Olivia coughed slightly, trying her best to hide her laughter. Taylor unwittingly saved me by engaging Alec in a play-by-play account of the last Tampa Bay Rays game. Ironically, I had also watched the game while eating dinner at my family's house Sunday night. Even after getting my own place, Mom insisted I still come over every Sunday for dinner. She said it was the only way she could be certain I ate at least one good meal a week. Not that we ever ate a traditional family dinner at the dining room table. In our house we ate while watching TV, usually sports of some kind. It may have been unconventional, but we never claimed to be normal.
Listening to Taylor and Alec trade stats about the game was like listening to my brothers, Tony, Zachary and Riley. I could have easily joined their conversation and held my own. Like how Davis should have been pulled in the sixth before giving up a two-run homer to tie the game. His arm was obviously shot at that point. I was hesitant to give my two cents, fearing Alec would see me the same way my brothers' friends had back in high school. A cool chick to talk sports with, but not worth dating.
Olivia knocked on the counter to get their attention. "Boys, if you're going to talk about boring sports all night, Nicole and I will have to find other ways to occupy our time."
Taylor stopped mid-sentence with his eyebrows raised. "Oh yeah? I'd be up for watching that."
"Get your mind out of the gutter, perv. How about you get me a drink instead?"
"Sorry, babe. My manners are horrible," Taylor said, planting a kiss on the back of Olivia's hand. She practically melted against him before straightening up. I knew from our conversations she was trying to maintain boundaries with Taylor, but clearly he was slowly finding a way beneath the cracks. I silently cheered for him.
"So, what's your poison?" Alec asked, turning his attention to me.
I took a deep breath before answering. "Uh, I'll take a Coke." It wasn't the most cosmopolitan choice, but at least I didn't choke on the words.
"Hell no. We're doing shots tonight," Olivia crowed, tearing her eyes from Taylor. "We're here to loosen you up tonight."
Alec chuckled lightly at her words.
"Liv," I warned, glaring at my friend.
"Come on, Nicole. It's been ages since you threw caution to the wind. You need to relax and let loose a little. If you're not careful, you'll develop a reputation as some crazy cat lady."
I would never admit it to Olivia, but my worst fear was that she would turn out to be right. I had a recurring nightmare that ten years from now I'd still be a virgin holed up in my apartment writing stories about other couples' love lives. I wished I could change my personality. I wanted to badly. Remaining a virgin at twenty-two was not a status I set out to achieve. Hell, in high school sometimes it was all I thought about. When you're an underclassman you don't want the reputation as a slut, so you kept your knees together, but somewhere between junior year and graduation that stigma began to change. It started with one of my friends losing her V-card, and then another friend after that. Before I knew it, I was the only one in my group of friends who hadn't had sex yet. It didn't feel like a big deal at the time since there were plenty of girls in my graduating class who held the same status as me. All of that changed during my first year of college. Everyone seemed to be hooking up—except me.
Alec laid out four shot glasses—after I nodded my consent—and filled them to the brim with whiskey. Everyone reached for a glass, leaving the last one for me. "Are you allowed to drink on the job?" I asked, stalling for time as I picked mine up tentatively.
"I can now. I'm off the clock. It's sorta hard to be on a date while I'm working." He winked at me again.
I gaped at him before turning to Olivia, who wore a feigned expression of innocence. And I was back to wanting to kill her. Throwing caution to the wind, I brought my glass to my lips, downing the contents in one gulp. The fiery liquid burned a path down my throat before settling in the pit of my stomach. A cough trickled up my throat, begging to be released, but I held it back as tears filled my eyes.
I couldn't believe Olivia pulled this shit on me. We had both decided after the disastrous blind date she set me up on two years ago that I would handle my own love life. The guy patted my ass so many times during our date it resembled a bruised eggplant. I finally ended the evening early, believing I was on the verge of drinking a roofie cocktail and not waking up until the next morning. The guy was a creep. Of course, the prospect of Alec touching my ass didn't sound like a bad idea.
Alec refilled our glasses again before heading around the counter to join us. We all clinked them together in the air before downing the contents and slamming the shot glasses on the counter. Everyone except me seemed to be able to handle their liquor like old pros. I remained on the verge of coughing with each drink.
After a couple shots I was already getting used to Alec's presence, which was good because the crowd around us left him no choice but to move in close. Meaning I could literally see the flecks of gold in his eyes and a small dimple in his chin I had previously missed. He stood with his arm draped casually across the back of my seat. With a little effort I could have leaned sideways into his embrace and we would have practically been hugging. The spicy dark aroma of his cologne tickled my senses. Closing my eyes briefly, I inhaled softly, imprinting the scent to my memory. I could definitely work a moment like this into my current book.
"Here's to the loss of the crazy cat lady," Olivia announced, holding up her shot glass. I meant to kick her in the shin, but I missed and nearly fell off my stool before catching myself on the counter. "Whoa, easy, sister. We'll have to get you a seatbelt," she teased. I guess I was more of a lightweight drinker than I thought. My depth perception was a little off. Alec reached around from the back of my chair and handed me my shot glass that had magically been refilled. The move brought us intimately close, just like I had imagined.
I emptied the glass again without hesitation, feeling an increased level of confidence I hadn't possessed when we arrived earlier. Pressed up against the hardness of Alec's body, I had a sudden desire to snuggle in closer. From there I only meant to take a quick whiff of his neck. It was supposed to be harmless. How my mouth became involved was beyond me.
Somehow my lips found the soft warm hollow where his neck met his shoulders. Even my tongue decided to join the action, experiencing the subtle salty taste of his skin.
At first I thought I had imagined the whole thing until Alec's sharp intake of air followed by a reflex tightening of his arm caused me to pull back. My eyes met his as he studied me intently.
I wanted to drop dead. I couldn't believe I'd actually licked him. Olivia and Taylor sat giggling as I twirled away. I grabbed for the first glass I spotted on the counter and gulped it down. My hasty action caused the harsh amber liquid to go down the wrong tube, making me cough. My breath felt like dragon's fire trying to push through my airway. There would be no end to my embarrassment.
Chapter Five
Shockingly, I did not die. That would have been too easy. Instead, I was pounded on the back by my best friend, who eyed me like she was waiting for my head to spin around.
Once I could breathe again, and the black spots disappeared from my vision, Olivia dragged me toward the ladies' room. "Get in here," she said, pulling me into the handicap stall. She closed the door behind us, locking it in place.
"Ah, we've reached a new level in our friendship. You're peeing in front of me."
"Well, don't get used to it. I just don't trust you enough not to slide out the back door," she said, lining the toilet with a couple layers of toilet paper before sitting down.
I shot her a wry look before moving to the mirror. My face was a wreck. Thanks to the tears from my coughing explosion, my black eyeliner had smudged beneath my eyes and my cheeks were flushed. Even the knot I had gathered my hair into was sitting askew on my head. On a positive note, I no longer felt buzzed. Using my finger, I worked to repair my eyeliner so I no longer resembled a demented raccoon. By the time Olivia had finished, I had the knot back in position on my head, looking more presentable.