Page 83 of Unbelonging
Within the club, Lawton and I were inseparable. Even when going to the ladies room, he insisted on escorting me.
I remember smiling up at him. "Why?" I asked. "Because of the daiquiris? You worried I'll pass out under some table, and you won't find me 'til morning?"
"Nah, that's not it," he said as ne navigated me through the crowd. "On second thought," he said, as I stumbled a little over my own feet, "Yeah, I guess there's some truth to that. But mostly, I'm not gonna let you out of my sight. Not in this place."
"What's the matter?" I teased. "Don't trust me?"
"I trust you just fine, baby," he said. "It's those other guys I worry about."
I laughed. "There's no other guys."
"Yeah, I believe that," he said in a tone that suggested just the opposite.
At the hallway to the ladies room, I turned to him. 'I think I can handle it from here."
"You sure?" he said, giving me a wicked grin.
"Oh stop," I said, smiling up at him. "I'll be right back."
In the restroom, I did my business, then freshened up my lipstick. Why, I didn't know. If I were lucky, I'd be smearing it the second I ran into Lawton. His lips were a temptation I simply couldn't resist, much like the rest of him.
Stumbling maybe just a little, I made my way out of the ladies' room and looked to where he said he'd be waiting.
He wasn't there.
Chapter 47
I looked around, momentarily confused. Sure, I didn't really need an escort or anything. I was a big girl, perfectly capable of getting from point A to point B without a bodyguard or tour guide. But still, it seemed odd. Why would he be so insistent on coming with me, only to leave me wondering where he was?
When I didn't see him, I started wading unsteadily through the crowd toward the stairway leading to the VIP section. Walking, I peered upward, but didn't see Lawton at our table. Maybe he'd gone to the men's room?
I turned around, deciding I'd wait for him in the original spot. I was halfway there when I heard something that stopped me cold in my tracks. It was a male voice, hollering out from somewhere off to my left. "Hey! Dog girl!"
I whirled around, scanning the crowd.
"Over here!" the same voice called again.
Sure enough, there he was, one of player wannabes who'd been with Brittney and Amber that awful night at the restaurant. He was dressed the same as before. The only thing louder than his voice was his shirt, some black and gold sleeveless thing, no doubt designed to show off his overgrown muscles.
"All bling and no brains," I muttered, moving faster toward the hallway, determined to avoid him. I was nearly there when I felt a hard tug on my elbow. I whirled to see the player latched onto me like he had no plans of letting go any time soon.
His smile was a little off-kilter. "Aw c'mon, don't be like that." His gaze scanned me up and down. "Damn girl, I thought your work getup was hot, but you're double-smokin' now." He turned his cheek to the side. "C'mon, give me some sugar."
Ick.
Unsteadily, I shrugged off his arm. "I'm meeting someone," I said. "Go away."
"Now, that's just fuckin' rude," he said.
I glared at him. "Hey, you haven't seen rude. Where's your friend?"
"Why? You looking for a threesome?"
Double ick. "Seriously," I said. "Go away. Find your friend. Leave. Whatever. Just stay the hell away from me, alright?"
Over the guy's shoulder, I finally saw Lawton, wading through the crowd toward us. His jaw was tight and his expression dark. The player turned around to follow my gaze, and when he did, he visibly swallowed.
"Your loss," the guy muttered, and waded into the crowd, not exactly disappearing, but moving fast enough that he might as well have.
