A BLACK CAB PULLS UP to the curb at Club Shay just as my watch clicks over to 11:11. I lean against the wall, ball my fists, and do my usual ritual. When I open my eyes, I see Leslie stumble out of the cab with Frank and Finley doing their best to steady her.
“Hayden!” Leslie bellows, running toward me with her arms open. I feel a bit twitchy from the coincidental timing of their arrival, but get over it quickly as she heaves me down for a drunken hug. Her breath reeks of alcohol as she asks, “Does this mean my Theo is here?” The tone of her voice hitches to a high-pitched squeal at the end with her undiluted excitement.
I shake my head knowingly and gesture that he’s inside. “He’s here just for you, Lez.”
“Fuck!” she screeches. “I’m super glad I wore panties tonight!” I blanch as she suddenly stops and twirls around, halting Frank and Finley in their tracks. “Hands off bitches. His thigh is mine,” she cackles and drags a crying-with-laughter Finley and Frank toward the entrance.
I shake my head in utter confusion and see Rey step out of a second cab.
“Hey, Hay,” she says, nudging me with her shoulder.
“Hey, Rey,” I chuckle. “How are you doing?”
“Good…Not as good as Leslie, but good. You clean up well.” She wiggles her eyebrows playfully at me, attempting to be matey.
Matey and Rey just don’t quite mix for me yet.
“They’re all inside,” I offer, trying not to roll my eyes.
She nods sheepishly and makes her way toward the door.
Once upon a time, I was completely sickened by jealousy over what Liam was able to get from Rey that I never could, and it’s still not the most comfortable thing in the world to be around him. But I’m glad Rey has someone looking out for her. He’s also Theo’s best mate. I owe a lot to Theo and Leslie, so I’ll be the bigger person and look past everything. And, truthfully, I have evolved enough in my recovery to know that I was being a complete twat and deserved the knock to my face. Still, I can only stomach so much grinning and bearing.
“Vi?” I say in surprise as my eyes catch sight of her walking from the other side of the cab arm in arm with Frank’s roommate, Julie.
“Hi to you, too, wanker” a sullen Julie says, stomping past me in a huff.
My brows lift at her chilly demeanour. I’ve only met her once I think.
“I didn’t realise you’d be here,” I say, turning back to Vi and looking her up and down. A heaviness bears down on my shoulders that wasn’t there before. Fuck me, she looks stunning. The flesh revealed on her abdomen and the curve of her slim hips beneath the stretching red fabric causes my dick to stir.
“I didn’t know this was a combined party.” She looks around awkwardly, seemingly trying to avoid eye contact. “I thought it was just a hen night.”
Is she disappointed? “Uh, yeah. It was Liam’s idea. This is where Theo and Leslie met, so…” I can barely finish my sentence as anxiety prickles all my senses.
She nods stiffly. “You look nice.” She shoots me a cool, polite smile and tucks a nonexistent loose hair behind her ear.
I look down haphazardly at my clothes. I’m dressed in black jeans and a tight, fitted, blue button-down with my sleeves rolled up to my elbows. I’ve carelessly left a couple of buttons popped around my neck. My brown cuffs and watch are in place as usual. I look like a prat compared to how stunning she looks.
I swallow hard, trying to determine how to warm up her ice-cold demeanour toward me. I know we didn’t leave things on the best terms last time we saw each other, but fuck. I’m not just some random bloke.
“You look…shocking.”
Her face screws up. “Shocking?”
“Um, red. It’s…your colour.” My voice falters like a moron as I try to stifle the impending urge I have to toss her back into the cab and hide her from the rest of the world. Honestly, the possessiveness I feel combined with not knowing exactly what she’s thinking right now is driving me mad.
“You okay?” She looks at me with confusion over my nervousness.
Fuck, Hayden, get your shit together.
I nod stiffly and gesture toward the door for her to lead the way. I place my hand on the small of her back out of morbid curiosity if that spark we had is still there. She shivers beneath my touch and it takes the strength of a saint to not curve my hand around her small waist, pull her back against me, and allow my eager fingers to grope until their desires are satisfied. I know she doesn’t need my hand on her bare back to be guided to the VIP section, and that’s not why I’m touching her. I’m touching her to send a message out to all the fucking tossers in this club that she is spoken for.
Is she?
Christ, Hayden. She’s not bloody spoken for. You’d do well to get that out of your head if you want to do what’s best for everyone involved.
I rip my hand from her as we reach the corner of the club where everyone is sitting on black leather couches. There’s a glass coffee table with bottles and mixers in the centre.
Leslie is perched on Theo’s lap and is giggling happily at something he’s whispering in her ear. Finley and her husband, Brody, are seated next to them. The others who came out tonight for Theo’s stag party consist of Liam and Theo’s other two mates, James and Ethan.
Reyna’s eyes find mine. I could feel her penetrative gaze as soon as I entered the VIP section. Liam has a lazy arm draped over her shoulders as he talks to Ethan. I can read her expression like a fucking book, and right now she’s wondering how hard all of this is for me to be around. She raises her eyebrows at me in silent question. I frown and shake my head, telling her I’m fine. I look away, trying to conceal my annoyance. For starters, I’m not her concern anymore. Secondly, the alcohol is child’s play compared to Vi in her red fucking dress.
Vi bends over to grab a bottle of water off the table and Ethan’s eyes zero in on her. In seconds, he’s detaching himself from Liam and approaching her slowly in a way that makes everything in me want to turn into a caveman. Ethan has definite sleazebag qualities. Of all Theo’s mates, he’s the worst. He’s tall with caramel-chocolate skin and blue eyes that he thinks make him fucking Zeus, king of the bloody Greek gods. The way he expects women to fawn all over him gets right up my nose.
I turn away as he slithers up to Vi. I lean on the metal rail that’s positioned above the dance floor, watching the swarms of people drinking themselves into oblivion. There was a time when I’d be right there with them, drinking so I wouldn’t have to feel. But all that did was delay my feelings until they crashed in a mighty wreck all over my life. Now I’m content to be sober and deal with things as they come, one-by-one.
The night carries on, and all I can do is watch Vi laugh and have a great time while I sit and stew over how I feel about her. She doesn’t drink alcohol like everyone else. She’s had the same cocktail since she arrived nearly two hours ago, and she’s gone through two whole bottles of water. I fucking love that about her.
“You’re not fooling me, you know.” Leslie’s voice chirps quietly in my ear.
“What do you mean?” I ask, frowning at the fact that Vi has barely looked at me since we came inside. I’m sitting on the couch directly across from her as she’s sandwiched between Ethan and James—the only other single blokes here tonight.
Leslie sits on the edge of the coffee table, blocking my view. “You’re trying to act strong and confident. But I see right through you, baby brother.”
I roll my eyes. “Stop calling me baby brother. You’re only one year older than me.”
She giggles dopily, her green eyes drooping in her happy, drunken state. She reaches out and pushes my sullen pout into a grin, and I can’t help but laugh in response.
Shaking my head, I say, “The alcohol isn’t bothering me. I actually quite enjoy being sober. All you sods are going to wake up with crippling headaches tomorrow and I’m going to hit the gym feeling great.”
“I’m not talking about the booze.” She shifts off the table and onto the couch, leaning back next to me. She rests her head on my shoulder and continues. “I’m talking about the blonde.”
I shift my jaw back and forth. “It’s like she doesn’t even know me.”
My eyes squint as Vi laughs at something Julie says from the other side of James. I know I rejected her, but I can’t help but feel like her excessive shift in attitude toward me is some blatant form of judgement. Does she not want to be seen publicly with me? Is that it?
“You’re not the easiest of guys to get to know,” Leslie drawls sleepily.
That was true until I met Vi. Christ, what on earth have I gotten myself in the middle of? Originally, running into Vi at the gala felt like the universe’s way of putting us together. That’s why I thought she’d be perfect to help me with my countdown. I should have known better. The first moment I met her at The White Swan was the first time my body had responded to another woman since Reyna.
Fuuuuuck. What have I done?
“I’ve told her more than I’ve told most, Leslie,” I admit in hushed tones.
She sits up and whispers right in my ear, “That must mean she’s worth it.”
Her words hit me just as the music shifts to a Beyoncé track. Leslie lets out a mighty cheer and Frank’s head pops up out of nowhere. His eyes lock on hers and they sprint toward each other, connecting in an epic hug of jumping and squealing. They make a mad dash for the dance floor, grabbing people along as they go.
Suddenly, Julie sidles up to me. “Will you fucking dance with me, Hayden?” she purrs. “I’ve had a bastardly couple of weeks and I feel like a bloody loser.”
I turn my surprised expression to her and see Ethan pulling Vi up out of the corner of my eye. They head toward the dance floor, so I quickly stand, grabbing Julie’s small hand as I go. I drag her through the throngs of wasted Londoners grinding on each other. She hoots with excitement as we pass by Leslie, Frank, Theo, Finley, and Brody. I position us in a place where I can keep my eyes on Ethan and Vi, but not so close that I look like a tosser from To Catch a Predator.
Julie’s hands grip my biceps and she sings along to the music as we begin moving. “You’re not an ugly bloke, Hayden!” she yells above the roaring beat.
“Thanks?” I reply, frowning down at her.
“I’ve been in a bit of a bubble for the last couple of years. Mitch took a walk and I feel like my whole world looks different now. Know what I mean? Like, I’ve always been in a relationship. I jumped from one to the next, to the next. I considered getting a cat to keep myself occupied, thinking maybe a new companion might stop me from jumping straight into another relationship. But then I was terrified that might turn me into a permanent crazy cat lady. So I thought that maybe if I shag a new bloke, I’ll feel better!”
“I guess that could help,” I murmur halfheartedly listening while mulling over what Leslie said earlier. How can one sentence uttered by a drunken woman throw me so much?
“I think you’d do me properly, don’t you?”
“Excuse me?” I look down, my brow furrowed at what I think Julie’s just suggested.
She squeezes my biceps appreciatively. “No strings attached. Just a good physical effort. What do you say?”
“Uh, Julie,” I begin, trying to find a way to let her down. But before I can finish my sentence, she yanks me down by my collar and connects our lips in a painfully awkward kiss. Her tongue forces its way through my teeth and the scent of alcohol blazes into my senses. It feels wrong. It feels like cheating in more ways than one.
I quickly break her grip on my collar and detach my face from hers. “I’m sorry, Julie, but that’s really not a great idea,” I say, doing my best to be kind.
“Why ever not?” She actually has the nerve to haul me down for another snog.
“Julie, I’m not in a place to be in a relationship right now. Really. I just…I’m focusing on my own life before I even consider diving in with anybody.”
“Well, bugger,” she whines, releasing me and placing her hands on the back of her neck. “I just need a proper servicing for bloody sake! Whose balls do I have to suck to get a proper dicking?”
My eyes widen in disbelief, and I glance around nervously at the people gawking at us. Vi’s eyes draw me to her, and the hurt on her face is crushing. Ethan attempts to twirl her back into him, but she ends up pulling away from him and storming off the dance floor. He follows closely behind and my heart thuds with growing frustration.
“Fuck,” I groan, feeling annoyingly out of control. “Julie, I have to go.”
“Hayden, just be honest with me first. Are you not attracted to me? Be specific. I’d rather you be straight with me than have this whole weak, ‘It’s not you, it’s me excuse.’”
“Julie, you’re beautiful. I’m a fucking mess. Believe me. You don’t want a thing from me.”
I slip past Julie and head over to Finley and Brody to let them know they should go check on her. The last thing I want is for someone to take advantage of her. She’s obviously going through something as well. Then I make my way through the crowd, back to the VIP section where I find Ethan completely wrapped around Vi, encasing her against the side railing and attempting to kiss her.
I see red.
Bright, angry, vengeful, frustrated, possessive red.
I don’t think. I just react.
“What the fuck’s going on?” I seethe through clenched teeth, grabbing Ethan by the shoulders and aggressively wrenching him backward.
“Oi, Hayden.” Ethan’s tone is light and playful, setting me more on edge. “Shove off. This has nothing to do with you.”
I turn my back to Vi, inserting myself between them so I’m nose-to-nose with Ethan. “Yes, it fucking does.” My words are slow and menacing.
“She hasn’t mentioned a thing about you, Hayden,” he sneers, giving me the look of a fucking righteous, self-entitled prick. “So I beg to differ, mate.”
I step even closer to him, inhaling a large breath.
“Hayden, stop it right there.” Vi’s tone is a warning as she moves to stand beside me. I ignore her, nudging my chest into Ethan. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch sight of her heeled foot stamping on the ground in haste. “This is ridiculous. I can handle myself.”
“You heard her,” Ethan smirks cockily. Then he pats me heartily on my shoulder and gives me a light shove away from her.
Everything after that happens so fast. One second, I’m getting a light push from Ethan. The next, I’m shoving him using five times the force he did. He stumbles backward, clumsily tripping on his own feet. I can see what’s about to happen, but I’m frozen in time, unable to change the ripple effect even if I wanted to. He lands on his arse right on top of the glass coffee table. It cracks loudly and shatters beneath him. His hands fly out to catch himself on the frame before he crashes through to the floor.
Everything and everyone stops all around us. I swear, even the music does that scratched record sound you only see in old films. I’m still stuck in the single, solitary moment where everything before me went from bad to worse.
“Hayden,” Vi cries, bringing her hands to cover her mouth in horror at the mess in front of us.
I reach down and pull Ethan up out of the coffee table. A wetness covers my hand. I look down and see red, angry blood smeared all over my hand.
“Fuck, Ethan, are you hurt?”
Ethan’s eyes narrow at me as he straightens his tie. “I’ll live. At least mine wasn’t self-inflicted.”
My anger immediately falls as Ethan’s cutting remark casts an instant shroud of darkness over my soul. His blatant insinuation has its desired effect as shame completely envelops me.
Suddenly, a hefty bouncer appears and grabs me aggressively by the arm. I don’t even have the strength to look back as he twists my right arm behind my back with a painful crank. The only place my downcast gaze seeks is Vi. Humiliation and despair explode inside me, reflecting in my broken posture as her beautiful blue eyes look at me with utter sadness.
“You’re done, mate. You’re on the fucking shit list, and you won’t be coming back here ever again,” the bouncer growls as I’m dragged harshly through the club.
I shake my head, completely oblivious to what he’s saying, only thinking about Vi and what I’ve just done. He gives me another hard shove out the door for good measure, and I look back at the building in shock. How the fuck did that all happen so fast? I look down at my hands in horror and quickly wipe Ethan’s blood off on my jeans. I unsnap and re-snap my leather cuffs, nervously unsure what to do. Fuck, fuck, fuck! What are you doing, Hayden? What the fuck are you doing? I jam my hands into my pockets and pace angrily in front of the door.
A minute later, Theo’s stocky frame barrels through the door. “What the hell happened, Hayden?” His eyes bear down on me accusingly as he adjusts his glasses on his face. “Ethan’s fucking bleeding!”
“I know!” I shout. “I don’t know what fucking happened. I lost it I guess!”
“Explain,” Theo cuts at me sharply.
Furious, I bellow, “Your mate Ethan is a self-righteous prick. How the fuck are you friends with him?”
Theo exhales through a frown. “You don’t know him well enough. He’s got a story the same way you have a story, Hayden.”
“He was fucking all over Vi!” I roar, wincing at the overwhelming urge I feel to sprint back inside and tear her out of there.
I don’t give a fuck about his story. Ethan’s a man-whore through and through. I need to talk to Vi. She deserves an explanation, and I need to make sure that twat isn’t still mucking about!
“Don’t even consider it,” Theo warns as he catches my piercing eyes on the bouncers, contemplating a way to get past them.
Then the gods of sod’s law seem to answer my silent prayers. I catch sight of a familiar figure in a red dress storming toward me, and she doesn’t look pleased.