Stitches and Scars (32 page)

She sat silently, not making a move although her body was screaming at her to pounce on him, right here in the car while he was driving. Her mind was telling her to speak up and ask him what the hell his problem was. Either he liked her or he didn’t. She was sick and tired of not knowing. She knew what she wanted—why didn’t he? The entire drive into the city lasted an eternity, and by the time they pulled up to Rain, Elle felt as though she was losing her mind—so much so that it took her a minute for the shock of where they were to register.

“Rain?” She couldn’t hide her surprised tone.

“Yeah, I know. It’s a little popular, but don’t worry,
I
can get you in,” he said confidently.

She almost laughed in his face, but then realized he was being completely serious. He obviously had no clue that Elle was more than familiar with the bouncers at this particular club. Biting down on her tongue, she prayed to God that Sophie and Kate wouldn’t ruin the moment for her. It was a Friday and that meant that Chad and Greg would be working the door. She also knew that they rarely let guys in the club before ten, especially if there were a bunch of girls waiting in line, which there was.

“Oh, really?” she asked excitedly. “That’s so great, because I’ve been dying to get in this club for a while. I’m so glad you have connections.” She batted her lashes for extra measure.

Her sweet demeanor did nothing but throw Trent for a loop. He sat in silence for a minute watching her. “Something tells me, Elle, that you would have no problem getting into a place like this, especially if you walk up looking like
that
.” His eyes roamed over her body, following the entire length of her legs before returning to her face.

With a satisfied smile, she realized her plan to drive him crazy was going to be easier than she thought. Still smirking to herself, she climbed out of his SUV and started walking to the door, hoping to catch her friends before they made it to the doors. Luckily, fate was on her side, and they were just approaching. “Ladies, why don’t we stay here for a second? Trent’s going to go see if he can get us in.” She winked and looked over her shoulder at Trent, who had a wide grin on his face.

“Hey, what can I say? Sometimes having my career has its benefits. I’ll be right back.” He walked past them confidently in direction of the main entrance.

Elle watched him as he walked, admiring his backside.

“Elle, did you hear me?”

“Huh?” she mumbled, still lost in her daydreams.

“I said why are you making Trent go up there?” Kate asked. “You know Chad and Greg won’t let him in. He’s a guy and it’s before ten.”

“And I’m betting the guy quota is already filled. The male meat always shows up early so they’re guaranteed to get in. Everybody knows that.” Sophie tapped her foot, annoyed.

“First off, Blondie, don’t tap your foot at me,” Elle said, pointing her finger. “I should still be mad at you for making me ride in the car with him. And second, do you not think I know all of this? I want to see him sweat it a little. He’s overly confident. Which, I will admit, can be a turn on. But still, he needs to learn that not all things in life come so easily.”

Sophie looked at her friend with a knowing smirk. “Are you talking about him getting into the club or something
else
?”

Elle narrowed her eyes and ignored her suggestion even though she was right. If Trent wanted her, he was going to have to work for it. “Let’s just watch and see what happens. I want to enjoy the moment.”

Turning her attention to the happenings in front of them, the girls watched things unfold. Trent stood in front of Chad and Greg, who were indeed working, as the girls expected. He moved his hands around nervously, alternating between rubbing his jaw line and neck. Ultimately both hands ended up shoved deep in his pockets as he walked towards them, a look of rejection on his face.

“Problem?” Elle asked innocently.

“The guys I know aren’t working tonight and those pricks say they’re not letting anyone in, no matter who they are, until after ten o’clock. Some
quota
they have to meet.”

She smiled sweetly and looked up into his eyes. “Maybe I should go try. I mean, I’m not an NFL star athlete, but maybe I can sweet talk them.” She didn’t wait for him to object before walking away.

“Why, if it isn’t our favorite bombshell!” Chad held his arms out and she gave him a quick hug.

“Hey, Elle,” Greg said without taking his eyes off her breasts.

“Greg, honey, I do believe I’ve told you before that you need to make eye contact with the ladies. We like that sort of stuff. Makes us actually believe you are interested in what’s up here.” She snapped her fingers to get his attention before tapping her head.

“I’m sorry. I swear I’ve been working on it,” he apologized. His eyes roamed over her body once again.

“All right, all right. Are you done ogling?” Elle asked. “Because you know, I’d really like to get inside.”

“Sure. Are Sophie and Kate here with you tonight?”

“They’re right behind me.”

At that exact moment, both guys looked over her shoulder and nodded in acknowledgment. “That guy looks pissed,” Greg said with a laugh.

“What guy?” Elle spun around. All it took was one look and it was clear to see that he was referring to Trent. His thick arms were crossed in front of him, and his face wore a scowl. His expression softened when he locked eyes with Elle, but only slightly.

“Who is he anyway? And why is he standing next to Soph and Kate?”

“He’s my date. No, wait, not my date,” she corrected. “He’s a friend of Kate’s boyfriend.”

“Kate’s got a boyfriend now?” Chad asked.

She nodded. “Yes, she does. Now can you get us all in or what?”

“Elle, babe, have we ever let you down?”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” She gave them each a quick wink and walked back over to the group.

“They said no, huh?” Trent asked, never taking his eyes off Chad and Greg.

“Nope. They said we could go in.” She smiled. “Never underestimate the power of sexual favors, Trent.”

Without saying a word, she grabbed hold of her two girlfriends’ hands and left a gaping Trent in her wake.

“Oh, that was mean,” Kate said through a laugh.

“Mean and perfect,” Elle corrected.

Sophie tucked her blond hair behind her ear and looked over at her friend. “You really are going to make him work for it, huh?”

“You bet I am. So far all I’m getting is the ‘It’s ok if you’re dating other guys because I have other chicks’ attitude. This, in subtle text, says ‘I’m a player and girls like you come around every day.’”

“All I’m saying is: don’t be blind. It may be harder for him to show what he’s feeling than you think. Don’t be so hard on him that you miss it, all right? Let him show you in
his
way,” Sophie said.

“Sure, Soph.” She nodded. “Whatever you say.”

Doubt overwhelmed her, but deep inside, there was a small flicker of hope that maybe her friend was on to something. Walking into the loud club, the pulsing music rang through her ears, swallowing her in a world where she could forget all about Trent … almost.

***

One hour and countless drinks later, they all stood on the sticky dance floor. The girls stayed close by each other, a tactic they learned could block out any man who wasn’t welcome to rub against them. Only this time, that wasn’t an issue since both Ethan and Logan stood behind them, staking their claims. Trent kept his distance most of the night, something which was slowly wearing on Elle. She was stuck in an endless cycle of berating herself for liking him so much and hating him for ignoring her. He’d only talked to her once, and it was only to offer her another drink. Not enjoying herself anymore, Elle decided to take a breather when she felt someone beside her.

“Do you want to dance?”

She looked up into an unfamiliar set of eyes and was stung by the disappointment that they weren’t the green eyes she’d hoped they would be. Normally, she would have politely turned him down since she wanted a break, but this time she hesitated. She took a quick glance across the room and noticed Trent talking to a short red-head.
I see. Talk to the girl with frizzy hair and ignore me,
she thought with a huff.
“Sure. I’d love to dance with you.” She blurted before fully thinking through her response. Grabbing his hand, she pulled him into the center of the dance floor, within perfect view of Trent.

Once in position, she wrapped her arms around the stranger’s neck and pulled him close so she could peek over his shoulder. Sure enough, just as she hoped, Trent’s eyes were locked on her and the guy who held her in his arms.

It only took him six swift strides and Trent was standing directly across from Elle, dancing with the red-head he was talking with a second ago. The short girl rambled on about her career, but Trent didn’t pay her any attention. Instead he was watching Elle with fiery eyes. The two stayed locked in each other’s gaze, refusing to be the first one to back down or look away.

Elle wasn’t sure if the room had suddenly spiked in temperature, but the heat she felt under his stare was suffocating. Strangely, it made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end and the tips of her fingers tingle. Without being aware of her actions, she stopped dancing and stood still. It was then that she felt the hands of the guy she was dancing with slide down her waist and over her butt. Before she could remove his paws, she felt them being ripped away.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Trent seethed. “Get off of her!”

Her first reaction was to smile, because finally he was showing some emotion, but instead she snapped, letting all of her thoughts and doubts rip through her as they spilled out of her mouth. “What, so I can’t get touched, but you can?”

“I wasn’t getting felt up, Elle.”

“Maybe not by her, but I’m sure
Candy
has had her hands all over you.”

“Candy? What the hell does she have to do with all of this?”

“Oh … nothing, except everything! She just perfectly represents all the women I’m sure you’ve had and tossed aside without a second thought.”

“What? And you haven’t done that? What about Richard?”

“Who?” she asked, confused and angry that he was turning it on her.

Trent clenched his large fists and folded his arms across his broad chest. “Richard, who I’d like to call Dick.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Richard and I aren’t together,” she admitted.

“Then why did you make it sound like you were?”

“Because
someone
just so happens to get ‘tickets for chicks all the time,’” she quoted with her fingers. “And I refuse—refuse!—to be just another chick!”

“Damn it, Elle, you’re the most confusing person I’ve ever met.”

“Yeah, well, it takes one to know one.”

She spun around quickly, leaving Trent standing in the middle of the dance floor and didn’t look back. With a huff, she flopped down in a chair at their table and reached for another shot. Tossing it back, she let it burn all the way down.

“Are you okay?” Kate stood a few feet away, watching her beautiful friend stew in all her fury.

Elle shook her head. “Is it possible to have a fight like you’re in a relationship, even though it doesn’t even exist? I mean, I don’t even know what’s going on. I swear he likes me. I know it. I
feel
it.” She dropped her head. “I’m just so confused.”

“You’re not confused. He likes you, and you like him. You want to know what I think the problem is?”

“What?”

“You’ve found your match,” she said, gently laying her hand on Elle’s shoulder.

Suddenly the blaring music stopped abruptly, leaving nothing but a high pitch ring, echoing in Elle’s ears. It was only silent for a minute before the music started again, but it wasn’t club music at all.

“What kind of song is this?” Elle asked, sitting up. “I swear, they play anything these days.” Kate didn’t get a chance to comment before the sound of someone singing along with the song piped through the speakers. “Oh, man. I feel bad for whoever that poor schmuck is singing to. I mean, come on, who sings to someone at a club like this one?”

“Apparently Trent does.”

Elle’s head snapped to the side and met Kate’s face with wide, horrified eyes. “What?” she asked, hoping that it was all a joke. But the look on Kate’s face was serious, minus, of course, the playful smirk that was fighting to emerge. Following Kate’s line of sight, she froze when she spotted Trent. He stood in the middle of the dance floor, holding a microphone to his mouth, singing loudly and staring directly at her. “You have
got
to be kidding me,” she whispered.

He kept his eyes locked with hers and grinned, flashing his perfect gleaming teeth as he continued to sing. Everyone in the club was standing still, watching him as he made his way toward her. He swayed to the rhythm of the song, changing the lyrics at random and adding her name in whenever he could.