Their revulsion grew when Big strolled out behind her with a self-satisfied smirk on his face. His eyes met Alisha's and if she didn't know better, she would have sworn she saw that smugness falter momentarily.
"Ladies," he nodded as he strode past them and swaggered out the door.
"What a fucking douche!" Maggie said, completely flummoxed.
Alisha just shrugged, really not at all surprised.
"Sweetie," Maggie slurred, "I'm so sorry for trying to push you two together. I'm such a bad, bad friend!" She stroked Alisha's hair.
She smiled and patted Maggie's shoulder. "You're not a bad friend, Fabs. And don't worry about me. I'm fine. I promise."
Russell hurried over, mouth agape, eyes wide. "Was that Big?"
Alisha nodded.
"Bastardo!" he exclaimed, cutting in front of Maggie and Alisha for the available toilet.
"You know what you should do? You should go right back out there and hook up with Derek. I know you used to enjoy doing that," Maggie said. "And he is hot hot hot!"
"I don't need to hook up with someone just because Big is skeevy and likes to bang skanks in bar bathrooms. I'm just glad you realize what I've been telling you all along about him. Let's just leave it alone, okay. It's your birthday!" she reminded her friend, knowing that would get her mind back on having fun.
"Yay! Birthday!" Maggie clapped.
The rest of the night she spent with the group (and Derek) dancing and laughing and forgetting about Big entirely. (Mostly.) When Derek smoothed her hair out of her face and smiled down at her with that slow, roguish grin, she felt the warmth stir in her belly. And when he murmured in her ear and asked if they could get together some time, she smiled back and said she'd like that. (And meant it.) Then, at the end of the night, when he leaned in and captured her lips in a kiss that used to make her weak in the knees, she went with it, tried to pour herself into it.
And felt nothing at all.
It would have been so much easier if she had.
Chapter 9
"I really love your band. My girlfriends and I have seen you a couple of times. It's definitely a fun experience," smiled Rebekah Nelson, the pretty thirty-something blonde currently sitting across the table at Starbucks from Big and James. Both guys smiled appreciatively. "But…even though we're scrambling at the last minute to find a replacement band for our reunion, the committee really wants a band that has both a male and female lead singer." She rolled her green eyes and set her pink lips into a pout. "God forbid we miss out on any girl songs from the 80's," she clipped sarcastically. "If it were just up to me I'd book you for the gig right on the spot." She lifted her coffee cup to her mouth and sipped thoughtfully, the enormous diamond on her wedding band sparkling in the light. "I don't suppose you know of anyone that can join your band for the night?" she asked hopefully.
Big slanted a look over towards James, who was shaking his head and giving him a look that clearly said don't do it, asshole. Not being one to listen to James's advice much over the years, Big ignored him and looked back to Rebekah, whose high school reunion committee was prepared to pay the Fire Extinguishers a pretty sizeable sum to entertain the Class of '89 for a night. Hey, these were lean economic times and they worked for the city…he wasn't about to turn down money to buy a new guitar or whatever the fuck else he felt like with his share just because James Keller said so. With a wily grin, he opened his mouth and said, "Beks, we've got the perfect girl for you. Killer pipes. You'll love her."
"Fantastic!" she beamed, sliding over the paperwork and a check for the deposit.
Big nodded and smirked at Rebekah as she gave him the look on her way out of Starbucks that told him there might be a little something extra coming his way after the show. (He'd hit it.) He felt James's massive fist punch him hard on the shoulder. "The fuck was that for?" Big grumbled, rubbing a hand over it.
"For not having any goddamn sense," James tossed back.
"Uh, correct me if I'm wrong, which you won't because we both know I'm the brains of this operation, did I or did I not just score us a well-paying gig because of my quick thinking?"
"And people call me stupid," James muttered into his hot chocolate. He took a sip of his drink and fixed Big with a pointed look. "What girl do you plan on having join our band for the night?" James asked, already knowing the answer, but wanting to hear his idiot friend's plan aloud.
"Who the hell do you think, Einstein? Larrington."
"Why would she even want to, Big? Last I heard you weren't exactly top of her list of favorite people."
"We have a deal," Big shrugged, though he knew that that deal was probably beyond null and void now.
"You had a deal, and then you fucked up by being an asshole. Guessing she probably won't be rushing to help you out any time soon."
"Why am I to blame for everything? She needs to learn to take a joke. She was the one parading around naked in her apartment. It's not my fault that I was there and have working eyes. Nor is it my fault that she's hot for me and can't admit it. Her issues, bro, not mine."
"It's amazing that she's not throwing herself at your feet right now," James drawled sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "If you're going to ask her to do this, you might want to work on your pitch a little more."
Big frowned, not really enjoying the way the truth sounded coming from James's mouth.
