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  Sara quickly pulled a washcloth from the rack, doused it with cold water, and applied it to Julie’s forehead. “Come on sweetie; we need to get you up and back home.”

  “Just give me five more minutes mom.”

  Sara pinched the bridge of her nose, knowing it wouldn’t be a fun ride home. “Evan,” she shouted. His footsteps came closer to the door until she saw him peak through the crack. “Is there any bottled water out there?”

  “No, but I could run downstairs and get some. How many?”

  “I’d say at least five.”

  “Alright, I’ll see what they have.”

  The door clicked as it opened. Moments later Sara heard it click closed behind Evan. “Come on Julie; you need to get up. We gotta hit the road soon.” She gently shook her, but received no response. “I see you’re gonna make me do this the hard way.” She grabbed handfuls or Julie’s dress, pulling it up over her head. She unclasped the bra and tried to help Julie to her feet, failing miserably.

  The door clicked open again. She knew Evan was back and Julie’s drunken antics would further annoy him. “You okay in there,” he asked.

  “No. She keeps passing out. I wanna get her under a cold shower, but the pain in the ass won’t budge.”

  “I’ll do it,” he sighed. The door to the bathroom opened. Sara moved to grab a towel to cover Julie up with, but was too late. Evan’s eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head.

  “Quit gawking at her tits and help me get her in the tub.”

  Evan scooped up Julie in his arms, placing her gently in the ivory white tub, and let her head rest against the old yellow tiles. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

  “Thanks,” Sara replied. They shared a smile as he exited the bathroom. It was the first time he looked at her with any affection since leaving the club. After removing the last scrap of clothing from Julie, Sara turned on the water and gradually made it colder. Goosebumps formed along Julie’s arms as she shivered from the cold. Her eyes unglued from the seal they formed the night before.

  “What the hell?” Julie tried to climb the side of the tub, hoping to escape the freezing cold water. Sara, quickly met her, bracing her arms to help Julie to her feet. “Turn that shit off,” Julie whined.

  Sara turned off the water and grabbed a bath sheet to cover Julie with. “Here, dry off and I’ll help you get dressed.

  “What happened last night?”

  “Trust me; you don’t wanna know. Let’s just say we won’t be doing this again anytime soon.”

  Julie toweled off and put her clothes back on. “Where are your clothes?” Sara turned and shot her a nasty look. “Don’t tell me you hooked up with someone last night.”

  “No, but you started to last night on the dance floor.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah and his creep of a friend was copping a feel on me and wouldn’t take no for answer.”

  Julie’s hand closed around Sara’s wrist spinning her away from the bathroom door. “What do you mean; he wouldn’t take no for an answer? What the hell happened?”

  The bathroom door swung open violently as if the person on the other side heard every bit of the conversation. Evan appeared next to Sara. His eyes had an intensity of anger that rivaled the look he had at the bar.

  “I happened,” he growled.

  Julie stuttered while trying to talk. Nothing she said seemed to make any sense. Sara stepped closer to Evan. Her eyes had the pleading apologetic look.

  “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “Forget it. Let’s just go downstairs, get breakfast and check-out.” The short black dress Sara wore the night before dangled from his hand. He gave it to her before slipping out the door.

  “Fuck Sara; I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for any of this…”

  She couldn’t help the glassy eyes from dripping tears down her face. “I know.” Sara hid her face in the dress as she slipped it over her head.

  “Let me talk to him. I’ll tell him I dragged you to the club, and that I made you dance with that creep, and…”

  “No. It’s my fault. I decided to come to Jersey.”

  “Yeah, but I talked you into going to Atlantic City.”

  “I could’ve said no. I could’ve stopped this at any time.” Sara watched Julie fold her arms over her chest and give the “come on; get real” kind of look. “You don’t think I can tell you no?”

  “You never have before.”

  “Well, I am now. Do not get in the middle of this. It is my fault and I’ll deal with whatever I have to deal with the consequences with Evan.” Sara finished putting on her dress and her heels before grabbing her clutch. “So are you ready to talk about why you went on such a heavy drinking binge last night?”

  “Stupid ass guy I was seeing broke up with me. Said I was too pushy and controlling. Can you believe that?”

  “You pushy and controlling,” Sara replied sarcastically. “No, never. I don’t know what he’s talking about.”

  “Shut the hell up,” Julie joked while grabbing her shoes from the side of the bed. “I know I screwed it up. He was a decent guy and I’m a bitch.”

  They exited the room and headed down the hall. “He’s just not used to your charm.”

  “Thanks. You could’ve at least said I’m not a bitch.”

  “Oh look the elevator.” Sara grinned and took a few quick strides away from Julie.

  The girls stepped through the elevator as the doors opened. A man stood inside. They watched his eyes wash over both of their bodies before settling on Julie’s legs. They turned their backs to him, letting the doors entrap them with the man.

  “Keep those eyes and hands to yourself or you’ll lose both before we hit the lobby.” Sara was used to Julie being blunt, but seeing her threat make a man take a step back against the wall was one of the funniest things she ever saw.

  The doors opened, allowing the girls to step out first. Sara watched Julie glance back at the man as he attempted to follow them out. He flinched when he saw her eyes and hung back by the elevator doors until Sara found Evan by the front desk.

  “We’re all set,” he said with a half-smile. It was one of the forced kind, the one that tries to make everyone believe everything’s okay while the brain wants to scream and shout and curse every person that comes near him.

  “Coffee,” Julie mumbled as she showed up to the front desk.

  “Good morning to you too.” Evan cracked a full smile, a real smile as he stared at her.

  “What the hell’s the matter with you?”

  “Nothing,” he shrugged. “You ladies want breakfast before hitting the road?”

  Oh god yeah,” Julie replied. “I’m starving.”

  The trio walked around until they found the hotel restaurant. It wasn’t as nice as the bars and restaurants you’d find at the hotels and casinos that were on the boardwalk. The windows didn’t give them any sort of view, and the silverware had spots all over them. The food was served buffet style. Julie was leading the group down the line, but continued to check over her shoulder every other minute. Sara watched her, wondering who she was looking for. Then she noticed. Evan kept making stupid faces at her when she turned around. His eyes were focused on her boobs and then had a cheesy grin.

  “Will you stop that,” Sara whispered. Her backhand to Evan’s arm nearly caused him to drop the plate.

  “I’m only playing around.”

  “How’s that playing around? You’re staring at her.”

  “Yeah and?”

  “And you need to stop it.” Sara felt like she was a mother scolding her child, trying hard not to cause a scene. Although in that restaurant, there wasn’t many people they could make a scene in front of.

  Sara stopped in front of a tray with the eggs. The look and smell reminded her of the eggs they served back in high school, the ones that smelled like they had been sitting out all day. She scooped a small spoonful onto her plate and followed Julie to an empty table. Evan appeared
moments later, setting down his plate full of bacon, eggs, sausage links, and toast.

  Sara watched him shovel a forkful of food into his mouth. Julie gagged as she saw some of the food fall back onto the plate. “Can you chew with your mouth closed? I don’t really wanna see what it looks like before it goes down your throat.”

  Evan sat there smiling back at Julie. It was the same smirk he gave her when they were on line getting food. “Sure,” he said slowly. He kept his eyes locked on her. “I wouldn’t want to expose you to something like that.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” She waited for a response, but Evan kept eying her up. “What the hell’s wrong with you?”

  Sara smacked his arm again. “Come on; quit messing with her.” She waited until he turned his head towards her before batting her eyes.

  “Okay, fine. I’ll leave her alone.”

  “What the do you mean; leave me alone? Can someone tell me what the fuck is going on here?”

  “I tried to get you into the tub this morning, but you wouldn’t budge. I had to get Evan to help. And…well...”

  Evan’s eyebrows wiggled at Julie. She instantly covered her body with her arms. “Did he see me naked?”

  “Not entirely.” Sara laughed at Julie’s embarrassment. “He only saw you from the waist up.”

  Heat crept up Julie’s neck as her arms cinched around her chest tighter. Her eyes darted between Sara and Evan. “Pervert,” she replied.

  “I didn’t do anything wrong. I came in to help. It’s not my fault you were laying there with your boobs hanging out.” Sara tried hard to keep from laughing at Evan’s comments. “Hey, you have nothing to be embarrassed about.” His eyes lowered to where Julie’s arms remained like a vice over her chest. “I mean you really have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

  Sara saw Julie’s jaw clench tighter. The joking was escalating from teasing to genuine anger. “Okay Evan, that’s enough.” She could see him opening his mouth to make another comment. “I said enough.” Her voice had a more intense sound to it, one she was sure Evan never heard her use. By the look on Julie’s face, neither had she. “You had your fun, now drop it, and wipe the image of her boobs from your mind too.”

  Evan had the defeated look of a scolded puppy dog. He lowered his eyes to his plate and continued shoveling the food in his mouth. Sara glared at Julie who started to snicker at Sara’s admonishing. She quickly slouched in the chair, taking small quick bites of food.

  Chapter 23-Evan

  The sun slowly set on the apartment in New Hyde Park. Evan sat on the edge of the bed next to the bay window overlooking the street below. Thoughts of the last twenty-four hours flashed through his head every couple of minutes as he waited for Sara to come home. It was obvious the girls needed to talk. He didn’t know if they were trying to come up with excuses for what he saw at the bar, or Sara trying to smooth things over after he crossed the line with his teasing. Either way, it didn’t matter to him. In his mind, Julie deserved every bit of embarrassment he threw at her. Every bit of blame was put on her. She was the reason Sara was at the bar, and was most likely the reason they were talking and dancing with those guys.

  Evan’s body filled with rage every time he thought about the sleaze ball putting his hands on Sara’s body. The grimy fingers running up her legs, inching up the skirt brought his blood to a boil, causing him to lose control. It felt like an out of body experience when he threw the first punch. He had never been in a fight, but was poised to strike anyone who came near him. Luckily, the bouncers intervened before either man had the chance to lay a finger on him.

  Hiding the resurfacing anger, Evan remembered the rush he felt trying to get the girls back to the hotel. Distance was the key. Sara eyes were sorrowful, but held the look of a petrified woman who lost control of a dangerous situation. He saw the terror etched on Sara’s face when she attempted to push the man away. It was an image Evan never wanted to see again. It was the reason he remained quiet and kept his back to her, hoping to avoid Sara until he could erase the night from his memory. It seemed hopeless until the next morning, until he saw Julie topless.

  Evan did his best to stay out of the way, figuring the girls had a routine of taking care of each other. It was Sara’s request for water that sent him out of the room. He returned with a few bottles and heard Sara struggling and cursing behind the bathroom door. It creaked open easily at the slightest touch, revealing a pair of D’s staring back at him. His ogling was unintentional, but couldn’t be helped. It was easy to see why creepy men gawked at her whenever she went out.

  Shaking the inappropriate thoughts from his mind, Evan moved to the window. His surprise return home had blown up in his face, leaving him to wonder what would be left to come home to once the night was over. Could Sara excuse his antagonistic behavior? Would he be able to get over the club incident and move on?

  Beams of light turned onto his block heading towards his apartment. The cautioned speed, warned him of Sara’s arrival. In an instant, Evan’s mouth dried, his heart thumped loudly in his chest. He dipped further into the room, hiding his nervous pacing within the confines of the darkened apartment. He could hear the door close and the footsteps carefully climbing the stairs.

  The lights clicked on as she entered the bedroom. Evan rested against the side of the bed. His eyes fixated on Sara’s disheveled appearance. Her hair was tied back with a scrunchy, allowing messy strands to escape. The shoes she wore the night before were held loosely in her hands.

  Evan made a move towards Sara. He wanted to be angry, but couldn’t find it within him to yell or shout. All he wanted was to hold her. Reaching his arms out, Evan embraced Sara, drawing her closer to his body.

  Her body shook in his arms as tears dribbled down her cheek. Evan wiped away the first batch. “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m so sorry about last night. It shouldn’t have happened.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Evan replied in a soothing voice.

  “I shouldn’t have gone with her. I knew going there would be trouble. But I couldn’t take being in the apartment by myself anymore. I needed to get out, and Julie was the only person I could turn to.” Evan watched as Sara broke away from him and walked back to the closet, placing the shoes on the floor.

  “So why did you go to Atlantic City?”

  Sara seemed hesitant to answer, but reluctantly admitted it was Julie’s idea. “She didn’t seem like herself, like she was depressed about something, but didn’t want to tell me. She was being pushier than usual and eventually, I just went along with it.”

  “Sounds to me like you were trying to be a good friend. Based on what I saw last night, she needed you more than anything.”

  “You-you’re not mad?”

  “I’m not exactly thrilled you were dancing with some guy.” His eyes swept over Sara’s wrinkled dress. “What happened to the dress you wore last night?”

  “It was Julie’s. I wore this to her house and she made me change before we left for Atlantic City. Why? Do you like it?”

  “I think it looks great on you. But do me one favor, don’t wear anything from Julie’s closet unless it’s for my eyes only.”

  “You didn’t like what I was wearing?”

  “I liked it a little too much. I think every guy at the club liked it too much. If it weren’t for Julie sleeping in the next bed, I don’t know if I could’ve kept my hands off of you.”

  “I thought you wanted nothing to do with me last night.”

  Evan placed his hands on Sara’s hips. “There was a war going on in my head last night. I was tired and angry, but a big part of me wanted to take you the moment we got to the hotel room.”

  “And what about now?”

  “Now, there’s nothing stopping me.” Evan pressed his lips firmly around Sara’s. His right hand cupped the side of her face, rubbing it softly and gently. His tongue swept the seam of her mouth, begging for entry.

  “I missed you,” Sara gasped as she finall
y parted her lips.

  Their tongues mashed together, twisting passionately as they moved closer to the bed. Evan pulled at the dress, lifting it above Sara’s waist.

  “I missed you too.” He dropped a kiss on her collarbone while inching the dress up her body. With every word spoken, his lips touched another spot on her neck. “I…missed…every…bit…of…you.” The dress was pulled over Sara’s head and cast down to the carpet. He scooped her up in his arms, placing her carefully on the bed.

  “Well, that was different.”

  “I spent a lot of time in the hotel gyms. I was ordered to keep up the routine throughout the tour.”

  Sara placed her hands on Evan’s biceps, squeezing and smiling at the improvement. “I think I could get used to this.”

  “Let me show you something else you can get used to.” He rubbed the pad of his thumb over Sara’s black lace panties. His face lowered to her neck, leaving a trail of kisses up to her jaw.

  “Fuck, I want you!” Evan could feel Sara lunge towards him. Her hand grabbing a fistful of his shirt to bring herself closer.

  Quickly casting her soaked panties aside, Evan slid a finger inside of her, feeling her body tense beneath his advance. He wanted her more and more with every thrust of his fingers. It was an insatiable hunger that had been held back for two long months.

  Sara’s grip loosened from Evan’s shirt, allowing him to move freely. With the free hand, he unhooked Sara’s bra, removing it without much effort. Her nipples pebbled instantly, drawing Evan’s focus. The pad of his thumb work feverishly on her swollen clit as he brought his mouth down to her chest. His tongue snaked out, circling the hardened nipple.

  Sara’s hands slammed against the bed. Her hands balling the bedding in her fists. It was exactly what Evan wanted. She was close to the edge, and he was ready to give her body craved.

  In one swift motion, Evan withdrew his fingers and shed his clothes. Sara lifted her head as Evan climbed between her long legs. He rubbed his shaft against her, teasing his entry.

  “I love you,” he whispered while easing himself into her slit. Her body welcomed him as he began to rock back and forth. Feeling her nails dig into his shoulders made him pump faster.