Bad for You by Weston Parker

14

BRITTANY

Let’s go out, she said. It will be fun, she said. It had been ages since we’d gone out on a girls’ night, and Shelley had insisted it was time.

We were out with a couple of the other female teachers. Shelley was being a good sport, telling jokes and ordering drinks with funny names, but I wasn’t really feeling it. My mood was down in the dumps, and I honestly didn’t know why I’d agreed to come out.

An awkward exchange I’d had with Beckett earlier on in the day had left me feeling shaken and worried. He’d mostly been giving me the cold shoulder since we’d broken up, which had suited me just fine, but now he was suddenly digging into my comments from a parent-teacher night that had happened months ago.

The meeting I’d had with him had been extremely uncomfortable. I’d expected things would be different once we’d broken up, which was why I’d been so careful and hesitant about it, but I hadn’t expected him to go digging into the past. It was like he was looking for something to nail me with, and I had a feeling he wasn’t going to stop anytime soon.

Thankfully, he could dig as deep as he wanted, and he still wouldn’t find anything he could really use against me. I took pride in my work, and I surpassed every standard set by the school. If the fact that my comments had been written in shorthand was the worst he could come up with, I was probably safe.

For now.

I’d have to watch my back, though. Bruising his ego had painted a giant bull’s-eye on me, and it seemed like he was coming after me with all guns blazing. Sure, maybe I shouldn’t have done it in public, but he couldn’t honestly have thought anyone would stick around for that kind of treatment.

“Cheer up,” Shelley said from her spot beside me, flashing me a wide smile as she picked up our pitcher of margaritas. “Beckett is just acting out. He’ll get over it soon enough.”

“I hope so,” I replied and refilled my glass, taking a long sip of the tart and tangy drink. Salt from the rim lingered on my lips, and I licked it off before taking another sip, turning to face her as I set the glass down. “Has he been giving you any trouble?”

“Me? No.” She shrugged her narrow shoulders, green eyes lighting with glee. “Let him try. I’m Team Brittany all the way. No one deserves to be treated like that. If he wants to be petty by messing with me just because I’m friends with you, we’ll make sure every girl he might come across knows just how vile he really is.”

“Why do I get the feeling you’re going to do that anyway? You look like you’re enjoying the thought way too much.”

She waggled her fiery eyebrows at me. “That’s because I am. He’s an ass. Until he learns how to behave properly, it’s our sisterly duty to warn girls away.”

“Oh, brother.” I dropped my face into my hands, but I couldn’t help laughing just a little. “Have I ever told you that I’m glad you’re on my side?”

“Nope, but I know you love me.” She winked and pulled my hands away from my face with both of hers, scooting back on the bench as she did. “Now come on. We’re going dancing.”

A whoop went up around the table when the other girls heard what she said. They wasted no time sliding out of the booth and making their way over to the dance floor.

I wasn’t feeling quite as enthusiastic, but I followed Shelley anyway. Maybe getting lost in the rhythm of the music was the way to go. It had never really happened for me before, but there was a first time for everything.

Sitting around moping wasn’t a viable alternative option, so I let her drag me through the crowd and tried to get my head in the game. About halfway to the dance floor, something in the air shifted. My skin prickled as the sensation of being watched settled over me like a blanket.

I jerked my head up, looking around until I spotted Tristin across the room. What the heck is he doing here?

At least I’d solved the mystery of who was watching me. His eyes were heavy on mine when our gazes met, and then he lowered his to do a long, slow perusal down the length of my body. Something about his gaze made electricity shoot through me.

My body lit up like a firework, my worry and uncertainty over what was going to happen with Beckett melting away under Tristin’s heated eyes. The space and people between us blended into my peripheral vision, and the music was replaced by the sound of blood rushing in my ears.

Every part of my being zeroed in on my awareness of him as we stared at each other across the crowded room. When he was looking at me like that, it was difficult to believe that those photos of him with another woman had been taken just a couple of days ago.

Well, if he wants another woman, fine, but he might as well see what he’s missing.My gaze stayed on his as I moved onto the dance floor, intent on making him eat his heart out.

Shelley and the girls had thrown themselves into the sultry tune, their heads bent together as they laughed about something while swaying to the music. None of them seemed aware of the fact that my attention wasn’t on them.

Dancing provocatively wasn’t like me at all, but I couldn’t help myself. Tristin sat at a table with another guy, but his whole upper body had turned to face me. He was wearing a white button-down shirt with the top two buttons undone.

There was a suit jacket hanging over the side of his chair that matched his light gray slacks. His dark hair was slightly messy on top, the ends just long enough to lift and let the muted yellow light behind him make the strands shine.

Shadows partially hid his face, but the strong planes of his jaw were visible. I could see it was set, ticking as he watched me put on a show for him.

My hips moved from side to side, my arms up and my loose hair gathered in my hands. I had my head dripped slightly back, but my eyes remained firmly on him.

The dark-haired man with him glanced between us with a faintly amused expression on his face. He refilled his glass, then twisted around in his seat at their table and began chatting to a couple of girls sitting behind him. I didn’t know who he was, but the girls seemed to like him. He had them giggling in no time, leaving Tristin’s attention to me.

With his companion otherwise occupied, his gaze burned into mine. One of his hands rested on the table, and his fingers curled into a tight fist. His full lips formed a smirk, and he suddenly stood up.

Unhurriedly rolling up his sleeves with that smirk still in place and his eyes on mine, he started moving forward. My heartbeat sped up when it dawned on me that he was coming over, confidently striding closer with a determined gleam in his eyes.

He didn’t stop until his chest was almost against mine, his hand moving up and the backs of his fingers brushing against my cheek before he pressed it against my ear. His head dipped down, his lips against the shell of my ear to make sure I could hear him above the music.

“Fancy meeting you here,” he murmured, his other hand coming to rest lightly on my hip. “Are you following me, Brittany?”

“No.” My head jerked back to look at him, and I saw the amusement flickering in his eyes. “You jerk. I thought you were being serious for a second there.”

My voice was in danger of being drowned out by the music, but he was still standing close enough to hear me. He laughed, and his fingers flexed on my hip.

“Maybe I was hoping you’d say you are following me,” he said, smiling as he buried his hands in my hair with my own. “May I have this dance?”

As he asked the question, he twined his fingers through mine and pulled them down to our sides. My hair tumbled down with nothing left to hold it up, but I didn’t care. It probably looked like a bird’s nest right about now, but heat ignited in Tristin’s eyes when he moved even closer to me.

“You looked like you’ve just been fucked,” he murmured, his lips back against my ear as his arms circled my waist. “So, about that dance. You still haven’t given me an answer.”

With the spicy scent of his cologne enveloping me and his hard body against mine, the best I could do was nod. It was good enough for him, though. His arms tightened around me, and then he was moving.

Tristin and I had danced together before, but it had never been like this. I didn’t know where he’d learned to dance like it was foreplay, but it sure as hell felt like that was what we were doing.

His leg slipped between mine, his breath warm against my temple as he held me close. My hands trailed up along the defined muscles of his back, over his shoulders, and further up until my fingers curled into his hair.

It was soft and silky, sliding between my fingers as we moved. My nipples peaked in my bra, and with his chest mashed against mine, I wondered if he could feel them. I should’ve been embarrassed to be getting this turned on in a public place and with a man who was possibly seeing another woman, but I wasn’t. This was Tristin—my Tristin—and the way he was rubbing against me was too hot for me to feel anything but lust.

Besides, Tristin wasn’t a cheater. If he was dancing this way with me, he wasn’t dating anyone else. Deciding to trust that whatever might have changed about him, that wasn’t part of it, so I surrendered to the music and let my body lead the way.