Tamed (Torn #5)(56)

I hated myself for it. I hated Adam, too. He’d broken me and left, not once looking back. For all he knew, I could be dead. No, that wasn’t true. Chloe would’ve told him that, I was sure, but I doubted if he’d even care.

I hated men in general. I would still go out from time to time when I had an itch that needed to be scratched, but it wasn’t often. I didn’t crave sex the way I used to. Adam had ruined even that for me. Yeah, I was a little bit bitter.

Add in the fact that my two best friends had abandoned me, and it didn’t take me long to sink into depression.



I had no idea why I’d chosen this bar tonight. I stared around Gold’s as I took a sip of my cranberry vodka, my favorite drink. There were so many memories here, haunting me with every sip I took. I should’ve gone to another bar, any other bar, but I’d come here. I knew why. I didn’t want to be alone, and the memories here were as close as I could get to my friends and…him.

I also had an itch that needed to be scratched. It’d been almost two months since I had sex, and my body was constantly reminding me of that. Even my body had been plotting against me lately.

As soon as I’d come home after work today, I’d all but ripped off my dress slacks and white button-up shirt. I’d gone to my closet to find the dress to end all dresses. I’d found it quickly—a bright red dress with no back. It was low-cut, showing almost too much cleavage, and it barely covered my ass, but it was perfect for what I wanted—male attention.

And I garnered lots of attention tonight, but none of the men who had approached me sparked my interest. I finished off my drink and put the glass on the bar. This night had been a disaster. Despite the craving my body had, I wasn’t in the mood to deal with some scumbag’s pick-up lines tonight. I grabbed my purse and stood to leave.

Before I could move, someone called out my name behind me. “Amber?”

I turned to see a man standing a few feet behind me. I squinted at him, trying to figure out who he was. Finally, it clicked. “Alex?”

He grinned as he walked over to me. “Yeah. Damn, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”

“Yeah, it has,” I said as I studied him.

It felt like decades had passed since I’d hooked up with him my freshman year. He’d been the start of my decline, whether he’d realized it or not.

He sat down next to me. “How have you been?”

I settled back down onto my barstool. “Not too bad. I’m working as a paralegal at a local law firm.”

He nodded, giving me a small smile. “You look good.”

My eyes traveled down his body. “You do, too.”

He’d obviously changed a little over the years but not much. He was no longer the teenager I’d hooked up with at a frat party. His blond hair was cut shorter now. His blue eyes were still gorgeous. He’d beefed up over the years. His tight black shirt clung to his body, showing off the muscles in his arms, chest, and stomach.

He grinned. “Can I buy you a drink? I’d love to catch up with you.”

I shrugged. “Sure.”

He motioned for the bartender to come over. I asked for another cranberry vodka before turning my attention back to Alex.

“So, what have you been up to?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I graduated with a degree in engineering. I’ve been working for the power company for about six months. I work a lot, but I like it so far.”

“That’s…impressive,” I told him. And it was. It took far more brainpower than I was capable of to get an engineering degree.

He smiled. I turned my attention to the drink the bartender had just set down in front of me. I took a sip of it before turning back to Alex. I glanced down his body again. We’d had fun together before, but I’d grown bored with him quickly. I couldn’t help but wonder if that would still apply. He was definitely attractive. He was also the first man I felt interested in all evening.

He leaned closer to me. “Keep looking at me like that, and our chat will end earlier than expected. I’m more than willing to do more than talk with you.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I see you’re still as forward as ever.”

He shrugged. “I just remember how good you are in bed.”

I glanced down, and something caught my eye. I froze when I saw a gold band wrapped around his finger. Anger rushed through my body. The f*cker was married.

“So, anything else interesting happen to you in the past few years?” I asked, fighting to keep my voice calm.

“Not really.”

“You sure about that?”

He gave me a questioning look. “Um…yeah. Why?”

“I don’t know. I would think getting married is a big deal.” I pointed at his ring.

He swallowed roughly before looking away. “Yeah, I suppose it is.”

“You’re an *,” I told him. “What the f*ck are you doing in a bar, flirting with me, if you’re married?”

He looked back up at me, his eyes blazing. “I didn’t come here to pick a girl up, if that’s what you’re thinking. Believe it or not, that wasn’t my intention when I saw you either. I just wanted to say hi. But then…I got distracted.”

I snorted. “Again, you’re an *.”