That didn’t mean I had to have heartfelt conversations with him on the sidelines of the dance floor though.
“Hey, man.” I nodded at the bartender. “Tequila shot. Make it a double.”
I needed something stronger than whiskey to get through the rest of the party.
“You got it.”
I’d just tucked a couple of dollars in the tip jar when I was interrupted, yet again, by a wholly unwelcome interloper.
“Trouble in bromanceland?” The silky purr sent a ripple of irritation and something else I couldn’t name down my spine.
“Beat it, JR. I’m not in the mood.” I didn’t turn my head to look at Jules, but I could see the flash of distinctive red hair and the gold sparkles of her dress out of the corner of my eye.
“Your nicknaming skills leave a lot to be desired, Joshy.” Jules came up beside me and smiled at the bartender, who stopped making my drink to smile back at her. “I’ll have a Sex on the Beach, if that’s not too much to ask.” She tapped her nail on the menu, which listed only basic drinks like screwdrivers and cranberry vodkas and certainly no fucking Sex on the Beach.
The bartender’s eyes gleamed. “For a beautiful girl like you, nothing is too much to ask.”
The line was so cliche I barely held back a snort.
“Thank you.” Jules’s smile widened.
If another group of guests hadn’t come up to order, I was sure I would’ve witnessed more nauseating flirting. Thankfully, the bartender got distracted and quickly finished making our drinks before tending to the half dozen people vying for his attention.
“Slumming already?” I tsked in mock disappointment. “I expected better of you.”
“Why? Because he’s a bartender and not a doctor?” Jules arched an eyebrow. “Your snobbery is showing.”
“No. Because his lines are as pathetic as your attempt to slander me.” I tossed back my shot and didn’t bother with a chaser. “But hey, whatever floats your boat.”
“Don’t try to deflect from your own failed relationship.”
“I’m not in a relationship.” And I had zero interest in entering one anytime soon. Sex was just that, sex. Not a prelude to dating or matching couples’ outfits or whatever people were into. I made sure every woman I slept with knew the deal, because I didn’t believe in leading people on or giving them false hope.
My residency took up most of my time, and even if I wasn’t so busy, my desire for a long-term girlfriend hovered somewhere south of zero. I wasn’t made for the commitment game. I always got bored after a few weeks, and the whole couple thing sounded exhausting. Constant dates, phone calls, checking in with the other person…
I shuddered at the thought.
Good for the people who were happy and in love, but I wasn’t one of them and I never would be.
“I’m talking about Alex.” Jules received her drink from the bartender with a flirty smile before turning back to me. “I remember when you two were practically joined at the hip.”
A stone fist squeezed my chest, but I kept my tone light. “Didn’t realize you were so interested in my personal life, JR.”
“I’m not, unless it happens to affect my personal quality of life.” Jules took a delicate sip of her cocktail. “And since we’re all going on an overnight trip together, this stupid grudge you hold against Alex directly impacts me and Ava.”
I tightened my grip around my glass and imagined it was Jules’s throat. “Stupid?” A sharp edge bled through and colored the word with venom. “Stupid is a fight over which movie to watch. Stupid describes whatever poor schmuck ends up marrying you. But I assure you, it does not apply to what happened with Alex. Don’t talk about things you know nothing about.”
Jules didn’t back down from my glare. “I may not have been personally involved in your…situation,” she said with more tact than I thought her capable of. “But I am best friends with Ava. I know what happened, and it happened almost two years ago. She’s forgiven Alex. He’s apologized. It’s time to grow up and move on.”
For once, I didn’t detect any snark, just straightforward advice, but that didn’t stop my muscles from bunching with tension. “Easy for you to say.” God, I needed another drink. “Come back to me when you’ve been betrayed by someone close to you.”
Something dark flickered in Jules’s eyes. “How do you know I haven’t already?”
I stilled.
How do you know I haven’t already?
I didn’t know much about Jules’s past. Hell, I didn’t know much about her at all beyond what she showed people—the brash attitude, the brazen flirtatiousness, the strange mix of ruthless ambition and reckless partying.
But I did know that one sentence she’d just uttered rang truer than anything else I’d heard in years.
My gaze locked onto Jules, whose wide eyes and slightly parted lips revealed her surprise at the words that’d just left her mouth.
I swallowed the urge to ask her what happened while the air between us thickened with…not camaraderie, exactly, but a hint of understanding that eased some of the pressure in my chest.
We didn’t have the type of relationship where we discussed our problems with each other. Even if we did, I doubted Jules would answer my question. It wasn’t in her nature to display vulnerability.
She straightened, a shutter falling over her face and erasing all traces of her previous softness. “Whether you forgive Alex or not is up to you. Just don’t ruin everyone else’s fun with your sulking…though your mere presence may be enough to achieve that goal.”
With that, she swanned off, her hips swaying and her head held high.
A low growl rose in my throat before I caught myself. There was no use wasting energy fuming over her. I needed to save every ounce for ensuring I didn’t kill her in Vermont. As satisfying as it would be, I wasn’t throwing away my future for a moment of extreme satisfaction.
I shifted my attention back to the bartender, eager to order another shot, only to find him staring at a certain spot on the dance floor with a besotted expression.
No, not spot. Person.
Jules raised her arms over her head and rolled her hips to the music in a way that had every man around her drooling. She looked over her shoulder and winked at the bartender before shooting me a smug stare.
I did the most mature thing I could think of: I flipped her off.
She laughed, her expression growing smugger, before she turned her back on me.
“She’s so hot.” The bartender’s eyes glinted in a way that sharpened my already raised hackles. “Please tell me she’s single.”
I masked my irritation with a tight smile. “You know what a succubus is?”
He scratched his chin. The group from earlier had rejoined the party, leaving just us at the bar. “Are those the little plants? My sister loves those things. Got a whole windowsill full of ‘em.”
“No, man. Those are succulents.” I lowered my voice. “A succubus is a demon that appears in the form of a beautiful woman to seduce men and suck the life force out of them. They’re supposed to be mythical, but…” I gestured in Jules’s direction. “She’s a real-life succubus. Don’t fall for her trap. There’s a vicious demon lurking beneath that pretty face.”