“Cleo, sit down!” her friend commands. Commands? What hold does she have over Cleo?
“Yeah, I would love a drink,” she says, turning back to me and speaking in a meeker voice.
“No. You can’t just walk away!” her friend snaps, jumping up from her chair .
“Okay, we’re going to go. This is bullshit. You said you were going to take care of my friend here.” This is coming from the other guy, the one who is with Cleo’s friend.
“No, no…everything is fine. Cleo, sit down. You, stay. We’re good.” The friend sounds desperate. It makes me want to shake her by her shoulders. Shake some sense into her.
“I’m going to have a drink at the bar, Marsha. You can do what you want,” Cleo speaks clearly this time.
Marsha is fuming. Her nostrils are flared.
“Oh yeah? Well then don’t bother coming back to my place tonight.”
Cleo walks right past me, heading for the bar. I give Marsha a warning glare before I follow her to the bar. I don’t know what’s going on between the two of them, but I’ve already picked sides. Whatever is going on, I want to support Cleo. It’s crazy, I know. I’ve only just met her. But somehow, I feel this urge to be protective of her and make sure she’s okay.
I watch the way her ass moves in that tight black dress. I haven’t stopped thinking about her body from the moment she walked in here, but now, there’s more. I’m thinking about what I can do to bring a smile to her face too.
Man, I’m in too deep already.
Cleo
His name is Irwin. That is all I know. My mind is buzzing with a whirlwind of thoughts. Did Marsha really just kick me out? Usually, every time we’ve gotten into one of our fights, I’ve been too afraid to actually do anything. I’ve never been able to take a stand because I know how reliant I am on her.
But tonight, it’s different. I don’t know why.
Irwin’s presence. The way he held me, saved me from knocking that waiter over, the way he looked at me. He knew exactly when to suggest a drink at the bar. And now he’s sitting on a stool next to me, cradling a sweating bottle of beer. He has ordered a Gin and Tonic for me that I haven’t touched yet. I think I’m still in shock.
But there’s no rush. He’s not even asking me any questions. For some strange reason, he is absolutely comfortable just sitting here with me in complete silence.
“I’m…I’m really sorry about all that drama with my friend back there. You don’t have to sit here with me if there’s somewhere else you have to be,” I say.
His dark chocolate eyes travel over me. He has sandy blond hair cropped close to his head. He has a thick muscular build, like a boxer. I know I have never met anyone like him before. He is not usually the type of guy I go for. I guess I never thought someone like him would be interested in someone like me. But there is something in the way he’s looking at me. It makes me feel like he knows me. Or at least, he wants to know me.
“I don’t have to be anywhere else,” Irwin replies. He has a strong smooth voice. Very deep. Reliable. My eyes travel to his hand and how tightly he’s gripping the beer bottle. “Is she really your friend?” he asks, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I am embarrassed by the question so I stare down at my bottle.
“She used to be. Or at least that’s what I thought she was.”
“It sounded to me like the only thing she cares about is herself.”
Irwin’s eyes bore into me. He doesn’t care if he’s being rude about my friend. He’s being honest with me in a way I never expected. I nod.
“She did me a huge favor. I owe her…a lot.”
“But she can’t treat you like that. She can’t talk to you like that.” When he speaks this time his voice is firm and strong. This is the kind of man who nobody messes with. He is clearly also the kind of man who stands by his moral code.
“I don’t know what to do. I feel stuck in this…in my life. I…” The words are gushing out of me. I would have continued to speak, but then I see Marsha coming towards us through the crowd. She doesn’t look pleased.
Irwin
Marsha is standing in front of us with her hands on her hips. She is ready for battle. Cleo sits with her back straight, her eyes fixed on her friend. I want her to know I’m right here to support her. She can say what she needs to say to Marsha and I’ll have her back.
“Ronny left. Him and his friend, both. Because of you. What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Cleo?” Marsha snaps. Her eyes flicker on me for a moment but then she focuses on Cleo again. It is quickly becoming very apparent to me that Marsha thinks she owns Cleo.
“He touched me inappropriately,” Cleo replies.
This is the first time I’m hearing about it. She hadn’t mentioned that her date made a move on her.
“So? It was supposed to be a date!” Marsha squeals over the music.
“I think you need to take it easy here,” I speak up and she throws me a caustic look.
“Who are you?”
“Irwin Byrne.”
Marsha rolls her eyes and turns her attention back to Cleo. “So now you’re going to have a drink with him? What about me? We should go back home.”
Cleo takes in a deep breath. I can see she’s trying to compose herself.
“You kicked me out of your place, remember?”
Marsha rolls her eyes again.
“Well, you can stay the night. We’ll discuss it in the morning. Let’s go.”
I have to clench my jaw because I’m angry now. I can’t stand the way Cleo is being spoken to. If she gives
