Save Me From Myself (11 page)

Sighing, even though I know he’s working, not ignoring me, I tell him goodnight, and let him be.

***

When I come out of my room, Anna’s sitting on the couch with a bottle of wine and two glasses on the coffee table in front of her. When she hears me, she turns and says, “I figured you’d need this after talking to the asshat.”

She knows me so well. I sit on the couch, curling my legs beneath me. I let out a sigh. Matt is not at all something I want to think about, but I know Anna won’t let it go until I tell her all about it. Resigned, I recount our conversation and all of Matt’s assumptions and accusations. Just like I knew she would, she gets pissed on David’s behalf, and I love her for it. Matt’s always been condescending and a little snobby, but the way he acted on the phone tonight floors me. Was he always this bad and I just never noticed?

When I ask Anna that question, she replies, ”He was always that way. You just didn’t notice because you were stuck in your own little bubble. Why do you think I call him an asshat? It’s not just because he cheated on you. I’m so glad you grew a set of lady balls and kicked him to the curb.”

That makes me laugh so hard I snort wine up my nose, which in turn, makes us laugh even harder, even though it burns like hell! This, right here, is exactly what I need. Good friends, ones who listen to me vent, comfort me when I cry, and kick my ass when I need it. And, a hot blonde bartender certainly helps too.

When I finally stumble to bed, after consuming an entire bottle of wine with Anna, I dream of David. I can’t wait until Wednesday, when I’ll get to see him again.

Today has completely dragged. Actually, Monday and Tuesday were slow too, but today has been just
awful
! I feel like the day is never going to end so that I can see David. He’s picking me up here at Nashville Nights, and my nerves are all over the place. Sure, we’ve texted since Saturday night, and we even talked for a few minutes Tuesday night, but I’m still feeling all kinds of nervous at seeing him again. All I can think about is being on his lap in his den, his lips on mine, his hands running up and down my sides. And then, how I completely froze up, mentally freaking out over having sex with him. He was so sweet about it though.

“Are you planning on getting any work done today?” an exasperated voice says. I turn in my desk chair to see Sebastian leaning against the desk behind me, arms crossed over his chest with an angry expression on his face. His mouth is turned down into a frown, and his blue eyes are frosty.
 

I’m not sure what work I really have to do, he’s just given me my first assignment today. Thursday night I’ve got to review a band I’ve never heard of, in a genre I’ve never paid any attention to. The only thing I can really do is listen to big name punk bands so that I’ve got an idea of what “good” punk sounds like. “Yes Sebastian. I’ve got a few bands I need to research to prepare for Thursday.”

Rolling his eyes, he straightens and replies, “Sooner rather than later, huh?” With that, he walks back to his office and slams the door. I let out a shaky breath, and turn back to my computer, determined to get something done by five.

***

After listening to many hours’ worth of punk music, I decide that it’s definitely not my favorite. It’s quarter to five and David will be here any minute. Figuring I’d better check my makeup for smudges, I make a quick detour to the ladies room before going out into the lobby.

When I finally make my way out, David’s already in the lobby having a conversation with Sebastian. I forgot he mentioned that they’d gone to school together, but the sight of him talking to my uptight boss is still disconcerting. I hope they aren’t talking about me.

David sees me, and a grin lights up his face. “Hey darlin',” he says, taking me by the hand and pulling me to his side. He puts his arm around me, pulling me even closer to him, while still talking to Sebastian. All I can concentrate on is the feeling of being in David’s arms. He smells just as good as I remember; his warm, strong flesh against me. When I finally start paying attention to the conversation, he and Sebastian are discussing a local art show that starts tonight and runs through the weekend. Looking at David curiously, he tells me that’s what we’re doing tonight.

After he says goodbye to my boss, shaking his hand, he leads me out the door to a really nice car. When I tell him so, he gives me an incredulous look and tells me that it’s not just a “car”, it’s a fully restored ’76 TransAm. Apparently that’s supposed to mean something to me, but I just look at him blankly. Shaking his head, he says, “You’re such a girl.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” I tell him, and he grins.

“No darlin', it’s definitely not a bad thing.” When I roll my eyes at his cheesy line, he laughs and closes my door, walking around to his side.

***

We park in downtown Nashville, and David makes me wait until he comes around the car to open my door for me. He takes my hand to help me out, and I nearly swoon. He definitely has the southern gentleman thing going for him

When we turn to walk down the sidewalk towards the downtown galleries, David keeps hold of my hand, and I melt inside. As we walk, he tells me about his day, deliveries at the bar and doing inventory, and I tell him about having to finish my review so that Sebastian can get Friday’s edition approved for printing.

When we’ve exhausted those mundane topics, he’s quiet for a few minutes, then says, “SarahBeth said she had a lot of fun with you and Anna Sunday. Why didn’t you say anything when we talked?”

His question takes me by surprise, and I’m not really sure how to answer. “I don’t know why I didn’t mention it to you. I guess it slipped my mind with the text conversation we were having.” Just remembering the things I said to him that night, I bite my lip wishing he would change the subject.

“Oh yes, the texting,” he replies, and I can hear the smirk in his voice. “Well, at any rate, I’m glad you guys got along. SB hasn’t approved of many women in the past few years, and that can cause huge problems.”

“Maybe it’s because we’re closer in age than most women you date, you dirty old man.”

Releasing my hand, he pinches my side which makes me yelp. He narrows his eyes at me, “Not funny,” he says dryly.

I double over in laughter at the expression on his face, and he glares at me. When I finally calm down enough to look at him, he’s looking at me closely.
 

Uh-oh, I’m not sure I like that expression! Just when I’m about to ask what he’s thinking, he pulls me into an alley, pushing my back against the wall. He crushes his mouth down on mine, bringing his body flush against me. In seconds, his tongue is in my mouth, and I feel like I’m going to combust. When I tangle my fingers in his hair, he pulls away from me.

“No darlin',” he says, taking my hands in his, pulling them up above my head. I inhale sharply as his mouth lands on the sensitive spot behind my ear. “I’ll teach you to not call me an old man,” he rasps, trailing his tongue down my neck, raising goose bumps along the trail. Oh. My. I’m trembling and weak-kneed. It feels like my body is on fire.

David begins running his free hand up and down from hip to just underneath my heaving breasts, but I can’t concentrate on anything other than the feel of his mouth on my neck, his very talented mouth. I suddenly feel his hand cup my breast. Just like that, I can’t breathe and my pulse starts racing. David kneads it, making my nipple pebbles against his hand.
 

He groans, and I sag against the wall. He kisses me for what feels like an eternity. When he finally breaks away and releases my hands, I grip his shoulders tightly.

We’re both breathing heavy, and he rests his forehead against mine. He stares into my eyes, his eyes almost glowing with desire. As I come back to reality, I feel the hard ridge of his erection against my stomach, and I can’t help but squirm.
 

Groaning, he closes his eyes and says, “You’re killing me. You know that right?” I smile, loving the effect I have on him. The same effect he has on me.

Taking my hand again, we walk back towards the alley’s exit. He quickly looks up and down the street before leading me back onto the street.

***

When we reach the gallery, I take a moment to admire the building. The front is all glass, displaying the white walls of the gallery. Even with the cold early February air, the doors are open and I can see people walking around inside.

“Come on darlin', I know the artist doing this show and I promised her we’d stop by,” he tells me as we walk into the building. He’s looking around as we enter the gallery, and I follow behind him, anxious since this is a female friend. Kimberly was Matt’s ‘female friend’, so naturally, I’m uncomfortable with the concept. He obviously sees who he’s looking for, because he smiles and moves confidently through the crowd towards her.

As the crowd parts, I see a group of people, all men except for one. The woman is beautiful, with light brown wavy hair that falls down her back. She’s tall and slender, wearing a stylish blue wrap dress that matches the color of her eyes. The woman has her hand on the arm of one of the men in the group surrounding her, and she’s laughing at something another said. When she notices David, her smile widens - until she looks down and sees his hand holding mine. Then, her smile drops and she looks at me shrewdly. Lovely. A cat fight is just what I wanted today. Did he say whether or not this woman was a friend? Or is she something else?

When we reach her, she stretches up to give David a hug, wrapping both of her arms around his neck. To his credit, he doesn’t drop my hand, just wraps his free arm around her waist which makes me relax a tiny bit. He doesn’t hug her for long, pulling back after only giving her a quick squeeze. She instantly pouts, and one side of his mouth lifts.

“Looks like you’re getting lots of attention Laura,” he remarks, looking around at all the men that were surrounding her when we walked up.

She shrugs, obviously not concerned with what he thinks. Waving her arm in a circle gesturing towards the men, she replies, “Well, I have to get the attention from somewhere.” At her words, David frowns, and shakes his head.

Turning to me, he pulls me closer to him, wrapping his arm possessively around me. Looking down at me, he gives me a small smile, “Lyric, this is Laura, a good friend of mine, and the artist being featured tonight.” When he says the word friend, her smile turns brittle. She’s obviously not happy with that status, but David seems oblivious, which makes me feel slightly more confident.

Holding out my hand to her, I say, “Hi Laura, it’s nice to meet you.” I wait for her to shake my hand. When David finally clears his throat, she sighs and gives my hand one hard shake before dropping it.

“The pleasure’s all yours, believe me.” She says snidely, causing David to give her a hard glance.

“Behave yourself Laura. Lyric’s done nothing to you.” His voice sounds weary, and I start to wonder why he even brought me here. This woman is not a friendly one, and I feel extremely uncomfortable with the way she’s looking at me.

Laura gives him a totally fake smile, replying, “Sure David, anything for you.” David grimaces, and tells her we’re going to look around the gallery. She says nothing else, just turns back to the guy whose arm she was holding earlier, completely dismissing David and me.

***

As we wander through the room, pausing to look at different pieces, David is quiet. Needing to know what he’s thinking, I ask, “Is everything okay?” I’m almost dreading his answer. What if he’s regretting bringing me here? It obviously bothered Laura, and if she didn’t mean anything to him, he wouldn’t have come.

He sighs, “I’m fine, just wishing I’d chosen something else for us to do tonight.” I stiffen, because it sounds like he’s feeling exactly as I thought, and he notices. “Not for the reasons you’re probably thinking.” Running his free hand through his hair, he tells me, “I didn’t know she was going to act that way. Laura and I have been friends for years, and she’s usually calm and cool. The way she acted tonight was completely unexpected. I don’t know what got into her.”

I’m trying to decide what to say. But, the only thing I really want to know tumbles out before I can stop it, “Did you two used to date?”

He looks at me, shock written all over his face. “No, Lyric. We’ve never dated. We never felt that way about each other.” Maybe he didn’t feel that way about her, but she obviously has feelings for him. I tell him that, and he shakes his head. “She doesn’t. Laura’s just protective. She’s not used to seeing me with someone.” I’m sure she’s not, but that doesn’t change the fact that she wants him. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. She was looking at him like she was starving, and he was filet mignon.

I open my mouth but he places a finger over my lips. “
Just
friends,” he murmurs, and kisses me softly. He must consider the conversation over, because he starts walking around the room again, clearly ready to end this line of questioning. Since I don’t want to think about her and any possible relationship they might or could have had, I drop it and continue to follow him around.