“What are you doing?” a hushed voice whispered directly in my ear. So close to me that their breath tickled my neck, and I all but screamed.
With a loud gasp that nearly turned into a yelp, I turned on my heels as a good portion of my drink sloshed over the top of my glass and splattered onto the floor.
My heart thundered, and my pulse raced, but I looked up to find Reed looking down at me with a smug grin on his face. His ridiculously handsome face.
It took me a few seconds of deep, focused breaths to lower my heart rate and prepare to berate him. All the while, he stood in the dimly lit hallway, his hands casually tucked into the front pockets of his dark jeans and his fitted black jacket open to show off the crisp lines of his tailored white shirt that hugged his defined muscles.
His sharp jawline was dusted with dark stubble, and he’d styled his hair to look like he’d woken up with it perfectly tousled. His honey-colored eyes were alight with a playful spark which immediately pulled me from my unintentional examination.
“Did you have to scare the shit out of me, Reed? And you made me spill my drink,” I angrily whispered to him.
He shrugged and opened his mouth to say something until a very loud moan interrupted us. Both of our eyebrows shot up as we peered around the corner in unison.
“Who the fuck is fucking?” Reed asked, and I shushed him quickly as we approached the door where I believed the sounds were emanating from. I leaned my ear against the wooden door, and the telltale sounds of slapping skin greeted me.
I sighed and rolled my shoulders back. “I think it’s my date.”
Like I knew it would, the revelation made Reed laugh, but I was thankful he at least pressed his hand against his mouth to muffle the sound. I backed away from the door as he stepped forward, resuming the same position with his ear against the wood. He nodded and turned to me as I finished the rest of my drink and hoped it helped. Of course it would be my luck that I would bring a date and he would end up fucking someone else.
“You know for sure it’s him?”
I shook my head. “Not necessarily, but he was missing from the rehearsal. So I’m assuming…”
“Amanda, you know what happens when you assume—”
I threw daggers at him with my eyes, but he didn’t flinch. “Don’t test me right now, Gregory,” I said, using his last name as I did when I was pissed. “You scared the shit out of me, made me spill my drink, and laughed when I said I think my date is screwing someone else. You’re on thin ice, bud.”
He scrubbed a hand over his mouth and down over his jaw to hide the smile I knew was there. He knew just what buttons to press to get a rise out of me, and like he always had, he seized every opportunity to do so. Quickly, he glanced between me and the door, and I saw the moment the idea fully formed in his head.
“You think he is, but you’re not sure. So, let’s find out.”
And without another word, the shithead opened the damn door.
TWO
Amanda
My reaction was too late,and once I fully understood what Reed intended to do, the door was open, and my fear was realized.
Only a few feet from the door, and not hidden in any way, was my date with his pants around his ankles and his dick buried inside a cute brunette who had her legs draped over his shoulders. Her dress was only pushed up around her waist, but it was still a compromising position for both of them. I vaguely recognized the woman, but she wasn’t who I was focused on either.
All motion and sound stopped when Reed flung the door open, and in an instant, their eyes went wide.
For a second, we all stood there. Justin was still inside the brunette, the brunette still gripped the edge of the table, Reed cocked his head to the side, and I let out a frustrated groan.
“Fuck, Amanda. I’m sor—”
“I swear to God, Justin, if you tell me you’re sorry, I’m going to go fullKill Billon your ass. Uma Thurman will have nothing on me,” I seethed as I stepped into the room that was only lit by the emergency lights every several feet. “Why don’t you remove yourself from that woman and just get the hell out?”
“Amanda, do you want to give them a minute to get dressed and then—” Reed started from behind me, still standing in the doorway.
“No,” I said firmly, crossing my arms over my chest. “They didn’t have a problem fucking in a public place. They shouldn’t have a problem getting dressed in front of an audience.”
“Fair enough,” Reed said as he stepped into the room and propped the door open with the attached doorstop.
For a fleeting second, I was saddened knowing another one bit the dust. But it didn’t last long as I watched him extract his dick from the woman, and then the two of them scrambled to right themselves. I knew I was lying to myself—there wasn’t a future between us, and the loss wasn’t enough to worry about. What hit me hardest was the fact that I had again invested time into a person that wasn’t invested in me. More time wasted and with little to show for my efforts.
“Can I please explain, Amanda? I promise I have an explanation.”