CHAPTER TWO

AMBER

MY HIPS MOVED to the beat, and a smile grew on my face. I moved through the room, slowly letting bodies move around me. I took a small sip of my drink through the straw before holding it over my head as the crowd got tighter. I turned sideways, the space getting smaller, and came face-to-face with Craig. 

“Get the fuck out,” he shouted. I smiled while rolling my eyes at his greeting. Craig rubbed his body way too close to mine unnecessarily, but I wouldn’t expect any less from the local man-whore.

“Nice to see you too, and I feel you. You're a little close there.” I told him, and Craig winked.

“Yet you’re not fighting me off.”

I moved past Craig with a laugh that I knew would piss him off. I smiled as I took another sip of my drink. The kitchen wasn’t as crowded. Placing my drink on the counter and leaning against it, I turned just as Craig walked in. 

He smiled. “Fuck, Amber, I’d do you against the counter.” A few of the guys howled, like a pack of wild animals. Craig didn’t touch me. He knew better, but he moved into my personal space. 

“You’re such a gentleman, Craig. A real catch.” I told him as I reached back, getting my drink. 

He winked at me. “Damn straight,” he said before knocking his drink back. The ice cubes rattled in the empty glass.

“How about me and you say hello properly?”

I moved in a little closer. “And how exactly would that play out?” I took another drink, just a little more slowly this time. I bit the straw before letting it slowly fall out of my mouth. The whole time, Craig stared at my lips.

“You keep doing that Amber, and I’ll replace the straw with my–"

“How about a wager?” I told him cutting him off. We always bantered. I just normally never enticed him, but I wanted to have a little fun. Craig nodded for me to go ahead as he got a bottle of JD and poured it into his empty glass. “Give me your best chat-up line, and if you make me believe it, then we can say hello properly."

Craig knocked his drink back. “Too easy, but I accept.” He refilled his glass before drinking it, once the glass was empty he saluted me. I smiled. This should be fun. Craig didn’t smile back, instead, he rubbed his jaw and tilted his head, studying me. I took a drink, not sure what his end game was. When I raised both eyebrows, he moved closer. “Nothing?” he asked.

“What? That was you hitting on me?” I laughed.

“That look has knickers on the floor,” he said, seeming genuinely confused.

“Sorry hun, my knickers are very much intact.” I felt pretty confident now. I let out a large yawn to piss him off. 

“You must be Medusa,” he declared.

That sounded like an insult to me, but I took the bait. “Fine, why?”

Craig smirked and grabbed himself. “Because you make me rock hard.” The group of lads who were listening in on our conversation, if that’s what you would call it, roared with laughter. My lip rose slightly. “I’m only getting started,” Craig told me and cracked his knuckles. He moved closer to me, his fingers running down the side of my dress. “You know what material this is?”

“No, but I’m pretty sure you're about to tell me.” I played along.

 

He grinned and, my heart did a little skip. He was drop dead gorgeous, but a complete ass. “Girlfriend Material.” I laughed. He smiled  “I’m winning you over, aren’t I?”  I took a box of fags out of his shirt pocket and took one out of the pack. Craig was quick. Whipping out his lighter, he lit the fag for me. I wasn’t much of a smoker, but I had the occasional one. He raised an eyebrow at me, before declaring, “I might not go down in history, but I’ll go down on you!”

I choked on my smoke and pushed Craig away from me. “Do you really pull women saying stuff like that?” I coughed again.

Craig took the cigarette from me and took a long drag before blowing out circles. He leaned against the counter and grew pretty serious. “Honestly, I don’t have to say anything, but with you, Amber, I’m going to be real honest. I want you to be the girl who takes my virginity.” He looked at me with the most innocent eyes and I laughed, really laughed.

“Tell me, how far back would I have to go to find Craig the virgin?”

He smirked like only he could. “That line has worked for me before. But you would have to go back to a ten-year-old Craig. I’m turning you on now, aren’t I?" he wiggled his eyebrows, and I shivered. 

“Yes, picturing you at ten is doing all sorts of funny things to my stomach. Especially on my upchuck reflexes." I picked up my drink, but it was empty.

“Shane, grab me a cold Bud,” Craig ordered one of the guys who was listening to our conversation like it was intoxicating. I think they were all high; they had that sheen in their eyes and a stupid smile permanently plastered on their faces. My empty bottle was replaced with the fresh one. Craig carefully removed my straw and placed it in the new bottle before handing it to me. “Do that lip thing," he told me. 

“What lip thing?”

“With the straw, it makes my dick twitch.” He was being serious. 

“You’re a pig,” I said to him and took a drink.

“You have eyes like spanners. When I look into them, my nuts tighten.” 

I laughed. “You sound so perverted, do you know that?" Craig smiled and held up his hands.

“Women are the perverted ones. You guys love this shit. Do you know they call me the cat whisperer?” I let out a heavy breath, I didn’t know if I wanted to hear what came next, but I really couldn’t help myself. Surely, he couldn’t get any lower in the gutter. I was wrong.

“Why?” I asked, and Craig grinned before leaning in close to me, so only I could hear what he was about to say.

“’Cause I know exactly what your pussy needs.” If anyone else spoke to me like that, I would have thrown my drink in their face, but I expected no less from Craig. 

Craig took a drink, and I gave my verdict. “It was nice chatting but I’m going to get drunk now, with men who aren’t perverted,” I told him.

Craig lit up a fag, “Nice chat.” He told me, smiling before leaving to find his next victim who would fall for him and his sleazy pick-up lines. His looks won over most women; it was a good job he didn’t have to speak.

 

***

 

The stairs were moving, and I clung to the wall to stay upright. A hand circled around my forearm and I looked back at the guy who was holding me up instead of the wall that had disappeared. I had never seen him before, and his red dotted shirt was making me dizzy. I tried to focus on his face, taking in large, brown eyes.

“You alright, sweetheart?” I looked at the door in front of me. 

“Where’s the bathroom?” My stomach heaved, my face must have portrayed my physical state. I was no longer being held up, and he pointed at the door in front of me and moved away.

 “Thanks, sweetheart,” I called after him, before pushing open the door. 

“Give us a minute.” Craig’s fine ass was showing and when I didn’t leave, he glanced over his shoulder and smirked. “Okay then.” He finished pulling up his trousers and flushed the toilet. “Amber, baby, I knew you wanted me.” I raced past him and puked into the toilet. “Nice,” Craig said.  I wanted to tell him to leave, but my stomach had taken control as I continued to vomit and retch. As I sat quivering and heaving my guts up, he did something I never thought Craig would do, he held my hair and rubbed my back. “You’re okay, get it all up.”  His voice had taken on a much more calming and compassionate tone.

 I did exactly what he said, every last drop. I was exhausted when I finished. After making sure I was okay, Craig left so I could clean up and when I left the bathroom, he was there, waiting with a drink and chewing gum. I was shocked, and I wondered if this was what Grace saw all the time. Grace, my best friend, always stuck up for Craig saying he was a good guy. I never saw it. I always saw a good-looking prick, but right now I got it. “Thanks,” I told him gratefully and he nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets, looking almost vulnerable.

Stuffing the chewing gum in my mouth I worked it for a moment and then I did something I never thought I would. I kissed him. His hands were on my hips in seconds. “I knew you wanted me,” he said with that same familiar smirk, before sticking his tongue down my throat. We found an empty room and started to strip while kissing. “Just don’t speak or you’ll ruin it,” I told him, while slipping the gum from my mouth and sticking it to a computer desk near the door. I would remove it later.  

“Yes ma’am,” he dropped his boxers on the ground, nothing dividing us, before lifting me onto the bed.  His hand ran along my thigh. “What does it say?” he was looking at the tattoo that his hand touched.

 “Get your hand off it,” I told him, I didn’t want to go there, and definitely not with him. 

“I was just being polite,” he told me, his hands rubbing my breasts.

 “Don’t.”

He flipped me over startling a scream out of me. “I won’t then,” he told me before he filled me.

***

 

I woke in a bed with Craig. His eyes where closed and he looked, almost nice. He looked like the type of guy I wouldn’t mind waking up beside. I slid out of his arms and started to get dressed, hoping he stayed asleep, so we could avoid any awkwardness. But luck wasn’t on my side. He stirred, scratching himself down below, before opening his eyes with a slow grin already building on his face. He lit up a cigarette and smirked at me. 

“Fuck, Amber, if I knew it was going to be so good, I would have done this a long time ago.”

I rolled my eyes at his backhanded compliment. I didn’t regret sleeping with him–yet–but I wouldn’t be repeating it. “Thanks,” I told him. I was one shoe short, and I couldn’t find it.

“Looking for this?” I looked at Craig, my high heel in his hand. I snatched it back while trying not to meet his eye. “Amber, you're making me feel so used and dirty," he blew out smoke and smiled.

“I’m sure you’ll heal.” I put on my shoes and then ran my fingers through my hair. “I’m off, good seeing you.” I didn’t want things to get awkward.

“How’s Grace?”

Things just got awkward. Taking a deep breath, I spoke.  “She’s good."

He chewed on his lip; he wouldn’t look at me now. “She thinks I’m in rehab.”

“Craig, its fine. I won’t breathe a word. It’s your business, and Grace always puts her head in the sand when it comes to you. Don’t worry, I won’t pull her head out."

“How fucking sweet of you.” Craig stubbed out his fag on the locker. So disrespectful. Thankfully, this wasn’t my house.

“Why are you getting pissed? It’s not my business what you do. What? Do you want me to tell her?” I could see it as clear as day on his face that he wanted me to tell her. He wanted Grace. He loved her, but he seriously needed to move on.

“Of course not," he lied.

“Derek proposed to her.” His face lost color, and I moved to the door, getting ready to leave.

“I’m sorry, Craig. But you need to move on.” I told him. I did feel sorry for him when I looked back at him. His eyes shone with hurt, but he forced a smirk.

“Are you offering,” he teased. Hell no, I thought, but he was hurting, so I kept it to myself.

“Absolutely." I winked.

He laughed. “Thanks, Amber. I hope all is good with you.”

My hand instantly went to my stomach, and now I couldn't meet his eyes. “I’m coping," I said, looking up at him. I gave a final forced smile before I closed the door gently behind me, and left him to lick his wounds while I licked mine.