Her fingers gripped the glass in front of her far more firmly than she had intended. Her knuckles turned white with the force of her grip and she knew that if she applied anymore pressure, the glass would break in her grasp. She felt her jaw clench almost painfully as she watched out of the corner of her eye as he sat across from another woman. She attempted to ignore the flash of jealousy. What right did she have to be jealous? It had just been sex between them, nothing more. They had known one another since they were kids and they had always been fairly closed friends. He had been her first crush at ten years old. The older brother of her best friend. Though she had hung out with Larry more than his twin, she had been attracted to him almost from the first moment she had met him. Nearly twenty five years and various failed relationships later and they had admitted to a mutual physical attracted to one another. Amanda had made the decision after having her heart broken that she was going to remain single and have fun. But she had still wanted Laurent with a fierceness that almost scared her. Then Thanksgiving night happened. She remembered very well the feel of his large hand gripping her throat with a possessiveness as he moved deeply inside her from behind.
Cursing softly, she shoved aside the flash images and took a swing of her beer. It was growing warm and bitter by the minute, but that could have been just her imagination or her warring emotions. She carefully shoved her beer across the bar before standing, leaving a fair tip for the bartender. It was time to leave before she let her jealousy get the best of her. The chain hanging from the belt loop at her left hip jingled softly as she slid her arms into her favorite leather jacket. She made her way through the throng of people, weaving between them with surprising grace. Amanda could almost feel the weight of his eyes on her, but she held her head high and didn't look back. Before she could slip out the door, however, a firm grip roughly grasped her upper arm hard enough to bruise.
"Where are ya headin' darlin'?" The slurred words of one of the drunk patrons reached her ears and immediately spiked her annoyance. She glanced in the man's direction, eyes narrowing in malice.
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"Home." She replied, trying to wrench her arm from his grasp. When that failed, she sighed softly. "Let go of me."
"Why don't you come home with me?" He sneered with a greasy grin plastered across his inebriated face.
"How about no." With a harsh tug of her arm, she freed herself from the man's grip, but somehow, she knew he wasn't about to give up that easily. She shoved her way immediately out the door.
Laurent had been watching her from the first moment he had recognized her at the bar. He couldn't help it. Her presence was commanding, intimidating. It radiated with an aura he had never encountered before and he had known her since they were kids. He had watched her for over twenty years as she had become best friends with his twin. He had known she had been attracted to him. He had caught her shy glances, the body gestures. She had intrigued him but their paths had led them in very different directions and for a long time, he had almost forgotten about her. That was until he had come across her on social media after a comment she had made on one of Larry's posts. They had messaged back and forth for over a year, flirting and revealing secrets to each other that they had kept for two decades. It elated him to know that she had a crush on him. Did she still or was that over now? When she had revealed to him that she had had her heart broken multiple times, it enraged him beyond measure. How dare any man treat her in such a manner! She was broken now, unwilling to venture back out into the dating scene. He didn't blame her really. His own track record hadn't been that great either. As they had talked further, the option of them hooking up became almost a running joke. Something that had become a secret between them. Then Thanksgiving night had happened. They had talked for hours about anything and everything, catching up on the events of their separated lives. She was a single mother now, working and going to school for her Bachelors in Business. She had become such a strong-willed independent woman. One thing had led to another and they had finally, after all that time, slept together. Both of them had agreed it would strictly be just sex between them whenever they could. She was tired of getting hurt in relationships and he, well, he was just having fun.
