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Amara approached the VIP entrance to Excel cautiously, as memories of her and Ryan’s night here crept across her consciousness and parked themselves at the forefront of her thoughts.
It’s not gonna happen again. It was one time, and it’s done and over with, she told herself, wrapping her arms around her body in an attempt to stay warm. December in Connecticut was no joke, nothing like Seattle. Even with the absurdly thick puffer jacket she had on, she was pretty sure her eyeballs were going to freeze if she didn’t get inside soon.
“Um, I think you might be in the wrong line.”
Amara turned around to find two younger girls, wearing next to nothing and shaking like crazy from the cold, staring at her. “This is the VIP entrance. The regular one is,” one of them said, pointing, “over there.”
She rolled her eyes and turned back around, moving up towards the bouncers. “Amara Hayes. Here for my…son Tyler,” she told them, certain she knew him well enough to know that his smart ass had listed her as his mother. They quickly scanned the list, placed a pink wristband on her arm, and let her through. “Goddamn. Welcome, Mama Hayes!”
She turned to the two girls, stuck her tongue out, and flipped a gloved middle finger before turning and heading inside. After checking her coat, she headed upstairs into the VIP section and scanned the crowd for anyone she knew. The music was so loud she could feel it in her bones, and she was pretty sure it was still the same exact garbage song that had just been playing on repeat since the last time she was here.
Her hair twisted into a high bun and wearing a blue, long-sleeved, knee-length bandage dress paired with silver heels, she stepped over to the railing that overlooked the dance floor. She immediately spotted a crowd of about eight blondes, and sure as shit, there was Ryan, smack-dab in the middle of them with his shirt completely unbuttoned and attempting to dance. “Of course,” she said aloud, shaking her head, and watching them take turns pawing at his abs.
Dani had bailed at the last minute, which was a bummer. One of her kids was sick and her husband got called into work. “Trust me,” she’d told her on the phone. “If there was any other option, I’d take it. Sorry, baby girl. Have so much fun!”
Though she tried to deny it occasionally, she knew she was way too old for this shit, for this scene, and times like this reminded her of it. The boys were young and could hang. They drank too much? A good puke, nap, Red Bull, shit, and a BLT later, they were back to almost 100 percent. She drank too much? The next three days were like tiptoeing through a fog-covered alternate reality. She’d much rather be out on one of her coffee dates with Jake than here.
Jake.
She’d been seeing him for about two weeks, having had their first coffee date on the Friday after Thanksgiving, when he’d picked her up after her shift at The Bull. He was 47, divorced, gorgeous, and the partial owner of a construction company with a few friends of his. They hadn’t had sex yet, but they’d made out a little outside her apartment door after their second date. He’d ridden the elevator with her after she’d invited him up, but to her surprise, he’d quickly put a stop to it.
“What’s wrong?” she’d asked, as he’d pulled away from her.
“Nothing. It’s just, I don’t meet many women I like, Amara. And I’m really enjoying getting to know you. I think it’d be better if we just took things kinda slow. That’s all. In my experience, sex kinda…complicates things.”
“Tell me about it,” she’d added.
“So, let’s behave then, OK? There’s no rush.” He’d kissed her on the forehead and promised to call her the next day, which he did.
She’d gone inside, half-grateful that he was such a gentleman, but also half-annoyed because she’d really wanted it. As much as she enjoyed being with both Ryan and Tyler, there was something about a good-looking older man’s swag with which they just couldn’t compete.
She’d started towards her room when there was a knock at the door; figuring it was him having changed his mind, she opened it without looking.
“Oooh, I saw that.”
“Ugh, you’re a literal stalker.” She’d opened the door and Tyler had followed her inside, closing it behind him.
“What? I was comin’ by to see how your little date went. Lemme guess: more coffee? Riveting conversations about your favorite color?”
“You know, there’s this little thing called a phone,” she’d teased, leaning against the counter and crossing her arms. “You could’ve just texted me.”
“Guessing it didn’t go well since you’re in here with me instead of blowin’ him right now, eh?” he’d said, helping himself to a glass of water from the fridge.
“No, it went really well, actually. He just wants to wait to have sex, that’s all. I’m pretty sure that’s called being a gentleman.”
“Well,” he’d said, finishing the water, setting the glass down next to the sink, and approaching her. “I wouldn’t know the first fuckin’ thing about that. You all torqued up from kissin’ him?” He’d backed her up against the counter and reached for the waistband of her pants, unbuttoning them.
Impulsively, she helped him get them off, as he’d scooped her up by her ass and set her on the countertop. “Hey,” she’d told him, running her hands up his chest and across his shoulders. “I really like him, so this? Might have to stop soon.”
“I get that,” he’d said, shedding his pants and kicking them off. “But soon ain’t right now. So shut the fuck up, kiss me, and let’s get some cum all over this countertop.”
She grabbed the railing and leaned back a little, closing her eyes. She’d fucked Tyler three more times over the past two weeks, but she knew it had to stop, with both him and Ryan. She hadn’t expected to find someone else by whom she was so intrigued, but life, as it had a habit of doing, had made other plans for her.
Either way, she really didn’t wanna screw things up with Jake.
A hand on her shoulder snapped her back to the present, and she spun around to see Ty with a drink in his other hand. “It’s Jack. That alright?” he yelled over the music.
She smiled. “Of course. Thanks.” It was his birthday, and he showed up by her side immediately with a drink for her. He was way more of a gentleman than he even realized.
