Revenge: A Novella - Book 1 (The Belmont University Series) Page 5

  “I don’t know,” he said, shrugging. “It’s easier, I guess, purely physical act with little or no emotion attached. Guys have a lot of reasons for that. I mean, we’re all damn horny. Who doesn’t wanna be banged without all that baggage? I guess some guys are just lonely, or maybe they’re like me and just want a little taste of everything that’s on the menu before they settle on an entrée. The one thing I can tell you is that any bump-and-grind session is best when there’s a lot of alcohol involved. Takes the edge off or something. Who wouldn’t want a night of hot sex, especially if you can skip all that drama and bullshit that goes with the dating scene?”

  “Sure, but it seems you fail to make an escape plan sometimes. What if the girl gets too attached?”

  “Every good Casanova has a great escape plan.”

  I threw a sticky rag at him, damp with beer. “You’re always lookin’ for the next girl who’ll have you, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah, and I gotta say, that Debbie chick is hot.”

  “I told you, she’s off limits! Just stick to your fuck-buddies and booty calls. Boy, I’m glad we’re just friends.”

  “Right. So you got any advice for me…friend?”

  “Yep. No more drunk hookups.”

  “But I love drunk sex.”

  “They’re okay, with the right person.”

  “Hey, I’m not such a bad guy. I never make girls feel used, and I won’t drag anyone’s reputation through the sexual mud. It’s not like I go around bragging to my friends about all the notches in my bed post.”

  “You don’t tell your entire frat, but you tell Juliet everything.”

  “Only her. I don’t kiss and tell when it comes to my frat brothers, ‘cause they don’t need to know a damn thing about what I do with my dick. Hell, the girls don’t even mind if I leave early, because I pleasure them beyond anything they’ve ever experienced. I know how to fuck, Alexis, and believe me when I tell you I can double-double a girl’s refreshment, if ya know what I mean. I might be a player, but I’ve got class.”

  “Ah. So you know how to fuck, but do you know how to make love?”

  “There’s definitely a difference between the two, and I can honestly say I’ve only experienced the second one…one time.”

  “You’ll find it one day when you least expect it.” I sighed. “I can’t believe you get away with so much though.”

  “It’s easy. I just don’t make promises.”

  “Like?”

  “Like…I don’t promise to call.”

  “You never even ask for phone numbers?”

  “No. That would give false hope, right? It’s a hit-it-and-quit-it-game for me, and the girls know this up front. I don’t believe in lame lies, the kind some other guys tell. It’s better not to ask for the digits than to flat-out lie.”

  “The Players Code of Honor? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

  “Yeah, well, I don’t wanna be considered a jerk. Too many girls start thinking you’re a jerk, and you find yourself spending your Friday nights jerkin’ it yourself, ya know?”

  “Not to sound like eighth-grade health class or anything, but I just hope you’re using protection.”

  “Of course. I’m not into weird discharge and—”

  “Too descriptive. Save the gory details for Juliet.”

  He laughed, and then his expression grew a bit serious. “I tell all the girls that I really enjoy the sex, but I also make sure they know I haven’t really gotten over my ex.” He looked a bit hurt. “When she took her own life, she also took mine,” he whispered. “I’m broken now, damaged goods.”

  “Oh, gosh, Kyle, I’m sorry. You know she’s always in my heart, and it kills me to see you so sad.”

  “It was years ago…” he said, but then his voice drifted off. He clearly did not want to revisit the painful memory.

  Suddenly, out of nowhere, Juliet grabbed his arm. “Hey! You ready?”

  He smiled. “Yeah.”

  “You guys have a good time,” I said.

  “We will. And hey…”

  “Yeah?”

  “Thanks for putting up with me,” he said. “I’m not the easiest guy to have as a friend, but I couldn’t ask for better ones than you two.”

  I grinned. “Me neither.”

  Juliet tugged at his arm. “You’re damn lucky you have us. Now let’s go!”

  He laughed as they headed out the door.

  ***

  An hour later, Art finished the dishes and returned to the bar to help me make drinks. “I can take on anything you throw at me,” he said, wiggling a cocktail shaker.

  I turned on the blender. “Sorry. Can’t hear ya!” I shouted over the loud whir.

  When I salted the rim of a martini glass, I caught his gaze. He boldly smiled as I grinned. I was helplessly falling prey to him, being taken in by his charm all over again. In spite of all I’d done to him, he wasn’t mad at me; he seemed to consider it a challenge, one he enjoyed. Instead of being pissed off, he just seduced and disarmed me with that damn beautiful smile of his, the one that had been haunting my dreams for so long.

  “So…I’m making steak and potatoes for my date tomorrow,” Debbie said, disturbing me from my reverie.

  Art smiled. “The way to a man’s heart, huh?”

  “I don’t think so,” I chimed in.

  “Really?” Art said.

  I grinned. “Whoever said that must have flunked geography.”

  He laughed.

  I stretched to reach for a bottle of gin on the top shelf. I was so close yet so far away, but only for a moment. He moved from behind me and reached above me, barely grazing my shoulder.

  “Here ya go, Boss,” he said.

  “Thanks,” I answered, trying to pretend like his touch didn’t faze me.

  We stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment.

  “Bartender!” somebody screamed, shattering our shared trance.

  “Art!” I called, inundated with drink orders.

  “What do you need?” he asked, walking over just as a lady shouted yet another order at me.

  “A long, slow, comfortable screw against a wall,” I said, repeating the brunette’s order.

  Art grinned. “I can do long and slow.”

  I laughed. “Can you just get the drink? I’m swamped.”

  “And then can we screw against a wall?” he asked in a sexy voice.

  I playfully nudged him, and Debbie noticed the flirtation.

  “Aw! You’re crushing on Art,” she said. “See? I knew you hired him for his good looks.”

  “No way. Heck no.”

  “Please. You so are. Why don’t you just do that stupid cherry trick the guys love so much?”

  “What? Tie the cherry stem into a knot with my tongue? It’s so…cliché.”

  “I thought you hated him?” she said.

  “Why do you even care?” I asked, looking at her hard. “You got a thing for him or something?”

  “Honey, you know that boy had me salivating the second he walked his fine ass in the door.” She sighed. “But a bitch can’t have every bone she wants, right? He likes you, the girl who wants to take him down.”

  “Shh!” I said, glancing Art’s way and fearful he would overhear us.

  She shrugged, then walked away to tend to a customer.

  “Can you help me out?” Art asked as he opened five beers.

  “Whatcha need?”

  “A screaming orgasm,” he said.

  I grinned, touching his elbow. “I can give you plenty of those.”

  He laughed. “Really? That’s good, because I need a hand-job too.”

  “You’re just full of demands, aren’t ya? You sure you don’t want a little foreplay first? We’ve got plenty of amaretto and pineapple,” I said as I reached for the Jack Daniels so I could mix up the hand-job.

  Debbie, Art, and I made a great team and worked our butts off, making all our customers happy. I watched as the cute girls flirted with Art, drooling a
ll over him. As he shook the cocktail shaker, I couldn’t help but take in his perfect form. His shirt stretched across his chest and clung to his powerful frame, muscles rippling in his biceps and forearms.

  Suddenly, a college-aged guy slammed down his Corona, jolting me out of my Art-induced hypnosis. “Damn! I gotta piss again,” he said. “Why do these go through me so fast?”

  “Because they don’t have to stop to change color,” I joked, nodding at the amber-colored beer.

  He burst out in laughter as he ran to the bathroom, holding himself like a preschooler after a long bus ride.

  Art laughed, and I couldn’t help but smile back at him.

  ***

  The next day I met Morgan for lunch between classes and quickly confessed, “I’m falling for him.”

  “Again?”

  “Yes. I fell for him, then hated him, and now I’m falling for him again. I’ve even quit bossing him around.”

  “Good. I’m glad to hear it, sis.”

  “I’ve got it for him bad, Morgan. We can’t stop staring at each other, we find every excuse there is to be next to each other, and we can’t stop touching or flirting. The chemistry is unbelievable. There’s all this sexual tension between us. What do I do?”

  Morgan smiled. “The heart wants what the heart wants. Just go for it.”

  “Really? That’s your sage advice?”

  “Yeah. Just follow my three golden rules.”

  “There’s only supposed to be one.”

  “Well, I’ve got three. Don’t deceive, be honest, and, above all, be yourself.”

  “I guess I’m a total bitch, because I’ve broken all three.”

  “You can only get to know someone through conversation. Just talk to him. I’m sure he’ll understand.”

  “But I don’t wanna lose him. Gosh, how did I get in so deep? If I could only rewind time. I wish I woulda just been honest from the second I ran into him at that frat party.”

  “Yeah, things would sure have been easier.”

  “I made a big mistake, sis,” I said.

  She wrapped an arm around me. “We all do. Just get back up and try again. That’s what I do. Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future. I read that on this plaque at a flea market once. Or maybe it was on a coffee cup,” she said, waving a dismissive hand in the air. “Either way, it works.”

  “Why do I make so many mistakes?” I sighed. “Like the time I dated Charlie.”

  “Hey, it’s better to make a million mistakes than to have one regret.”

  “You really think so?”

  “Yeah, but you can’t use your mistakes as a club to beat yourself up with. How can you grab the bright future that awaits you if you can’t let go of the past?”

  “I really wanna move forward with Art, but at the same time, I want to forget about him,” I said. “He’s so damn hot, so charismatic. All the girls drool over him, even Debbie. I might not even have a chance.”

  “Yeah, well, a low-cut shirt and a fake smile will lure any guy in, but Art’s just doing his job, serving drinks with a smile. You can’t fault him for that.”

  “They use every seduction trick in the book, from the way they suck their straws to the way they clink glasses with him, making their boobs jiggle in the process. It’s just…gross.”

  “Hmm. Somebody sounds jealous.”

  “No! Well, kind of. Oh, hell, I don’t know.”

  Her gaze narrowed. “So you’ve finally done it. You’ve finally found a guy who has turned you into a stress ball with lipstick.”

  “Yes, he’s making me crazy all right. No guy has ever gotten to me the way Art has.”

  “Just forget about your insane revenge plan, confess everything, and see what happens. Tell him you’re crazy about him, and then take some time to get to know him. Go on a few dates, and then let the chemistry take over.”

  I bit my lip hard. “I’ve gotta go.”

  “Yeah, and I gotta get back to work. I get off at three, and then I’ve got class till seven.”

  “Then it’s home to hubby and kids, huh? What a long day.”

  “Yeah, Tom and I are ordering pizza tonight. He put in long hours today.”

  “So do you. You work all day as a receptionist here, go to classes, then take care of everyone.”

  “It’s all good,” she said.

  “I hope so. You deserve to be okay,” I said, standing and grabbing my purse. “See ya later, sis. Thanks for the great advice.”

  “Anytime.” She smiled. “Bye.”

  ***

  Days passed, and I couldn’t stop staring at Art at work. It seemed like every word he spoke flowed from his mouth like a symphony. My anger had dissipated completely, and my revenge plan had fizzled. Art was a great guy, and I was really starting to appreciate him for the wonderful man he was.

  I scanned him from head to toe, then brought my eyes back up to his. I smiled ever so slightly, letting him know I liked what I saw. When we both went to reach for the same glass, my heart raced from his heated touch. He smiled and lifted his hand as I shot him a flirty grin. Overcome with the emotional rush of lust, I knew I had to jumpstart the process. Maybe I was dreaming, but I was determined to snag Art, to somehow make him mine. Love conquers all, right? I questioned, hoping it wasn’t just some Hollywood-created bullshit. To hell with the consequences.

  Art smiled at me as he cleaned the glass with a towel, and all over again, I felt horrible for having treated him so poorly. I’d been rotten to him, but my plan had backfired. Instead of shooting him down, he’d somehow convinced Cupid to shoot me straight through the heart.

  His muscles flexed as he put down a box of glasses. My gaze was again drawn to his huge biceps and powerful shoulders. I imagined what it would be like to be held in those arms, and I wondered why his last girlfriend had let him go. He was so damn handsome, so damn beautiful.

  “Stop drooling,” Juliet said as she jumped up on a barstool. “You’re being too obvious.”

  “It’s too damn hard. I can’t stop staring at him. Gosh, why is he so gorgeous?”

  “Pssh. Hot guys are a dime a dozen.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.”

  “So forget about Kyle.”

  “How did I know that was coming?” she asked.

  “Because you know me too well.”

  “It’s more than looks with him, Alexis. He might be a bit of a man-whore, but he really is a beautiful person, inside and out.”

  “I’m gonna find you a real guy,” I promised, “someone you can actually be with in more than a friend capacity.”

  “Well, just so you know, I took your advice and went out on a date last night with some guy from my English class.”

  “And?”

  “If it had been a midterm, he would have gotten an F. He just…didn’t get me.”

  My gaze narrowed. “The way Kyle gets you?”

  She smiled. “Yeah.”

  I threw a bar towel at her. “You’re hopeless!”

  “And so are you,” she said, nodding her head in Art’s direction. “Now where are my peanuts?”

  “You ate the entire bowl?”

  “I’m starving.”

  “You’re lucky we’re best friends,” I said, refilling the dish.

  “Gee. I’m so glad at least one person who loves me is willing to hand over the nuts. We all know Kyle isn’t.”

  “Ew! Shut up!” I said, laughing.

  “I’m gonna put on some tunes,” she said, walking to the jukebox.

  I felt a strange breeze blow against the side of my head, and I reached up to feel my earlobe, only to discover that one of my earrings was gone. “Crap!” I shouted, then started looking around on the floor.

  “What’s wrong?” Art asked.

  I frantically glanced down. “I just lost my earring.”

  “What does it look like?”

  I lifted the hair off my other ear. “Like this.”

  “Blue gem? Got it.”

>   I started crawling around on my hands and knees, desperate to find the earring from my grandmother. Art did the same, and we scoured the area, both thankful that he’d done such a thorough job with the mopping. When I lifted my head, I found myself mere inches from his lips. He held my gaze as I bit the corner of my lip and looked down.

  “Oh! There it is,” I said. “Thank goodness.”

  He stood and reached out his hand to help me up. “Glad you found it.”

  “Thanks for your help,” I said as he pulled me to my feet with his strong arm.

  He grinned. “Anytime.”

  Suddenly, I found myself lost in those pretty brown eyes of his, and I nearly lost my breath.

  Debbie waved her hand in front of Art’s face. “Earth to Art. We’ve got customers, and I could use some help here.”

  “Oh. Sorry. I’m coming.”

  “Not yet,” I whispered under my breath.

  He smiled, then hurried off to fill more drink orders.

  ***

  The next night, I was running my butt off, on one of our craziest nights ever. As I filled a pitcher of beer, I watched how efficient Art was, expertly making five drinks at once. It was a complete turn-on to see him at the top of his game; I’d seen that old eighties movie, Cocktail, and Tom Cruise had nothing on my Art. He was happy, smiling, and so friendly to everyone, so damn charismatic. I was jealous of the dark denim of his jeans, hugging his ass perfectly, and the white t-shirt that stretched over his powerful shoulders and chest. Girls flirted with him at the bar, telling him over and over how hot he was and offering him generous tips along with their flirtations giggles. One even wrote her phone number right across Andrew Jackson’s face. I knew any one of them would fuck him in a heartbeat. Art just smiled and carried on like a true professional. He was a hard worker, not lazy like the bartenders we’d hired in the past.

  Every time he talked to me, he was all touchy-feely. He was always finding excuses to touch me. I found it cute, and I’d never felt so desired by a hot guy. I was all smiley and giggly when he talked to me, like we were in seventh grade all over again. There was definitely a flirty vibe going on between us, and excitement brewed in the air.

  When I turned my head, I caught his gaze wandering over my body. I smiled as he checked me out and grinned.

  His eyes bore into mine. “You look hot.”

  I felt my cheeks burning at his compliment. I wanted to grab him and kiss him, right there in front of all those people, and I wouldn’t have cared what anyone thought about it. My staff might have been off limits to Kyle, but that sexy bartender was certainly not off limits to me. “Thanks,” I said, grinning from ear to ear like a Cheshire cat, my cheeks turning redder by the second.