Never Me (16 page)

“I know, you hate telling me if I look okay, Rory, but tell me anyway.”

“Seriously, Nadine, Spencer is going to lose it. He doesn’t have a chance.”

“That’s exactly what I wanted you to say.”

“Well, then I did good.” She grinned. “What about me?” I couldn’t help but admire her perfectly manicured body in her skin tight cat suit.

“Honestly, you look hot, but like you’re going to a Halloween party as Catwoman without the tail.”

“That’s exactly what I wanted you to say.” We laughed and hugged until Rory pulled back to study me.

“You’ve been so happy on this trip. You smile all the time. You’re even dating!”

“Not dating, playing a game,” I said, studying myself in the mirror and excited for once to have the body I did. Batter up bitch, I mused. “It’s just a game. But I like him, Rory. He’s so cool and fun and funny.”

“It’s called dating. God, are you sure you’re a college graduate? Let me explain something to you. Dating is a game, Nadine. It’s a horrible game of Roulette. You have this little ball, let’s say this is your heart, and you throw it out onto this scary wheel for all the world to take a piece. You have a one in thirty-six chance of landing on your number. Your chances are slim to find the right age for you in the first round, so you automatically lose. When you actually hit the right number, then you have to worry about landing a black or a red. Black being the good eggs and red being the obvious bad eggs. You following me?” I nodded, amused and dying for the rest of this explanation.

“So typically the girls like you and me go red all the way. If you had dated you would know this by now. These reds are the bastards with no clue how to treat a woman and are amazing in the sack, but they will screw your best friend when you aren’t watching. He will max out your credit card while you wait for the next orgasm and you will love it … until it inevitably ends due to the fact that he’s a red. The reds are overall nasty bastards, but they’re the ones girls like you and I crave.

“Okay, now black is predictable. This is the guy that will hold your hand and tell you you’re pretty, buy you flowers, introduce you as ‘the one’ to his parents. The black works hard for a living and will never make you wonder where he is. This is the good guy.”

“Thanks for the explanation, babe. Really, did you think just because I don’t date I wasn’t aware of the difference between a bad and a good guy?”

“No, I don’t think you know you’re looking for the green.”

“The green?”

“Yes, betting on the green. It’s also called ‘believing in God’ in gambling terms. The green is a mix of both black and red. He challenges you in every way. He is the one who tames girls like us.”

“Rory, where the hell do you come up with this shit?”

She simply zipped up her boots and gave me a knowing smile.

“Well, thanks for that, Rory. But seriously, this is a guy we met four days ago on a beach who lives in Philadelphia where he will be returning to in three days, so I really don’t see this as dating.”

“It’s a step in the right direction at least, don’t you think?” Rory looked at me hopeful.

“I think if we’d had one chance to sleep together in the last four days, you and I wouldn’t even be entertaining this at all. It’s sex. Simple.”

“They should have named you after de river,” she said in a horrible accent.

“What river?”

“De Nile.” We both chucked as we gathered our purses, putting our lipsticks and cash in.

“Seriously, overthinking things ruins shit. I don’t even know why I brought it up. Just have fun with him. But as much as you’re resisting the good about all this, the stuff that has nothing to do with sex, it’s there. The good is there, Nadine, and it’s showing all over both your faces.”

“He is different.”

“Compared to what or to who? See that’s my point. You have no clue. Stop fucking and start dating. Then you will really understand what you have going on.”

“What?”

“Look, I love you. I don’t have your book smarts or your amazing body, or your freakish way of observing what no one else can, but what I do have is a clue when it comes to this. Just … trust me and go with it.”

“Okay,” I said, nodding my head toward her and letting the word drag.

“Good, now I am going to have sex.”

“No fair and I have to have feelings?” I said, mocking her lecture.

“No, you have to throw your little ball,” she said, shutting the door behind us.

Amy and Ellie were headed down the hall toward us and let out cat calls as they approached.

“Good God you two look like you’re ready to make a
Star Wars
porno,” Ellie let out without thinking. Rory and I looked at each other and burst out laughing. Ellie had an apologetic look on her face as Amy scolded her.

“Sorry, it’s just you two don’t look…”

“You both look amazing, and surreal is what I think my idiot friend is trying to say,” Amy said, eyeing Ellie with menace.

“I really didn’t mean it to sound…”

“Ellie,” Rory said loudly— always so loud this one was—“say what you mean and don’t worry about how the rest of the world will interpret it. Seriously, unless you mean to be ugly or rude when you say it, don’t worry about offending everyone. You’ll be eating shit for the rest of your life if you do. I am flattered and I plan on making a
Star Wars
porno tonight. I’m leaving Leia here with you two so I can go do just that. Night ya’ll.”

She turned to me giving me a knowing smile and kissed Ellie square on the mouth, shocking her. Sweet Ellie jumped at the contact and then kissed her right back, making her lips smack at the separation. Rory patted Amy on the ass and walked away. I shook my head back and forth with a chuckle. Ahhhhhh, Rory.

“She has no idea how cool she is, does she?” Amy said, watching the elevator door close on her.

“None,” I said, smiling proudly. “Shall we go girls?” I said excitedly. I was dying to get my sights on Spencer.

It had become routine for us to get ready separately and then meet up for what I guessed was the big reveal. I think we did it for Amy, honestly. She was becoming more loose lipped, her clothing a little more scant with each outing, and her and Jack seemed to be thriving because of it. Amy was a school teacher at home, but tonight she was a rock star’s wife. Her petite body looked amazing in a little black dress and red stilettos. I was proud of her.

“Some heels you got there, Amy,” I remarked as we made our way to the elevator.

“These are the shoes I always pack and never wear.” She winked at me.

I was already smitten with the girls, but fell over to the love side with Amy and Ellie at that moment. They knew I was no saint, no one to look up to. They knew about my lifestyle and still they accepted me. I was sure in three days I would be miserable leaving them. I sized up Ellie who had gone all out in second skin jeans, pumps and a tight fitting tank. It seemed like tonight we were all on a mission.

We agreed to let the guys go early so we could take our time getting ready and met them at a crowded bar on Bourbon. There was a huge circular bar in the center of the room and cocktail tables on the outskirts. People were lined all around the bar, some dancing, others just waiting for their next drink.

“Let’s dance first, ladies, then we can find them,” I shouted as we waded our way through the unruly crowd. Usher started screaming
Yeah
and I felt my hips move as we continued to walk. Amy lifted her hand, pointer finger in the air, and led us out to a part of the floor with the most space. Ellie stood frozen as Amy started dancing and I joined her. Ellie, still a little shell shocked, began to move slowly and was instantly claimed by the guy behind her who grabbed her hips, pulling her to him. She wasn’t able to see his face but chuckled at the fact he was so bold. She looked to me with a ‘should I let him dance with me, is he hot’ look and I gave her a thumbs up, because in truth, he was.

Amy and I were bombarded seconds later by two men who seemed to have no problem grabbing what they saw fit. I smacked a hand off my ass sweetly as I looked at my new partner and gave him a little no no gesture, but continued to dance with him until the song was over. Amy was close to full on slapping her dance companion when Jack burst through, grabbing her hand, showing her now confused partner her wedding ring by raising it to his face for clear view. Amy laughed as Jack bitched her off the dance floor and I zeroed in on Spencer at the bar.

His eyes were hot on me, but there was a beautiful blonde next to him speaking in his ear. She was making his dimples show. I hated the way I felt right then. It made me sick. This was jealousy. I knew what it was and why I was feeling it, so I decided to drink it away. I gave Spencer a sweet wave and headed to the other end of the bar. I didn’t want to interrupt whatever he had going on. Plenty of fish … blah … blah… I was jealous as hell. I mean raging mad. He wasn’t my boyfriend, we hadn’t even had sex. I did everything I could to keep my gaze away from the end of the bar. I never let my eyes drift once. Spencer was definitely a red. RED. I hated him instantly for making me feel anything resembling jealousy. I avoided this shit. This is why. Confirmation, right there at the end of the bar, talking to a blonde with a ridiculous body.

“Whatcha drinking tonight?” The drawl in the voice told me I just landed myself a cowboy. Please let him be hot. I turned to my right, surprised to see a clean cut blond haired suit with a cowboy’s voice. Even better. I gave him the come hither smile and nodded at his drink. “What are you having?”

“Old fashioned.”

“I’ll have one, too,” I said sweetly.

He lifted his hand in the air for service and at the same time got a little closer to me. I surveyed him from head to toe while he was distracted with the bartender. Tall, hot, confident, he was a strong candidate for an invite. Maybe he was a red and could give me what I needed.

“Are you here with anyone?”

I suddenly felt guilty, but shook it off quickly. Spencer was nowhere to be found, and without Rory I was on my own. Ellie was still on the dance floor getting whiplash and I was sure Jack and Amy were having a heated discussion on her new behavior. I smiled at that. Another good night for the Mrs.

“Nope, no one.”

He smiled and revealed a perfect set of teeth. I could smell his cologne and it was faint but pleasant. This guy took care of himself. We quickly started conversing and two drinks later we were getting quite comfortable. Spencer walked by solo, eyeing me as though what I was doing disgusted him. I gave him narrowed eyes and shrugged my shoulders, focusing my attention back on my new cowboy who was named Martin, oddly enough.

A few songs later, the music came to a sudden stop and the crowd was asked to step away from the bar. The lights went dark and the crowd protested. I felt hands on my waist and was pulled back into the crowd of onlookers.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Spencer’s voice was like venom in my ear. There wasn’t an inch of space between us. I felt the outline of his chest on my back and the heat from his hands on my hips.

“Having a good time with a new friend.”

The crowd was still protesting as the bar was eerily dark. A single disco bulb lit the ceiling and the crowd erupted in praise. Then another and another until the ceiling was completely full of multicolored reflective light. It was beautiful, but I was having a hard time enjoying it. Spencer was not happy. Good. Both of us were jealous.

“Spencer, I saw a woman whispering in your ear and gave you space to make your play. I don’t interfere with stuff like that.”

“You think I wanted to fuck that woman?”

“I have no idea what you want,” I whispered harshly.

He turned me to face him and I saw wrath in his eyes. It was the look. I instantly melted, rubbing my thighs together as I waiting for his next words. This was getting really good really quick.

“You’re enjoying this?” Shit, he read me. Okay, new tactic.

“Look I came, I saw, you were busy, I got company. Can we drop it? You’ve obviously scared him off.” I looked around for Martin and didn’t see him anywhere. He definitely was a red.

“LADIES… GENTLEMEN, please don’t be gentle, I like it rough!!” I looked up to the fattest man in drag I had ever seen. He hadn’t bothered to hide his huge gut. He was covered in boa feathers and had on a tutu. And how the hell he had managed to get into high heels was beyond me. He had painted his face much like Tim in the
Rocky Horror Picture Show
. Things were getting downright freaky in New Orleans tonight.

“I am bringing the finest bitches you have ever seen out here tonight for the Dress and Guess contest. I want you alllll to do your best to support them. Now holler for the ones you like and scream for the ones you love, ya hear me? That’s how we’ll choose.”

Spencer stood beside me now, his anger still apparent. I didn’t care. If he wanted it made clear I was his date, he should have motioned me to him instead of letting me walk away. His fault.

“I am not your girlfriend, Spencer.”

“No, you sure the hell aren’t.”

“Fine. I was hoping tonight we could get along.” I started to walk away and felt his hand on my wrist.

“Stay your ass right where you are, Nadine.”

“Now you’re telling me what to do? I don’t think so.”

He gave me a look that could kill and my legs stayed put. The spectacle in front of us quickly took our attention. An entire line of women took up the circular bar, and the one standing directly in front of Spencer and I was captivating. Her hair was ridiculously long. Too long to be sexy, but it worked for her. Every single inch of her was perfect. My eyes traveled from her legs to her perfect small waist to her chest. Not only that, but when she turned to the side in her short and sassy sequined dress, her ass was amazing.

The disco lights illuminated her dress, making her sparkle from head to toe. What was most appealing was her face. It was truly beautiful, perfect high cheek bones and full lips. I was clearly not alone because Spencer stood looking at her, mouth gaping. She was truly that beautiful. I watched her closely, trying desperately to find a flaw. The girls rounded the bar, giving everyone a chance to take in their beauty. I watched her walk away from us and shook my head in amusement as I looked at Spencer.