Read Online Bedding The Best Man (Bedding the Bachelors Book 7) by Virna Depaul - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Virna Depaul
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list and jabbed a name. Finally, the voice on the other end answered, gravelly and gruff.
“Hello? Bri?”
“Hi Gabe, it’s me,” she said, and until the words tumbled out of her mouth, she hadn’t been entirely aware of what she’d been doing. But now it seemed beyond right. Gabe was the only person she wanted to talk to right now.
“I’m at the Orange Lounge downtown and I just wanted to tell you that you were wrong.” As she heard herself speaking, she realized she was drunker than she had thought. What the heck was she doing? Drunk-dialing the one guy she shouldn’t be talking to? The only thing possibly worse was if she had drunk-dialed Eric.
“What was I wrong about, Bri?”
She could hear the concern in his voice. She hated herself for being weak, for being one of those girls she had no patience for—the ones who always looked to other people to solve their problems. But she couldn’t help it.
“You were wrong about me being okay. I’m not going to be okay. I’ve screwed everything up. I screwed up my relationship with Eric. I made an impulsive decision that will probably end up hurting my business even more than it’s already been hurt. And now I’m here, and there’s this sexy guy who’s into me, and I’ve had too many vodka tonics, and I—I—”
“Okay, where are you again?” Gabe said, all business now. “I’m coming to get you.”
“No, Gabe, really…”
“You said the Orange Lounge, right? Stay put, I’ll be there in twenty.”
She opened her mouth to tell him to forget it, but the line had already gone dead. Great, another guy who thought he knew what was right for her. She didn’t want him to come get her, to rescue her from herself. She had just wanted to talk for a minute. Had wanted him to make her smile, build up her confidence enough so she could go back out there and deal with the situation like the lady she was. She pursed her lips, sniffed, and stuffed her phone back in her purse.
Trying to adjust herself to look beautiful and sexy, and not a completely drunken mess, she arranged her top and smoothed down her skirt. She left the stall and checked her appearance in the mirror. Even with the one-too-many drinks and slightly tearful eyes from her pity party, she still looked good. Damn good, in fact. She reapplied her lipstick and thought of Justin waiting at the table back in the club. Maybe she needed to rescue herself from her boring, depressing life with a little bit of fun. Maybe she was just being a bit too prissy about it all. She needed to loosen up, live a little wilder, right?
Justin was still waiting, a fresh drink on the table in front of him. “Hi, babe, I thought you’d gotten lost,” he said with a smile. She popped her hip seductively, and smiled back.
“No, it’s a big bathroom, but I know right where I am.”
“Good,” he said, and patted the seat next to him.
Chapter Six
Gabe stormed through the doors of the Orange Lounge like a mini-tornado. He’d managed to get to the club from his apartment in twenty-five minutes, a new land speed record for him. He hoped he wasn’t too late. As he looked around the trendy club, he realized he was dressed completely wrong; his faded jeans, white t-shirt, and flip flops had served him well at home when he’d been watching Netflix, but in the swanky Orange Lounge, not so much. Good thing he didn’t plan on staying long.
Bri had sounded awful on the phone. Drunk, sure, but there had been something else there, too, an edge of sadness and desperation he hadn’t heard from her before. Not even when he talked to her on the night of her disastrous wedding. He let his eyes adjust to the darkness interspersed with the strobing and flashing lights in the club, and began anxiously scanning tables.
He couldn’t see her anywhere. “Fuck!” he exclaimed. What if she’d left and was wandering around downtown Los Angeles alone? Worse, what if she’d gone home with some sleazy guy who would
“Hello? Bri?”
“Hi Gabe, it’s me,” she said, and until the words tumbled out of her mouth, she hadn’t been entirely aware of what she’d been doing. But now it seemed beyond right. Gabe was the only person she wanted to talk to right now.
“I’m at the Orange Lounge downtown and I just wanted to tell you that you were wrong.” As she heard herself speaking, she realized she was drunker than she had thought. What the heck was she doing? Drunk-dialing the one guy she shouldn’t be talking to? The only thing possibly worse was if she had drunk-dialed Eric.
“What was I wrong about, Bri?”
She could hear the concern in his voice. She hated herself for being weak, for being one of those girls she had no patience for—the ones who always looked to other people to solve their problems. But she couldn’t help it.
“You were wrong about me being okay. I’m not going to be okay. I’ve screwed everything up. I screwed up my relationship with Eric. I made an impulsive decision that will probably end up hurting my business even more than it’s already been hurt. And now I’m here, and there’s this sexy guy who’s into me, and I’ve had too many vodka tonics, and I—I—”
“Okay, where are you again?” Gabe said, all business now. “I’m coming to get you.”
“No, Gabe, really…”
“You said the Orange Lounge, right? Stay put, I’ll be there in twenty.”
She opened her mouth to tell him to forget it, but the line had already gone dead. Great, another guy who thought he knew what was right for her. She didn’t want him to come get her, to rescue her from herself. She had just wanted to talk for a minute. Had wanted him to make her smile, build up her confidence enough so she could go back out there and deal with the situation like the lady she was. She pursed her lips, sniffed, and stuffed her phone back in her purse.
Trying to adjust herself to look beautiful and sexy, and not a completely drunken mess, she arranged her top and smoothed down her skirt. She left the stall and checked her appearance in the mirror. Even with the one-too-many drinks and slightly tearful eyes from her pity party, she still looked good. Damn good, in fact. She reapplied her lipstick and thought of Justin waiting at the table back in the club. Maybe she needed to rescue herself from her boring, depressing life with a little bit of fun. Maybe she was just being a bit too prissy about it all. She needed to loosen up, live a little wilder, right?
Justin was still waiting, a fresh drink on the table in front of him. “Hi, babe, I thought you’d gotten lost,” he said with a smile. She popped her hip seductively, and smiled back.
“No, it’s a big bathroom, but I know right where I am.”
“Good,” he said, and patted the seat next to him.
Chapter Six
Gabe stormed through the doors of the Orange Lounge like a mini-tornado. He’d managed to get to the club from his apartment in twenty-five minutes, a new land speed record for him. He hoped he wasn’t too late. As he looked around the trendy club, he realized he was dressed completely wrong; his faded jeans, white t-shirt, and flip flops had served him well at home when he’d been watching Netflix, but in the swanky Orange Lounge, not so much. Good thing he didn’t plan on staying long.
Bri had sounded awful on the phone. Drunk, sure, but there had been something else there, too, an edge of sadness and desperation he hadn’t heard from her before. Not even when he talked to her on the night of her disastrous wedding. He let his eyes adjust to the darkness interspersed with the strobing and flashing lights in the club, and began anxiously scanning tables.
He couldn’t see her anywhere. “Fuck!” he exclaimed. What if she’d left and was wandering around downtown Los Angeles alone? Worse, what if she’d gone home with some sleazy guy who would
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