Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 29542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 148(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 98(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29542 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 148(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 98(@300wpm)
“Whatcha doin’ here? Did you come to see my show? I’m gonna get a job here. Like right here tonight at this playsh,” Chance slurred, swaying against Maxine when she snaked her arm around his slim waist. “This is my friend, Maxi. She’s so cool. And I hate to tell you this, but I like her better than you.”
Maxine guffawed. “Oh, honey, everyone does.”
Chance widened his eyes comically. “You know dis guy? ’Cause I know him too. He’s so hot, but he’s—I don’t know…not boring. But sort of boring. Ya know?”
“Roman? Nevah!” Maxine mock-gasped, setting her free hand on her hip. She could have been posing for an editorial shot in a fashion magazine in her silver sequined mini dress and platform heels. She was model-esque tall and slight with a giant afro, light-brown skin, and a face that would have made her the next Naomi Campbell if she’d seriously decided to give up eating for the sake of her career.
“Wait. You know him?” Chance hooked his thumb in my general direction. “Dis guy?”
“Mmhmm. He’s a lovebug under that tough exterior. You just have to get to—” Maxine gasped for real this time and squealed. “You know Roman and you’re American and your name is Chance and—you’re the date!”
Chance nodded ruefully. “S’true. S’me.”
I crossed my arms and glared. “How much have you had to drink?”
He wrinkled his nose and counted on his finger with one hand, then the other, pausing to wave at one of his new fans before scratching his chin thoughtfully. “I dunno. Sss very fuzzblur.”
Angie popped out of nowhere. “Fuzzblurr! Word of the day! Boy’s a bloody genius. Get him another drink!”
Okay, this wasn’t good.
“No, no. Time’s up. I’m taking Maxi home. We’ll drop you off on the way,” Tod announced, gently untangling his girlfriend from her new favorite stranger. “Let’s go, babes.”
Maxi shook her head. “But we can’t leave Chance. He’s more pissed than us.”
“I’ll take him,” someone who sounded like me said.
“Perfect. Problem solved. We’re gone. G’night, Roman, and thanks, man.” Tod patted my shoulder, steering Maxine and Ang to the exit, leaving me with a very inebriated Chance.
“Where’s your coat?”
“I lost it or…maybe I left it by the karaoke machine. I’ll get it. Oh!” His eyes lit up manically. “Come with me. We’ll do a duet! How about Sonny and Cher? Do you love Cher? I love Cher and I love…”
Wow. He was seriously fucked up. This might take a little wrangling.
“Stay here,” I commanded.
I pushed my way to the stage and rescued the pinstriped suit coat from a chair. My umbrella was still sticking out of the pocket, so I was fairly confident it was his. Chance was deep in conversation with a fellow patron when I returned to his side. He fumbled through a round of slurred introductions but didn’t seem to mind when I cut him off and ushered him outside.
He inhaled like a diver who’d been underwater too long, then stepped onto the sidewalk, his face tilted toward the sky. “I love rain.”
I pulled him into the doorway. “Yeah, yeah. Rain’s great. C’mon, I’ll get you a cab. Where are you staying?”
“Soho. No…Piccadilly. Same difference. It’s o’er there.” He pointed unsteadily, fishing the umbrella I’d given him earlier from his pocket and opening it with a flourish. “Sank you ver mush. I will be on my way, kind sir. Cheerio.”
I went after him. “Hang on. You can’t just walk. You don’t know where you’re going, and it’s pouring.”
“A little water never hurt no one.”
I stared after him, rain soaking me through. This was a quandary. On one hand, Chance was a grown-ass man. If he wanted to walk to his hotel alone at night in a torrential downpour to a hotel he might or might not know the location of, that was his prerogative. Right?
Technically, yes, but also…no. Chance might not be my responsibility, but I wouldn’t forgive myself if something happened to him.
That sounded noble and all, however, I was still at a loss. I couldn’t force him into a cab. That was creepy. A deep sigh reverberated through my body as I trudged after my drunk date. Who, I might add, was no longer my date. He was just a guy I knew…who’d gone out of his way to get blasted after one dinner with yours truly. And let’s not forget the fucking karaoke too.
My lips twitched at the memory of Chance revving up the crowd. He was a firecracker and—he was walking directly into traffic.
Shit!
“Hey! Stop.” I grabbed his arm before he attempted to cross the street. “Are you nuts? You’re going to get run over. They drive on the opposite side of the road here, and you need to watch where you’re going.”
Chance blinked in surprise and frowned. “Why are you here?”
“Because I can’t let you wander around on your own,” I yelled over the rumble of thunder. “We have to get out of this rain. Where is your hotel?”