Beneath the Layers

Chapter 10

"Good morning," Alex announced, getting up and walking to the bathroom.

Hopefully, it would be a good morning, good day, and good evening. Lord knows yesterday was not. Venus left me a message at some point since her disappearance to apologize for leaving without saying goodbye. Turns out, she ran into her ex and they had some talking to do. And, I knew exactly what kind of talking she was referring to; the one that ends with a great night's sleep. I, on the other hand, barely got any rest as the events that occurred kept replaying in my mind. The guilt was driving me insane. I felt terrible for slapping Nick then storming off on him the way I did. Way to go, Tara. Very mature way to handle things. But what the hell was I supposed to do? That's not the kind of woman I was, and I sure didn't want to give him that impression either. Now, I can't deny I enjoyed his expert lips on mine. Soft, yet rough as he assaulted my mouth, the closeness of his body igniting a fire within me. I was lost for a few seconds. Lost. Not wanting to be found. But, it was inappropriate and too intense to handle.

Okay. Okay, enough. I seriously had to get those thoughts out of my mind. As much as I would love for things to progress with Nick, I had a very important matter to keep in mind. Alex. If he found out, he would go crazy and make me quit my job on the spot. Besides, what was Nick thinking? How could he just assume I would be okay with his behavior? I shook the thoughts from my mind as I got up and made the bed.

Saturdays were usually the day I got all the chores at home taken care of. However, Alex made plans for us to go out and watch the game that evening. I was surprised when he said he had a date planned, only to realize moments later that it was his way to lure me in on plans he already made with Jack. Should have seen it coming. He was only inviting me so he could keep me under supervision. Jack said he would meet us at the Clevelander around seven, so I called and invited Bee to join us as well. Thank heavens he chose a place where, at least, I could dance to some tunes and get a few drinks other than beer.

Over breakfast, Alex asked about my evening at happy hour with Venus. After almost choking on my eggs, I gave him a detailed description of my time there. Of course, I left out everything Nicholas related. To change the subject, I told him I was going shopping and asked if he'd like to accompany me. As usual, he made a fuss and gave me some bullshit excuse. Not that I minded at all. This would be a great way to get my mind off things and to calm my nerves. That would have been nearly impossible with him at my side.

Once we were done with breakfast, I quickly washed the dishes and changed into something comfortable to head to the mall. After going through a series of stores and splurging a little more than usual, I returned home tired and with a headache, so I opted for a short nap before having to get ready.

Alex woke me up at around six in the evening, causing me to jump out of bed and run to the bathroom to go wash my face. Once fully awake, I started getting dressed for our night out.

Throwing on my new pair of white jeans and sparkly coral tank top, I finished off the ensemble with gold hoops, curling my hair for a wild look.

"Wow, you look hot. You trying to get me in a fight tonight?' Alex mocked, earning him a scowl through the mirror as I smudged on some lip gloss.

Gathering our things, we headed out the house, on our way to South Beach. I sent Bee a quick text saying we were on our way and turned up the radio to pump myself up for the night.

The Clevelander was a restaurant during the day and club at night. They had a bunch of flat screens all around the patio which usually broadcasted the game, but once it was over, the resident DJ would get the party started.

We arrived to find both Bee and Jack already having a drink at a table near the bar. Joining them, we immediately ordered our drinks as well.

"Bee, come with me to the restroom please." I signaled my friend as I stood.