The Divorcee Murder Club

Treinta Y Tres ~ 33

“So, we’re friends now?”

“Huh?” 

“You told your coworker I’m your friend,” Angie explains. “And here I thought you despised me.”

“Why would I hate you?” 

“Maybe it’s the fact that you’ve been nothing but an asshole to me since the last time we were here.” Angie arches a brow.

We edge up to the side of the bar, where I reach over to swipe two tumblers and the soda gun. “Yeah, I guess I have been a dick.”

Angie gasps. “So you admit it!” 

“When I’m under stress, I get snippy.” I hand her the water. “Truce?”

“Maybe.” She takes it from me and shrugs.

“Maybe?”

Raising her chin with arms folded, she stares me down despite how much shorter she is than me. “Get me a shot of something expensive, and I’ll consider it.” 

“Done.”

Turning to Gerard, the head bartender, I shout, “Hey, my friend here wants the most expensive shot on the shelf.”

“A shot?” Gerard laughs, shaking up a drink. “Nah, what you want is the most delicious. I’ve got something for you that will taste like sex wrapped in candy.”

A smile glimmers in Angie’s eyes as she looks at Gerard. “Sex wrapped in candy, huh?” 

“Yes, ma’am. Prepare to get your panties wet!” Gerard winks then steps away to whip up whatever magic he has planned for Angie.

“This is going to be fun.” She grins and pulls her curls into a high ponytail with little ringlets framing her face. 

“You look beautiful,” I say.

 “Wow. First, you defend my honor, then call me your friend, and now a compliment. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’re trying to get me naked, Miguel.” 

“No,” I chuckle. Although, that pink dress would look great on my bedroom floor.

Fuck.

Mindy, Mindy, Mindy.

“I'm just stating the obvious," I continue. "You look pretty. Pink is your color.” 

"You being nice to me is weird."

"Hey, it's weird for me too, but the last time we were here, I said some awful things. You didn't deserve it, and I'm sorry for hurting you."

"Handsome, you're not important enough to hurt me," Angie scoffs, but I'm calling bullshit.

"I saw you wiping away tears as I drove away."

"Oh, please." She rolls her eyes. "I had something on my cheek."

Stepping closer, I place my palms on the bar top, caging her in, which forces her to tip her head back to look at me. So I bring my face so close to hers that I can feel her breath. "Drop the tough act, Angie. You're a beautiful woman who deserves love and someone who will protect you instead of hurt you. So, I apologize for the nasty things I said. Especially about your scars."

"I..."

But I press my finger to her lips, cutting her off. "I'm sorry for treating you like shit, and from now on, I'm going to be kinder to you."

As the lights flash to the beat of the salsa band, they flicker across Angie's face, exposing the conflicting emotions knitting her brows. I brush away the sweat freckling her bare shoulder, and the smoothness of her skin sends electricity up my fingers. Our gazes meet with a wave of flutters zipping through my chest and into my stomach. Maybe it’s the fact Angie’s history has me seeing her in a different light, but as we stand here, she’s doing all sorts of things to me that I didn’t expect to feel tonight.

But then Angie breaks eye contact, stealing this moment from me as a blast of air conditioning sweeps between us. The warm exchange turns cold as she turns away and faces the bar to rest her elbows on the glossy wooden surface. 

"So, where's Mindy tonight?" she asks.

"At home. She had a long day of work."

"Ah, yes, with the Sisters. The enemy of my enemy is my friend..."

Leaning an elbow against the bar, I study her. "Is Mindy your enemy in this scenario?"

"Mindy means nothing to me. Fucking you was fun, but I can always find another dick. Evan is kind of hot." She shrugs.

"Evan?" I laugh.

"Yeah, Evan." She looks at me, and the flashing lights capture her sassy grin. "I've got a weakness for blue eyes, and he's nice."

I'm not one to pound my chest like some gorilla claiming territory, but this Evan talk has me clenching every muscle in my body, including my ass cheeks. "I doubt Evan can make you come like I can."

"Then I guess I'll just have to find out." Angie shrugs.

"Sure, go ahead. Go find out. But Evan doesn't look like the kind of guy who can make you squirt."

Angie narrows her eyes and taps her chin. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're jealous."

"Never."

"Listen, Handsome. You don't get to sleep with Mindy and then get jealous when I talk about wanting to bang Evan. Make up your mind about what you want, and if it's Mindy, then leave me the fuck alone."

Turning away, she continues to watch Gerard fix her drink. The bar is jam-packed, so he's got hers going while mixing other orders. Everyone thinks he’s hot with his Henry Golding doppelganger looks, so I bet Angie is salivating at his deep Southeast Asian tan and dark hair like all the other women trying to get his attention.

If only she would stare at me that way again.

Fuck.

What am I saying?

Mindy, Mindy, Mindy. I pinch the bridge of my nose.

And Angie is fucking right. I can't claim I'm all in with Mindy, but then be here, admiring the curve of Angie's tits in her dress or wishing she would look at me the way she's smiling at Gerard.

But my mantra is cut short when Angie inhales a sharp gasp that cuts through the salsa music like a spear.

“What’s wrong?” I place my hand on her lower back.

“I gotta go.”

“Why?”

“I just gotta go!” she pushes past me, and for being so short, she makes impressively large strides to get away.

“Angie, wait!” I hurry after her, and she halts, but not because I asked her to.

Instead, she’s frozen, staring up at some forty-something-year-old dude with ash blond, slicked-back hair, and hazel eyes as piercing as supernovas. He stares her down, a shit-eating smirk across his thin mouth. 

“Angie,” he says.

But she doesn’t respond. Rather, she steps back, bumping into my chest. So, I place my hands on her shoulders and stare him down.

“Who are you?” I ask.

“I'm Angie's ex-husband. Who the fuck are you?”

Well, hot damn. It looks like I’m beating some ass tonight.