Keep It Sexy (KIS Series Book 3) (19 page)

Chapter Thirty-One

Billie

Juanita, Christian’s mom, was tiny—smaller than me. She was curvy with wide hips, perfect for having children, and a chest big enough to feed an army. She had Christian’s olive skin tone, brown hair, and dark eyes. Juanita smiled warmly at her son when we approached them. There was a table filled with food and a grill placed in the middle of the front yard of the apartment building. Her stare grew cold when she looked at me.

“Ma, this is Billie, my girlfriend.”

I frowned for a brief second, snapping my head in Christian’s direction. He smirked smugly, and I didn’t know whether I wanted to kiss or punch him. Recovering, I smiled at his mom, happy to meet her. But she didn’t seem to feel the same about me.

“It’s great to meet you, Mrs. Rodriguez.”

She looked down at my hand in disdain before shaking it.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were bringing someone?” she said. “I don’t know if we have enough food.”

Well, then
.

“Ma, don’t be like that. There’s plenty of food to go around, and if there isn’t, then I won’t eat so Billie can.”

Juanita didn’t like that answer. Her glare could have melted Christian into a heap of skin and bones. Mothers have never been my thing. With my past boyfriends, their mothers all thought their sons were better than me, like they were settling for second best. All these guys were momma’s boys, and all ended up cheating on me.

Looking back, I wondered if it was me who was forcing them to look for attention elsewhere. I was never truly invested in my past relationships. I’m not excusing their bad decisions, but maybe when it comes down to it, cheating isn’t so black and white.

Staring at Christian’s profile while he and his mother had a small argument about me in Spanish, my heart warmed at the thought of us spending forever together, and how there was no possibility he would betray me or how I could ever close myself off to him. From the beginning, I had felt like an open book with him. He was open to all my flaws, my mistakes, my dreams, and my desires. Christian had altered the trajectory of my life. I knew I wasn’t ever letting him go, and I wouldn’t let him push me away regardless of his reasoning. Juanita looked at me again before hastily turning around and setting some meat on the grill.

“I can leave,” I said. “I don’t want to make her feel uncomfortable.”

Christian turned his attention to me. Bending his knees, he took my face into his hands.

“Then I’d leave too.” He caressed my lips with his. This was the first time since yesterday we had kissed like this, and it felt like an eternity since I’d had this sort of contact with him.

When he gave me an opening, I pushed my tongue inside of his mouth as I clung to the sides of his t-shirt. I hadn’t realized how much I missed this until now. Christian’s hands pressed harder around my face while we breathed in sharply through our nostrils. This was getting a little too hot and heavy for a quick kiss in front of his mother, so I pulled back, making Christian groan in objection.

“Tell me what I said last night.”

“No,” I whispered, giving him a quick peck on the lips.

Christian grinned, then pulled me toward the table his mother had set up.

While we were kissing, a couple of people had gathered around the food. The majority were men, an older couple, and then I noticed Claudia glaring at me. Smiling sweetly, I wiggled my fingers at her in a small wave. She huffed, then rolled her eyes before turning to speak to a guy who was also staring at us and looked a lot like Christian. Expect this guy was shorter, stocky with a buzz cut. He kind of reminded me of a Bull Dog. He was dressed in baggy dark denim jeans and a loose white t-shirt.

“We’re only staying for a little bit, okay?” Christian assured me. “I have to get back to the bar and put out a wanted ad.”

I nodded as we neared his brother.

“You’re Billie McAllister,” he said, without introducing himself.

I was accustomed to people knowing who I was, but for some reason, the fact that he knew gave me a bad feeling in my stomach. Christian’s body language told me he didn’t trust him either. He moved so half of his body was in front of mine.

“Babe, this is Roman, my brother. Yeah, Rome, this is Billie. My girlfriend.”

Roman smirked coldly, making goose bumps run down my arms.

“Nice to meet you, Billie.”

I tried to smile back. Roman looked at Christian, saying something to him in Spanish.

“Speak in English, Rome. I already told Mom that’s rude as hell.”

Roman didn’t listen. After he was done, he gave Christian a stern look then walked away. With a huff, Christian turned around to face me.

“I’ll be right back, okay? Sit and eat a little.” He kissed my forehead before he left. I sat at the edge of the table, away from everyone else. They didn’t seem to want anything to do with me, and I wasn’t going to force myself on them either.

I recognized a couple of people at the other end of the table, but I couldn’t place them. While I was picking up and dropping chip crumbs on my paper plate, I pulled out my phone to play a game. Angel sat in front of me.

“What’s up, Billie?” he said, with his signature troublemaker smirk.

“Hey, Angel, how you been?”

“Good. Tired from my late night last night,” he replied. I chuckled. “From the looks of it, you and Chris made up?”

I glanced away, watching him and Roman argue from afar.

“I don’t know yet. He doesn’t remember anything from last night,” I replied, turning back to look at Angel.

“Nothing?” When I shook my head, he said, “Damn, not even when he said he loved you?”

I swallowed thickly, because that was the second important thing Chris forgot he said this morning. The first thing was something that was eating at me.

“Did he say anything else after I left?” Angel asked.

The question spoke volumes. I could tell he was trying to sound elusive, and I knew what a cover-up sounded like.

“No. He passed out soon after you left.”

Angel looked relieved as he took a big gulp from his beer. After minutes of glaring at me, Juanita finally decided to come over to where I was sitting.

“Oh, shit,” Angel said under his breath before she closed in on us.

“You know how to cook?” she snapped.

My face pinched in confused. What an odd question to ask me.

“No, ma’am, I don’t.”

Juanita sucked her teeth. She cocked her hip to the side and curled her chubby fingers around it. “How do you expect my son to eat?”

“I suppose he’s going to have to get up and cook it himself.”

Juanita’s eyes flared with fury. When she opened her mouth to say something, Christian stepped up behind her.

“What’s going on?” he asked. Juanita swirled around shouting, and stomped her feet as she ranted in Spanish.

“You’ve done it now,” Angel said quietly, seeming afraid Juanita might hear.

“Why doesn’t she like me? She doesn’t even know me,” I said matching his tone. I had pissed her off already, and I didn’t want to make it worse.

“You’re white.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, please. It’s 2014, for fuck’s sake.”

“Plus, you can’t cook,” he added.

“Seriously?”

“She’s old school, man. She wants her sons to be taken care of.”

How archaic
, I thought.

“Because a grown man can’t possibly take care of himself?”

Angel chuckled, then looked up when a heavy hand landed on my shoulder. I didn’t flinch because I knew who it was.

“Let’s get going,
chiquita
.”

I waved at Angel before climbing off the seat. I wanted to say goodbye to Juanita, but Christian prevented me from doing so. I thought it was rude.

“You little troublemaker, you.” He smiled while he opened the passenger door. This never got old. Chivalry and tattoos?
So sexy
. I jumped up into his arms and kissed him. Instantly, his arms circled around my waist, pushing me against the car. I wrapped my legs around him.

“You taste like tortilla chips,” he said.

Giggling, I hugged him while he squeezed me tight. That’s when I noticed a black sedan drive away in a hurry. I wondered how long I would be able to keep this up. And if Christian was ever going to confess what he had done.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Billie

It had been three days since Roman’s barbeque and two days since I had walked in on Jade and Pete fucking on the kitchen table. The image itself wasn’t disturbing. It was the fact he was eating bacon off her that did it for me. That prompted me to look for a place to stay.

Christian offered again, but because he hadn’t officially asked me to be his girlfriend again, I wasn’t going to do that. Plus, I thought a little independence would do me some good. Pete, Jade, and Christian were helping me unpack, even though there was nothing to unpack. I had a military bag filled with clothes and that was it, but this was the first time any of them had seen my new place.

The apartment was within walking distance from the bar. It had been a garage originally, and the owner had turned it into an apartment. Georgia, the owner, had initially planned to rent it out to students, but after her first tenant partied nonstop and trashed the whole place, she thought it best to rent it out to someone who would be a little more responsible. It was perfect for me, and the rent was cheap. I could walk to work and not have to ask for rides. It was my own place. Something I hadn’t had since I was in college, four years ago.

“This is nice,” Jade said as she looked around.

Just inside the front door was the living room. To the left was a small staircase that led to the bedroom and bathroom. Toward the back of the living room was a small galley style kitchen. It was all I needed. The entire apartment had wooden floors with big open windows. One would never know it had once been a garage.

“Where’s your bed?” Christian asked, inspecting the small closet in the living room.

“I have a sleeping bag.”

“You don’t have furniture?” He closed the door and frowned at me.

“No, not yet, but I will once I save up.” I had money in the bank, but I wasn’t willing to spend all of it on furniture.

“And what about your bike? Are you going to get another one? How are you going to get to work? What about when it sno—”

I stopped his rambling by kissing him. “It’s sweet that you care enough to ask me all these questions, but I can take care of myself. I got it all planned out.” I kissed him again. “Don’t you worry.” He sighed, then snaked his arms around my waist.

“You could have just moved in with me. I have all the stuff you need, not to mention we still have the Connor issue to deal with.”

Exhaling deep, I pushed off him. “There is no
we,
remember? I told you
I
was going to take care of that.” Christian looked at me like he wanted to tell me something, but that quickly vanished and suddenly he was annoyed.

“Fine. You tell me you can take care of yourself, I believe you. Crazy how this trust thing works, huh?” He stepped back, then left through the front door.

“He’s been real moody lately,” Jade observed. I ran my fingers through my hair and huffed.

“Yeah, tell me about it.”

“Ever since you turned him down about moving in with him.”

“We’re not even in a relationship, Jade. It would be stupid of me to move in with him.” I looked around at the empty room, desperate to sit down.
Maybe I should dip into my savings and buy some stuff.

“What
are
you going to do about, Connor?” Pete asked.

I had everything set up for when Connor came back home, but there was no way I was going to jeopardize Pete and Jade. There was a possibility I could go to jail, not to mention my brothers and Connor. And I had to thank Christian for opening my eyes to that.

“I got it covered,” I answered.

***

Pete and Jade had given me a ride to the local furniture warehouse store to buy a couch, bed, and dresser. I bought it on clearance; the wood had a couple of scratches and dents, but I didn’t mind. They were fifty percent off, and were available that very day. Jade even managed to flirt with the salesman, and sweetened the deal by adding free delivery.

With a bed, dresser, and couch in place, I was finally feeling comfortable. I had my own apartment, Jade and I were tighter than ever, and I had a good paying job. Now, if only my love life would make sense.

That night at Blush was another interview day. The last couple of days, Christian had interviewed quite a lot of people, but none really stood out to him. I really didn’t like a few of them; they came in with too much makeup on, and too little clothing. Jade and I both rolled our eyes when they asked to speak to the manager in their overly sugary voices.

Tonight, though, a guy came in and interviewed, and the way he shook hands with Christian, it looked like he was getting the job. Christian didn’t say anything, just told us his name. Actually, since starting my shift, he hadn’t really said a word to me. Tonight, he decided he wanted to wait on tables, and put me with Jade to bartend. I had the perfect view of him and Claudia flirting with each other, along with every other customer ogling him.
Highlight of my fucking night.

And to make things worse, it wasn’t busy at all. We assumed it was due to the cold front coming in. Fall was upon us and it was only a matter of time before it started to snow. Jade was serving drinks to a group of girls while I was wiping down the bar at the opposite end, where the people who wanted to be left alone sat. This was where I got the least amount of tips. The bar stool screeched against the floor before I looked up to see Mallory sitting down.

“It’s days like this that I hate not being twenty-one,” she said.

I chuckled as I filled a glass with club soda and plopped a piece of lime inside of it—her usual.

“Not to state the obvious, but you’re not having a good day?”

Mallory dipped the tip of her finger inside the bubbling water and swirled it around. “Can I use you as the proverbial bartender and dump my shit on you?”

“Of course.” I planted my elbows on the corner, smiling.

“And there’s a bartender-customer confidentiality type thing, right?”

I laughed. “Sure, why not.”

Mallory seemed to think it over for a minute, but I could tell she was dying to just lay her problems on the table and free herself of them. Her shoulders sagged when she finally gave in.

“Ava’s pregnant by her
old
boyfriend. Dude has a six-year-old son and is
still
married to the kid’s mother. Vanessa’s mother is fucking psychotic, and set her up with a pharmaceutical heir who turns out to be gay and is dating her brother. So, logically, Vanessa runs away with her secret crush. Come to think of it, you know him—Diesel.”

When I nodded, she continued. “She left with him to go to Oklahoma for two days, then came back to an engagement party where she told off her parents and is now back in Oklahoma with Diesel who she’s only known for…what, a month? And she’s telling me over the phone on her way there, and doesn’t even bother to ask how
I
was. Like, I’m her best friend and I know she’s going through some stuff, but so am I. And now she’s gone.”

She took a deep breath before chugging her soda and slamming it down on the bar. I opened my mouth to say
something
to her, something soothing to calm her down because I could practically see her vibrating in her seat. She stopped me.

“But wait, there’s more! After she dumps all this on me, she casually tells me Talon is back in town. Fucking. Talon!”

Why does that sound familiar?
Mallory pulled the side of her hair while slamming her forehead against the slab of wood. I looked around as I felt people staring at us. Everyone in the bar seemed to be glaring at Mallory and her outburst. Christian frowned, then stepped toward us, but I waved him off. Mouthing to him that it was okay, he nodded, then said something to the people around him, making them laugh, taking their attention away from us.

“And we don’t like Talon?” I asked, filling up her glass, trying to remember why that name sounded so familiar.

“No. We hate him,” Mallory mumbled against the bar. My heart hurt for her. She was clearly dealing with a broken heart and had no one to talk to about it. Her best friend was gone, and all the times she hung around Ava, it felt like there was some sort of wall between the two of them.

“Hey, how about we go back to my place after my shift? I’ll pick up something stronger to drink.”

Mallory slowly lifted her head, her eyes glistening with tears.

“You’d do that for me?”

I smiled, my chest squeezing from the expression of awe on her face. I had a strong feeling she was rarely anyone’s main priority.

“Of course. Let me get you an order of cheese fries and you can hang out until I’m off, yeah?” She nodded eagerly.

Ten minutes later, Mallory had an order of cheese fries keeping her company while I busied myself stocking up the mini-fridges along the bar. I was distracted by beer bottles and almost didn’t notice Jade tapping on my shoulder. I looked up, annoyed that I had been interrupted.

“What’s up?” I asked.

She pointed in the direction of the dining room with a scowl. Puzzled, I stood up and followed her gaze. In the corner table sat two very attractive women dressed in pantsuits. They were both brunettes. One had her hair in a bun, and the other wore her hair in loose curls. Her pantsuit was a cream color with a white button-up dress shirt underneath her jacket. Her high heels were a bright blue. Then I looked up at her face again, and I recognized her. It was Hannah, Christian’s booty call. Christian was crouched down at eye level with her as he sat back on the heels of his shoes. Hannah was leaning into his personal space. I wanted to jump over the bar and drag her away by her hair.

“Uh-oh,” Mallory said, clearly noticing the same thing.

“Billie, honey, relax,” Jade whispered.

“What the fuck does he think he’s doing?” I growled.

Hannah leaned in closer, almost like she was going to kiss him, then pulled back to run her red polished fingers through his hair. I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination but I could have sworn the glass I was holding began to crack. I didn’t have a chance to look because Jade took it away from me.

“Billie, you’re not together, remember? You’re broken up. He’s allowed to be with other people.”

She was right, but it didn’t feel that way. My rage instantly dissipated while hurt took over. I stepped away from the bar and got back down on my knees to stock the fridge. At least, that’s what it looked like I was doing. In reality, my head hung low as I frantically wiped away the flood of tears running down my cheeks.

Jade handed me a paper towel without even saying a word to me. I wanted to crawl into a hole and cry my eyes out, until I heard “Drowning” by Saving Abel, the song that felt like our song. My spirits lifted a little.

I started to stand, but Jade stopped me by pushing my shoulder down with her hand. Confused, I looked up at her. She swallowed slowly before shaking her head. Disregarding her objections, I stood up and turned to the dance area where Jade’s disapproving stare was centered. Christian and Hannah danced to a rock song as if it was a slow jam.

I was livid, a volcano erupting anger instead of lava inside my chest. I watched them dance for a few seconds until the slap of realization hit me. This was the real Christian, one of the reasons why I stayed away from him as long as I did. I had my reservations for a reason.

“Hey, Billie?” Mallory said with sadness in her tone. I turned my attention to her and tried my best to ignore the asshole across from me.

“Yeah?”

“Listen, we don’t have to hang out tonight. One of us needs to be in an okay mood for this night not to end in a veg-out feast of ice cream, whisky, and chocolate cake. And judging from Latin Lover over there, that’s something you need and I’m no good at that.”

I grinned back and nodded. Her honesty was endearing. I could tell if she kept coming in, a friendship would quickly form between us.

“Thanks, Mallory. I actually would prefer to be alone tonight.”

She jumped off the stool and threw a twenty on the counter.

“No, it’s on the house,” I told her.

She scoffed. “Shut up, and take my money.”

I smiled again, swiping the money off the wood.

“I’ll see you soon?” she said.

I nodded, and saluted her goodbye. “Drive safely.”

For the next hour and a half, I concentrated on working as hard and as fast as I could. By the time last call went out, we were pretty empty and I was nearly done with the rest of my work. At closing, I finished up quickly, kissed Jade goodbye, and practically flew out the back door. I made it back to my apartment in record time. In the privacy of my own home, I was able to cry myself to sleep.