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"I'm not," she replied. "If you're so desperate to get laid, you go over there."
Natasha looked over at the suit and gave him a coquettish smile. It must have worked because she was up on her heels two seconds later, sauntering over to the bar.
"Have fun with Chastity," Natasha said under her breath as she passed Evangeline.
"Stay safe," she replied, tipping the rest of the bourbon into her mouth. She looked over at Chastity, still flirting at the bar, then back to her friends. She'd had enough. She had to go into work a little earlier tomorrow night, but before that could happen she had to hit the gym, get some groceries, and clean her apartment.
She stood up, waved goodbye to her friends, and moved toward the door. Chastity's face lit up when she saw her and she walked over.
"Don't tell me you're leaving."
She was drunk. Evangeline had seen it before more times than she could count. Gripping her friend by the shoulder, Evangeline waited for Chastity to focus her eyes on her. "Go home, Chas."
Chastity pouted like a little girl—a little girl who'd had too much to drink. "You're ruining my fun, Vee."
"You're drunk."
Pulling free of her hands, Chastity stumbled back a step. "I'm not."
"Yes, you are. You're drunk and I think you need to go home."
"Not until I prove to Chad that he's made a mistake," she replied petulantly, turning around and walking back toward the bar and the three men showing her the attention she needed.
Pulling out her phone, she texted Natasha, telling her to keep an eye on Chastity, before leaving for the night. Outside, the air was thick and hot. This summer in LA had proven unusual with high levels of humidity and very little respite from the intense heat in the evenings. Temperatures hovered around a hundred during the day, leaving everyone's nerves and tempers stretched tight.
Her apartment was ten blocks away, so she ditched the idea of a taxi immediately. She needed the walk to clear her head. She had experienced something unusual tonight. Normally when the chance for no-strings-attached sex came up, she was ready for it. But not tonight. Something was different, although she couldn't place what that was. Maybe it had to do with all the shit Chastity had been through with Chad.
There really was nothing like someone else's pain to bring clarity.
4
Evangeline flippedthe lock on her deadbolt and let out a breath. She'd walked home from the bar to clear her head a little but also to reinforce the fact that she didn't need to get laid tonight. In the kitchen, she got out a bottle of bourbon, pouring herself half a glass. As she'd walked home, she'd figured out what had been bothering her, why she hadn't gone for the no-strings sex like she normally would have.
And that reason was someone she hadn't thought about in four years.
Four. Fucking. Years.
And just like that, she had Beau in her thoughts once more.
"Goddamn him," she ground out, slumping down onto her couch. For the first year, she had hated him for leaving without a word. He had broken her heart, left her feeling like their relationship had meant nothing at all. The second year, the hate had morphed to anger. In the third year, she went back to hating him, but at least the level of hate had been dialed down a little more. This year, she had moved on to just plain indifference. She'd decided she didn't give a fuck...
Until tonight.
She sighed again.
Beau had been... was the love of her life. Their romance had been a whirlwind, but the emotions had been real, and when he had dropped out of school without explanation, she felt as if her whole world had been torn apart then shredded into even smaller pieces before being set alight. Finding him to get an explanation, however, had broken her soul.
She eyed her laptop sitting on the coffee table in front of her, the fingers on her free hand twitching. Putting her glass down, she reached out and slid the computer closer, flipping open the top. It booted up immediately and she tapped the touchpad and sent the cursor around the screen on a manic path.
She opened up Facebook with a click and then entered Beau's name into the search bar. About two dozen search results showed up, but none of the profile photos looked like Beau. Of course, he could have changed a lot in four years. He could have gained weight. He could have lost all his hair. He could have facial tattoos... Or he could be just as gorgeous as he had been. She peered a little closer at each of the profile pictures, just to make sure. Nope, no Beau here.
She blew out a frustrated breath and slammed the lid shut. It was stupid to think she'd just stumble across him at random. Besides, she didn't know why she even bothered to look him up. She wasn't interested in getting back with him. He had broken her. Putting the laptop back onto the table, she stood up, taking her glass with her.
In the bathroom, she leaned over the tub and opened the faucet and started to fill the bath. Her phonepingedwith a new message and she pulled the device from her back pocket. It was Max. Instead of texting back, she called him. When the call connected, she could hear the deep thrumming bass of her own club in the background.
"Vee," Max said. The music suddenly cut and she realized he'd just stepped into her office at the back. "It's only ten o'clock. I thought you were going out tonight."
"I did. It sucked, so I came home."
