Imperfections (12 page)

"I can't make any promises with my brother there when it comes to the drinking but I wouldn't mind bumping and grinding with a hot guy. That's one thing I'm seriously in need of."

"Hell yeah, you are and don't worry if you can't find one. I'll find one for you, I mean really, what else are friends for?"

"Come on, skank, let's get out of here, I have to get ready for tonight. I don't even know if I have anything to wear. I might have to go shopping."

"Honey, please, whether you have something or not we're going shopping, don't say anything, it's on me."

"I can't let you do that." She grabs my hand and drags me toward the door.

"Hush up and let's go, my treat. Besides, I have my own boutique, it's a business write off. You have to spend money to make money, I can afford it."

Chris and I are sitting in a booth with two friends we went to high school with at Clutch, a new club. It's supposed to be one of the hottest spots. The bar is packed and the music is pretty good, loud as hell though. Hot, scantily dressed women who think they're God's gift to men are waiting for a rich sap or a wannabe baller to buy them a drink. They'll shake their asses for them once or twice on the dance floor to make them feel good. They're more artificial than a Twinkie, but unlike the Twinkie, their shelf life is ten years from the day they turn eighteen. By then they've partied so hard to try and catch a man with all the nips and tucks they look like they're about fifty going on sixty.

Looking around the room I scan the crowd on the dance floor to see if Cat is here yet. She was supposed to be here an hour ago with Ava who has probably changed outfits a hundred times by now. I know Cat's not high maintenance; that is one of the things I like about her. She always looks good in whatever she wears. At twenty-four, she can pass for seventeen without makeup. I would love to see her face first thing in the morning as she's waking up after I've made love to her; lips full and swollen from my kisses and the taste of her on my lips, mmm… I've got to stop this line of thinking or I'll never be able to get up from this booth. I might never get the chance to know if she finds out about this fucked up situation with her sister. First thing tomorrow, research paternity test options.

"Nick, did you hear me, man?"

"What?" I didn't hear what the hell Shawn said to me. Shawn and Matt were debating about which girl in high school had the hottest body and who got the most girls.

"Get the fuck outta here, man; that shit didn't happen." Shawn raises his voice over the music.

Matt raises his hand and tips his beer bottle to his mouth. "Nick, tell this guy he didn't get to Megan Jordan first, you were there when we hooked up in the bathroom at that party. She was all over me, dude."

"Chris, you know I hit that, you're my witness!" Shawn says.

"No one's saying you didn't. I'm just telling you I got there first," Matt says, putting the bottle down.

Neither one of them got there first. They don't know I had sex with her months before they even had a chance to touch her. We had a thing going where we would hook up in random places; it lasted for a month until she started getting too clingy. She wanted to tell me which girls I couldn't hang out with and Cat was one of them. I wasn't having that shit. That's why she gave it up to these two; she was trying to make me jealous after I dropped her ass. I have no doubt she would have eventually made her way around to them. Me dumping her speeded up the process. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's a desperate woman.

Chris laughs and finishes off his drink before answering. "Man, I didn't smash her so I don't care which one of you got there first. You're talking about old ass from high school who probably looks like the crypt keeper now. Look at all these fine-ass women in here. You guys can keep talking about Megan but I'm going to get me another drink and that fine-as-hell girl dancing over there."

I watch him make his way through the crowd. He's right, the girl on the floor looks attractive, at least from the back everything is right. He better enjoy himself before my cousin gets here.

Shawn asks if we want another drink from the bar since he's headed in that direction. We shake our heads. "Nah, I'm good for now."

"Gentlemen, I see a damsel in distress that needs my immediate attention." Shawn takes a shot of his Patrone and grunts. "As an officer of the law I'm fully qualified to handle that."

I watch him walk off leaving me and Matt at the table.

"You the man these days, I hear your legal expertise is in high demand," Matt says over the music with the empty beer bottle in his hand.

"I'm not doing bad."

"Understatement, own your success, I'm happy for you. When we were young we did some crazy shit. I never thought you would follow in your father's footsteps and become a lawyer."

"Well I never really thought about it, it wasn't my intentions to become a lawyer. I took a law class freshman year and I liked it. The only reason I was so good at it was because I was a paid intern every summer and one weekend a month at my father's law firm."

"Yeah, I remember that, you hated it. Every chance we got we rubbed it in your face; while we were hanging by the pool twelve in the afternoon every day, you were slaving away in an office running errands and shuffling paper."

"Yeah, I remember that, but look at me now."

"I'm going to admit it, you the man. So do you get extra perks from your female celebrity clientele? You can tell me."

"Nah, it's not like that, strictly business. I don't date my clients; too complicated."

"Nick, you haven't changed since high school. I think that's the reason you got so many girls." Holding the bottle still in his hands he grins pointing to me across the table. "You never talked about the girls you hooked up with but we knew you did."

"Not my style. I leave it up to the discretion of the woman. What about you, what have you been up to?" I don't hear a word he says as from across the room I see Ava. Then I get a good look at Cat when she steps up beside her in an emerald green backless halter dress barely covering her breasts and her ass. What the fuck is she wearing! I can't believe she came out on the street dressed like that.

"Hold on, I'll be right back." I don't wait for him to say anything, I bolt up from the chair and cross the room to her before some dumb ass tries to talk to her.

She barely has any freaking clothes on. I'd be surprised as hell if she doesn't catch a severe case of walking pneumonia in her ass. "Where the hell are the rest of your clothes? Did you forget them at home?" I swear if she leans over tonight in this thing her breasts are going to drop out and stand at attention, I'm going to be pissed the fuck off.

"Well hello to you too. You look nice. Do you want a drink, rum and coke, a beer?

That's what you should have said."

She's smiling up at me sweetly while she's talking but I know she's upset. I don't care. She obviously doesn't know the power of her body and the effects wearing a dress like that is going to cause, especially on me.

"Don't get smart with me."

"You're not my father."

"Did he see what you left the house in? I'm sure he would have said the same thing."

"I don't need my father's permission or yours to wear whatever the hell I want to."

"Is that so?" I say, looking at her from head to toe.

"Yes, it is, if I want to wear this dress up around the crack of my ass in nothing but the thong I have on, that's my business. I have the right to do that; if that is what I choose!"

I'm so pissed off I can't talk. If I do, the next words out of my mouth are going to set fireworks off with us staring each other down the tensions so thick.

"I think she looks hot."

"Of course you would. Look at what you're wearing; it's more scandalous than what she has on."

"Wow, Nick, really?"

"Really, Ava." Cat puts her hand on Ava's shoulder to stop her from saying what she really wants to say to me and tilts her head to the side.

"There's no need for you to be rude, Nick. Before we all get into a big argument why don't we go sit and join Chris and your friends."

Moving out of the way I let Cat walk in front of me to stop anyone from trying to talk to her. I'm more horrified at the back of the dress. I can't believe she left the house in this dress. Pulling Ava against me so only she can hear I fall back a little from Cat. "Why the hell did you let her out of the house wearing that? I know you told her to wear that dress."

"Cat does have a mind of her own. I can't make her wear anything, if she's wearing this dress it's because she chooses to. And like I said, I think she looks good."

"That's not Cat's style, it's yours."

"She tried it on, I told her she looked drop-dead gorgeous. It enhances her curves and shows off all of her best features."

"Her best features would be her eyes or her mouth. I'm telling you if I go to jail tonight for beating some guy's ass I'm blaming you."

"You're a full-grown man with considerable knowledge of the law. If you beat someone's ass in here, that's on you. But, I will bail you out because I know when you're passionate for something, or someone in particular, you have a fierce temper which overrides your common sense."

Cat turns around, her eyes on us. "What are you talking about?"

We both look at her and at the same time say, "Nothing." She looks at us like she doesn't believe us and turns back around. "I just don't want to see a drunk dickhead getting the wrong idea with his hands because she's in that dress calling attention to herself and I know Chris doesn't want to see that either."

"Okay. But she's not a teenager anymore, she can handle herself. She doesn't need you to protect her from having a good time." Ava smiles, patting me on the shoulder and walks up next to Cat.

I run my hand through my hair, take a breath and force myself not to look at her exposed back in her very revealing dress. I want to run my hand across every flawlessly smooth inch of skin and run kisses down her back while my hand glides up under that short dress touching her wet, hot flesh until she moans my name. This is exactly what I don't want another guy thinking. Damn this dress and Ava. She doesn't need me to protect her from having a good time but who's going to protect her from me tonight?

We reach the table and Ava sees Matt. He stands up and they hug. "I haven't seen you in years but you still look the same, hot as ever."

"Thank you, thank you kindly, I have to keep myself together for equally as hot guys such as yourself. Where have you been hiding yourself?"

"I've been keeping myself busy trying to be like your cousin—" He stops in mid-sentence when he sees Cat behind Ava.

"Wow! Who is this?"

Ava steps to the side and sits down. Cat smiles and holds out her hands to Matt.

"Matt Fuller, oh my God, I didn't know you were going to be here."

"Baby girl, look at you all grown up."

He holds both of her hands and pulls her into his arms for a hug that lasts way too long. I want to rip his frigging hands off her; his hands are all over her skin, what the hell. He whispers something in her hair, she pulls back and the corner of her mouth lifts up and he looks her up and down in a way that's too familiar.

"Are you two going to stand here looking at each other all night or are you going to sit down?" I snap. Stopping myself from yelling, I don't care, it gets their attention. The three of them look at me. Cat moves to sit next to Ava but I grab her hand and pull her next to me.

"What are you doing?"

"Why don't you sit next to me?"

"Why?"

"It'll be easier for you to get up and you'll have a better view of what's happening in here."

She's looking at me strangely but I don't care. I'm sure as hell not letting her sit in a booth in the middle of Matt and Ava. He can sit next to Ava.

"Baby girl, I can't believe how grown up you look. The last time I saw you was before you left for college. Your hair was pulled back into a ponytail, it was raining and you had on a jeans skirt and a white shirt. You looked more like you were going to high school than college."