The Girl's Got Secrets (Forbidden Men #7) (33 page)

I kicked her again under the table, but she just kept talking. “You know, the project I’m doing my term assignment on?”

When I walloped her again, she whirled to me with a frown. “Why the fuck do you keep kicking me?”

As I glared at her, Caroline laughed. “I think she’s trying to get you to shut up so I won’t figure out who she really is,” she told my roommate.

With a groan, I slunk lower in my chair. “Except you already know,” I concluded. “Right?”

She laughed. “Yep. I figured it out a few days after your first performance at Forbidden when Jodi brought a picture of
Sticks
to class and explained how she helped transform you to get you into Asher’s band.”

“¡Dios mío,
Jodi
!” I cried, gaping. “You told an entire classroom full of people about it?”

My roommate winced, realizing she might have messed up. “Well, I...”

“She totally did,” Caroline gleefully informed me.

“Great,” I muttered. “Now, you, your husband,
and
an entire classroom full of strangers know.”

“Wait,” Caroline demanded. “
Oren
knows?” just as Jodi whirled to her and squawked, “You’re
married
?”

I shook my head, confused. “Oren?”

Caroline rolled her eyes. “Well, you didn’t think his real first name was Ten, did you?”

“Uh, well, I guess I never thought about it.”

“How can you be married?” Jodi butted in, gaping at Caroline as if she’d never seen her before.

I rolled my eyes. “Jodi, you
know
her husband. Hell, you flirted with him and tried to get into his pants at the bar a couple weeks ago.”

“You flirted with my husband?” Caroline gasped, blinking at Jodi. “I mean, not that I blame you, but damn...aren’t you already sleeping with two members in Asher’s band?”

It must’ve been my turn to be utterly flabbergasted. I swung to Jodi. “
Two
members?”

“Oh yeah,” she said, grinning blithely as if she’d forgotten to mention such a major detail. “I went home with the big, bearded one last weekend after you ditched out on us as soon as the show was over.”

“You...” I shook my head, still not comprehending. Then I screeched, “Heath? You slept with
Heath
?”

“Yes, and mmm, girl, let me tell you, that one is hung. I mean, like huge. Like the biggest I’ve ever seen, not just had, but
seen
. I still walk funny because of that night.” She leaned toward me, wiggling her brows, before confidentially confessing, “He really likes it from behind too, and I mean, like way back there, in the—”

“Oh!” I yelped, instantly covering my ears, not wanting to know that. “I can’t believe you. What about Gally?”

Jodi frowned, clueless. “Who?”

“
Gally
,” I growled. “Galloway. Billy Galloway. The bass guitarist in my band. I thought you’d slept with
him
.”

“Oh, right.” She sighed out a smile. “Yeah, I’m still boffing him, too. He’s not as big, but what he lacks in size, he definitely makes up for in freaky. The toys he owns...let me tell you—”

I gagged, just a little, because really...more information about my bandmates I totally did not want to know. “But...”

She winked. “Looks like I’m making my way through your entire band, puta. So by rights, I should get Asher next, right?”

My shock morphed into an immediate scowl. “Over my dead fucking body.”

Damn it!  I knew she’d only said that to get a rise out of me, and I’d totally obliged her.

When Caroline laughed, I realized just how possessive I’d sounded of poor Asher, too. “I mean, I just...”

Jodi nudged Caroline in the elbow. “I think Remy doth protest too much.” Then she smirked at me. “You have such a thing for him.”

I snorted. “Do
not
.”

“You
love
him,” my roommate taunted. “You want to have his babies. You—”

“Shut it,” I growled.

“Asher is a really sweet, amazing guy,” Caroline said thoughtfully. “You could fall for a lot worse.”

I sighed. Yeah, I already knew that.

“Okay, fine,” Jodi announced, lifting her hand into a pledge. “I’ll refrain from seducing the hot one. But I have to tell you, if he comes onto me first, I won’t be held accountable for rocking his hot little world.”

“He won’t,” I assured her, even though I knew she would never do what she claimed. Hell, she’d been the one to clue me into Fisher’s cheating ways when
he’d
come onto her.

But seriously, Asher wouldn’t hit on her...would he?

No. He was looking for something meaningful. Jodi was allergic to meaningful when it came to guys. She wanted to taste test all of them, not settle down. She liked experimenting and seeing what was out there.

“I can’t wait until he meets the real you,” Caroline murmured before sucking on the straw of her own piña colada.

I stared at her as if she were insane, because really, she had to be whack for even suggesting such an idea would be anything to look forward to. “Yeah, because it’s going to be
so
exciting to see how he reacts to my
month’s
worth of deception.”

Caroline shrugged. “Not if you tell him at just the right time. Like right before he puts his clothes back on.”

“See, I told you; you just need to fuck him,” Jodi said.

I groaned as I scowled at the two women across the table from me. “No way,” I announced. “I’m not adding
that
to my deception as well. He’d hate me for sure when he found out.”

“I don’t know,” Caroline murmured, smiling mischievously. “A guy will forgive a lot more right after he just—”

“Don’t even finish that sentence,” I warned her. “Because it’s never going to happen. End of discussion. Let’s talk about something else.”

So, Caroline moved the topic to Pick and Eva’s wedding. “I can’t believe it’s only five days away. They tried to postpone it after what happened to Mason’s mom on Saturday, but both Reese and Mason insisted they go ahead.”

“How
are
Mason and his little sister?” I asked.

Caroline’s expression crinkled with sympathy. “They’re still pretty upset. Reese says Mason blames himself because he thinks he should’ve known what was going on. And Sarah...” She shook her head. “The only person she’ll respond to is Brandt. So she’s been spending the last few nights at their house so Brandt can get her to eat and sleep. I have a bad feeling it’s going to take her a while to get over it.”

“Poor girl.” I’d seen my mother overdose once. But after calling Tío Alonso, we’d gotten her to a hospital in time to pump her stomach and save her. I’m not sure how I would’ve reacted if she’d never recovered.

The three of us chatted on until I had to pee. Since I could, I forced both Jodi and Caroline to go with me, as a group. It felt nice too. As I entered the ladies’ room, I sighed and petted the sign on the door.

“I can’t believe I can actually use the
ladies’
room again. Isn’t it lovely in here?”

Jodi laughed as she found an available stall and disappeared inside. “I swear, I’ve never heard someone sound so excited to be able to use the ladies’ room before.”

“Well, I’m tired of having the use the men’s room all the time. Those things freaking reek. I’m telling you, it is not pleasant. I swear, every guy that uses a public urinal aims to
miss
the actual toilet. The floors...oh, my God, you guys. The floors are toxic.”

Caroline clutched her stomach as she laughed. “You are so going to have to write a memoir about this when it’s over.
My Life as a Man
.” Then she pulled her phone from her purse and started to text someone.

I grinned, wondering if she was sexting her hubby, until the words ”when this is over” actually struck me.

Shit, I really couldn’t do this forever, could I?

I was living my dream come true, playing drums for a kick-ass band on tour, and I was doing it all on stolen time. Once the truth came out, I’d be kicked out so fast my head would spin. No way could I keep this a secret forever.

Growing serious, I swallowed down my dread and watched Caroline tuck her phone away before moving to the mirror to check her face.

I finally stumbled into a bathroom stall and did my business, but when I exited, I could no longer be as cheerful. But I really frowned when I found the entire bathroom empty.

“Guys?” I asked.

Both Caroline and Jodi were gone.

“Well, there went all the fun of group peeing,” I mumbled as I washed my hands then dried them all by myself. After tossing the paper towels, I checked myself in the mirror, straightened my dress, corrected the lipstick on the corner of my lip and left the ladies’ room.

I fully intended to charge toward my table, but as soon as I whipped around the corner of the hall and into the main part of the restaurant, my gaze collided with none other than Asher Hart.

And he was only ten feet away, leaning against the bar as if waiting there for someone to take his order.

As soon as he saw me, he straightened, and seemed to catch his breath. “Hi,” he murmured in surprise.

I clutched my small purse to my stomach and gaped back, frozen in my four-inch heels. “Hola,” I was finally able to respond.

His gaze fell from my eyes as he scoped out my favorite dress, then my legs, and pumps. As his stare moved back up, I felt stripped bare.

“It’s Elisa, right?” he finally said, after we eye-fucked for a good ten seconds.

I bobbed my head stupidly. And then for some reason I said his name.

His face lit up as he smiled at me, and Dios mío, that smile melted my hormones to mush. “Asher, yes,” he said. “Good memory.”

I didn’t know what to say to that, so I just stood there, unable to move or look away.

The bartender interrupted us then, bringing a drink to Asher and forcing Asher to turn to him. “Thanks,” he told the guy as he paid. “Hey, you haven’t seen a pretty little blonde around, have you? I was supposed to meet her here.”

I swallowed as I listened to the bartender tell him he’d seen too many blondes tonight. All the while, my heart began to pound and I swear my eyes teared.

But, shit, holy hell, and goddamn. He was meeting a
woman
here?

He was on a freaking date.

I started to move away, but Asher swung back to me. He opened his mouth to speak, the apologetic, wistful expression on his face telling me he might rather be here with me instead of his blonde bimbo. I fell to a stop, pretty much trapped by the yearning in his green eyes.

Then he sighed, shook his head, and respectfully said, “Buenas noches.”

My shoulders collapsed with disappointment. But really, what had I expected him to do? Forget about every other woman on the planet and pant after me?

I was such an idiot.

Besides, guy-me had made him promise to leave girl-me alone. He was respecting his friend’s wishes by stepping back.

Mumbling a goodbye to him, I bowed my head and started to move away, except since I wasn’t looking where I was going, I plowed into some other guy who looked as if he’d been headed toward the bathrooms.

“Disculpa,” I told him, making sure to speak in Spanish.

But when I tried to step out of his way, he only grinned and moved with me. “Wait, what’s your hurry, señorita? I’ve been craving a little Mexican lately.”

I scowled at the disgusting bastard and began to step the other way around him. But yeah, he went that way too. So I drew in a deep, calming breath to keep from cussing him out right then and there and maybe kneeing him in the family jewels. Except…since Asher was watching, I wanted to handle this diplomatically.

Until the jerk-ass touched me, running his hand down the side of my bare arm so I threw up just a little in my mouth. “Why don’t you come to the bathroom with me, honey? I’ll show you what real white meat tastes like.”

Eww. I filled my lungs to give him a piece of my mind, not even caring that I was about to give away my knowledge of English, but Asher stepped between us.

“Or you could just get out of her fucking way, asswipe.”

He was shorter and not as wide as the other guy, but whatever expression he flashed the jerk, it had the asshole backing away and lifting his hands. “Hey, sorry. I didn’t know she was here with someone. You know, a woman out and about, dressed like that, is just asking to be— “

“Treated with the same proper courtesy and respect as every other woman on the planet,” Asher growled, his fingers curling into fists at his side.

“Look, I get it,” the jackass conceded, his hands still lifted in surrender. “She’s yours. I’m backing off.” Ignoring me, he veered a wide berth around Asher and escaped into the men’s room.