Rescue Breathing (30 page)

I
'm debating on whether to follow her again when Tanner
grabs my shoulder with a shake. “She
'
s
awesome, Owen. You don't watch yourself, I
'
ll be
moving in on that,” he says with a wicked smile.

“
Only in your wet dreams, man,” I call back
with a laugh as I order another round of drinks for the table.
There
'
s no way I
'
m
letting Olivia go.
I
have too much to lose.

C
HAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Olivia

As I make my way to the back of the bar to
find the restrooms, I realize that I have to push through a much
larger crowd than there was when I first got here.
I was having such a good time
with Owen and his friends that I didn't even notice how much busier
things have gotten. When I reach the bathrooms, there is a long
line of women in varying stages of intoxication waiting to get in.
I lean against the wall and survey my surroundings, much like I did
that night in the club in Seattle. I smile at myself and shake my
head at the memory of what transpired in the bathroom that night.
Dirty boy.

The line moves fairly quickly, and soon I
find myself next in line for a stall. Even once inside, I have to
push myself through a gaggle of women standing at the mirrors,
reapplying their makeup, and gossiping. As I slip into the first
available stall, I take a breath of relief, having just slipped in
past a large group of them, all part of the same pack, that were
settling in front of the mirrored wall. The pack analogy seems
fitting, since they are probably like a pack of wolves when they
set their sights on a man here. I start to unbutton my jeans and
shimmy them down as one starts to talk in a very affected, breathy
voice.

“
Oh my fucking God, Beth, did you see
fucking Owen is here?” says breathy girl.

My residual smile from my giggling fades
as I slowly sit on the toilet.
Owen?
Ice floods
my veins.
My
Owen?

“
I totally did. He looks fucking hot
tonight,” another pack member says, “but also very fucking taken.
Who's the chick with him?”

“
Owen is always fucking 'taken.' That shit
doesn'
t worry
me,
” says pack member
number one with disdain in her voice. “
And plus, I
've already had that. Trust me. He can't say no to me.” She
lets out a breath, which is more like a cackle.

I start sweating and shivering at the same
time, feeling like a voyeur and a jealous girlfriend all at once.
I'm trying desperately not to make any noise. As badly as I'd like
to come flying out of this stall like a lunatic and attack these
sluts, I'm frozen to my spot.

Owen and I have had very open discussions
about his sexual history and the fact that it may rear its head
from time to time in this small Brooklyn community.
I thought I had worked that out
for myself, and Owen has spent many hours trying to
remind-slash-prove to me that I'm all he wants. But I also haven't
had my theory and feelings tested yet, this being the first time
I've actually run into someone from his past. And while I would
love to be the bigger woman here, my blood is boiling and my urge
to run is growing.

“
When was the last time you saw him, Liz?”
the one named Beth asks.

“
Hmmm…I sucked him off at the firehouse,
like, I don't know, a few months ago?” Liz replies.

A few months ago? He would have been with
me a few months ago. My stomach turns.
We weren
't exclusive then, but we were sleeping together. In my
heart, I hope that she's just a terrible judge of time even though
I know that I don't have a right to stake claim on him before we
made a commitment to each other.

“
God, Beth, that night he had me up against
the wall of the firehouse, it was insane. He does this thing where
he rolls his hips and fucks slo—”

A strangled groan slips out of my lips
before I can stop it.
I
clamp my hand over my mouth, horrified that I let out a sound and
beyond disgusted at what I'm hearing. Regardless of where he and I
were at the time, this is unbearable to hear.

“
Did you hear something? Huh. Anyway, let
me tell you a secret, Beth. Owen Maxwell is a stud. He's one of
those guys who is so big, and so hot, and so goooood that you can
only have him a couple times a month.” She makes an exaggerated
sigh, and her girlfriend giggles in an unbelievably annoying way.
“I think I'm going to go out there and say hi. Should
I?”

Beth makes a thoughtful sound. “Well, he's
got that other chick with him. Do you think he remembers
you?”

Liz makes a disgusted sound. “Remember me?
Remember
me
? Oh, Beth.
After the last time I saw him, after he
begged
me to stay with him, he made it very clear that he
would drop whatever or whoever he was doing at the time for a few
minutes of fun with me. I feel very confident that some Plain Jane
isn't going to stop me from getting a little of Owen Maxwell's
time.”

She lets out what sounds like a moan, and
I almost vomit in my mouth. I'm burning up inside. Pissed that she
is so blatantly talking about her sex life with my boyfriend, and
pissed that he may have fucked her only a few months ago, when we
were together.

They sound like idiots.  What would
he see in them? Tits? Their unbelievable talent for saying 'fuck'
an inordinate number of times in a single sentence? What would he
want with me if he wanted her in the past? I mean, I am
nothing
like these women, in any way,
no matter how you stretch your imagination. I bet all his women
were like her. Ditzy, willing to fuck or suck him at will. I'm just
this geeky nerd who isn't that pretty, and well, I'll do those
things for him too, but it's not the same.

“
Let's go Liz, let's go get your man!” Beth
exclaims, laughing as they leave the bathroom.

YOUR man
?

I sit quietly on the toilet with my head
in my hands as I listen to them leave, counting to ten in the hopes
that I can control the urge I have to run, to take off, to protect
my heart. After exiting the stall, I stare at myself in the mirror
above the sink. I am alone in the bathroom, which is odd
considering how many people were in here just moments ago. I wash
my hands that are shaking from anger. I suddenly feel dog tired, my
eyes drooping, my face somber, my skin pale. I just want to go
home.

As I step out into the bar area, it goes
from quiet to eardrum-busting noise. I stand by the doors of the
restroom and scan the room. Everyone there is having a good time. I
see couples canoodling against the bar. First-timers are getting to
know each other and enjoying stolen touches and glances. There are
couples who have been together longer and in varying states of
intoxication. Their love for each other is more obvious, overtly
kissing, bickering, or fondling over drinks.

Owen is standing where I left him with his
friends, and they are laughing boisterously.
I see a woman with brown curly hair and
enormous breasts barely contained by her tank top striding over to
him. She waves her hand toward him, clearly calling out to him. He
looks shocked to see her but waves back. As she moves closer to
him, he looks increasingly less comfortable, but he entertains her
hello and awkward hug. This is Liz. The woman who has been talking
about my boyfriend's penis and sexual prowess at the sinks of the
Hook 'n Ladder's women'
s
room.

As I watch the awkward exchange, I think
that if I really had something to worry about he wouldn't have
invited me. But Owen can be very cocky and think that he has the
world by the balls. It also wouldn't surprise me if he thought it
wouldn't matter or he had it under control. The sight before me
becomes unbearable to watch as I see her overtly flirting. Making
every effort to make myself invisible, I slink down the side of the
bar, toward the main entrance, toward my escape. I have no
intention of telling Owen that I'm leaving. He's preoccupied, and
I'
m done.
I slip out
unnoticed.

C
HAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Owen

“
Liz, seriously, you need to leave,” I
growl, prying her hand off my arm. “I'm here with my buddies and my
girl is in the bathroom. We—”

“
Bathroom? We just came from there. There
wasn't anyone else in there.
Besides,
” Liz
says, running her tongue along her teeth, “you had such a good time
the last time I saw you. I thought you might be up for a repeat…or
more. This time, there are two of us.”

“
Please?” Beth pipes in while running her
fingernail down my thigh. “We want to play, Owen.”

The two women have the attention of my
buddies at the table. I look at them and their eyes scan from me to
the ladies like they're at a tennis match, enthralled with what
will happen next.

“
Tragic that I have to disappoint you, but
that's not happening, ladies.” I push them away and straighten out
my shirt. “Go find some other men to suck off. We're all good
here,” I say, referring to my group of friends.

“
You're no fun anymore, Owen,” Liz pouts
and walks away.

I take a deep sigh, relieved that they
didn't give me more of a fight and even more so that Olivia didn't
catch that encounter. I glance toward the restrooms and I see
Olivia quickly making her way through the sea of tables. My smile
quickly fades when I realize that she's not coming back to our
table; she's bolting towards the door. She looks pale and pissed,
and my gut sinks to the floor.

“
You're
fucking
kidding me.” I say through a clenched jaw. I grab
my jacket and get up from the table. “Gotta run guys. I'll catch
you next shift,” I say hurriedly.

The guys groan and make crude remarks about
my needing to have sex with Olivia, and I flip them off as I walk
toward the exit.

As I step out onto the street, I see that
Olivia is already half a block away. “Olivia!” I yell, cupping my
hands to my mouth. “
OLIVIA! Wait!
”

She turns around, surprised to see me, but
she continues down the sidewalk, brushing her hair around her face
as if she's trying to hide from me.

I take off in a dead sprint, dodging cars
at the intersection, the crosswalk be damned. I call to her just a
few feet in front of me. “Olivia, stop and talk to me.”

I
'm trying to give her an opportunity to make the right
decision here, but she'
s
too damn stubborn.
I
close the distance between us and grab hold of her elbow to stand
in front of her, slightly winded.

“
I'm getting real fucking tired of your
running, Olivia. Why? What did I do this time?” She sidesteps
around me, but I clutch her again, pulling her tight to my chest.
“Talk to me, damn it.” I command. “Why did you run?”

Olivia puts her palms flat against my
chest and attempts to push off from me, but I
don'
t budge.
“Owen, let me go, please,” she
says in a surprisingly calm voice.

I shake my head, undeterred. “No. Not
until you talk to me Olivia. Why. Are. You. Running?”

“
Don't worry about it. I'm sure my
complicated bullshit is no fun. Liz is looking for you back at the
bar. I think she'd be a lot more fun for you tonight. I assure you,
her plans for you sound fantastic,” she responds with narrow eyes
and fake smirk.

“
Liz? How do you know about Liz?” I ask as
my eyes dart, searching hers. The girls. The bathroom at the bar.
Shit. “Did Liz say something to you?
Tell me, Liv
What did she say?”

My admission that I know Liz and my curiosity
to know what she knows makes me automatically guilty of something
in her eyes, and her shoulders slump.

“
Please, Owen, just get out of my way,”
Olivia says, fighting back tears. “I want to go get my things at
your place and just go home.”

I step back and let go of Olivia, and she
continues walking toward my apartment. I look at the ground,
frustrated, confused and a lot heartsick. I have no fucking clue
what Olivia may have overhead, but knowing Liz, she was probably
recounting our last run-in from a few months ago where she sucked
me off at the firehouse.

“
Whatever it is you heard, it's not what
you think,” I call after her.

Olivia stops walking, lowers her head, and
throws out her hand. “
Just. Stop. Talking.
”

I purse my lips and jog to catch up with
Olivia, staying only a step behind her. I want to give her space
and let her clear her head. I hate it when she's like
this—punishing me for things that happened before she and I met. I
told her that I would never hurt her and I meant every word with
more sincerity than any promise I've made to anyone. Now look at
me.