The Silencer: A Bad Boy MMA Romance (28 page)

Their little situation didn’t matter much to me. I didn’t bring a date to the gala and that wasn’t because I couldn’t find one. I would have had no trouble finding someone to accompany me but I didn’t want to be tied down. I wanted to be free to drink, have fun and go home with who I wanted to.

The gala had an open bar which was music to my ears. While everyone around me was trying to come off as classy, I was sitting with a few guys downing shots of tequila. One by one, they started to show their inability to hang with me as they began to look sick and leave the bar area. Pussies. Once I had a nice buzz going on, it was time for me to cruise the room, find the lucky man who would be fucking my brains out that night, and make my move.

I shouldn’t have been surprised but there wasn’t a huge selection of guys to pick from. Most of them were there with their spouses or girlfriends. If push came to shove, any of those women could have been going home on their own but I decided to be good. I was back at the bar having a couple more shots when Kade Nichols came and sat down beside me.

Kade was another guy that my sister and I had known for quite a while. We met him while we were going through the foster care system. When we were younger, he was really cool and chill. After we had gotten out of state custody, however, something changed. He was all about my sister for the longest time. He developed a crush on Sarabelle and wouldn’t give up, even though she made it clear that she wasn’t interested in him. That only made the pressure her even more until one day, she cut him off permanently. She stopped answering his calls and texts. It drove him nuts for the longest time but he eventually got the message and stopped calling.

I never saw what it was about my sister that he wanted so badly. He was always a good looking guy but you could tell he had a dark side. That dark side was much better suited for a girl like me. Time had agreed with him. He had become one hell of a hot looking guy. I could almost picture him lifting me up onto the bar and taking me right then and there.

“Hey Kade, how’s it going?” I asked him.

“I’ll be damned. Did Lexi Williams finally make it into the gala? What happened? Did the bouncer feel sorry enough for you and let you in?”

“No, he didn’t, smart ass. My sister got an invite tonight and brought me along as her guest. I didn’t realize how lame this thing was going to be. I think I hyped it up in my mind and there is no way it’s going to live up to my expectations. Why don’t you and I get out of here and go find something more exciting to do?”

He started laughing. “Didn’t you just hook up with my buddy Tony a few days ago?”

“Yeah, we were drunk and horny. So what? It didn’t mean anything. This won’t mean anything either. Just fun.”

“That’s cute Lexi but no thanks. I’m not into anyone’s sloppy seconds. Besides, I’ve got someone waiting for me. Have a good night, though. Tell your sister I said hello.”

He walked away, leaving me there fuming. I could feel the steam radiating off my face as my blood simmered. How dare he talk to me like that? He should have been thankful that I was even willing to go home with him. Oh well, fuck him. His loss was going to be someone else’s gain. I ordered myself two Jack and Coke’s, which is my default drink when I’m pissed off at someone. I figured that by ordering two, I’d get fucked up a lot faster.

I looked over and saw Sarabelle and Liam next to me at the bar. I hadn’t been paying much attention earlier but I couldn’t help but notice how kind the years had been to Liam. At one time, he was just a dorky kid who hung out with my sister but he had become quite attractive. To say that he had become jaw-dropping handsome would not do him justice. I wondered if I would have seen him differently if the thing with Kade hadn’t just happened. Besides, I didn’t want to be with Liam.

What if things were different, though? I don’t know why these thoughts were running through my mind but they were. What if I did want Liam? How happy would that have made my father? He always adored Liam. There’s a reason he was the only boy who was ever allowed to have a sleepover at our house. My parents knew that he was respectable and would never do anything to lose their trust. I could feel myself starting to shake. Why was I having these thoughts?

I had to get away and do it quickly. I grabbed my drinks and took off towards the dance floor where I quickly found an attractive man to drag back to our table and start making out with. I didn’t know if he was single or married. Hell, I didn’t even know his name. It didn’t matter. I wasn’t looking for a spouse. I was just looking for someone to have a good time with. I looked around formy sister and saw her and Liam on the dance floor. I’m not sure exactly what they were doing but I guess you would call it dancing. It was the perfect time to make my escape so I grabbed the gentleman by his hand and led him towards the door
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CHAPTER 2
  

Liam  

I was glad that Sarabelle had invited me to be her date to the gala but I was feeling pretty guilty. We’ve been best friends for as long as I could remember and usually told each other everything. We literally had no secrets from one another. Well, no secrets except one. I feel like I’ve done a good job at hiding it all these years and I know that she’s never suspected a thing but the main reason I agreed to come to the gala with Sarabelle was her sister.

Lexi has always been the girl who was out of my league but that never stopped me from wanting her. Every single change I’ve made over the years has been in a failed attempt to get that girl to notice me.

Going to the gym to transform myself from the chubby nerd I used to be to someone who isn’t ashamed to be outside without his shirt off was all for her. My change in wardrobe and giving a shit about style was all for her. No matter what I did, I could never make her give me a second look. Sure, we’ve talked when I was hanging out with Sarabelle but never like I wanted to.

As Sarabelle and I danced along with the live band playing in the background, my eyes were fixated on Lexi. She looks great in her low-cut black dress and heels. The dimmed light illuminated her breasts perfectly, leaving just enough to the eye for imagination.

Unfortunately, she seemed to have taken a liking to some other man at the gala. I wasn’t sure who the guy was as I’d never seen him around before. I was pretty sure she didn’t know him either but that wasn’t stopping her. She was in the middle of a hot and heavy make-out session and she didn’t care who saw her. I had to admit, I was feeling a little on the jealous side and wished it was me kissing those perfect lips.

I tried to ignore what was going on and placed all of my attention on Sarabelle. Watching what her sister was doing was only going to drive me crazy. Why couldn’t I just man up and tell Lexi what I thought about her? Was I afraid of rejection? What in the world did I have to lose? I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t realize the band had finished playing. Instead, I was still swaying back and forth like I had been for the last several minutes.

Finally snapping out of my daze, I gave Sarabelle a kiss on her forehead and went back to our table. When we got there, Lexi was nowhere to be found. Her sister looked around and spotted her walking out the door with the guy she had been making out with. I looked at Sarabelle and could see the look of concern on her face.

“Could you go get her for me? She doesn’t make the best decisions when she drinks,” she asked.

“Yeah, I can do that. She looked pretty messed up at the bar. Maybe I can get her away from that creep and get her back in here. Are you okay here by yourself for a bit or did you want to come with me?”

“I’ll be okay. Just try to hurry back.”

That was the answer I was hoping for. Maybe if I had the chance to spend some time alone with Lexi, I’d finally be able to tell her what I felt about her. It was doubtful, but maybe it would happen.

First, I had to intercept her in the parking lot before she had a chance to get into a car with a guy she didn’t know. I couldn’t imagine that going well, especially with the amount of alcohol she’d already consumed that evening. Apparently, I made it outside just in time as the valet had just brought the guy’s car around to him.

“Lexi, wait up,” I yelled as I ran up to the car. “Where are you going?”

“Does it matter? I’m going to have a little fun.”

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s such a good idea. Why don’t we get you back inside?”

“Who the fuck are you?” the guy she was with replied out of nowhere.

“I’m a family friend. Her sister’s inside and I need to take her back in.”

“Are you fucking deaf?” he questioned. “The lady said she was going to come with me and have a good time. Why don’t you run along now?”

Why don’t I run along now? Who the hell did this guy think he was dealing with? I took a deep breath so I wouldn’t lose it in front of Lexi and was eventually able to collect myself.

“Brother, I don’t know who you are and to be honest, I really don’t care,” I said. “I just want you to know that you have to pick your battles in life. I strongly suggest that you don’t choose this one to fight. Why don’t you either go inside and find someone else to take home or go on alone and sober up. Lexi is not going home with you.”

He rolled his eyes and debated whether or not he wanted to take things any further with me. After a few seconds, he made the wise choice of saying goodbye and getting into his car and heading home. Unfortunately, this left Lexi pissed off beyond words.

“What in the fuck do you think you’re doing Liam? Do you think you’re my fucking father who can just tell me what to do? Well, you can’t. My dad is dead so just back the fuck off, okay?”

“Lexi, I’m sorry but I couldn’t let you go home with some guy you didn’t know. Besides, Sarabelle was worried about you and wanted me to come out and make sure you were kept safe. Why don’t we go back inside the gala, find her and the three of us can have a fun rest of the night.”

Grudgingly, she followed me back into the building. I felt like a father must feel when he drags his daughter away from something she really wanted to do. I knew she was probably pissed at me, but if history was any indication, she would get over it quickly.

Once inside, we started to look around for Sarabelle. Since she isn’t exactly the most social person on the planet, I figured she’d still be at the table where I left her but there was no sign of her. She was also not at the bar nor was she on the dance floor. Lexi, on the other hand, was right back at the bar, trying to continue where she left off but the bartender was telling her that she’d had enough.

“What? You’re cutting me off? What kind of bullshit is this? I’ve got a fucking driver tonight and he doesn’t give a shit if I’m drinking. If I want to get drunk and pass out in the middle of this place, I have every right to do so!”

Lexi was yelling so loudly that she could be heard over the music and everyone was starting to look in her direction. Since I still couldn’t find Sarabelle, I figured I was the only one who could stop her from making an even bigger ass of herself.

“Okay, Lexi, maybe the bartender’s right. Maybe you’ve had enough. Why don’t we go outside for a bit and get some fresh air?”

“Yeah Liam, that's a very good idea. It’s not like we weren’t just out there five minutes ago.”

She was being a smart ass but she followed me anyway. I took her to a gazebo that sat right in front of this beautiful garden area. The garden was located right behind the building and it was gorgeous. It’s the kind of place that you could hold an outdoor wedding. There was even a huge maze made out of large bushes. It’s amazing.

Lexi kept being her usual self, talking a lot of shit about various people. I was no exception. I was pretty much being called every name in the book for not letting her do what she wanted to do. The only thing I could do was continue to tell her that I only did what I did to protect her. From out of nowhere, I could see her expression change and her anger turned to sadness. The next thing I knew, she had her face in her hands and had started to cry.

“Lexi, you okay?” I asked.

“No, I’m not okay. It’s not fair! It’s just not fair!”

“What’s not fair? What’s going on?”

“My parents. Why did they have to die the way they did? They never did anything to anyone. They never hurt anybody. Why did they have to burn up in that fire? Why did they have to leave us? We were just kids, Liam! We were just little kids.”

This was a side of Lexi that I’d never seen before. She never showed this kind of emotion, especially when it came to talking about her parents. Even at the funeral, she didn’t shed a tear. I wondered if she had actually been holding this in ever since. I’ve always thought that a part of her died along with her parents but I was beginning to see that she was just better at hiding her pain than most people.

“You know, Lexi, your parents were great people,” I said as I scooted in next to her. “I loved your mom and dad like they were my own parents. Hell, sometimes they were better parents to me than mine were.”

I paused, waiting for her to chime in. She was still too busy crying. “Do you remember when we were little and your parents took us roller skating? I was so scared and your dad told me that he had rented me special skates that wouldn’t let me fall once I was out there. It gave me so much confidence that I raced right out onto the skating rink and fell on my ass almost instantly. I looked up at your dad and saw him laughing. I knew I’d been had.”

Lexi wiped the tears out of her eyes and looked up at me, eager for me to continue talking.

“Or what about that time that you and Sarabelle were having a birthday party at your house. Your mom and dad put those special candles on your birthday cake that wouldn’t go out no matter how many times you blew on them. I remember you and your sister were acting like you were so mad but, at the same time, neither of you could stop laughing.”

She leaned in closer, waiting for me to finish the story. “Eventually, your dad grabbed the fire extinguisher to put out your candles and you guys freaked out, thinking he had just ruined your cake. Your mom was laughing so hard that she was fighting back tears when she brought the real cake out and sat it in front of you.”

As I told the story, I could see Lexi’s demeanor beginning to change. Slowly but surely, her eyes were drying up and a smile was starting to form on her face. She had a beautiful smile, she just didn’t let it be seen nearly enough. When I got to the part about her mom fighting back tears, she started laughing out loud. Seeing her smile made me happy. Seeing her happy in a genuine way is so rare so I knew I was doing my job.

“Thanks, Liam. I really needed that,” she said as she leaned over to give me a hug.  Immediately, my eyes darted to her shoulder, where the straps of her dress was slowly starting to slide off. I didn’t want her to unintentionally expose herself so I moved in to help push it back up. I don’t know if she thought I was making a move but she grabbed me, pulled me to her and started kissing me. Before I knew it, we were right in the middle of a full-fledged make-out session.