Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88041 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88041 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
I open the bar door, and it’s almost all dark. This is an old and dungy bar, and I feel I’m way overdressed. People that look like they live sitting at the bar turn around. I walk to the back where there is a brighter light and as I walk in, I take in the two pool tables with more light. Denise shrieks and comes over, hugging me, and I can smell the booze on her.
“You came.” She grabs my hand and pulls me toward the second pool table and I see him. And my heart stops. He’s here, dressed in black jeans, a black T-shirt, and his black cap sitting on his head. But that isn’t what has my neck burning or my heart beating fast. It’s a gorgeous blonde standing between his legs looking at the pool table. His hands are on her hips.
I smile at Denise and hope to blink away the tears that might show up.
“Guys, look who came,” she says and then he sees me and his face goes white. His hands fly off the blonde and I wave to everyone saying, “Hi.”
She pulls me to the table he’s sitting at. “Aly is going to be on our team,” she tells her brother and the blonde, who is twirling her hair. “Allison, this is Shannon. She works at the hospital with us, but not on our floor. Shannon, this is the new PR for Max’s team.” She introduces us and I smile at her. She smiles back at me and leans her hand over the table to shake my hand.
“Nice to meet you,” she says and I nod.
“You’re here,” Steve says from behind me and getting me into a bear hug. “She’s on our team.” He turns as the waitress brings four glasses of beer. “Take one.” He picks one up and hands it to me, and I say thank you and grab it with my shaking hands. I take a sip of the beer that tastes almost like acid as it goes down my throat.
“Come with me,” Denise says, grabbing my hand again and dragging me to the pool table where she talks to me about the pool game, but as I look at her and try to take in the words she is saying the only thing I can do is feel Max staring at me. I stand here and smile as fake as I can. For the next hour, I ignore Max and his every move. He gets up to take shots. When he does this, Shannon sits in his chair. More and more people show up from the hospital and I’m introduced to all of them. And I stand here biding my time till I can sneak out.
When I finally get that chance, I whisper to Denise, “I have an early morning tomorrow.”
She turns around and nods at me.
“I’m going to sneak out. Say bye to your friends for me.”
She nods and hugs me again. “Okay,” she whispers as I grab my purse and walk against the wall to the exit where I flag down a cab and only when I’m sitting in the confines of this dark, dirty cab do I let go of the single tear that rolls down my face. Only then do I let my broken heart weep.
Chapter Sixteen
Max
I knew sitting here in the middle of the poolroom that this was a bad idea. I spent the day trying to ignore the pull to Allison. I picked up my phone over a hundred times and wanted to text her to come over. But I couldn’t do it. I knew that if she came over I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from doing what I’ve wanted to do for a month now. Bury my hands in her hair and kiss the shit out of her. I don’t even care anymore. I fucking want her, but every time I try and feel her out, she looks down and ignores me.
So I showed up at the bar Denise is letting loose for once and I was drinking my bottle of water when Shannon walked in and I groaned inwardly. I really don’t want this right now. I’m sitting on a stool next to the table as she makes her way over to me.
“Hey there, stranger.” She leans in and kisses my cheek, and her perfume almost makes me gag. And I swear I feel my cock duck for cover. I smile at her and see that her makeup looks like it’s caked on. Why the fuck is she so made up? “What a nice surprise.” She dumps her purse on the stool behind me.
“Yeah, it won’t be a late night. I have practice tomorrow at nine.” I don’t but just want to draw the line before she thinks other things. “My turn,” I say, getting up and aligning the shot and missing. I shake my head and stand instead and for the next hour, I stay on one side of the room, and when she walks away, I finally go and sit down. I’m not even in my seat for a second when she comes prancing back in. She holds what looks like a martini glass and sits it on the table next to me.