Page 24 of Finding Gwen

My vision darkened on the edges as I stalked toward her, causing her to realize she had backed herself against the wall. I pinned her in with my hands on either side of her head, our eyes never leaving each other. Expecting fear, I was surprised when Gwendalyn glared at me with determination, refusing to give in.

“Daddy, I’m hungry!” The words registered, but the voice didn’t, my mind still fogged by the infuriating woman in front of me.

“Oliver is calling for you,” Gwendalyn whispered.

Her words lifted the haze. I turned my head, ready to call out to Oliver, when Gwendalyn slipped under my arm. Bolting for the front door, she wretched it open and left without looking back. The slam that followed echoed through the house, making my stomach drop. I had just royally fucked up.

Chapter Sixteen

Gwen

The place was way more packed than I had expected it to be. Silently, I wondered if Anthony’s warning was actually true, but quickly dismissed the thought. Making my way toward the bar, I spotted Carol on a stool with a pint glass already in her hand. As I reached her, she jumped off her chair and threw herself at me to give me possibly the biggest hug I had ever received.

“Gwen! I’m so glad you could make it!” She pulled away and sat down, gesturing with her hand to the empty stool next to her as she flagged down a bartender. “We’re doing a round of shots. It’s been a week.” Looking over her shoulder toward me, she rolled her eyes, telling me exactly how she felt and I couldn’t help my laugh. Carol could never replace Ivy, but she has become such a close friend since I moved to Chicago.

The bartender stood in front of us, and Carol ordered three shots of tequila. I was about to ask her why we needed three when she turned to me again. “I’ve already had one, so you need to catch up.” When the bartender was done pouring, he sat a few lime slices on a plate in front of us. Carol gave him the name for her tab, then slid two of the glasses over to me. We clinked the first ones together before I quickly downed it, opting to do the second one before the first had even settled.

I shoved a lime in my mouth, letting the tart liquid chase the tequila. Carol laughed at the sour expression on my face. My own laughter joined hers as I discarded the lime into my shot glass. When the bartender came back to pick up our shot glasses, I ordered a beer after Carol insisted I let her buy me a drink since she invited me out. We fell into an easy conversation about how life was going as we sipped on our drinks and enjoyed each other’s company.

Forty minutes later, the buzz from the tequila had slowly waned as the bar continued to get more crowded. Carol and I were clutching our chests with laughter after eavesdropping on two dudes trying to hit on a couple of women seated a few seats down from us at the bar and getting brutally rejected. In the middle of our laughing, the sound of a faint ringtone sounded and Carol pulled out her phone. Soon after answering, she stopped laughing as concern warped her expression. After she hung up, she continued to sit frozen, as if unsure what to do next.

“Carol? Is everything okay?” I asked. I placed my hand on hers and she looked up from her phone.

“My next-door neighbor is in the hospital. I’m her emergency contact, so they just called me,” she said, pulling away to gather her things. “I’m so sorry I have to cut our evening short, love. We’ll do this again soon.”

“I’ll text you,” she called over her shoulder as she rushed out of the bar. I waved after her, not sure she actually saw it. My half finished drink was staring at me as I debated whether to stay and finish it or head home. Not wanting to go home and having to deal with Anthony’s strange behavior, I decided to stay, even going so far as to flag down the bartender to order one more shot. After I did, I sat waiting with my hands wrapped around my pint glass when a man came up beside me. Thinking he was just waiting for the bartender, I didn’t acknowledge him, but when the bartender came back with my shot, he didn’t order anything. Instead, he cleared his throat, grabbing my attention.

“Did it hurt when you fell, angel?” His low voice paired with his heated gaze mesmerized me. Instead of withdrawing from the unwanted attention of this stranger, something inside me pushed to indulge his advance. Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe it was the leftover confidence from telling off Anthony. Either way, who was I to deny someone who wanted to show me some attention the pleasure of doing just that.

“Excuse me?” I couldn’t help but chuckle at his cheesy line. He leaned against the bar, his arm now extended in front of me, and I took a second to admire the shape of his muscles that were defined under the stretch of his shirt.

“From heaven, of course.” His half smile held a mystery that had me practically melting in his presence. “How about I buy you a drink?”

“I have one.” I pointed behind him at the full shot glass. He smirked before twisting to reach for it. Out of his gaze, I tilted my head to admire the muscles in his back, my eyes landing on his ass. Men in jeans would always be a weakness. Too soon, he turned back to me, my shot glass in his hand and I took it from him, quickly downing the liquid. His eyes held a hint of surprise.

“What, never seen a woman drink tequila?” I said, sitting the glass on the bar.

“Not without making a face,” he chuckled.

“Well, I’m different.” My cheeks warmed as he held my gaze and the liquid worked its way down.

“You definitely are.” His eyes darkened as he spoke and my stomach twisted, the confidence I was feeling moments ago wavering as the sounds around me started to muffle. Maybe that was one shot too many.

“Excuse me. I need to go to the bathroom.” Slipping from the stool, my legs were unsteady as I stood.

The man was blocking my path, and I tried to push past him, placing my hand on his chest. His hand flew up to grab my wrist, tears springing to my eyes as his nails dug into my skin. Immediately, adrenaline spiked through my body as I pushed against his chest, trying to put distance between us and a wicked grin grew on his face. Using his grip on me, the man pulled me against his chest, dipping his head down so his mouth was inches from my ear. My stomach rolled, feeling his hot breath.

“I can see why he’s so interested in you.” His nose running along my ear sent fear through my body.

“Let go of me!” Pulling my head away from him, I struggled against his hold as I tried to figure out how to get out of this situation. My stomach continued doing flips, the night’s drinks threatening to make a reappearance when I acted on instinct. Bringing my knee up as hard as possible, I struck the man in his balls, his grip on me instantly loosening.

“What the hell is happening over here?” Throwing a quick glance over my shoulder, the bartender was wiping his hands on a rag behind the bar. Where was he five minutes ago? Slipping past the man still doubled over in pain, I pushed past several groups of people, heading toward the front door. I could hear the bartender calling after me, but I needed to leave. As I stepped outside into the fresh air, I gripped the side of the building as tears pooled in the corners of my eyes, a few escaping down my cheeks. The adrenaline that had been coursing through me only seconds ago was nowhere to be seen.

My chest tightened as I placed a hand on my stomach, willing my turning stomach to settle and forcing air into my lungs. The insecurity I had been feeling about everything quickly disappeared. My mind flashed to the warmth and security of his arms. Just the memory had my body relaxing.

Pulling myself together, I found my way to my car in the back of the lot, cursing every few feet as I stumbled and fought to stay upright. My head swam as I gripped the handle of my car. Something was wrong. There was no way I was drunk, not that quickly after having a shot.

Dropping my hand from the handle, I reached into my bag to find my phone, nearly dropping it when I pulled it out. My only option was to call an Uber… or maybe Anthony. Pulling up his contact on my phone, my thumb hovered over the dial button. I hesitated for a moment, thinking back to our conversation before I left. Anthony had been trying to intimidate me, and Gwen from six months ago would have let him. But I had found confidence in myself since then, proud of the fact that I wasn’t going to let a man control me or my decisions.

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