Chapter 31

Erin’s POV

“Of course, not. Why would it make me jealous?” I asked, turning away from the television. “I’m going to get dressed for work.”

Henry didn’t say anything, but I knew his eyes were on the back of my head, watching as I left the room.

I couldn’t let what I saw on the television bother me. However, if anything, I felt incredibly foolish. I’d been blowing up his phone for days; I should have known he was with her.

As I got dressed, I glanced at myself in the mirror and realized the marks he had left on my flesh the other day were gone; which came as a relief.

Once I was dressed, I gave myself one last look before leaving for the day. I gave Henry a kiss on the cheek and told him I loved him as I did every day. Except for this time, he didn’t respond as he often did.

I knew he was still upset about our argument; I wasn’t going to pry.

I hated fighting with him though, and I hoped this fight wouldn’t last much longer.

“That’s entirely up to you, my dear,” Emily breathed. “Cut contact with Gavin altogether and prove your love to Henry. Or follow your heart and pursue Gavin. It’s a simple decision.”

“I choose Henry,” I said coldly. “This is the life I wanted and I’m not going to give it up for a little sex.”

“Maybe not… but wouldn’t you give it up for your mate?”

“I rejected him,” I reminded her.

She stayed quiet the rest of the way to the restaurant.

“Poor Miss Susanna… I hear she’s completely devastated,” one of my coworkers said as I entered the building.

They were looking at the rerun of the broadcast from earlier this morning. Gavin was speaking about the newest murder in his pack and saying that he was doing everything possible to find out who the criminal is. Meanwhile, Susanna was cuddled up on his shoulder.

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the image.

“It was one of her closest friends that died. It’s so sad,” another one had said.

My heart weighed heavily in my chest at her words; I had no idea the victim was a good friend of Susanna. That kind of explained why Gavin was standing by her side so closely these last few days.

I met the eyes of Kelsey from across the restaurant and she gave me a faint smile as I approached.

“Is everything okay?” She asked, searching my face curiously. “You’ve been seeming off lately.”

“I’m fine,” I say to her, trying to give her a bright grin in return. “Just an argument with my husband.”

“Oh, but Henry is so kind. I find it hard to believe that he would argue with you unless it’s over something big.”

“Just a misunderstanding,” I explain. “I’m just tired. It was a long night.”

“I see,” she says thoughtfully. “Well, you two love each other. I’m sure you’ll work it out. He can’t stay mad at you for long.”

I knew that was true; though, we didn’t often argue. Especially not over something this big. Henry was an amazing friend to me, and I hated the idea that he could be seriously mad at me.

Then again, I deserved it.

…

The day went on and I continued my work without many issues from the others. I kept to myself for most of the morning and afternoon.

By the time the sun began setting, the restaurant started to slow down. I wasn’t surprised that I didn’t see Gavin today. He hasn’t been by in the last couple of days; not since he turned off his phone. I found myself checking my phone periodically on the off chance that he would message or call me.

Every time I saw that there were no messages or missed calls, I would feel a jab of disappointment in my chest.

It was a feeling I detested more than anything.

I shouldn’t have been feeling disappointed over this guy.

Ding ding.

My entire body froze when I heard the door chime, for the front door, sound. The sound brought me out of my inner thoughts.

I turned to face the person standing at the door and that jab of disappointment resurfaced as I saw a stranger standing before me.

He scanned the restaurant for a moment before his eyes landed on me and a smile appeared on his lips.

“Can I get a table?” He asked.

I forced a smile and nodded.

“Of course,” I say to him, bringing him to one of the booths in the corner of the restaurant. “Can I start you off with anything to drink?”

“Beer,” he said. “And keep it coming.”

I went to go get him his beer; though, as I walked away, I felt his eyes were intently on me and it made me feel a little uncomfortable.

However, I ignored the feeling.

He was my last customer of the evening; I just had to smile and get through this.

“Just so you know we close in about an hour,” I say to him, placing his beer on the table.

He took a swig of the foamy and potent liquid.

“That’s plenty of time,” he murmured.

I shuddered as he gave me a toothy smile.

“Can I put any food in for you?” I asked, ignoring the strange look he was giving me.

“A burger… cooked rare,” he ordered, his voice turning gruff.

I wrote that down in my notepad.

“Anything else?” I asked.

“No.”

I nodded and turned toward the kitchen to give the chefs the order.

This man was seriously giving me a weird vibe. Before his burger even arrived, I had given the man a couple more beers. Then, I gave him another one when his burger was finished.

He ate quickly and drank even quicker; tapping his beer bottle on the table loudly to get my attention. I couldn’t help but groan as I went to grab him another beer.

It didn’t take long for his words to become slurred, and his movements of swaying became evident.

“We will be closing soon,” I remind him as I grabbed him another beer.

“What’s a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this,” he asked, his eyes darkening as he looked me over.

I frowned, unsure of what he meant.

“It’s a job,” I answered him. “It pays the bills.”

“You could be doing something way more with that sexy body though,” he said with a wink.

My body tensed at his words; he was staring me over like I was a piece of meat. That hunger on his face grew and I realized it wasn’t because of the burger. It was because of me.

“If that’ll be all, I’ll go grab you the check,” I say to him.

He laughs as I turn away and grabs the check from the main counter. At that moment, I decided to pour him a cup of coffee as well to try to get him sober before he left.

My face was warmed as I realized his eyes had never left me. He was watching me from the moment I walked away to the moment I returned.

“On the house,” I say, placing the coffee on the table along with the check.

I turned to walk away, but I felt his hands tugging at my skirt and halting me in my tracks.

“Why do you have to leave so soon? How about you sit on my lap?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, as I pulled myself away from him, but his fingers tightened around the bottom part of my skirt.

“Please, let me go,” I demanded, trying not to sound too nervous.

He tugged me closer to him and I heard the fabric of my skirt tearing, causing my heart to jump wildly in my chest.

“I can give you a really generous tip if you play by my rules,” he seethed through his teeth.

I was appalled by his words; I pressed my lips firmly together and glanced at his coffee cup. Soon, the coffee was spilling onto his lap, making him release me and jump to his feet in shock.

“What the fuck just happened?!”