CHAPTER 15
Scarlett
The five guys that had arrived a while ago had stared lewdly at us as they’d approached their table. To me, they looked disgusting, pretentious, and cocky. I hated them as soon as I’d seen them. Raven and Lonette, on the other hand, loved the attention.
I pleadingly looked over at Travis sitting at the bar. He was staring at the guys’ table to my left. Although I couldn’t quite make out his expression from where I was, his body language suggested that he wasn’t happy at all.
After a moment, he turned to look at me and nodded. I smiled, relieved that he was monitoring the situation.
“Really, you two?” I looked at my friends, exasperated. “Haven’t you had enough male attention for a week? Also, how are you going to handle five of them?”
“Oh, we can handle five. Or four, if you want to help us out…” Lonette said, her voice low.
Raven poked me in the ribs. “You need a good seeing to. It might get you stop staring at him.” She gestured towards Travis and my face grew warm.
I sighed. “I am not letting some disgusting sleazy douche put his hands all over me.”
I wanted a man. A big, strong man who knew what he was doing. Who could look after me…
“Whatever. We’re inviting them over.” Lonette got up, adjusted her dress, and walked slowly over to their table. From where I sat, I could see her butt peeking out as she leaned over the table, probably resting her chin on her hands and giving the boys an eyeful, no doubt. Their boisterous laughter and lewd compliments rang out from the table.
I inwardly cringed, knowing this was going to be awful. If one of them so much as touched me, I hoped Travis would break his hand.
Lonette returned with the five guys in tow. “Okay, so this is my friend Raven and my other friend, Scarlett. She hasn’t had it in a while.”
One of the guys, wearing a low V-neck t-shirt, whispered something in another’s ears, loud enough for his friends to hear. They all laughed.
I frowned, my face burning in frustration.
“Pleased to you meet you, ladies. What a nice surprise to find three beautiful young women so near our table. Let’s get some drinks, shall we?” the guy in the V-neck said. He was clearly the ringleader. He had an odd accent, a mix of French, British, and American. Though he was trying to sound like he had class, he just came across as a sleazebag.
Lonette scooched up next to me, and Raven stood up to let the douche in. He slid around to sit next to me, entirely too close. I could smell alcohol on his breath and liberally applied aftershave on his skin. I took a large gulp of champagne, uncomfortable and wanting to be literally anywhere else.
“Hey, Scarlett. I’m Dontrell.” He held out a manicured, spindly hand.
I shook it as quickly as possible. “Hi. Look, don’t listen to my friends. I’m not looking for anything. I’m just here to have a quiet evening,” I said, hoping he would get the message.
“Oh, we’ll see about that!”
He winked and I shuddered.
“Don’t worry. A few more drinks and I bet she’ll be well up for it!” his equally disgusting friend said in a strong British accent. So much for the stereotypical British gentleman.
“Excuse me?” I said, incredulous.
“Don’t worry, love. I’m just pulling yer leg.” He smiled crookedly, revealing bad nicotine-stained teeth.
I fumed.
One of the guys ordered a few more bottles of champagne, and crude conversation surrounded me. Dontrell tried to chat me up, but I wasn’t remotely interested and tried my best to ignore him. Yet, he wouldn’t take a hint.
A while later, I felt a hand on my thigh. I looked at Dontrell to find him grinning at me. His hands were small and feminine, his muscles were out of proportion with his skinny body, and he had a poor attempt at a beard growing in his childish face.
Disgusted, I pushed his hand away and rose to my feet. “I’m going to the bathroom,” I said, annoyed.
Raven and Lonette chimed in, almost in unison. “We’ll join you. Won’t keep you waiting too long, boys.”
I hurried to the bathroom, the girls following behind me. I was tempted to go and get Travis, but knew it would piss the girls off, so I considered just leaving them in the restaurant.
“What’s your problem, Scarlett?” Raven asked. “They’re just being nice. Why can’t you lighten up for once?”
Lonette had her arms folded, looking annoyed at me. “He’s nice. And I bet he’s damn rich as well. Why don’t you give him a chance?”
“Because he won’t take no for an answer, that's why! You think he’s going to let me go back to my room alone when you’re each taking one or two back with you? You're disgusting, sometimes.”
Raven held her hands up. “Whoa. Hold on there. Don't be mad at us because we like having fun. It’s not our fault you’re a stuck-up bitch!”
I stared at them, stunned. They had certainly shown their true colors, and I hated what I saw. Deep down, I had always believed them to be decent people. But now, I could see that I’d been wrong.
I sighed, almost feeling sorry for them as I left the bathroom. I was going to tell Dontrell in no uncertain terms where he could shove it, and then I was leaving.