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Chapter Fourteen

Quentin sat on the workout bench in a trance as he waited for his frat brothers Derek James Clark and Luke Steele to arrive at the gym. Thinking of last night’s turn of events was weighing heavy on his mind. Quentin had all but expected his friends to be upset about him dating Phoebe, but he never thought any of them would really try to reach out and touch him.

Jonathon did more than that, coming after Quentin like he was a random stranger on the street. Quentin knew his reputation with women wasn’t the best, but he’d always been up front and insisted that a relationship was not something he was willing to try. This was no different, except this time his heart was in it. Phoebe was the embodiment of what his soul longed for, and having to choose between her and his brothers was distressing.

“I think we may need to be in the bar instead of the gym.”

Quentin looked up, coming out of his musing, and a small smile tugged at his lips. “It’s about time y’all got here. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to ditch me, too.”

Derek folded his toned arms across the button-down shirt he wore and glanced at Luke who also stood in a button down, suit jacket and tie. The two men were both above six feet in height and projected masculinity with staunch personas, and daunting occupancy. With Quentin, the three of them could be officially dubbed “the beard gang” as they all kept nicely groomed hair outlining their faces.

“Ditch you, too?” Derek’s voice beat. “What am I missing?”

Quentin looked them up and down. “How are you going to work out wearing a suit?”

“We have a change of clothes, but what is this about ditching you?”

Quentin gave Derek and Luke the low down on what happened at Lamar’s the night before. Both of them listened with frowns on their faces and lines in their creasing their foreheads, not wanting to believe what Quentin was saying.

“So he rushed you?” Luke asked.

“Like a linebacker,” Quentin said, “and caught me in the jaw on the way down to the floor.

The two friends’ brows creased further, and their mouths hung slightly.

“I expected them to be upset, but yo, this brother came at me like we were old enemies.”

“What did the others do?” Luke asked.

“They pulled him off of me, but I told them to let him go.”

The two men nodded.

“I feel you. Friend or foe, if you come at me like that, we’re fighting on sight,” Derek said, and Quentin and Luke nodded.

“It’s just unfortunate you know, I mean, we supposed to be brothers,” Quentin said.

“Yeah, man, but you know, if it was your sister or my sister, I’d want to knock your head off, too,” Derek said.

They all nodded again.

“Yeah, but would you come for me though?” Quentin watched Derek’s response closely.

“I might,” he rubbed his chin.

“But you know, I would never date someone like your sister if I wasn’t serious about her. I mean cut me some slack, why would I be foolish enough to risk a lifetime of friendship to play around with her?”

Derek stroked his beard. “Yeah, I hear you. So you’re telling us that you’re trying to take Phoebe off the market?”

“She’s off,” he stated matter of fact. “There’s no trying to it, brother.”

The two men chuckled.

“Okay, then let me rearrange the question,” Derek said. “Have you taken yourself off the market?”

Luke nodded.

“Look, man, I’m all about Phoebe,” Quentin replied. “I would tell y’all how I really feel, but you bustas wouldn’t understand.”

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