I was meeting Chris at Martini Bar today. He'd become my honorary friend, and I needed one.
I pulled into the valet and left my jacket in the car. I'd been in meetings all day, so I needed a strong drink. I walked through the doors and worked my way through the happy hour crowd. Loosening my tie, I found a seat by the bar. I motioned for the bartender, who was taking his sweet time.
"I'll have a Black Label on the rocks." I leaned my elbows against the bar, waiting for my drink. When it finally came with a bad attitude from the bartender, I smirked. "Thanks."
I couldn't get the image of the way Daniela had looked at me the last time I'd seen her out of my head. "F*ck," I mumbled as I swirled my drink.
It had been almost three weeks since I'd last f*cked. Honestly, after I saw Daniela, I was having trouble getting a hard-on, which was not a good thing. I didn't care, and that said a lot. The only woman I wanted to be with was Daniela, and right now, she didn't want anything to do with me. I went about everything in the wrong way, but I didn't have a better plan. To say that I was in a bad place was an understatement.
I was so wrapped up in my own misery that I didn't notice when Chris walked in.
He patted me on the back. "Rick, how's it going? I haven't seen you around lately," Chris asked, looking at me like I was f*cking dying.
I just shook my head. I wasn't in the mood to talk about it. The truth was that I hadn't been going out. In my quest to win Daniela back, I started cutting back on my clubbing. She'd hated it, so I was trying life without it. Clubbing also made me miss her. Even though it had been a while, I couldn't get the thought of all those nights we'd get home and f*ck all night long. She had the most eager p-ssy that would get soaking wet, just begging me to plunge my dick into it. I was so f*cked-up right now that I wasn't getting hard as I thought about her p-ssy. I was miserable without her.
Chris was getting concerned. I didn't think anyone had ever seen me look this messed-up before.
So, I just told him the truth. "I f*cked up royally. I had the most amazing woman, and I f*cked up. Now, I want her back, and she won't give me the time of day. F*ck my life!"
Chris just looked at me, and then he ordered another round of drinks. "I never knew that you and Lise were that close," he said.
Of course, I wasn't going to tell Chris who this someone was or what I had done to f*ck things up more. I still had to tread carefully. The last thing I needed now was to get my ass kicked. I knew I deserved it, but I wasn't about to sign up for it.
With a couple of drinks in me, I was feeling a little less miserable. I had to be careful. I didn't want to become an alcoholic. I needed to find a better outlet that didn't include alcohol or sex. I'd told Chris as much as I could without sounding like a p-ssy or giving away too much information.
A woman came up and leaned on Chris's shoulder. He looked up and greeted her. She was blonde with a nice rack. When she looked at me, I just turned away and stared at my drink.
"So, Chris, are you going to introduce me to your friend?" she asked.
"Sure. Madison Stuart, this is Rick Marin. Rick, this is Madison. She's the manager," Chris said.
Looking up from my drink, I tilted my head toward her. "Madison."
"Yes, Madison as in the Avenue," she said with a wink.
I let out a little laugh. I knew what she wanted. "Madison, as in the Avenue, I'm not buying what you're selling." I smirked.
"Who said I was selling anything?" she responded defensively.
In normal circumstances, her defensiveness would be sexy as hell, but in this case, it wasn't doing anything for me.
"Maddy," I said, sitting back and looking at her, "I know what you want." Picking up my glass, I swallowed a gulp of my drink and leaned over to her.
I knew women. I knew their bodies, and I knew their signals. And Madison was sending them.
"Oh, really? You think you know what I want?" Madison responded with a little huff. "And don't call me Maddy."
This was a challenge. Since I now had a few drinks in me, I had a perfect opportunity to get out some of my frustrations. "Maddy, I know exactly what you want," I said, sizing her up. I stared straight into her eyes. "You're standing there with your tits, begging me to reach out and rub them, lick them, and pinch them." I could tell she was getting f*cking turned on. "You want me to stick my hand in your pants right now and feel your p-ssy. I know it's wet."
As I finished my drink, I noticed her now hardened nipples through her silky blouse. "And you know that I can find your G-spot and make you come right here in front of everyone," I finished, watching as she licked her lower lip.
"You're an a*shole," she answered. Stepping back, she let out a little laugh with a sex-kitten smile. "But I like you. Bruce, get Rick another drink on the house."
I looked over at Chris.
He stood as still as a statue. "Guys, that was like watching a f*cking porno. I'm out of here. I have to call Macy. I'll see you on Thursday, right?"
I nodded in agreement, and then Chris left. I accepted the drink that Bruce handed me. Madison hovered around. Apparently, she hadn't learned her lesson. I shook my head. That was when an arm pulled me around, turning me to face her. F*ck. As always, the f*cking bitch looked like she had just strolled off some runway.
"Candace, to what do I owe the pleasure?" I asked impassively.
She looked fiercely into my eyes. "Stay away from her. Do you hear me?"
I sighed. "Candace, I don't know what you're talking about," I lied. Of course, I knew exactly what she was talking about.
"Rick, don't play me for a fool. Leave her alone. She's in a good place," she said, making her case.
"I really don't know what you're talking about. I ran into her. Big f*cking deal! I don't know what your f*cking problem is," I countered.
F*ck, f*ck, and more f*ck. I was now on Candace's radar. Although she was prim, proper, and perfect in appearance, she was a motherf*cking shark when it came to her friends.
"Rick…" She leaned into me in a strangely hot and unexpected way. "I saw you at Breathe. You saw her. You want her. You're not going to get her. Just stay away from her or else."
"Yes, I was there, along with a lot of other people. I didn't see you. What a shame. You should've said hello. I would've bought you a drink…" I looked at her from head to toe and then settled back on her eyes. "To help you loosen up a bit." I winked and returned to my own drink.
Candace got close to me and f*cking grabbed my crotch. I couldn't believe Candace, the prude, had her hands on my dick.
"This is the only thing that matters to you. Leave her alone. She deserves a lot better than you," she threatened.
"I don't disagree with you there," I responded, feeling a little relief. My dick liked this assault. Who would've thought that Candace had it in her?
"Ugh, Rick, you disgust me," Candace snarled.
Her response probably had something to do with the hardening dick in her hands. This evening was going from bad to catastrophically horrible. I knew Daniela deserved better, and I was trying to be that person.
Before Candace turned to leave, she said, "By the way, Rick, you really do look like shit. Get your act together."
F*ck my life.
Then, Madison came over, put her arm on my shoulder, and leaned in against me. "You need what I'm selling, but it's not what you think."
"Really?" I said, doubting her.
"I told you that I like you. I'm going to help you with this girl that has you in such an unpleasant disposition," she offered.
Intrigued, I turned to her. "And why would you do that?"
She laughed. "I told you already. I like you. And, well, you look like you need some help."
I tipped my glass to her. Yes, I needed help and maybe Madison could give me some female perspective on the matter.
The Do Over
A. L. Zaun's books
- Blood Brothers
- Face the Fire
- Holding the Dream
- The Hollow
- The way Home
- A Father's Name
- All the Right Moves
- After the Fall
- And Then She Fell
- A Mother's Homecoming
- All They Need
- Behind the Courtesan
- Breathe for Me
- Breaking the Rules
- Bluffing the Devil
- Chasing the Sunset
- Feel the Heat (Hot In the Kitchen)
- For the Girls' Sake
- Guarding the Princess
- Happy Mother's Day!
- Meant-To-Be Mother
- In the Market for Love
- In the Rancher's Arms
- Leather and Lace
- Northern Rebel Daring in the Dark
- Seduced The Unexpected Virgin
- Southern Beauty
- St Matthew's Passion
- Straddling the Line
- Taming the Lone Wolff
- Taming the Tycoon
- Tempting the Best Man
- Tempting the Bride
- The American Bride
- The Argentine's Price
- The Art of Control
- The Baby Jackpot
- The Banshee's Desire
- The Banshee's Revenge
- The Beautiful Widow
- The Best Man to Trust
- The Betrayal
- The Call of Bravery
- The Chain of Lies
- The Chocolate Kiss
- The Cost of Her Innocence
- The Demon's Song
- The Devil and the Deep
- The Dragon and the Pearl
- The Duke and His Duchess
- The Elsingham Portrait
- The Englishman
- The Escort
- The Gunfighter and the Heiress
- The Guy Next Door
- The Heart of Lies
- The Heart's Companion
- The Holiday Home
- The Irish Upstart
- The Ivy House
- The Job Offer
- The Knight of Her Dreams
- The Lone Rancher
- The Love Shack
- The Marquess Who Loved Me
- The Marriage Betrayal
- The Marshal's Hostage
- The Masked Heart
- The Merciless Travis Wilde
- The Millionaire Cowboy's Secret
- The Perfect Bride
- The Pirate's Lady
- The Problem with Seduction
- The Promise of Change
- The Promise of Paradise
- The Rancher and the Event Planner
- The Realest Ever
- The Reluctant Wag
- The Return of the Sheikh
- The Right Bride
- The Sinful Art of Revenge
- The Sometime Bride
- The Soul Collector
- The Summer Place
- The Texan's Contract Marriage
- The Virtuous Ward
- The Wolf Prince
- The Wolfs Maine
- The Wolf's Surrender
- Under the Open Sky
- Unlock the Truth
- Until There Was You
- Worth the Wait
- The Lost Tycoon
- The Raider_A Highland Guard Novel
- The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress
- The Witch is Back
- When the Duke Was Wicked
- India Black and the Gentleman Thief
- The Devil Made Me Do It