A Perfect Ten (Forbidden Men #5)(3)

I glanced over to find Quinn’s hulking figure up by the stage as he talked to Asher.

Ready for the evening’s performance, Asher had a guitar strapped to his back. He swept a long piece of hair out of his face before gesturing with his hands as he spoke to Quinn. And like Quinn, he was another amazing guy, a hot rocker dude with a voice that made your hormones hum along with him every time he sang.

But he didn’t want me either, which brought up another reason I was so anti-male these days. The good guys who might actually treat me right stayed away, weren’t interested or already had a woman. The only * who’d actually taken a chance on me had used me, turned me into his dirty little secret, and then thrown me out like yesterday’s trash. Was it any wonder I hadn’t had sex in almost a year?

Oh, hell. Had it already almost been a year? Not cool.

I sank deeper into my chair as Blaze gasped. “What?! That hunk of walking orgasm is your boyfriend? Since when can you attract a guy?”

“Whoa!” I sat up straighter, scowling at Blaze. “What the hell? Zoey could attract any man she wanted.”

Zoey was my best friend on earth. She and I had come here tonight with Quinn to watch Asher’s band play. Blaze was merely a passing acquaintance I shared a couple classes with, who’d approached us tonight, probably just looking for a table to sit at.

“But she’s just so...” Blaze motioned to Zoey as she made a sour face. “So...”

“Sweet?” I guessed snidely, arching an eyebrow while my gaze dared her to say one more negative thing about my friend. “Beautiful? Smart? Loyal?”

“Shy,” Blaze burst out as if that was something horrid. “Seriously, I don’t know why you hang out with such losers. You’re not like them, but I swear you try to be. You just need to live a little, Caroline. Find yourself a man. A hot one-night stand. I haven’t heard about you hooking up with anyone since we met last semester, and I know you’re not into chicks. I’m worried your poor vagina’s going to wrinkle up and dry out if you don’t give it a little pampering.”

Zoey’s eyes grew big as she darted glances between me and Blaze. Unlike Blaze, though, she knew I had a temper and wasn’t afraid to use it, so she also knew I wasn’t going to let Blaze get away with saying all that shit unscathed.

One freshly clawed face coming up.

Sniffing up some oxygen into my nostrils, I nodded and sent Blaze a pleasant smile. “You know what? You’re absolutely right.”

“I know.” She lifted a hand and motioned toward Quinn. “I say you take her man and show him what a real woman’s like.”

“No.” I shook my head. “Not about that. You were right about me hanging out with too many losers. I totally need to stop that shit. They’re such a drain. So...bye-bye now...you f*cking loser.”

Blaze’s mouth fell open. “What the hell? What’d I say?”

Was she for real? “What did you not say? You just belittled my best friend and then told me to go cheat on her with her boyfriend. I don’t care who you are, that’s wrong, honey. And since when does a girl need a man in her life to be considered living? I don’t need some useless dick around to prove I’m somebody.”

“Well, damn, you didn’t have to be such a bitch about it. I was just looking out for you, Care.” With a huff, Blaze shoved her chair back and hopped to her feet. “I don’t have to take this from you.” Arching her chin up, she pulled her shoulders back and pushed her chest forward. “Only a girl who can’t get a guy would say that, anyway. You’re both losers.”

As she flounced off, I snorted. Good riddance. I turned to Zoey to apologize for letting Blaze sit with us in the first place, but she was already sending me a regretful wince as she bit her lip. “I’m sorry, Caroline.”

I blinked. “You’re sorry? About what? She was the one who insulted you.”

“But she insulted you too, and I said nothing. If I was just a little more outgoing or—”

Reaching across the table, I clasped her hand. “Zo, you are perfect just the way you are. And I don’t want you to change a thing. Besides, how can you listen to a word she said, about you or me? She’s headed over to hit on your man as we speak.”

“She’s what?” Zoey twisted in her seat to watch as Blaze boldly approached both Asher and Quinn, but Quinn was the one she turned to. She moved in close enough to brush up against his arm as she sent him a flirty smile.

Bouncing in her seat, Zoey clapped happily. “Oh, this should be fun to watch. I hope he’s really cold and rude when he rejects her.”

I shook my head, amused. Ninety percent of the women I knew would turn jealous and insecure when another woman hit on her boyfriend and end up blaming him, but not Zoey. She was completely confident about her relationship with her man, and she knew Quinn would never cheat...which only made me feel worse about my own pathetic relationship status.

Without my consent, my gaze strayed to another part of the bar where one dark-headed guy flirted with four—not one, or two, or even three, but four—women at once. He’d looped his arms around two of their waists while he said something to the other pair in front of him. When the two girls in front of him moved together and began kissing, he hooted in approval as if he’d asked them to do it and was pleased about getting his wish granted.