Table for Two (3 page)

A few short minutes later, she was all dressed and ready to go. Dylan arrived and they all headed to the bar, with Isabella complaining the whole time.

"Ok, now I met this really cute guy this morning and he promised to get us into the VIP lounge. He said he'd leave my name at the door." Jason informed them.

"Oh, so dragging us out tonight was all about some guy you met? I should have known." Isabella smirked.

"Hey, just because you're not getting any, doesn't mean that the rest of us shouldn't." Jason told her with attitude.

"A boyfriend just doesn't fit into my schedule right now." Isabella shook her head.

"Who's talking about a boyfriend? You just need to get laid. One night stand…no attachment, just pure, raw, sexual satisfaction." Jason spelled out for her.

Dylan laughed. "Yeah right. You know how long I have been trying to get her to do that? She seems to think that sex is only for relationships. I mean, shit, I've been trying to hit that since freshman year in college."

Isabella smacked his arm. "Oh shush. You have not! You'd never do anything to ruin our friendship."

"Whatever you say, gorgeous." Dylan winked at her.

Jason stood by and watched, wondering if Dylan truly did have feelings for Isabella. It was very clear that she only thought of him as a friend, so he felt bad for Dylan if his feelings went deeper.

The group of three walked up to the bouncer and Jason gave the large man his name. Sure enough, he was on the list, and they were quickly escorted to the VIP section.

"So, who is this guy, and how did he get you on the VIP list?" Isabella asked as they sidled up to the bar to order drinks.

"All I know is that his name is Paul, and that he is so fine!" Jason told her. "You know I'm not one for details."

Isabella smiled and nodded her head. She took the shot in front of her and touched it to the shot glasses in her friends' hands before downing it like a pro. The smooth liquid slid down her throat, warming her inch by inch as it went. Swirling her finger in the air, she motioned for the bartender to give them another round.

After the next shot, Isabella felt herself starting to relax. On a typical night, she'd have maybe one or two drinks, but that was it. It was very rare for her to have more than that, so once she passed that threshold, the alcohol started to affect her much quicker.

The group did one more shot before leaving the bar, with beer (for Dylan) and cosmos (for Bella and Jason) in hand. Isabella felt great as she started to move to the beat of the music. "I think you guys were right, I did need this tonight." She shouted to her friends over the music.

"Well, drink up. I plan on getting you thoroughly wasted tonight." Jason laughed as he looked around the room, trying to spot Paul.

"Not too bad…I still have to do laundry tonight." Isabella reminded him, unaware of the effect that the shots would soon have on her.

"Sure sweetie." Jason pacified her as he ordered another round of drinks from the cocktail waitress.

Dylan excused himself from the group when he saw a group of models partying on the other side of the room. He had been eye flirting with one of the girls, and thought it was a perfect time to make his move.

After their next round of drinks, Isabella was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol. By the drink after that, she was completely trashed. She wandered out onto the dance floor, feeling as though the beat was calling her name. She was immediately immersed in the crowd of dancers, until Jason couldn't see her anymore.

When he turned around, he came face to face with the man he had been searching for all night.

*****

By 1:30, Parker was thoroughly trashed, just as he'd hoped. The problems of the day were long forgotten as he moved his body on the dance floor. This was exactly what he needed, the consequences of the night be damned.

He looked at the woman in front of him, grinding her body into his. Man, she was sure hot, and she reminded him of someone, but he couldn't quite put his finger on who it was.

All that mattered was that she looked good and was ready and willing. He ran his hands down her leather clad hips and pulled her body closer to his, until the only thing separating them was two thin layers of clothing.

They moved together to the beat of the music as it pulsed through their bodies. The heat was becoming unbearable as he moved her hair to the side and ran his lips along her neck. His lips met her ear and whispered into it, sending a shiver through her body.

"How about you tell me your name so we can get out of here." He whispered.

"Bella. And you?" She asked.

"Parker." He told her. "Your place or mine?"

"Who lives closer?" She asked and told him where she lived.

"You do. Your place." He told her and grabbed her hand and a bottle of champagne, then dragged her out of the club.

Jason looked up from the secluded spot where he was sitting with Paul, just in time to see Isabella leaving with some man. Satisfied that she was finally going to get laid, he smiled. "Hey Paul, do you know who that guy is that my friend is leaving with?"

"That's Parker Davidson. He's a nice guy, a little full of himself, but wouldn't hurt anyone." Paul replied, knowing that Jason was just trying to make sure that his friend was safe.

'Thanks. Now, where were we?" He asked as they moved back together.

*****

As soon as they got out of the cab, Parker popped the cork on the bottle of champagne and took a long drink from the bottle. He backed Isabella up to the wall of her building and kissed her long and hard, before pouring a little bit of the champagne in her mouth and kissing her again.

"I think we better get up to your apartment before we get arrested for indecent exposure." He told her, playing with the zipper on her pants.

She grabbed his hand, and this time, she dragged him. They went up to her apartment, and as soon as the door closed, their clothes went flying. Between their hot and steamy kisses, champagne flowed in their mouths, keeping them well intoxicated.

When the bottle was empty, she tossed it to the side, nearly shattering it. She guided Parker to the bedroom, where he pushed her onto the bed. Both of them naked, he wasted no time in mounting her.

As he slid his length into her, they both sighed with satisfaction. It was just the stress relief that both of them needed, but had they been sober, it most likely wouldn't have happened.

He moved inside of her, stroking long and hard, building the tension between them. Before he knew what was happening, Isabella had wiggled out from under him and was pushing him onto his back. She then straddled him and continued their coupling, enjoying taking the reins.

Parker was surprised by this move, but very pleased. He loved it when a woman took over and really showed him what she wanted and needed. As she pounded her body into his, she felt her release take over. He followed not far behind her, then both of them passed out after she rolled off his body. Consumed with satisfaction, and the effects of the alcohol, neither would be waking up any time soon.

'Oh no, I'm going to be sick!' Was the first coherent thought that ran through Isabella's head the next morning. She threw back the covers and made a mad dash for the bathroom.

After emptying her stomach and feeling a little more stable, she grabbed the robe that was hanging on the back of her bathroom door and slowly walked back to her bedroom. It was all she could do to get her robe on properly and tie it shut, since it required a bit of concentration and her hangover made that nearly impossible.

Re-entering her bedroom, the scene that lay before her shocked her to her core. 'I am never drinking again!' Her head screamed as her eyes roamed the back of a man lying in her bed. The sheet covered his lower body, and his head was partially covered by one of her pillows. The only thing clearly visible was his well-defined, muscular back.

'Oh good lord, what do I do? This is exactly why I have never had a one night stand before; to avoid situations like this.' She thought in her hammering head. '…Well, among other reasons.'

Hesitantly, she crossed the room to the bed, and lightly tapped the man on his shoulder. When he didn't move, she shook his shoulder harder. "Um, excuse me?" She could feel her face redden, no clue what the proper etiquette was for the morning after.

The man slowly rolled over, inch by inch revealing the characteristics of his face. Isabella gasped and jumped back, feeling as though she had been burned. 'No! It can't be! I didn't! We didn't! No, no, no!' She berated herself.

Parker opened his eyes slowly, and blinked a few times trying to adjust to the light, and clear the sleep from his eyes. Once they were finally open, he looked at the woman standing over him and his face startled into recognition. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes, hoping to see something different when his eyes re-opened.

Seeing the same woman standing before him, Parker jumped out of bed, in all his naked glory, not bothering to cover up and sensitive areas. "Ah, shit! You're that restaurant chick." He groaned. His hand immediately grasped his pounding head.

Isabella's face reddened further as she looked appreciatively at his naked body. 'Get a grip!' She slapped herself mentally and shielded her eyes from his pure form. "Do you think you could put that thing away?" She asked bitterly, pointing towards his morning wood.

"That wasn't what you were asking last night, sweetheart." He taunted as he walked out of the bedroom to find his clothes. He rushed around the living room and foyer, collecting his clothes and hastily putting them on.

Isabella followed him out to her living room and sat down on the couch with a thud. She grasped her head in her hands, trying to make sense of the situation, though no logical thought could ever explain what happened the previous night. 'And I didn't even get my damn laundry done.' She thought scornfully.

Parker murmured to himself while he got dressed. Isabella couldn't make out much of what he was saying, and she wasn't quite sure that she wanted to. It was clearly obvious that their night of hot sex was a mistake for both of them, something they both instantly regretted in the light of day.

"I can't believe I slept with you, of all the people at the club last night." Parker bit, more at himself than at Isabella.

She looked up at him through the hands that covered her face. "You think I'm happy about this? I think I'm more devastated than you are. I mean, seriously. My first one night stand, and I ruin it by sleeping with some guy who threatened me earlier in the night."

"Oh, don't worry. I'm sure you'll figure out a way to use this to your advantage. You'll probably run straight to the tabloids, just to get some publicity for your shitty little restaurant." He said with disgust as he finished tying his shoes.

"Yeah, right. Like I want people to know that I lowered my standards by sleeping with you." She groaned. This conversation was making her feel worse. She could feel the bile rising in her throat again. "Whatever…just get the hell out." She told him, her head cradled in her hands once again, with no strength or energy to look up and glare at him like she wanted to.

"My pleasure." He told her, then slammed the door.

Isabella winced at the sound, and ran back to the bathroom for another round. It was going to be a long day.

*****

Isabella sat in her office with a big bottle of grape Gatorade and a package of saltine crackers. She had been popping Advil all day, and was finally starting to feel somewhat human again. She glared at the phone when it rang, not wanting to talk to anyone, but answering it anyway.

"Morning Mary." Jason drawled into the phone with great enthusiasm.

"You stupid ass! How could you get me so trashed and then let me leave with that dickhead!?" She yelled at Jason.

"Whoa, what happened? Are you all right?" He asked, starting to get concerned. He thought the sex would be good for her and loosen her up a little.

"Physically fine, mentally not so much." She told him, then remembered that he didn't know anything about the explosion with Parker Davidson the day before. "Sorry, I didn't mean to take it out on you, but that was the last person I should have ended up with last night." Isabella apologized, then told the story of what had happened, starting with Parker at her restaurant and ending with him slamming the door that morning.

"Yikes. If I'd known, I would have run after you and stopped you." Jason told her sincerely. "But the question of the day is, was the sex worth it?"

Isabella laughed. Was the sex worth it? "From what I remember, and that isn't too much, I do believe it was quite enjoyable."

"Then don't let the knowledge of who it was with taint the good sex." Jason advised.

She laughed again. "Thank you oh wise one." Leave it to Jason to be able to cheer her up.

"So what do you think? Want to go out again tonight?" He asked quickly, knowing the answer before she even said it, but figured he'd try anyway.

"Not on your life gay boy. Besides, I still have laundry to do, thanks to you. Plus, it's Friday so I need to prepare my linen order for next week. See what happens when you mess with the schedule? Everything gets backed up." Isabella was feeling a little better about her escapades, thanks to Jason. She should have known that he would get her to see the bright side of the tragic episode. "Well, dinner rush should be starting soon, so I have to run. Call my cell later and tell me everything that happened with Paul."