Love, Lies, and Deception(25)
“Oh yeah,” she laughed, turning to look up and down my body. “You are definitely glowing. So I’m assuming your new boy toy is coming tonight? Surely, he’s not going to let you out on the prowl, right?”
My face fell and I shook my head. “No, he’s not coming. He said him and bars don’t mix. Also, we’re not exclusive, so letting me out on the prowl really isn’t his decision.”
Emily’s eyes twinkled. “Isn’t that a shame. Well … we’ll just make sure he regrets not going.” She took my hand and dragged me to her room with me still wrapped in my towel.
Hastily, she grabbed her makeup bag and motioned for me to sit on her bed. “You are gonna be one hot bitch once I get done with you. The guys aren’t even gonna recognize you.”
Laughing, I sat down and folded my legs underneath me. “Work your magic on me, Em. I want to look hot.”
We were only a minute late, but the guys were outside blaring the horn on Justin’s SUV. “Come on, Rissa, let’s go!” Emily shouted.
I put the finishing touches on my red lipstick to make them shine and adjusted my breasts under my sparkly, black tube top. I hated wearing strapless bras, but it was necessary. Emily said I was just going to have to deal with it and suck it up. The same went for the tight ass pants she put me in. I guess over the years I just gotten used to wearing jeans and T-shirts.
Emily was impatiently tapping her foot at the front door, and smiled when she saw me. “Damn, I’m good,” she squealed. “I’m glad I did your hair up like that, and I made sure to make your eyes pop with the dark eyeshadow. Do you like it?”
Smiling, I winked and walked past her out the door while she turned around and locked it. “Yes, you did amazing. You’ve always been a master at the makeup, and I do love what you did to my hair. I just wish Alec could see me like this.”
“Hey, it’s his loss, babe, for not coming with you.”
Beaming, she linked her arm with mine and we headed for the stairs. I secretly hoped Alec would walk out and see me … but he didn’t. My disappointment slowly ebbed off when I saw Justin and Kristian’s look of shock when they saw me; they were speechless.
“Do you like my masterpiece?” Emily bragged, showing me off.
Kristian came and put his arm around me, steering me out of Emily’s grasp and into his own. “Hot damn, Mare. I’m not going to let you out of my sight tonight. You look f*ckin hot.”
“Oh hush. I look the same as I always do,” I told him, trying to mask the sly grin on my face.
He opened the back passenger door for me and leaned against it. He was wearing a pair of loose fitting jeans that hung dangerously low on his hips and a white button down shirt that made his tanned skin stand out. His stormy gray eyes regarded me intently, like he was trying to figure out what the change was. I definitely wasn’t going to tell him.
Kristian took my chin in his hands and smiled. “No, there’s something different about you. Whatever it is, I like it.”
Snickering, Emily winked at me making me blush, so I rolled my eyes at her. As soon as Kristian stepped out of the way, my gaze landed on someone I wasn’t expecting to see. Alec was outside his apartment door, leaning against the rail, and he didn’t look happy. He didn’t smile and he didn’t wave; all semblance of emotion was gone.
“Mare?” Kristian called, catching my attention. “Let’s go.” He smiled and patted the seat beside him for me to join him.
Nodding quickly, I tried to sneak a glance back up at the apartment, but Alec was nowhere to be seen. Was he mad?
Getting in the car, I couldn’t help but wonder why Alec looked the way he did. “Are you all right?” Kristian asked with a slight frown on his face.
Smiling, I took a deep breath and turned to face him. “Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”
He shrugged and furrowed his brows. “I don’t know. You just seemed a little lost in thought over there and it looked like something was wrong.”
“I promise I’m all right. Nothing’s going to get in the way of us having fun tonight.”
That seemed to appease him because he nodded and struck up a conversation with Justin. Was I really okay, though? I asked myself. I was confused with Alec’s cold stare, wondering why he didn’t smile at me, but I figured I could worry about that later.
The night ahead of me wasn’t about Alec; it was about Kristian and showing him a good time. If it wasn’t for the ache between my legs I’d put Alec out of my mind, but I couldn’t. I guess he did get his wish.
The bar was packed, but Kristian and I had managed to snag a couple of stools at the bar. “What’ll it be for ya?” the bartender asked, smiling at Kristian. She was petite and pixie-like with her short blonde haircut and small frame; she looked to be about our age.
Kristian beamed back at her. “Let’s see … I think my friend and I will have two double shots of tequila.”
“Kristian,” I gasped. “Are you trying to get me drunk?”
The bartender smiled and placed two shot glasses down on the bar and filled them to the brim with the amber liquid. He chuckled. “No, but you need some alcohol in your system if you’re going to be dancing with me. No offense, Mare, but you’re kind of clumsy when you’re sober.”