“Surprised? Join the club.” I polished off my Jamison in one swig. A flash of red caught my eye by the door as I slammed the tumbler down on the table.
Her curls were tamed and styled. Her cutoff shorts showed off her long, toned legs. Not to mention the way they hugged her ass. A simple T-shirt was tucked into the front of the shorts. My heart stopped at the sight of her. I had never allowed myself to think of Scarlett when I had my dick in my hands, but that night she told me what she was wearing on her date, I couldn’t stop the images from infiltrating my mind. I could already tell that this look, tonight, was going to make a front-and-center appearance.
9
Luke
Scarlett spotted me on her way through the crowd, Aurora at her side. Her eyes shined in the low light, and the most beautiful smile graced her face. Aurora waved at someone on the other side of the room, making her way over there. Scarlett kept walking, right to me.
“Fancy seeing you here,” she said, adding a hello to the other two as well. “Hey, Wes. Hey Seb. You guys out for a guys’ night?”
“We were, but we’re always happy to have more company,” Seb offered.
He was right. I was more than happy to have Scarlett and Aurora join us for drinks. She was standing next to me, the scent of her sweet perfume doing strange things to my head.
“I appreciate the offer, but Aurora’s going to California in a couple of days, so she’s invited some friends out for drinks before she leaves.”
“Ah, a girls’ night on the town. Sounds fun.” He smiled at her.
“Yeah.” Her eyes landed on mine as her teeth bitinto her perfect bottom lip. “Well, I should get over there. Just wanted to pop over and say hi.”
“Have fun,” I told her. She walked over to her sister and some other girls, my eyes tracking her the whole way.
The DJ for karaoke announced the first singer, cueing up an old Bon Jovi hit from the ’80s as one of Reid’s employees, Richie, hit the stage. He belted out the words without missing a beat. The crowd cheered through the entire thing like it was his own private concert.
“Your brother’s going to be pissed he’s missing this,” Seb laughed, coming back from the bar with fresh drinks for me and him, Wes predictably opting out of another.
We listened to a few more folks sing to their favorite track, including the two girls who were sitting at the bar earlier. They bounced around to a Cyndi Lauper fan favorite, ending with a kiss that had the crowd whooping.
“I need another drink. Anyone else?” I asked.
Seb was still working on his last beer, apparently not tipping them back like shots like I was.
The bar was on the other side of Scarlett’s group. They looked like they were having a good time—a collection of multicolored cocktails sat around the table. Scarlett caught my eye as I passed and smiled at me. Ronnie was straight out, the karaoke event bringing in a larger crowd than usual on a Tuesday night. I waited for her to serve a few more people before she got to me. A quick head nod to confirm my order was all I needed to do, and a few seconds later, another whiskey was sitting in front of me.
I tipped it back without thinking twice. A few drinks in, and I was starting to feel the effects. Ronnie shot me a concerned look, but I gestured for one more. She paused in front of mewhen she placed the drink down.
“You got a ride home later?” she asked. “You’re putting them down awfully fast tonight.”
“Walking. I’m staying at Wyatt’s place for right now.”
“Ah.” She nodded, catching on. “In that case, drink up.”
The song ended, and the crowd cheered politely like they did with all of the singers as the guy walked off the makeshift stage. When the DJ called the next name, I froze, my Jamison held partway to my lips. Scarlett got up and made her way to the microphone. The opening bars of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” started, and I couldn’t pull my eyes away from her. Nervous energy radiated from her. Standing still and leaning into the microphone, she started singing. As the chorus struck, Scarlett’s inhibitions seemed to flee, and she poured herself into the song. Completely tone-deaf, she missed every note imaginable, decimating Houston’s high pitches and melodic style. Joy in its purest form shined through her, and I loved every second of it. I could listen to her butcher any song just to watch her let go like she was now.
I hollered to her in encouragement, catching her eye just as the bridge hit, calling out to me. The song finished, and I cheered louder than any other person in the bar. I watched her skip off the stage with a huge smile on her face before turning to head back to my table with my drink. Instead, I came face-to-face with the one person I really shouldn’t be running into in my inebriated state.
Fucking Monroe.
My vision tunneled onto him. I put my drink on the bar top and approached him slowly. His eyes rounded, his hands coming up in front of him, thinking he could stop myapproach.
“Luke,” he started. I stood chest to chest with him, my fists flexing at my sides. “I know you’re pissed. You have every right to be.”
“You’re fucking my wife, Monroe. I’m a little more than pissed.”
“She was unhappy, Luke. You couldn’t give her what she needed.”
My fist connected with his face in an instant. Ronnie yelled at us to take it outside. I heard my name being called from behind me, but it wasn’t enough to clear the haze of fury running through me. Matt and I tussled, the crowd behind us pushing us into the parking lot, where I decked him again. The sting in my hand felt good as I connected with his cheek. He fought back, swinging at my head. I dodged the first one but wasn’t fast enough to avoid the second blow as it connected above my eye.
