I Love My Chance (Nicole's Erotic Romance 3) (8 page)

He shrugs, gives
his head a little shake. “How bad can it be? I already met Amber.”

“True.” I watch
him bend and turn off the water. He reaches for a towel and hands it to me,
taking a second one for himself. I grin at the idea. I have another chance to
show him off! Not that he’s a prize or anything. Just that… oh, I know what I
mean. “Okay. Sounds good.” I let out a squeal. “Oooooo I’m so excited!”

He smacks me on
the ass as he steps out to get dressed.

Twelve Minutes Later

Mark and I kiss
goodbye as he gets into yet another cab to leave me for the second time today.
The mood is night-and-day-different this time, knowing we’ll see each other in
only a few hours.

He leans to the
window from the backseat. I’m bent down to eye level.
 
“I’ll text you when I’m on my way.”

I nod and blow him
a kiss. “See you soon!”

I watch the cab
leave, thinking how lucky I am that I have another night with him. And soon
he’ll be back to see my show. That’s only a month from now. That’ll fly by in
no time. With a bounce in my step, I walk to the subway, pulling out my phone
to text Jessica: Where are we going tonight?

Jessica: Angel’s
Share.

Me: Perfect. I
love that place. What time?

Jessica: Early. ;)

Me: So… 8:30, 9?

Jessica: 8:30.
Yessssssssss.

Me: Done!

I stop at the
subway entrance to text Mark.

Me: Angel’s Share
bar. East Village. We’ll be there at 8:30.

Mark: I’ll be
there.

Me: Have a great
meeting!

Mark: I miss you
already.

Me: Of course you
do.

Mark: ;)

I dance down the
steps to the C train to catch it to 4
^th
Street, losing cell signal
as I enter the depths. It’s Sunday, so there aren’t as many suits down here.
The mish-mosh of people is as eclectic as a circle is round. Three boys dressed
like wanna-be gangsters stand next to a modest dressed traditional Jewish
family, the woman’s hair covered, her face makeup-free. Beside them are: a
single red-haired woman with shopping bags, a young artist-type guy rocking out
to headphones, two teenage girls giggling over pictures on their phone, and a
stoic man who won’t meet anyone’s eyes – ever. A train loudly approaches
us in no time, its headlamp illuminating the darkness, brighter by the second.
I close my eyes and hold my breath as the wind whips around all of us New
Yorkers. Inside I’m thinking,
I love this
crazy city. Miracles happen here.

8:45 P.M.

Amber, Jess and I
all sit on the booth side of the table facing the small narrow room of Angel’s
Share, with me on the far right end. We’re all facing the entrance. Chris and
Josh are sitting opposite Jess and Amber. An empty seat waits in front of me. To
our right is a beautiful painting of angels above the bar, its style that of the
Italian paintings from Michelangelo’s time, kind of like it’s a section cut out
from the Sistine Chapel. The two male bartenders – wearing all black,
both Asian, both smiling – work incredibly fast, mixing great drinks for
the
very
thirsty, easy-going East
side crowd.

Amber’s adorable
and glowing, a cashmere blue sweater bringing out her eyes. Jess’s red hair is
down too, but she’s wearing an all-black outfit that’s very striking on her.
I’ve got a thigh-length, long-sleeved, purple dress on with high, gray boots,
and a thick scarf.
 
My hair is
straight and shining, just as I’ve been wearing it since Michael and I stopped
doing whatever it was we were doing. I kind of miss my natural hair, though.
There’s something more
me
about it.
Or the deeper side of me, anyway. Luckily I had a chance to take a much-needed
nap before I got here. I’m very excited. I can’t get this smile off of my face!

I want this moment
to be perfect.

Amber and I have
Jess seated in between us. Since she can’t sit opposite us to see our faces
like she normally prefers, we put her here. We teased her about it, of course.
“You always get the best seat, Jess.” “Yeah, what makes you so special?” “Oh
shut up.”

 
“I’m so excited to meet your guy!” Jess
squeals, tickling me. I laugh and push her away.

Amber grins at
Jess. “I already met him! Ha. Ha.”

Jess squishes up
her nose. “Bragger. Well, I was busy. Wasn’t I?” Jess looks to Chris and plays
footsy with him under the table. He grabs her leg, making her smile. We’re all
in a great mood and on our first drinks. It’s going to be a great night. Heart
beating fast, I look down at my phone to see a text from Mark saying he’s on
his way.
Five minutes at the most.

“He’s coming,” I
announce, thrilled. Everyone smiles at me.

Amber points.
“Look at your face! I had something to do with this. I’m just saying.”

Josh leans forward
in a bow. “No. This was all me!” I give him a look and wink. It’s so nice how
they’re all excited for me.
 

As Amber, Jessica
and I clink glasses, Chris and Josh go back to their conversation about
architecture. Chis has been telling Josh about a structure he’s tearing down in
SoHo to build a stronger, modern skyscraper in its place.

I lean toward my
girls. “Josh and Chris have a bromance.”

Jess nods. “They
love each other.”

Amber whispers,
“Love at first sight.”

Both guys shoot us
impatient glances. Josh wipes his dark hair away from his forehead, his green
eyes narrowing.

Chris says simply.
“We heard that. We’re sitting right here.”

Amber blows Josh at
kiss. He catches it with his hand and lowers it to his lap. She kicks him under
the table. He just laughs, sharing a look with Chris like he’s telling him
guy-to-guy that the sex is amazing in their relationship. Thank God for that.
Man were they fucked up. But that’s a whole other story. Just like Chris and
Jess is a whole other story. Looking at them, I’m so happy for her finding a
guy who makes her happy. But truth? I’m more happy for my friends now that I’m
happy. Because the newest relationship… is mine.

Holy shit. I’m in
a relationship! I think. My stomach jumps around and twerks. Yes, I just said
that.

I don’t have to
wait long because I see him now. He just strolled into the bar and is looking
for me. Butterflies wiggle in my tummy. I can see by his expression that he’s
excited, too. God, it feels good to meet someone who feels the same way you do.
I stand up, wave my hand and catch his eye.

At the same time,
Chris is sharing a moment with Jess. She rises up to reach and touch the tip of
his nose. “You’re so cute.” Chris bites at her finger.

Amber waves at
Mark, seeing him as I do. She whispers up to Jess, “He’s here! Look!”

Jess looks up. She
freezes.

Mark sees Jess and
his face jerks with confusion and surprise. His eyes dart between us.

At the same time
Jess and I say, “Mark!”

Mine voice is happy
– hers, freaked as hell. Jess looks like she’s about to lose her top.

I ask her, “What’s
going on? How do you know Mark?” I turn to Mark. “Mark? How do you know Jessica?”

His mouth opens.
He is so stunned, he can’t speak.

Amber blurts out,
“Oh my God. Mark is the guy from San Francisco!”

We are all silent.
As we process what she’s said.

I look at Mark and
he is melting, has no idea what to do. Jess falls into the booth and stares at
the table. I choke out the only word I can, “No!”

Mark stares at me,
and then he locks eyes with Chris, who’s turned around and looking at him. Mark
is seeing for the first time the guy Jess ditched him for. And I feel like I’m
going to throw up all over my purple dress. I wore it because he got me the
purple flowers. I wore it for him… the guy my best friend fucked last time he
was in town. She’s the woman who I’ve been insanely jealous of. The woman who
he spent most of the time with,
inside
.
The woman who helped him get the courage to make his dream a reality.
She is Jessica. My Jessica. My sister.

Jess covers her
face to hide from the hideousness of reality.

Mark stands at the
empty seat, looking helplessly from me to Jess, to Chris.

“Do you want to
sit down?” I choke.

He hesitates,
looking around the table, all eyes on him. Chris says, “Hi. I’m not sure what’s
happening. I’m Chris. Jess’s boyfriend.”

Mark forces a smile
and holds out a hand. “Lucky man. Nice to meet you.” They shake hands. My mouth
opens but no sounds come out.

Josh stands up and
reaches over, with his widest, smile. “Hey man. Good to see you again.”

“Right. My jaw
still hurts a little.”

“Funny,” Josh laughs.
They shake hands over Chris’s head.

Mark sits and goes
silent. Like the rest of us.

Mark and I can’t
look away from each other, weighing everything that this means. What keeps
going through my head is,
he said ‘lucky
man’…does he still want her
.
Why did
he have to say that?
My heart is a dull thud twisting hard, like a dirty
rag wrung out after cleaning a disgusting floor. All of the happiness and pride
I felt has been robbed from me. The silence would be deafening if not for the
crowded room. All six of us sit, saying nothing… like we’re waiting for someone
to tell us what to do.

Josh speaks first.
“Umm… well…so, what brings you to New York, Mark? From San Francisco, I hear?”

“I’m meeting investors.”
His eyes fall on Jess. “To get funding for an app idea I have.”

Jess looks at him
in surprise, remembering their conversation. It’s apparent, how clear that
memory is for her. Acid hits the back of my throat.

“Excuse me.” I go
to stand but Jess grabs my arm. I look at her, but she won’t meet my eyes.

Amber blurts out,
“So, have you guys been having fun?” Then she hears how much that’s asking for
trouble, and puts her hands over her mouth like a child. “Oh God.”

Josh comes to her
rescue. “Amber just remembered she forgot to call her mom for her birthday.” He
looks at her, purposefully. “You can call her now, babe.”

She smiles weakly.
“Thanks. Yeah. It’s awful how forgetful I am.”

Mark and I lock
eyes. He says, “It’s been incredible. A surprise.”

My stomach jumps
into my throat. I’m so grateful to him for saying that! But Jess’s body goes
rigid next to mine.

Jess looks to
Chris. “Honey, what were you saying about the skyscraper you’re building?” It’s
clear to everyone, including Chris that she’s trying to show how important he
is. This childish maneuver doesn’t impress any of us. But Jess’s face is rock
hard and chilling to look at. She is pissed.

Chris blinks and
picks up his beer. He meets my eyes momentarily. “Mark… did you date Jess… or
something? What’s going on?”

Amber, who was gulping
wine, spits it all over Josh, a crystal-colored cascade of mortification.

Jess blurts, “Oh
God.”

Josh calmly picks
up a napkin to wipe off his face. Jess bursts into a fit of panic-giggles.
Amber stands to wipe the table, the candle, and her boyfriend’s hair. I bust up
laughing, too. Amber starts giggling and soon the three of us are losing our
shit, none of us even knowing why. Mark and Chris watch like they’re on the
outside of a zoo cage, looking in at the monkeys. We’re a mess.

Chris steels
himself. “Guessed I asked the right question.”

Mark says, “No. I
didn’t date her.”

Jess explodes with
a fresh burst of laughter, guffawing outrageously. But the way she does it and
the way he said that, stops me cold.
He
didn’t date her
. No, he didn’t. Her recognition laughter very clearly says
all they did was fuck
.

My heart stops
beating and my eyes go cold. I straighten up, smoothing my hair
self-consciously. I look at the table seeing only an image of Mark and Jessica
having sex. Her red hair flying. His arms around
her
body. His beautiful, warm eyes looking at
her… the way they looked at me.
My eyes start to tear up and I
stand.

“Excuse me.”

Mark stands and
tries to touch my arm as I pass him. I throw him a quick look that screams,
don’t even think about it.
I race out of
the bar. As soon as I crash out onto the sidewalk, I gulp for air, feeling the
world spinning around me, images of Mark and Jessica banging each other,
everywhere. Against that lamppost. Against that window. On this sidewalk.
EVERYWHERE.

He bursts out of the
door behind me. “Nicole!”

I face him. “Did
you shower with her? Did you take her back to your hotel? Did you guys go to
Central Park? Oh no, wait… you barely went outside. You were too busy fucking.”