Chapter 36

Anthony

“Coors, in a bottle,” I tell the bartender when he asks me for my drink order. He scrunches his nose as if he’s offended, but nods and turns to a small fridge to grab my beer. “What’s his problem?”

Dave chuckles on my right, and I turn to watch him lift his dainty little glass before pouring a disgusting blue liquid down his throat, minus the multiple droplets that splash on his blue shirt. He must’ve preemptively dressed for his messiness this evening. I smile and give him a nod of approval that disappears instantly when he pulls his glass away and smacks his lips like a four-year-old tasting chocolate milk for the first time. He’s definitely a work in progress.

“This is a martini bar,” he explains. “You’re supposed to order martinis.”

“Martinis are gross,” I tell him as the bartender slides my bottle across the bar and takes my access card to ring it up.

“That’s why you have to chug them,” Dave says, holding his finger up to indicate he wants another.

Cooper is a couple of stools down with the girl, that was wearing the pink bikini earlier, sitting on his lap. Several inches taller than him, she practically hides him from view. They’re looking incredibly cozy, leaning in close to each other and whispering despite the loudness of the bar.

One of the tall girl’s friends, I have no idea which one, is sitting on the stool to my left as her friend leans in close to listen to whatever Jon is talking about, but Andi and Joey are nowhere to be seen.

“Where are Andi and Joey?” Dave asks as if he can read my mind. Watching while he slurps down another blue drink, I wait for Jon’s response.

“Joey texted earlier and let me know they were staying in tonight. Said they got too much sun today.”

My fingers grip the edge of the bar. Had I known that, my ass would’ve been pacing my too-big room itching to go to him, rather than down here in the middle of horny couples as they begin their foreplay long before they’re behind closed doors.

The piano player on the elevated platform near the bar switches songs and the patrons in the bar go wild when the opening chords of The Devil Went Down to Georgia begin to echo off of the walls.

Grinning, I tap my boot in rhythm with the familiar song as Cooper and Jon flirt with their women, and Dave swipes at his shirt with a paper napkin. The song ends, fading into yet another as I drain my beer and order another.

Several beers and a handful of songs later, I notice the once younger looking crowd has begun to morph into an older, less rowdy group. Gray hair fills the room as middle-aged couples sip martinis and chat quietly. The music shifts from upbeat to mellow and soft.

“Time to go,” Dave says as he stands from the bar with only a slight wobble in his steps. “Let’s head over to that club we were at last night.”

“We’re down,” Cooper says as his date for the night slides off of his lap, only allowing him enough room to stand before she wraps herself around him again.

“We’re going for a nightcap,” Jon says as the two girls he’s with giggle, each one of them grabbing one of his hands before they disappear into the crowd.

“Pussy hog,” Dave mutters as he walks past me, leading the group out of the martini bar and down the wide passageway to the club.

Following, only because I’m hopeful that Joey will make an appearance, we settle into an unclaimed booth in the back corner. I’m honestly surprised that it’s open with how crowded the bar is, but further inspection explains the reason. Men and women from all walks of life are standing, talking, laughing and having a great time getting to know each other. The two guys eating each other’s faces in the middle of the dance floor make me extremely jealous. Others are drinking and dancing, flirting so hard it’s obvious even from twenty feet away. People don’t want this booth because it’s not in the center of the action. All the better for us.

“You won’t get sneered at if you order beer here,” Dave assures me as a sharply dressed waiter approaches our table.

“Just water for me,” I answer when it’s my turn to order.

“Water?” Cooper asks after placing his whiskey and fruity drink order for the girl that’s once again on his lap.

I look away, refocusing on the people near the dance floor when she wiggles and Cooper’s eyes darken even further.

I’m so fucking jealous of him and his ability to have someone on his lap out in public, and no one is commenting or judging him for it, but at the same time, I can acknowledge that he’s not the one who picked the one and only guy he wasn’t supposed to have. Even so, I have no regrets.

“Hey, guys!” My heart rate increases before I even turn my head in anticipation of seeing Joey.

But, Andi stands alone near our table, her disappointment mirroring mine.

“Where’s Jon?” she asks at the exact moment I wonder the same thing about her friend.

“He’s already bagged two chicks for the night,” Cooper answers only pulling his lips a couple of inches away from his date’s neck.

“Nice,” Andi mutters, turning and walking away before either Dave or I can say something to stop her.

“Fuck,” Dave mutters before reaching a hand over and smacking Cooper in the arm.

“The fuck, man?” Cooper hisses, pushing the girl back a few inches so he can glare at his friend.

“That was a dick move,” I say before Dave can respond.

“Seriously,” Dave agrees. “You know how much she likes Jon.”

Rolling his eyes, Cooper shifts the girl on his lap so she’s half on him and half on the banquette. “She fucks with Jon the same way Joey fucks with Anthony.”

Clueless. The man is positively clueless.

“You’re an idiot,” Dave hisses just as the waiter arrives to drop off our drink order.

He’s taken the words right out of my mouth, even though as the newest member of the group, I don’t feel like I have the right to say it. I’m grateful to Dave for calling him out because that level of rudeness to women isn’t something I’d tolerate otherwise.

I chug my bottle of water as if it’s whiskey, as I try to push back the memories of the way I treated Joey only minutes after he made me come harder than I ever had in my life.

My eyes snap open when the realization that maybe he’s still hurting from those actions and that’s why he’s not willing to tell his brother what we’ve been up to. He’s unsure about where this is going, afraid I’m using him or just around for a good time.

I’ve tried to show him that he’s more to me that some quick, hidden fun, but I can’t remember if I’ve actually used the words. Expecting him to just know how I’m feeling and what I want is so ridiculous to me right now it feels almost juvenile. I want nothing more than to run to his room and spill it all. I want to tell him how he makes my heart race with excitement when he’s near. How my blood heats when his tongue sneaks out and licks his lips. How the perfect afternoon with him would be learning how to fold white towels into various animals, just because we’d be doing it together.

Fuck my life if I’m not head over fucking boots for Joseph Snow.

Ready to run to his room, I shrink back at the realization that Andi is probably running to her friend for comfort after the shit Cooper just said. Andi needs him as much as I do right now, and if I’m being honest, I’m a chicken shit and wondering if it’s the half a dozen beers filling my head with these thoughts, or my actual feelings.

I know better than to try and solve life’s biggest problems when I’ve been drinking, so I slide back, letting my body hit the padded cushion of the booth and watch other people have a good time.

“I’m surprised you’re up here and not down in Joey’s room.” Tensing, I look over at Cooper only to find he’s nearly swallowing the mouth of the chick now situated back in his lap fully to pay any attention to us.

“Will you be quiet,” I hiss.

“He’s not paying any mind to us. Hell, if the way he’s been tossing back whiskey all night is any indication, his dick isn’t even paying attention to the chick on his lap.”

“I’m not talking about Joey or Cooper’s dick with you.”

“Well enough,” he says before taking a long swig of his own beer. “Shit’s going to hit the fan soon anyway.”

His words fill my head even though they don’t sound like a threat. We both know the truth is going to come out sooner rather than later. I can’t help but think what Cooper just said to Andi was just the right spark to light the fuse to the bomb that’s going to upset every one of our lives.