn’t done him justice in the “cute” department.
 
He was six foot two of scrummy. Throwing him a sidelong glance, Jasmine blew out a long breath.
 
He was a hottie; that was for sure; even if he had the personality of a wet blanket.
 

So
Slick
was in love with her friend, Kit.
 
What an odd turn of events, that they both had her in common.
 
He was the guy Kit had grown up with.
 
The guy Kit hadn’t seen since high school and had recently encountered again; the guy who had declared undying love to her way back when, and seemingly still felt the same way.