“Are you all right?” a large man with bushy eyebrows asks when I take another deep breath.
“Yeah, you must be Chuck.” I smile at him.
He nods and I stick out my hand to shake it. “I’m Clara, Rafe told me to tell you I’m just going to sit out here until my sister and her friends are ready to leave.”
Chuck takes my hand and helps me up on a nearby planter as I continue to beg my body to sober up. I stare at the night sky, all the twinkling lights, as Chuck tells me about his daughter who’s in advanced placement classes and will be going off to college next year. And I try not to bother to think about what my sister and her lackeys are doing to my Trifecta.
Chapter 4
Ben
“What the hell did you do to her?” Damien asks as we wipe off with baby wipes from our rowdy bachelorette party.
Those women were there to party just like Willie said they were. All of the women in that room attempted to stick their hands down my shorts at least once throughout the three hours they had us. Well, all of them except one.
She ran off so quick after she rushed off to the restroom I couldn’t even talk to her. I waited for her to come back, but she never did. I even asked the annoying red-headed sister if she was worried when she was gone for over an hour. The lovely bride-to-be rolled her eyes and said her stepsister was a lost cause and she would be fine. Now my brothers decided I must’ve done something to scare her off.
“I didn’t do anything to her. Her sister pulled me back and I spilled some of the champagne on her. She said she was going to clean up but she never came back.”
“It didn’t look like it was nothing,” Axel says as he pulls his duffle bag out of his locker.
“Did you call dibs on the brunette with the big gold hoop earrings?” Rick says, glancing out the peephole interrupting our conversation.
“What?” I ask, still trying to figure out why Clara never came back.
“The brunette in the front row, the one who’s wearing this color lipstick.” He points at the lipstick maring his lower ab.
“No, she’s all yours, man.” I slap him on the back.
He brushes his hair with his fingers in the mirror before sauntering out to snatch her up.
I turn and both of my brothers stare right at me with what I know is curiosity. “What?”
“What’s going on with you?” Axel asks.
“Nothing, you said no bringing women home tonight so I’m not. Remember the celebration of getting the loan today?”
“Oh, we remember,” Damien says. “We just didn’t think you would comply. In fact, I didn’t see you with any women tonight.”
“I was gone for thirty minutes before we went to the VIP room.”
“Yeah, but you were there before us. So you were gone from our sight for what, twenty minutes? I know you, there’s no way you could’ve done anything in that time. Unless you’re losing your touch.” Axel crosses his arms and Damien copies his stance.
“Can’t we just get out of here? I’m tired and ready to go home and relax like we planned on doing tonight.”
“Holy shit what happened? Did you get turned down?” Damien asks, smiling as he stands up straighter, puffing out his chest.
“I never get turned down. I just want to celebrate with my brothers tonight.”
Axel eyes me, skeptically. “That girl. The one who ran out of the VIP she turned you down didn’t she?” he asks.
“You’re right.” Damien hits Axel on the shoulder. “I saw you looking at her during our dance on stage. You couldn’t close the deal.” Damien and Axel laugh and I’m done with this shit.
I push through them bumping into their shoulders, pulling out my bag from my locker. Instead of going outside and getting into the car I drop my bag next to my still laughing brother’s feet.
“I’ll be right back. Meet you in the car.”
“Where are you going?” they ask, but I’m already through the door and looking for my conquest.
I don’t get turned down.
Ever.
I spot a blonde, and it’s go time. She’ll be the lucky one of the night.
To be honest, I don’t even feel like doing anything with her at all.
But, I won’t let my brothers think I got turned down.
Things like that don’t happen to Ben Jamison.
Remember, it’s not cocky if it’s true.
She licks her lips as soon as she spots me. All I have to do is cock an eyebrow at her and she’ll come up to me as if I’m a magnet she can't resist.
Bingo.
Works every time.
“You ready to get out of here?” I ask, and she whimpers, clinging onto me as I walk her toward the front entrance.
Making sure everyone sees I don’t lose.
“Good night, Chuck,” I say as the blonde clinging to me giggles, running her hand over my t-shirt. Her name’s Brittney, or Courtney, or Suzanne.
Chuck frowns while watching the parking lot, not responding to me. I follow his gaze and see the party I’d just entertained for the last three hours standing around a stretched Hummer. Maureen’s hands are on her hips and she’s glaring. Her friends are all mimicking her stance. Before I even move my head to see what has them so upset I already know what I’m going to see.
I groan and remove whatever her name is off of me. “Hey, Chuck can you get her an Uber.”
“What the hell,” what’s her name screeches, finally getting Chuck's attention.
“They’ve been yelling at Clara for five minutes. I’m going to go over and offer to give her a ride,” Chuck says.
I’m in shock Chuck knows Clara’s name, but I stop him from going over to rescue her. “I’ll take care of it. If you could make sure she gets a ride I’d appreciate it.”
Chuck frowns. “Clara’s a good girl, Ben. She’s not a one-night stand kind of girl.” Chuck glances at the girl I brought out silently saying she’s the one-night stand kind of girl.
“I’m not going to sleep with her, Chuck. Her virtue’s safe with me.”
“All right. Be nice to her.”
I nod and walk off, the girl I just ditched cursing me out as she follows behind me. I don’t pay any attention to her. My mission’s to get Clara away from her awful sister any way possible. However, the screaming and cursing from blondie behind me gets the attention of Clara and her lynch mob.
“Trifecta.” Maureen changes her sneer she has aimed at Clara turning it into a smile aimed toward me.
“Ben,” I say, giving her my name. “What’s happening over here?”
“I was just explaining to my stepsister she needs to loosen up. She did her best to ruin my night, but with you here it seems to be getting better.” Maureen bats her eyes and her friends descend on me.
I do not like these women.
I can see now why Clara decided to abandon ship.
“I don’t think she ruined your night. Didn’t you have fun?” I ask.
My brothers come over and cross their arms. A united front. “Did we not do our job?” they ask, making the women stumble over their reassurances.