“Try me.”
“Well, I would have said that the two of you to be models,” he says.
Gabby bursts into laughter and the heat in my cheeks deepens. I look up and find Brayden staring right at me, his expression serious. It's like he actually meant what he'd just said.
“You're right,” Gabby says. “That sounds like a terrible line.”
He looks away from me and smiles at Gabby. “See? What did I tell you?”
“Horribly cheesy,” she says. “But sweet all the same.”
I sit there feeling like an idiot. I mean, I've always been a bit socially awkward, but never like this. And the bitch of it is, I don't even know why I'm acting this way. Of course, the fact that after I told Gabby about my father's request – demand, actually – she made it her mission to find me a man on our trip. Like getting me laid is going to help the situation.
I tried to talk her out of it, but she apparently won't be dissuaded from her self-appointed mission. It's like her holy crusade or something.
“So, you never told us whether you're here alone or not?” Gabby presses.
Brayden shakes his head. “Actually, no.”
I have no idea why, but when he says that, I feel my heart sink. Just a little bit though. It's stupid. I mean, it's not like anything is going to happen between me and this man. I don't know him, and I certainly have no intention of sleeping with him – despite Gabby's best efforts.
“No, I brought my friend Trey here,” he says. “He's trying to get over a bad breakup, so I figured getting him out of town and having some fun would be the best medicine for him.”
“So, you brought him here to get him laid?” Gabby giggles.
Brayden shrugs. “You know of a better way to heal a broken heart?”
“It's funny you should mention that,” Gabby says, “Because we came to Vegas –”
“I have to pee,” I suddenly blurt out.
“Wow,” Brayden says, looking at me with feigned shock. “She does know how to speak.”
He and Gabby both laugh as I feel my face turning, what I’m sure, is an unnatural shade of red. I grab Gabby's hand and practically yank her out of the booth, drawing a surprised yelp from her.
“I'm just going to borrow her for a minute,” I say.
“Take your time,” he says.
I pull Gabby through the club with me, heading for the bathroom. When we get to it, a pair of women are coming out, so I push her inside and lock the door behind us. Gabby is chuckling as she walks up to the mirror and checks her hair and makeup.
“Oh, my God,” I gasp. “What are you doing out there?”
“I think I'm doing quite well on your behalf,” she says.
“Well, stop it,” I say.
She turns to me and smiles. “Come on, you can't stand there and tell me you don't think he's fucking hot.”
She's right, I can't deny it. “That has nothing to do with anything.”
“Oh, I disagree,” she says. “Having a gorgeous man like that – naked – all over you later?”
I gasp and can't stifle the giggle that bubbles up out of my throat. “I am not going to be getting naked with him later.”
“Well, not if you keep acting like a goon out there,” she says and laughs. “What's up with the silent treatment, anyway? Are you going for a Garbo kind of vibe or something?”
“I – I don't know,” I say. “Maybe it's because you're trying so hard to get him to have sex with me?”
“Well, somebody has to,” she says and laughs. “You're not helping your own cause out there.”
“There's no cause to help,” I say. “I didn't come here to get laid, Gabs. I just needed to get away from that shitshow at home.”
“And what better way to do that than have some gorgeous as hell man naked and inside of you?”
I slap her playfully on the shoulder and laugh, despite my best efforts not to. I'm not that kind of a girl. I don’t go out and pick up some guy just for a random hook up. That's not my style.
“Look, I'm not saying you have to sleep with the guy,” Gabby says. “I'm just teasing you about that. I'm just trying to show you a good time. Honey, you need to just relax and cut loose a little bit. There is so much crap on your plate, wouldn't it be nice to just forget about it for a while and have some fun? I mean, isn't that why we came to Vegas to begin with? To get away from our lives and just be different people for a few days?”
I sigh and look at myself in the mirror. My red hair has come slightly loose, with a few long, wispy pieces falling around my face. A small smile touches the corners of my mouth when I recall Brayden said he thought we were models. Probably just a cheesy line, because if anything, I feel like I look tired. A bit wrung out. There are dark circles beneath my eyes and I can already see the beginning of some crow's feet. My laugh lines, though not bad now, are starting to show a bit. I look pale. Washed out.
“Stop it,” Gabby says.
“Stop what?”
“I know what you're doing,” she says.
“What am I doing?”
“You're picking apart every aspect of your appearance,” she says. “Or, in other words, seeing a bunch of crap that isn't there.”
“Easy for you to say, supermodel.”
“Please,” she says. “You're gorgeous, honey. Even that man sees that.”
“Right.”
She stands behind me and wraps her arms around me, giving me a smile, I see in the reflection.
“He's hardly been able to take his eyes off you since we sat down,” she says.
I shake my head. “I doubt that.”
She shrugs. “Doubt it if you want, but it's true,” she says. “The man is infatuated with you.”
“He doesn't even know me,” I say. “And besides, you're the one the guys flock to. Not me.”
“Yeah, I'm trying to not take it too personally or let it bruise my ego,” she says and laughs again. “But, it's true. He and I are having fun, sure, but Brayden's interested in you.”
I look at her in the mirror, holding her gaze. The idea that a man as handsome as Brayden Anderson notices me is flattering. The idea though, that he'd ignore a stunner like Gabby in favor of me, is ludicrous. That's never happened. Not that I blame anybody. Gabby is beautiful beyond words. She's ethereal. The opposite of me in so many ways.
Not that I ever feel competitive with her. She has her strengths and I have mine. That we're different on the outside doesn't change the fact that on the inside - we're a lot alike. And it's those similarities between us that make us so close. That makes us such good friends. I love Gabs with all my heart and know that my life is better for having her in it. Even though guys will usually step over me to get to her.
“Let me prove it to you,” Gabby says, obviously picking up on my doubt.
“How are you doing to do that?”
“Well, first things first,” she says. “You're going to have to stop acting like a mute at the table and interact with the man.”
I sigh, and a wry smile touches my lips. “You've always been better than me at the social thing whenever guys are concerned.”
“Maybe,” she says. “But, you can do it. You can put on those big girl panties and interact like an adult. I know you can. I believe in you, honey. You can do it.”
“You're such a smartass,” I say and laugh. “Why do I even put up with you?”
“Because you love me.”
“Oh, yeah,” I reply. “Almost forgot.”
“So, if you can interact like a grown woman,” she says. “I'll show you that he's interested in you. Not me.”
“This should be interesting.”
“Definitely interesting, “she says. “And if we're lucky, sexually gratifying for you.”
I slap her arm and laugh. “Have you always been this big of a slut?”
She nods. “Yeah, pretty much,” she says. “I can't believe it's taken you this long to notice.”
“Love you, Gabs.”
“Love you too, Hol.”