Plus One

By Your Side

"You going to tell me where we're going?" Ethan shook his head. When they pulled up to V: After Dark Anna laughed. "I'm not going in there dressed like this." Ethan kissed her hand before pouting. "Your beautiful babe and I already got us a section so you don't have to worry about anyone messing with you or your dress." Anna huffed before agreeing and getting out.

They walked into the packed club and Anna was already annoyed. She was ready to tell Ethan they should go when she spotted Tasha making out with Lars. It was apparent Lars was doing something with his hands under the table, but Anna was going to keep that to herself. "Stop mauling each other already." Ethan joked as he smacked Lars upside his head. The two separated and Anna could see the blush on Tasha's light skin.

"Well, don't you look beautiful." Lars complimented. "Thank you. It's a Tasha Moore original." Lars looked at Tasha in awe. "You made this." She nodded with a shy smile and he beamed. "You're amazing woman." Anna took her seat next to Tasha as they moved over to allow Ethan to sit next to her. "What are we drinking?" Ethan asked over the music. "I've been drinking Hennessey," Lars offered him the bottle.

Ethan poured a glass and tried to give Anna the bottle. She shook her head no. "I don't drink darks." Tasha laughed to herself. "I bet you don't now." Anna pinched her best friend and joined in on the laughter. Anna wasn't really in the mood for alcohol. She couldn't get what Tiffany the Thot had to say out of her head. Was she just wasting her time pursuing something with a man clearly out of her league? Was she just an experiment for him? See what it's like to slum it with the peasants?

"What's wrong with you?" Tasha asked her. "I'll tell you later." Tasha didn't like the serious expression on her best friend's face but nodded reminding herself to ask in the morning. Tasha's song came on and she demanded that Anna dance with her. They were close enough to the dance floor that it wasn't too much of a problem, but Anna knew she would need to get the dress dry cleaned as soon as possible.

"They're amazing, aren't they?" Lars said with a sigh. Ethan couldn't help but chuckle at his best friend. "You're in love with her, aren't you?" Lars watched as Tasha twerked on Anna and smiled. "I've never believed in love at first sight, but it's real Ethan. I can't tell her how I feel since she's already a flight risk, but one day when I've earned her trust and she knows I'm not going anywhere I'm going to shout it from the mountain tops."

"I'm happy for you, friend. You deserve all the happiness in the world." Lars smiled at his best friend and cocked his head to Anna. "You do too, you know. She's a great girl and she's in to you hardcore. I just want you to cherish it and take care of your relationship." Ethan watched Anna laugh and smile with Tasha and grinned. "We bumped into Tiffany at the event." Lars groaned. "What did that bitch do now?" Ethan filled him in on everything and Lars sighed.

"You're going to have to do damage control." Ethan quirked an eyebrow. "Anna is a sweet girl, sometimes too sweet. Those words are taking root I guarantee it and you need to be there to remind her that they're lies and you don't see her as anything less than the perfect, beautiful girlfriend she is." Ethan always trusted Lars' advice. He was good with women, but even better at reading them. He wished he had taken his advice on Tiffany years ago.

The girls came back to the table and they talked and drank. Ethan didn't know why he always did this to himself. He would have one drink and before he knew it, he was ten drinks in. It was more than likely because of the voices were quiet most when he was drunk. If ever given the chance to drink he always seemed to take it. "Give me your keys," Anna asked sternly. Ethan chuckled drunkenly. "You're not driving my baby, baby."

Anna fished in his pocket and got his keys. "Hey! You can't do that!" He slurred as Anna opened the passenger door and all but pushed Ethan inside. She didn't know why he did this. When they first met, he was drunk, but it was playful. Now, he was just sloppy and miserable. She got in the driver's seat and got acquainted with everything. "Don't crash my baby, baby." Anna rolled her eyes and made the trek from V: After Dark to her townhouse. She hoped he had repacked his bug out bag.

As she pulled into the garage, she noticed a passed-out Ethan. She debated on whether to leave him out there or not. She got out of the car and opened his trunk to find his bag. She took it inside into her room before coming back down and attempting to take him inside. He put as much of his weight as she could bear on her and it was killing her. The stairs were the hardest part, but when she finally made it to her room, she all but flung him on the bed.

"You need to take this, babe." Anna handed him some Tylenol and a glass of water. "No," Ethan whined causing Anna to suck her teeth. "Boy if you don't drink this damn water!" Ethan opened his eyes wide. "Oooh you cursed!" Anna rolled her eyes. He swallowed the medicine dry before drinking the entire content of the glass. He handed it to her and plopped back down.

She undressed him down to his briefs and moved him under the covers before getting ready for bed herself. The water from the shower was nice and hot and Anna just wanted to wash away the sweat from the club and anxiety from the ball. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear Ethan come in. He stepped into her walk-in shower and eyed her dark chocolate skin.

She was perfect in every way and her ass called to him. He couldn't help himself he had to grab it causing Anna to yelp. He pulled her closer to him so her back rested on his chest and he sighed. "You're the most beautiful girl I've ever met, you know that." Anna shook her head.

"Remember, I've seen your ex and she looks like a model. In fact, I'm sure she's a model." Ethan turned her around and she was faced with his very erect member. The water dripped off of his washboard abs and Anna had forgotten what it is they were talking about.

"You are beautiful because your beauty is both inside and out. Tiffany is a hot mess with issues that Iyanla couldn't fix." Anna laughed at this before standing on her tippy toes and pulling him closer to kiss his lips. "Thank you for that. I needed the reassurance though I hate admitting that." Ethan stroked her cheek and smiled. "I will always be here to reassure you, but you don't need it. You're who I want, Anna."

Anna felt tears prickling her eyes and blinked them away. "Let's get you clean." She began scrubbing him down with a washcloth and Ethan was all too happy to get the stench of alcohol off of him. When she got to his member Anna couldn't help herself. She began stroking him the water offering a great lubricant. Ethan groaned in her ear as he rested his head on her shoulder. "What are you doing to me, pretty girl?"

As her strokes increased in pace, Ethan grabbed her by the neck and crashed his lips onto hers. She swallowed every moan he let out until he was spilling on her. Anna washed her stomach and legs again before rinsing them both off. By the time they got ready and dressed for bed Anna was exhausted. She fell asleep in Ethan's arms almost immediately, but he was up with his demons.

The alcohol fog had lifted and he was left there to ruminate over the many wrongs he had committed. Anna's light snores brought him back to the present and he couldn't help but kiss her head. He didn't want to mess things up with her, but everything in him told him he wasn't good enough for her. That he didn't deserve her. She said he had changed and he wanted to believe that, but can someone so selfish and rotten truly change.