Breaking Elle
Breaking Elle
Copyright © 2013 by Antoinette Candela
Cover by Wicked by Design (https://www.facebook.com/WickedByDesignRobinHarper)
Photo Provided by Jovan Charlton (http://www.jovanimages.com)
Edited by Katie Mac
Interior Design by Angela McLaurin, Fictional Formats
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the author.
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and the punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
Breaking Elle
is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
It’s going to be a long night. Evelyn has already ditched me for some random dude at the other end of the bar. I laugh to myself as I watch her. She’s full of energy, and stunning at five feet five, with sculpted legs from ballet, dark brown hair that falls to the middle of her back, and dark brown eyes. She has no problem attracting men, which may be one of the reasons her boyfriend broke up with her. I don’t think she shed a single tear over the demise of her relationship. If she did, she wiped it away as fast as the shot she took from her new boy toy. It looks as though she’s rebounding.
I’ve been with my boyfriend Cane for two years and don’t usually do the bar scene, but Evelyn wanted to come to the Gypsy Bar for a girls’ night out. Most college students and twenty somethings like to frequent this place in Boston because of its reputation for the best DJ’s, music, and crowds. In Evelyn’s words, it’s the best of everything.
Her main motivation for coming is because you can find the best-looking men.
Seeing that Evelyn is in good hands, I turn to the bar that takes up the entire far wall. The shelves climb eight rows high, displaying every kind of liquor imaginable. Neon signs, interesting artwork, and framed photos of the owner with celebrities and famous athletes who’ve patronized the bar cover the other walls.
The music is pleasantly deafening with the DJ playing a mix of Rihanna’s “We Found Love” that has my body swaying to the rhythm. The dance floor swarms with a confusing, hot mass of bodies. I could loosen up just a bit, but I’ve never been out with Evelyn. I don’t know how much drama she’s capable of, and I’m not quite sure if I want to find out.
“What’s your pleasure?” The tall blonde, blue-eyed guy wiping the bar asks.
“Heineken.” I smile, imagining the cold beer running down my throat. He puts a napkin down, grabs a beer, and slides it over.
“Alone tonight?” He grins, throwing the towel over his shoulder. This gorgeous guy could have his pick of any girl in this place. His eyes are the purest shade of blue, and sparkle when he smiles. I notice his body beneath his t-shirt, and can tell he likes to work out and take care of himself.
“You could say that,” I reply, nodding my head towards Evelyn who is now working on her second shot. “My friend wanted to take her mind off her ex, so she dragged me here.” I glance back in Evelyn’s direction, and the bartender follows my gaze and chuckles.
“Looks like she’s a real mess,” he smirks, leaning his elbows on the bar top.
“I guess some people deal with loss and pain in different ways.” I smile softly, twirling the beer bottle. I’d hate to deal with any of that now or ever, and I can’t say whether I’d find myself in a place like this while trying to figure things out.
“Yeah.” The left side of his mouth lifts into a grin. “I think some people go into a relationship with baggage that can really mess things up. I’ve seen my friends go through it.”
“I can see that.” I nod in agreement, pushing my hair off my shoulders. I hope he doesn’t think that’s my reason for being here just because I’m drinking alone.
“Hazel, right?” He asks, leaning over the bar.
“Did I miss something?” I smile softly, confused by his question.
“The color of your eyes, they’re hazel?” He smiles, full of charm and his blue eyes, vivid and mesmerizing.
“Oh, yes,” I respond, acutely aware that this guy is flirting with me. The look in his eyes tells me that he’s up for more than just talking at the bar, but hooking up tonight is not on the agenda for me and never will be.
“Very attractive.” He straightens up, his eyes never leaving my face.
“Thank you.” I feel the heat rush to my cheeks, and it’s not because of the temperature in the room.
“Elle!” I spin around at the sound of Tyler’s voice and smile till it hurts when I see my best friend walking towards me. I can’t help but notice the females around the bar watching him lasciviously. I don’t blame them. He’s six feet of pure lean muscle, wearing a black T-shirt and matching back jeans. His perfectly tousled brown hair falls over his smiling, brown eyes and he has the beginnings of a five o’clock shadow.
“I’m here to save your hot ass.” Tyler regards me approvingly. “Hanging with Evelyn is like playing Russian roulette. I don’t want you making any rash decisions without consulting me.” He chuckles, kissing me on the cheek.
“How did you know I was here?” I say, spinning around on my stool to give him a hug.
“Our buddy over there from work,” He motions with his chin towards Evelyn, “has a big mouth, if you didn’t already know.”
“Uh huh.” I smile. “Are you sure you’re not stalking me?” I say, twisting my hair playfully.
“I don’t stalk. I observe.”
He winks, turning to the bartender. “Can I have what she’s having?”
“Sure.” The bartender grins at me before he turns away, grabs a beer, and slides it to Tyler.
“By the way, the white skirt you’re wearing? Hot,” he says lowering his eyes to my legs. “And the red, strapless thingy? Sexy. I’m happy that you’re sitting down because I don’t need a bunch of jackasses seeing how amazing you look.” He smiles approvingly.
I took a little more time getting ready for tonight. I usually don’t wear a lot of makeup, but I’d felt adventurous and tried this smoky eyed look that I saw in a magazine. The red lipstick matches my top, and my very short skirt reveals most of my legs. Cane considers them my best assets. They are a direct result of all of the running that I do. I left my thick, wavy, brown hair down for once instead of pulling it back in my usual ponytail. Cane wasn’t thrilled with me looking so tempting, but he has no reason not to trust me.
“Thanks, Dad.” I playfully punch his bulging forearm with my tiny fist. “But seriously, you like?” I ask, smoothing out my top.
“Seriously, you have to ask?” He smiles wickedly, stepping closer to me. “Cane should thank me for being here to fend off all the creeps tonight.” His lips tug down in a small frown as he scans the crowded dance floor.
“Not including you, right?” I pipe sarcastically.
“You know better than that.” He grins before he takes a swig of his beer, placing his hand protectively on the back of my chair.
“So, who are you here with?” I ask scanning the nearby crowd for familiar faces.
“Just a couple of guys from the team. We decided to come out one last time before they head back home for the summer.”
“So, is the season over?” I ask, turning back to him, eager to hear about my best friend’s budding baseball career.
“Pretty much. Coach wants to get in one more practice next week, and that’s it.” He smiles. “We’re getting some good high school players next year to beef up the lineup. Hopefully, we’ll have a winning season next year.”
Tyler, a baseball god, lives and breathes the sport since he started playing little league. He’s so damn good at it that he received a full baseball scholarship to play for Boston College, made the All-Star team as shortstop the last two years, and just made team Captain for his final year. He’s on top of the world right now, and I couldn’t be happier for him.
“So, I guess you’ll need me at all your home games?”
“You’re my lucky charm, remember?” He grins adoringly, making me all fuzzy inside.