To Be With You (18 page)

Nicole’s head dropped a couple degrees and Sean could have stood up and slapped him for it. But Cheri on his lap made that a bit difficult.

“They sound similar,” Justin said. Nicole looked at him and smiled.

“We’ve missed you around here Nick.” Justin winked.

“I missed you too.”

“Other people call you Nick?” Ben said. “I thought you hated it.”

“I do,” Nicole said, trying to stay atop the arm of the chair and not be pulled onto Ben’s lap. “That doesn’t stop them, just like it doesn’t stop you, I guess.”

Sean vowed not to call her Nick again.

Nicole wanted to leave. Making Sean jealous was not turning out to be worth another date with Ben. She was starting to think the story Sean told her wasn’t that crazy. She wished she had just been straightforward. Why hadn’t she just told Sean she wasn’t into Ben, she was into him? Instead, she’d brought Ben here to embarrass her and everyone else, and would probably have to leave and ask for Sean’s help anyway.

She’d hoped to just watch a bit of manly jealousy and prove that Ben was totally harmless, if a bit slimy, and call it a night. Instead, she felt like she was being crushed a little more each moment, like a leech was sucking her life force out. A leech named Ben.

She turned to watch Sean in his seat, looking more comfortable than she would have guessed with a pretty, short redhead in his lap. That should be her. He turned and smiled at her. She loved the way his shirt fit over strong pecs. Loved his tie and the way it matched his eyes. Ben made him look even taller and more handsome by comparison. But the key was that Sean was a good man. And Ben, as Nicole was observing from the way he treated everyone from the waitress, to her friends now as he sneered at them, was probably not. Some kind of transitional upgrade from the other men she’d dated, but not all the way there yet.

“Sorry if my date smells like fish,” Ben said, and Nicole looked up at him with tension in her face. Oh no, that crease between her eyebrows was going to be so deep by the time she was old enough to forget all of this.

The rest of the group stared at Ben in various states of mouth hanging open, eyebrows raised, narrowed eyed shock.

“She insisted on ordering the fish, even though I warned her that at Tony’s it’s particularly fishy.”

Nicole’s cheeks burned and she was grateful for her beautiful dark skin that would keep her embarrassment to herself. She looked down at her legs, then over to Sean’s face.

She had intended to just look up at him quickly, for a second or two, but when she saw his expression, she couldn’t look away. It was everything she’d hoped for and more. His mouth twisted up at the corner. His blue eyes were extra blue, vivid, and narrowed. A vein stood out on his forehead at either side of his temples. He chewed his own teeth and glared at Ben.

She felt familiar warmth that she was beginning to associate with Sean’s presence spread out to her fingertips and toes. She would be safe tonight. It would all be over soon, probably, and then they could talk.

“I like my date to order whatever she feels like,” Sean said. The redhead on his lap, who Nicole wanted to kick off and finish off with a boot in her butt, smiled up at him.

Ben looked less amused. “I guess then they can’t blame you if it tastes awful. Even if it does make them smell.”

Nicole glared at him. “On that note, I’m going to the bathroom,” she said.

“You want me to go with you?” Cheri asked.

“Sure,” Nicole said.

Cheri stood up and walked with her, and one of the other girls, one with black hair with purple streaks, stood up as well.

Sean kept his eyes on Ben, who watched women walk away. Justin shifted nervously on the couch. Sean was glad that Justin was sitting between them. Someone who was somewhat neutral.

Ben turned back to Sean and Justin. “What kind of club is this anyways?”

“Didn’t Nicole tell you?” Justin asked.

“No,” he said. “She just said it was an exclusive club for members.”

“I guess she didn’t want you to know then,” Justin said, smiling. “I guess, as her friends, we’ll leave that to her.”

“Are you saying it’s not a normal club?”

“No, I’m not saying that,” Justin said. He leaned back with his arm over the back of the couch, looking almost feline, long and golden and relaxed. It was probably his style of intimidation. “I’m saying that I don’t think this is the type of place where we take kindly to people insulting our friends. Even as a joke.”

Sean looked at Justin and nodded his approval. He watched Ben and felt like a bear watching a fish in the river.

“You haven’t said anything,” Ben said, glancing at Sean. He leaned forward and touched his fingers together in a tent shape. “You sure like to look at my date, though.”

Sean narrowed his eyes on him and looked back to check if the women had already gone into the restroom. The blond friend was sitting on his other side and was completely interested in talking to Chuck, who sat on the floor cleaning up Justin’s Scrabble game. The best word had been ‘supermanslut,’ apparently.

“Are you slow?”

Sean snapped his head back to Ben. He cracked his knuckles in his lap, not to be menacing, but to keep himself from flying at him.

“Are you?” Sean said. “I just don’t think you’re worth talking to.”

“Whoa there big guy.” Justin shook his head at Ben. “I’m sorry about my friend here. He can be blunt sometimes.”

“Why don’t you just shut up?” Ben said to Justin.

Sean started to rise in his chair but Justin turned to him and glared.

“Alright,” Sean said. He looked sideways at Ben. “I’m sorry. To be honest, I’m jealous. Nicole doesn’t date just anyone.” Sean figured letting the other guy feel superior for now might placate him.

Justin chimed in. “Yeah, she’s rejected him tons of times.”

Ben stared at Sean, the beginnings of a smirk on his face. His eyes lit in a different way than they’d been since he’d come in.

“I wouldn’t say tons of times,” Sean mumbled.

“That makes sense,” Ben said, sitting back and picking at the buttons on his blue shirt. He pushed his fine brown hair off his forehead.

“Are you thirsty?” Justin asked Ben. “Nicole must have forgotten to offer you a drink.”

“Yes,” Ben said, watching the door to see if there was any sign of Nicole. “Vodka tonic.”

“Sorry, the bar is non-alcoholic.”

“What?” Ben looked at him, then at the bar, with genuine confusion. “Fine, anything then.” Ben stared at Sean again and Sean couldn’t shake the feeling that Ben was amused by him.

Maybe he knew he was the best friend she’d talked about. According to Stephen, that had been half of the benefit of dating Nicole.

“Sean, will you help me get drinks for the group?” Justin said, rising and sticking out a hand to help Sean up if needed.

Sean surprised himself by grabbing it. “Sure.” He followed Justin to the counter and drummed his fingers against it while he waited for Justin to pull out drinks.

The girls entered the bathroom, and of course bypassed the idea of using the toilets and went straight for the mirror. All of them knew that ‘I have to go to the restroom’ was lady speak for ‘I need to check myself out for a good long while and fix anything that may have gone awry.’

Nicole scowled. The stress creases on her forehead and at the corners of her mouth had made barely noticeable indents into her powder. She looked in her purse for foundation while she saw Cheri apply lipstick.

“You’re really laying it on thick for Sean tonight,” the one with black hair said.

“I know,” Cheri said. “He’s so fun to tease.” She moved a manicured finger over her lip line to clean it up. Cheri smiled at her. “I’m Cheri by the way. I know I’ve seen you around the club, so if I’ve already introduced myself, I apologize.”

“I’m Randy,” the other girl said.

“No apologies necessary,” Nicole said. “I’m Nicole. I’m still pretty new here, and there are a lot of faces. Not to mention how hard it is to focus on the women here with all of the gorgeous men around.”

Except there was only one gorgeous man in her eyes, and she wished he’d just proclaim his love and throw out her date already. The thought stopped her. Just days ago wanting Sean to interfere would have been ludicrous. Odd that he seemed more attractive to her each day since he’d decided to act without her approval.

“Do you need anything? My bag is your bag.” Cheri pushed her flowery makeup case over to Nicole.

“I don’t think you have my color,” Nicole said. They laughed with her. “I’ll just have to wipe off the parts that get creased. I hate creasing.”

“So, if you don’t mind us asking, why did you bring a date?” Cheri leaned back against the sink. “No offense.”

“I know,” Nicole said. She tried to decide how much she would say. “I guess in the end I just wanted a safe place to get to know someone.”

“Actually, that makes a lot of sense,” Randy said. “Not a bad idea.”

“I’m not sure about that, based on how Ben’s acting.”

“Yeah, I thought Sean was going to punch him.” Cheri giggled. “He’s so alpha male and he doesn’t even know it.”

Sean, alpha male? Nicole felt like she’d been told the sky was white. “I don’t know about that.”

“Totally the strong, silent type.” Randy agreed.

Nicole felt like these women were somehow missing the whole point of him. Sean wasn’t an alpha male, if that was even a real thing, let alone something to be desired. He was just Sean. He wasn’t that interested in dominating the other males and showing them he could get all the girls. An image of him in the dojang, training to beat other men professionally, rose to contradict her and she laughed.

“I guess he can be a bit heavy-handed at times.”

“I’d like him to get heavy handed with me,” Cheri said.

Nicole shook her head and tried to laugh, though the image of him holding Cheri made her angry.

Randy sighed. “You perv.” She grabbed Cheri’s hand and pulled her along. “Keep it down when we get back. You’re embarrassing.”

“Well my bad,” Cheri said, not sounding sorry at all to Nicole’s ears.

Not that Nicole was paying attention. When they walked in the room, all she could see was Sean, standing next to Justin, looking intensely thoughtful. They were talking, but obviously in low voices. She tuned in, wishing she could hear. But she couldn’t, and that would be rude anyhow.

“Y
ou’re blowing it,” Justin said. “I think you need to join another group. It’s too obvious.” He rested his palms on the bar so that he could look Sean in the eye.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Did you hear him though? About the fish? Even if he’s not a woman beater he’s just such a—”

“I know,” Justin said, shaking his head. “But you aren’t helping. Didn’t you want to watch him?”

Sean nodded.

“How are you going to get a chance to see what he’s like if he doesn’t trust you?”

“He didn’t trust me there. He was showing what he was really like.”

“Really a jerk. True. But that’s not why she’s here right?”

Sean nodded again, his head drooping a little now.

“I think I get him,” Justin said, keeping his voice quiet so that Ben, who was sitting alone and checking out women who passed by, wouldn’t hear them. “I don’t really get her though,” he said, putting the last juice on the counter. “That’s the last one; I guess we’ll need to put them in glasses. Big night tonight.” He reached under the bar and brought up some small, translucent plastic cups in varying colors. Disposable of course. And unbreakable. Sean thought it was too bad because he’d really have liked to break one over Ben’s head.

“What do you mean you don’t get her?” Sean said. He checked that Nicole wasn’t back yet.

“I don’t think she even likes him. Given that you already told her your concerns, I don’t know why she’s even putting up with him. Like you said, even if he’s not abusive, he’s a total loser."

“Yeah.” Sean bent forward on his elbows as if talking to the counter and not to Justin. “I guess anyone is better than dating me.” He ground his teeth together.

“I don’t think that’s it. I think there’s more to it,” Justin said. “It’s almost like she’s, naw.”

“What?” Sean asked.

“Did something happen between you two?” Justin asked. He put the cups in a neat line for the guests.

Sean shook his head. Then scratched it. Then pulled at his tie, and his cufflinks. “No.”

“That was a pretty complicated no.”

“Okay. I don’t know,” Sean said. “I went over to help her the other day.”

“What do you mean help?”

“She thought she was being watched by someone,” Sean whispered. “She called me over.”

“Ah,” Justin said. “So, late at night?”

“Yes,” Sean said. “How’d you know?”

“People don’t generally stalk people in broad daylight.” Justin smiled. “You’d be the exception there.”

Sean hmphed. “Anyway, when I came over, she got really clingy. She sort of, came on to me.”

Sean felt like a betrayer for telling Justin details. He wouldn’t have pegged himself as the type to kiss and tell. But he’d never had anything to tell before. And like it or not, he was beginning to trust the guy.

“Wow,” Justin said, not sounding as surprised as Sean had expected. He came around the bar to stand by Sean, arms folded. “Well friend, it sounds to me like she likes you.”

“What?”

“I know. I’m shocked too.” He laughed. “But you were the one she called when she was scared. And then she came on to you? Come on Sean, even you can’t be that dense.”

“Nicole is damaged though,” Sean said. “She’s not like other women when it comes to sex stuff.”

“Ouch.” Justin leaned to shove Sean with his shoulder. “If you talked to her like that, no wonder she’s here waving that guy in your face.”

“What do you mean?” Sean asked.

“I mean, if I were her, the last person I would want to be with would be someone who seemed to think I needed special handling.”

“Oh. But she does.”

“I just mean, even if a person’s been through a few things that affected them, it doesn’t mean that all of their actions should only be looked at through that lens.”