Bad Impressions (Revive Me #1) (5 page)

Yeah, that was it. I needed a warm body to set my head straight and to get my mind off her. I needed to erase her from my thoughts with a good fucking distraction.

I took one last drag of my smoke and headed on back inside the pub.

It was finally time to start closing up. It’d been one hell of a long-ass day. I’d been in since 8am doing inventory and worked all the way through. It was approaching 2am and I was beyond ready to call it a night.

I made my way behind the bar. Tiff was eyeing me slyly.

I wasn’t in the mood for her games and I snapped, “What?”

“You’ve been a moody asshole all night. Moodier than your normal surly self anyway.”

I blew out a breath. “Just…spit it out, Tiff.”

“Corner booth. Brunette. Big tits. Skin tight strapless mini-dress. Your type.”

I glanced over at the booth. Sure enough, the chick
was
my type. A brunette with curves in all the right places. The dress she was wearing looked like it was painted on, leaving nothing to the imagination. Just the way I liked it. Yeah, she was my type all right. Unlike Soph, who
wasn’t
my usual type at all. Blonde with a tight little petite body.
Stop. Get her out of your head.

The brunette flashed me a
come-fuck-me
grin that told me all I needed to know. She was up for it.

I watched her undress me with her eyes, making no attempt to hide it. She wanted me to see. Her painted crimson lips closed over the straw in her drink and she held my gaze as she worked her mouth up and down. My dick stirred at the erotic display. She winked and laughed, her high ponytail bouncing as she did. Images of tugging hard on it as I fucked her from behind flashed in my mind. Holding her there at my mercy as my cock plunged so fucking deep into her slick pussy.

“She’s been flirting with you all night, but you’ve been oblivious,” Tiff said, pulling me out of my not-so-nice dirty thoughts. She eyed me suspiciously. “That’s not like you.”

She was right. It wasn’t like me. I was a perceptive guy. I could pick up on the most subtle of cues. I knew what the problem was: Soph. She was the damn problem. Since she’d been back, she’d been boring her way into my head and throwing me through a loop.

That bullshit was about to end.

“It’s been a long shift.”

Tiff nodded, fortunately satisfied with that explanation. What else was I gonna say?
Your best friend is driving me insane and all I can think about is fucking her within an inch of her life, claiming her and owning every part of her?
Yeah, not likely.

“I took the liberty of playing matchmaker.”

“What?”

She grinned, looking really pleased with herself. “She knows you’re up for it.”

Oh no.
I knew what that meant. Tiff and I could barely tolerate one another. She wouldn’t do me a favor without…wanting one in return. I glared at her and folded my arms across my chest. “What is it?”

“What?” she asked, playing coy.

Urgh.
She always made me work for it. It was like pulling teeth just trying to get a straight answer out of her most of the time. She needed to have a full-length conversation over every little fucking thing. “What do you want?” I clarified, even though it was already crystal fucking clear what I’d meant.

“I think you know.”

Not this again. Fuck.
“Tiff, I don’t think—”

“Just talk to him.”

“Fine,” I grunted. “I’ll talk to Ollie. That’s all. One talk.”
He better just fuck her, so I can finally hear the end of this obsession of hers. Jesus Christ, she’s been beating me to death with it for too damn long. They better just finally hook up.

“Good,” she said in that fake sugary-sweet tone of hers. “Much appreciated, handsome.”

She turned away and headed out to the floor, letting everyone know that it was last call. I took one last glance at the sexy brunette and gave her a nod.
Oh, it’s on.

***

“Yes! Oh God! Yes! Yes!”

Fuck me, the girl screamed like a porn star. One of those really annoying ones, the kind that had you muting the video right away, because the sound was such a turn off. Although, I knew it wasn’t fake, like most of that porno shit was, because I was damn good at what I did, it didn’t make it any less goddamn annoying. Even when she wasn’t screaming, every time she
spoke
was like nails scraping across a chalkboard.

Thankfully, my dick was too preoccupied to register the major turn off the way my mind was. I had her on her hands and knees on my bed and I was balls deep, fucking her hard from behind.

When she moved to speak again, I stopped yanking harshly on her ponytail and shoved two fingers into her mouth. She moaned, her tongue swirling around them.
Good girl. Put your mouth to better use.

My other hand squeezed her left tit. They were fake and hard, but I was beyond caring. Her pussy was warm, slick and tight enough. Not as tight as Soph’s. Hell, no woman could compare to her.

Just the thought of her sent an additional jolt of pleasure to my dick. I went with it, holding on to the memory of sinking into her sweet pussy. Her eyes wide with spellbound awe as I took her. The little whimpers she made. The sexy-as-sin way she moaned my name.

“Fuck!” I ground out as I lost control and shot my load into the brunette.

She whimpered in protest. I wasn’t surprised. That was way too fast by my standards. I was known for my control; for going all damn night. But I’d just lost it big time.

I dropped my hand to her pussy, working my magic. I couldn’t leave her unsatisfied. I had a reputation to uphold for Christ’s sake. Coming so quickly because of those thoughts of Soph popping into my head had already jeopardized that.

“Yes. Yes!” she screamed as she came apart around me, drenching my fingers.

I pulled out and she collapsed onto my bed. I rolled off her and laid on my back, staring up at the ceiling and not saying a word.

Suddenly, I felt her hand rubbing my arm. “I love your magic fingers, Brad.”

Hearing her say my name, now we weren’t fucking, made me sick to my stomach. I couldn’t stand it. I couldn’t stand her hands on me.

I flashed her a half-hearted smile and broke away, climbing off the bed. “Condom,” I said.

Fortunately, she accepted that. I could feel her eyes on me as I strode out of the bedroom and made my way down the hall to the bathroom.

As soon as I got inside, I locked the door and leaned against it, blowing out a breath.

Well, this is a first.
Normally, I was on a high after fucking, especially with a chick as hot as…What’s-Her-Name.

But I just felt sick. Disgusted with myself. Something inside me felt wrong. Twisted.

What the hell was it? Guilt? Was that it? Did I feel guilty about Soph?

We weren’t together. What did I have to feel guilty about? I’d wanted it, hadn’t I? To shake her. To put some much-needed distance between us.

So, what the hell was the bullshit I was feeling?

I took care of the condom, washed my hands, and headed back into the bedroom.

The chick was sprawled out on my bed, apparently asleep.
Fuck.
Women did
not
sleep over. I called them a cab and that was it. Was she faking it so she could stay the night?

Screw it.
I didn’t have the energy in me to do shit about it. It was better that she was asleep. I couldn’t bear the idea of getting pulled into some sort of small talk, or the possibility of her wanting to go round two with me. They always did after the first fuck. Once was never enough. But just the thought of it turned me the fuck off. It wasn’t her fault. It was all me. I didn’t get it. What was happening to me? I didn’t know.

What I did know was that I couldn’t climb into bed with her.

I couldn’t sleep next to her or wake up with her all over me.

I didn’t want her to touch me again.

I had to get away.

And so, I grabbed my robe off the back of the door and headed downstairs.

The couch it was.

Chapter 5

~Sophie~

I shut the front door and headed down the porch steps.

As I neared Ollie’s truck, I was surprised to find him leaning against it and staring up the street.

“What are you doing?” I asked, amused.

“Waiting,” he said, not breaking his stare.

I followed his line of sight. A pretty brunette was walking self-consciously down the street. Her hair was wild and disheveled and her dress was wrinkled. It was clear she was doing the walk of shame.

“I think she’s embarrassed enough without you staring at her and making it worse.”

I felt bad for the girl. I’d never done the walk of shame myself. I’d only been with two men in my life and it had never ended like that. I guess I was a
good girl
by some standards. But still, I felt for her. It wasn’t fair. If she had been a guy, it would have been completely different. But she was embarrassed because of societal expectations.
Poor woman.

“I’m just waiting for her to pass by before I head up there,” Ollie said, finally breaking his stare and looking at me.

“Head up there?”

“Yeah. The last house on the street?”

I shrugged my shoulders. “What about it?”

He looked at me like I was stupid. “
Brad’s
place, Soph.”

What?

Ollie seemed surprised that I clearly had no idea. “You didn’t know? He moved in there about a year ago. He’s renting the place. You thought he still lived on the outskirts of town in his mom’s house?” He laughed. “Really, Soph. You think he would’ve come all the way down here to help you out the other night? Come on. He lives right there.”

Oh my God
. I’d just assumed. So then…the brunette…she was…his?

He’d been with her? She was doing the walk of shame from
him
? After we’d…? After the other night?

I felt sick.

“What’s wrong, Soph?” Ollie asked, obviously seeing the hurt all over my face.

“Uh…nothing. Nothing.” I looked back up the street. The brunette was gone now. She must’ve turned onto the adjacent street. “She’s gone. You’re clear. Hurry up. I’m gonna be late for work otherwise.”

“Relax. I won’t be long. I promised you a ride so you wouldn’t have to walk this morning and that includes me getting you there on time.” He ruffled my hair and said with a smile, “Seriously, you worry too much, sis.”

And with that, he hurried up the street to Brad’s house.
Asshole’s
house.

My mind was still whirring with thoughts of Brad and that woman. I couldn’t believe it. I’d thought the other night had…meant something to him, like it had to me.

What the hell was wrong with me?

Of course it didn’t mean shit to him. Just like the last time.

I was such an idiot.

He was a guy. Seeing me naked had just activated a normal guy response. That was all. He’d just been thinking with his dick. Like he always did with every other woman he fucked. He was a well-known womanizer in our town. Why the hell had I thought he’d be different with me?

I was living in a dream world.

Well, no more.

I was sick of feeling like crap when it came to him. The mixed signals. The ups and downs. The gut-wrenching disappointment.

Without saying a word, by him screwing that woman last night, he’d made something very clear to me.

There was nothing between us—not on his end. He didn’t want me.

And I was better than that.

I wouldn’t let him do it to me again. I wouldn’t let him hurt me.

I was done.

I was
so
done!

Chapter 6

~Sophie~

“Finally, you’re looking like your old self. Smoking hot, babe,” Tiff said, eyeing me over her martini glass.

She was right. Now that my bruises had finally faded away, I didn’t need to cover up anymore.

“I know,” I said. I had never been one for modesty. I called things as they were and I knew I looked really good.

I was wearing a black mini-skirt with a pair of thigh-high boots, along with my favorite silver corset top that gave me an actual cleavage. I needed all the help I could get in that area with my petite B-cups. My blonde hair was down and curled ever so slightly, hanging loosely about my face.

Tiff always looked her best. No matter where I saw her, or what time of day it was, she was always doled up. Tonight she was wearing a scarlet strapless dress that barely covered her ass. Her silky black hair was bound loosely in a side ponytail.

“Although, you’re not
acting
like your old self, Soph.”