Come Undone (31 page)

“Oh,
he’s a mutual friend,” I said, waving my hand nonchalantly.

He
nodded his head and grinned tightly. “Very nice. Keep up the good work.”

“Thanks,”
I called as he sauntered away.

I
headed out to the back balcony. I was in conversation with a Bachelorette when
I felt a tap on my shoulder.

“Brian
Ayers,” I exclaimed, wrapping him in a warm hug and planting a kiss on his
cheek. “I’m so glad you could make it.”

“Hello,
Olivia, thank you for the invite. Sorry I wasn’t here earlier.” He eyed my
face, squinting at my cheek.

“No
problem at all. You did miss my speech though,” I reprimanded.

“And
for that I will be eternally sorry. Can I refresh your drinks?”

“Sure,”
the Bachelorette piped. “He’s cute!” she whispered as he walked away. “He must
be in the issue too. He’s too cute not to be. Is he gay? He is, isn’t he?” she
cringed.

“No,
no,” I smiled. “He’s straight and available.”

“Oh,
goody!” she laughed, twirling a piece of auburn hair around her finger.
“Because one time, I was flirting with this guy all night long, and I thought
we were really hitting it off until someone finally told me . . . .” Her eyes
changed just as I was hit with his presence. “Hi,” she said dumbly.

“Ladies.”

I
looked up at David from the corner of my eye. His expression was smoother than
his bristly jawline, and he smelled the way I imagined heaven might. I rolled
my lips together to keep from gaping.

“Are
you a Bachelor, too?” the girl asked. I peeked around him stealthily to search
for his date.

He
cleared his throat leisurely. “Can you give us a moment?”

“Oh,
um, I’m waiting for a drink.”

“I’ll
make sure you get your drink. Do you mind?”

I
crossed my arms and tapped my finger against my forearm once she’d sulked away.
“I’m surprised to see you here.”

“Are
you?” he asked, taking a sip of something dark.

I
looked away. “Yes. You said you wouldn’t come.”

“I
said maybe.”

I
paused. “I just didn’t think I’d see you again, at least not this soon. Where’s
your date?”

“Why
not? Because we had an argument?”

I
glanced back at him. “An argument?” I squeezed my fingers into my arm. “That
wasn’t an argument, that was a finale. With fireworks.”

“Not
for me, it wasn’t.”

“Well it was for me,” I hissed softly, glancing
around the balcony.

His back straightened then. “Brian Ayers,” he
said, holding out his hand and clapping him on the back.

“Nice
to see you, fellow Bachelor. Here you are, Olivia,” Brian said, awkwardly
handing me a glass while balancing two others. David’s gaze darted between us,
and his face darkened. Brian blew a piece of hair from his forehead and looked
around. “Where’d she go?”

“She’s
over there by the ice sculpture,” I said, pointing. We all looked and she
waved. Brian held up the drink to her, and she came scurrying over.

“So
aside from this speech, what did I miss?” he asked us both.

“Can’t
say, I just arrived myself,” David said.

“Not
too much, just a lot of dancing and miniature hamburgers.”

“I
could definitely go for some food right now,” David said, rubbing his stomach.

“Didn’t
you come from dinner?” I asked.

He
shrugged. “I’m a growing boy.”

“Well,
what’ve you got there, young man?” Brian teased, taking David’s drink from him.
“Iced tea?” David snorted as Brian whiffed the drink and made a face. “Whiskey.
That’s potent shit.” He shook his head and passed it back. “I’m a gin and tonic
man, myself,” Brian said, putting a damp hand on my shoulder.

I
tensed instinctively when his fingertips brushed against my neck. The look
returned to David’s face with a blaring intensity, and it was beginning to make
me uncomfortable.

“And
how about that portrait, Miss Bacall? When are you going to let me take it?
You’d look just right hanging in my gallery room.”

“Oh,”
I blushed, looking into my drink. “I don’t think so.”

“Don’t
get shy on me, Olivia. You have magnificent eyes, they really are unusual. The
camera would love them. Aren’t they magnificent, David?”

“They
are.” In those two words, his tone of voice said everything. His drink swirled
in measured circles. He wore a charcoal grey V-neck sweater over a slate grey
button down. It showed the knot of a matching tie, which he now loosened as his
eyes burned into me. He made no effort to hide the fact that he was infuriated
by Brian’s behavior. And it had my body utterly thrumming as a result. The way
he looked at me, like he couldn’t control what might happen next, almost brought
me to my knees.

“We
had the most fateful meeting, David. It was like something out of a movie. This
one was walking her dog and got tangled in the leash. It took off after some
poor fluffball, and Olivia here fell flat on her ass. Luckily I was passing by
and gave her a hand up.”

“How
romantic.” Deadpan. Just like that: how romantic. With the obvious absence of
the exclamation that should follow.

“It
wasn’t my dog,” I started to explain but was cut off.

“Some
party!” The woman accepted her drink and prattled on about something or other,
I wasn’t listening. David was looking at me in that way, penetrating and lusty
with a twist of somber, and I was suddenly remembering the seatbelt. The memory
of his hand grazing my skin, so close to the hem of my skirt, made me shudder.
He raised an eyebrow at me and discreetly adjusted his pants.

“What
do you say, David?” Brian asked.

“Hmm?”

“About
taking this nice young lady to see the view of the water. I don’t think she’s
ever been this high up before.”

She
giggled. “Yes - ”

“Run
along, you two,” Brian said mirthfully.

Brian
winked, and I caught the tail end of David’s glare. He stuck out his elbow and
the woman took it, smiling with giddy abandon.

“I
don’t know what’s up his ass,” Brian said once they were on their way, “but he
needs a good lay, and he isn’t going to get it hanging out with us.”

“How
long have you known him?” I asked, scowling spitefully after Ritz, my new
nickname for the redheaded ditz.

“Years.
A good man. One of the only guys in Chicago I get along with; the rest are
bullshitters, Liv, don’t be fooled. May I call you Liv? It feels so natural.”

“Of
course.”

“Enough
about Dylan, though. Should I be worried about the monstrosity on your face? I
admit you did a nice job of covering it up. Perhaps I need to throw down the
gauntlet, though?”

I
laughed. “No, it’s all taken care of. I prefer not to discuss it, however.”

“Very
well, I trust you. So I know you have the scoop on the ladies here, fill me in.
That one wasn’t my type, not very bright. Seems much better suited to Dylan.” I
bit my cheek at the comment. “Who do you suggest? I need a girl like you, smart
and beautiful, but edgy too. Come on, I know you’re a little wild,” he said
when I started to protest. “Look at you in your leather dress.” I couldn’t help
but laugh before breaking down the guest list.

“And,
you know, my best girlfriend is here, she’s a real catch, but she came with
someone.” I looked around the room and pointed her out to him. David, standing
on the opposite balcony with his back to us, caught my eye.

“And
you say she’s clever?”

“She
is, though she might try to fool you,” I said distractedly. I sent Gretchen a
text, telling her to come over alone. I could see David’s profile now through
the glass, and he was laughing with the woman. To my surprise, they seemed to
be enjoying themselves.
Well
, I
thought, looking back at Brian.
A real
matchmaker
.

“Hey!”

“Gretch,
this is my friend Brian, one of our Bachelors.”

“Oh
yes, I’m aware,” she said with a killer smile. “I’ve already had Liv fill me in
on the best attendees.”

Brian
laughed boisterously. “You know, I just had her do the same for me.”

“He
did,” I confirmed. “I’m a good friend, don’t forget it.”

“And
why aren’t you in the feature, Gretchen?”

“I
was a couple years back.”

“Funny,
I think I would have remembered.”

While
they got acquainted, I checked for David again, but neither him nor the woman
were anywhere in sight. I shifted uncomfortably in my shoes, rising slightly
onto the balls to get a better view.

“I’ll
be back,” I told them. “Listen, I need him single until June so don’t get any
ideas, G.”

I
reentered the ballroom, looking for Lucy but hoping I might spot David and
reassure myself that he wasn’t hitting on Ritz. I stopped in my tracks when I
was met with the unpleasant image of him handing her a drink with one hand, as
his other hand rested on her back.
Is
that his type? Redhead, curvy and reeking of desperation?
At least Maria
was in his league. I bemoaned the fact that I had actually selected her as one
of Chicago’s most date-worthy singles. How could I argue with my own taste?

I
pounded the remainder of my drink and plunked it on the nearest table. I turned
to leave when I saw two arguing guys in the corner almost knock over a table.
“Hey!” I yelled, running over to them. “Stop! What are you doing?”

“No
worries, babe, we’re just fucking around,” replied a young, stocky blond.

“Who
are you here with?”

“We
used to work in the restaurant downstairs, so we snuck in.”

“Dude,
shut up,” the other one said. They burst into laughter. “What’s your name?
You’re hot,” he said, his eyes slightly bleary. One of us was swaying, but I
couldn’t be sure whom.

“You
guys aren’t supposed to be here. I have to throw you out,” I said. They were on
the verge of belligerent, and I decided that they might be better suited to a
dank club somewhere far from here.

“Hang
on,” the blond said, moving to block my way. “Let’s get a drink. I’ll buy.”

“No,”
I said, deciding it wasn’t worth it to point out that the drinks were free.

“Come
on,” he pleaded. “What’s your name?” My eyes darted around him, searching for
security. He looked at me expectantly and sniffed.

“Liv,”
I said distractedly.

“What
is it?” the friend asked.

“Liz,”
replied the blond.

“Liz,
where’s your drink?” he asked, not bothering to hide his slurring. “Didn’t this
asshole offer to buy you one?”

“I’m
good,” I yelled. “But seriously, you guys have to go.”

“Lighten
up, babe! You need a drink. Let’s go,” the friend said, laying a heavy arm over
my shoulders. I moved to lift it off, suddenly reliving Mark’s hands on me.

“Let
me go,” I yelled.

“What?”
he asked into my ear, causing me to wince. “You’re not leaving are you? I’m
going to get you a drink.”

“And
I’m going to get security if you guys don’t leave. This is a private party.”

“No,
no, no dude, don’t get security,” he said, tightening his grip.

“Please,
get off!”

“Huh?”

“She
said get OFF!” I looked up just in time to see David yank the guy’s arm from me
and twist it before throwing him into the wall. He positioned himself in front
of me and towered over the stocky blond, whose face flashed with a new
alertness. “What the fuck don’t you understand about
get off
?” he yelled, pushing him into the friend.

“David?”
I called in shock.

The
friend yelled something, holding up his palms, but I couldn’t hear over the
music. They hurried away and ran right into security.

David
had regained his bearing and was now towering over me. “You need to start
paying more attention to - ”

“What
are you
doing
?” I sizzled. “I can
take care of myself.”

“Clearly
you can’t,” he shot back. “Those guys - ”

“Were
completely harmless!”

“You
don’t know that.”

“You
know what? Forget it – I’m leaving,” I said, pivoting on my heel.

“Hang
on,” he started, but I spun around to cut him off.

“Stay
here. Enjoy the party.” I couldn’t help casting an obvious glance at Ritz, who
was biting her nails by the bar where he’d left her. “You shouldn’t have any
problems meeting someone,” I muttered, craning my neck to locate Lucy.

“Someone
like Brian Ayers? There’s a match made in heaven.”

I
paused. “What business is it of yours? I like him.”

He
shrugged. “I didn’t think he was your type.”