Fail to Love by Maci Dillon

 

RAVEN

New Year’s Eve

 

“Whoa, slow down, woman.” Chloe laughed, grasping the margarita from my sticky little fingers as she pulled me to my feet with her free hand.

“Yes, Mom.” I resisted rolling my eyes at her motherly tone and followed her to where Miah and Kassidy were swaying to the beat beneath the stars. Noting they both had their drinks in hand, I snatched mine from Chloe and indulged in another sweet burst of pineapple and coconut.

All eyes landed precariously on me before a quick glance was exchanged between the three of them. “Okay, what the fuck is going on? What did I miss?” Smiles beamed back at me from all angles, but the question went unanswered.

“We should dance since this is supposed to be a party,” Miah shouted as Bon Jovi’s “It’s My Life” cranked through the speakers. The four of us busted out our best moves while Will disappeared inside, probably to prepare more drinks.

The poor guy ended up with the short end of the stick when he begged for a second chance with Chloe. Unaware she came as a package deal with all three of us crazy bitches included.

“It’s New Year’s Eve. Are we hitting the clubs later or chilling here?”

Kassidy screwed her face up in response and shouted over the music, “What for? We have our own private beachfront party going on here.”

Everyone agreed, and I wasn’t opposed to staying in for once. Kass was right, we couldn’t ask for a better place to be.

A few days before Christmas, only weeks after reconnecting for the first time in ten years, Will packed up his life and moved to the Gold Coast to be with Chloe. Committed to creating a new life together, he purchased the Coast’s only beachfront presidential suite, the one we were all enjoying this evening.

Chloe agreed to move in with him in the new year, so once all the partying is over, we’d be saying goodbye to one of our wing squad roomies. After four years of what-happens-in-the-wing-squadron-stays-in-the-wing-squadron dramas and exposés, the squadron would feel empty without her.

My apartment was a suburb over and a few blocks back, so we were only ten minutes away in case of an emergency. And by emergency, I mean a wardrobe malfunction, hair crisis, or dare I say it, a man-inspired SOS.

Will was a great guy, and I’m grateful he’s so easy to get along with because we’d be seeing a hell of a lot of him. But if he ever threatened our girl’s happiness again, us cray-cray bitches would cast an avalanche of fury upon him.

“Shake it, girl.” I winked at Chloe grinding her ass into Will. He returned with another round of cocktails we were yet to try. Chloe’s smile was greater than the summer sun, and my heart sang for both of them. If anyone deserved a happily ever after, it was her.

“Next up, we have watermelon margaritas dressed with home-grown limes.” Will directed us to the tray of sugary delights on the outdoor table once the song ended.

Will spent a small fortune stocking the suite with fresh fruit and mixers after purchasing a hell of a complex mixology set for our Chloe, the margarita queen. To celebrate her moving in, the day after Christmas, they purchased some dwarf fruit trees and the limes came harvest-ready. The strangest of purchases, but I’m not here to judge. I guess it’s what couples in love do, making a home together and enjoy spending their money on improvements.

Me, on the other hand, give me online, home-delivered shopping because I’d either be at work or entertaining a new hook-up.

“Mmm… incredible.” I drooled, running my tongue across my lips to savor every last drop. I contemplated asking for the recipe but stopped myself. You’d never find me juicing watermelons in the kitchen, no matter how great these suckers taste.

Kassidy downed her drink in record-breaking time and excitedly threw her arms in the air. My eyes widened in fear, either worried she was having a fit or a lime seed was lodged in her throat.

“Bring on the drinking games,” she announced with enough enthusiasm for all of us.

A crowd of partygoers below us cheered back in support of the suggestion.

We all laughed as she bounced across the balcony and disappeared inside. Reappearing only moments later, a headband sat unevenly across her mass of red hair. More bands hung over her wrist, and she carried a stack of cards, colored markers, and a bottle of tequila.

God fucking help me.

“Yes, let’s play Who Am I before the others arrive,” Miah encouraged and took charge of the organization.

My head snapped to the side, and my gaze landed on Chloe, who sheepishly tried to ignore my attention. “Who else is coming?”

“Yeah, about that…” she paused, her face impassive, “… we invited Tex to join us last-minute. He’s bringing a few of his buddies too. The more, the merrier, right?” My mind registered the sneaky looks and weird glances earlier. This was a fucking conspiracy.

“Don’t do that,” I warned, waving my finger back and forth in their direction. “Put your matchmaking skills to better use elsewhere. The guy is sexy as fuck, and even on a bad day I’d want a piece of him, but no. None of you will be setting us up.”

My warning fell on deaf ears, of course. Now my attention span was skewed, focused solely on seeing Sean again. When I first encountered him, my mouth hit the pavement in a not-so-sexy way. His aura bubbled over and reached me in places I didn’t know existed.

It was only a few weeks ago Sean was sitting with his golden retriever puppy named Wednesday, wearing a pair of jogging shorts and a tank top at a café on the Brisbane River. Chloe introduced me to him as Tex, the nickname she’d given him when they met.

Chloe had been waiting for her date with Will the previous night when she met Sean. As it happened, she ran into him the following morning along the riverfront. Having agreed to drive into the city and pick her up, I was fortunate enough to meet Sean. Albeit incredibly briefly.

Ever since, I haven’t been able to dull the image of his handsome face and extremely muscular physique from my mind.

Chloe has been dying to hook us up, likely the result of happily reuniting with her ex. From what Chloe mentioned of Sean, he’s uninterested in the dating life and has severe allergies to commitment of any kind. Learning of his tendency for one-night stands with no strings, my chipper best friend happily put in a good word for me.

If I were a greeting card, my message would read ‘no strings’ after all.

As cliché as it sounds, my initial opinion of Sean had me questioning whether one night with him would ever be enough. I mean, I’d only spoken a few words to him. He could be a real jerk, but would it matter if I was only interested in his body and the sexual pleasure he offered? Besides, one night allows minimal time for any meaningful conversation which was the number one appeal for me.

Chloe had insisted Sean was a kind and thoughtful man. She may have also mentioned he alluded to liking a bit of kink, or more precisely, enjoyed a particular type of woman in the bedroom. On behalf of all the single women out there, I’d be happy to explore the latter.

Aside from Chloe and her unrequired matchmaking skills, Will had mentioned a few times he’d love to catch up with Sean to thank him for his involvement in prompting Chloe to give him a second chance or at least explore their options. Seeing how Chloe and Will have easily fallen back into a healthy rhythm, I’d say his advice was on point.

Kassidy handed out the headbands, and we all chose a card to add to our band. No peeking, of course. The aim of the game was to ask questions of the other players to try and guess what’s written on your card.

Every question requires a yes or no answer, and it was our job to keep track of the clues. Not an easy task when alcohol was involved, but that’s half the fun. For each yes answer received, the person asking the question was required to down a shot of tequila. Playing this game was the only time in my life I ever looked forward to a no.

I tried not to dwell on the fact I’m forgetful as fuck at the best of times.

“I’m going first,” I announced, hoping to get this round over with quickly, so I had time for a quick trip to the restroom to powder my nose before Sean arrived. 

“Am I a person?”

A mix of yes and no answers were thrown at me.

“It can’t be both.” I laughed. “Which is it?”

“No,” Will answered. “You’re a thing.”

“Don’t give out extra clues,” Chloe shrieked. She’s the most competitive when playing these ridiculous drinking games. Oddly, win or lose, she ended up drunker than all of us.

We’re a few rounds through before I had to take my first shot. I slammed it down like a pro, the heat of the tequila making my throat flame.

So far, the clues I was working with included not a person nor a cartoon, I couldn’t be used, and I was well-known. I had no fucking idea.

Will retreated inside after checking his watch. I wondered if they were here already or if he was bored with our childish drinking games.

Okay, it was my turn again.

“Am I a brand name or logo?”

“Yes.” Miah poured me a shot as Chloe finished hers.

“Oh my God, am I the Playboy Bunny?”

“Wait your turn… you can’t ask two questions in a row,” Kassidy yelled.

“That’s a yes.” I pointed at her and broke out into a cheer dance. The days of my youth as a national cheerleader often showed up on nights like these. “What’s my prize, what do I win?”

“Sean,” Chloe yelled, looking past me.

I turned around to see Sean and two other exceptionally good-looking men by his side. His eyes zoned in on mine as Chloe wrapped him in a brief hug.

 

 

SEAN

 

Internally, I groaned at the sight of Raven in short, denim cut-offs, her athletic legs on full display, and the curve of her ass accentuated by her high-waisted pants. Her back was facing me as we approached the balcony where Chloe and her friends were playing a game with signs on their heads. 

“Am I the Playboy Bunny?”

Fuck yeah, she could be my Playboy Bunny any day of the week, especially with dance moves like those, I thought when she broke out into a cheer.

“Sean.” Chloe raced to me when she noticed our arrival, and Raven’s surprised look followed her friend. Our eyes locked as I returned Chloe’s welcome hug.

“Raven.” I smiled in her direction as Chloe stepped back. Mentally, I chastised myself for the lingering perusal of her ample cleavage pouring from her halter-neck top.

I battled to refocus my attention and make the necessary introductions. “Ladies, these are my friends JJ and Miles,” I offered, pointing to each of them.

I introduced Chloe and Raven while Chloe took care of introducing us to Miah and Kassidy. Will set our cooler full of drinks down by the table which I thanked him for. As much as I was hanging to see a certain black-haired princess, it was a great opportunity to get to know Will.

“Thanks for the invite, guys.” I grabbed a few beers from our stash and took a seat across from the ladies. “Please, continue your game, don’t let us showing up interrupt the fun.” My eyes roamed over Raven again, her knowing smirk igniting something deep within me.

“I believe I won that round. You guys can join in the next.”

“Why don’t we switch it up and play a round of miniature golf instead?” Will interjected.

He and Chloe bought an indoor set which they had set up throughout the suite specifically for tonight. We had navigated our way around it while taking a quick tour with Will when we arrived and before our presence was announced to the ladies, thankfully. I was happy to take a seat with my growing hard-on after seeing Raven’s ass jiggling in those booty shorts.

“Lead the way.”

Miah chimed in, “Let’s make it a shot for shot.” She held up the tequila bottle and gathered some glasses. “Every time we sink a ball, we drink. Okay?”

It didn’t sound like we had much choice, but JJ was definitely on board with the idea, failing to keep his eyes off the hot redhead since we arrived.

Miles and Kassidy also seemed to have hit it off, both lagged behind enjoying a private joke. My attention returned to Raven once again. “This could be dangerous.”

“Or dangerously fun.” A hint of flirtation in her tone matched the playfulness in her eyes. Combined, her slow perusal of my body caused a light layer of sweat to break out across my skin.

The music grew louder, the drinks went down quicker, and a bottle of Galliano replaced the empty tequila bottle as we wrapped up our game. For a man who required exceptional precision at work, I sucked balls with a golf club. Maybe I should add that piece of insight to my next run at Bachelor of the Year.

“What is it you do for work, Sean?” Chloe asked as we returned outside. “Raven manages a childcare center.”

I chuckled at her lack of subtleness, and Raven rolled her eyes.

“Ignore her, she seems intent on setting us up, but I already told her it’s a bad idea.”

My head dropped to the side as I took in her imperfect step and the slight slur of her words. Some people might tell you alcohol is the best truth serum available, but I’m not sold on Raven believing us hooking up would be a bad idea.

“Not all bad ideas should be avoided.”

Raven chuckled loudly. All five-foot-six inches of her frame bounced as she threw herself into the chair. I observed her as she fanned out her long black hair and pulled it back into a messy bun. She was perfectly toned all over—my gaze followed the definition in her arms and swept across her chest.

“Up here,” she interrupted, bringing my gaze from her voluptuous breasts to her face.

A shit-eating grin covered my face at the annoyance in her stare.

“Despite the intel you may have received via our mutual friend here…” she motioned across the table at Chloe, “… I’m not interested in hooking up with a friend of a friend any more than you are.”

Hmm, interesting. I wonder what else Chloe has shared about me.

Chloe must have mentioned my number one rule to Raven. I don’t fuck friends or their friends. I don’t like ties of any kind. My friends refer to it as The Sean Code. It had kept my heart safe and more importantly, kept me from disappointing others unnecessarily.

Half an hour later, Raven had forgotten all about the bad information Chloe gave me and insisted I dance with her. With less than a half-hour to midnight, the party got louder, and we’re all a little drunker than we realized.

I’m not too wasted to remember I never dance, but I couldn’t say no. Raven had a unique pull on me. All it took was a simple glance in my direction, and I was hell-bent on doing whatever she asked.

The woman was going to be so much trouble for me—I could feel it in my bones. Yet, I didn’t regret ending up on the coast tonight. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

We danced to a few songs before Raven started grinding against me, my dick hardening to the umpteenth degree. I’m worried my blood supply was routed to my groin, and at any minute, I might pass out. When our eyes met, a flurry of movement in my chest assured me otherwise.

“You want to kiss me.”

Her words caught me by surprise. “Is that a question?” My voice came out raspy, even to my ears.

“No.” A hint of lust laid in the depths of her pupils, and my desire to kiss her was fierce. Everything in the background faded away until it was only Raven and me dancing by the ocean in the moonlight, along with my raging boner, aching its way into the forefront of my mind.

Fuck it.

I took her face in my hands and lowered my lips to hers.

As if we’ve both been starved of affection, the kiss elicited moans of pleasure as our tongues dueled and our bodies stopped swaying to the beat of the music. Instead, our bodies collided as the kiss heated up, and I forget where I was.

As much as I didn’t want to, I broke the kiss and stepped away from her.

Raven smiled, her eyes hooded and filled with need.

Three-two-one…

Happy New Year!

Fireworks exploded from the ship anchored offshore, lighting up the night sky with a miraculous display of colors and patterns. Hugs, kisses, and handshakes were shared between us all before I was drawn to Raven once again.

“Cheers.” She passed me a drink, and we tapped our glasses together.

Moments later, we were in her choice of Chloe and Will’s guest room.