HOW TO CATCH A BAD BOY

He knew. He had to know. The very air seemed thick with her sudden certainty of just how much she wanted the man. That certainty must have communicated itself to him with her shallow, audible breaths, the almost imperceptible way she leaned closer to him, irresistibly drawn to his heat. His size. His scent. The big, strong hand on her waist molding her body firmly against his.

He was going to kiss her. She was sure of it. She stared at his lips in anticipation as lowered his head, tilted her chin up with his other hand, then bent toward her. Their breaths mingled and an almost tangible sizzle of excitement preceded the initial meeting of their lips.

Except they didn’t meet, suddenly distracted by the sound of someone saying Chandler’s name, they drew apart from each other.

“Mr Kendrick.” the voice said, “I’ve been wanting to talk to you. Good to know you’re still here,”

Chandler swore under his breath as he let her go, and Elena moved away from him, not sure if she was mad about the interruption or grateful for it. A grey haired man stood behind them, smiling as Chandler turned to face him.” Mr Bennet, “he said, plastering a smile on his face, “I wouldn’t have gone without speaking to you,”

“Excuse me, I’ll be in the restroom,” Elena said, and walked away before Chandler could ask her any questions or try to introduce her to the man. Her cheeks were flushed, and she was sure that they were red as hell too. She hurried out of the hall and into the ladies bathroom. By the time she was staring at her reflection in the mirror, she could breathe properly again but she was still a bit shaken up.

She’d almost kissed him. She’d almost kissed Chandler right there in the middle of the dance floor. What was happening to her? She wasn’t that kind of girl. Yes, she’d been in relationships before, but not a one night stand, and she’d never had sex with anyone she wasn’t in a relationship with. And even in those relationships, she’d gotten to know her partners before the topic of sex came up. But with Chandler it was different. He made her wild. Made her consider doing things she’d never thought she wanted to do. If that man hadn’t showed up, she was sure it wouldn’t have stopped at that one kiss. It’d have gone further and sure as hell knew that she wouldn’t have been able to stop herself. Even now her body still craved his touch.

The worst part was that there was no escape now. The party was coming to an end soon and she’d have to go up to their room….. With him. It could either be awkward…. Or they could continue from where they’d stopped. Elena rubbed her forehead. She had to talk to someone. At first she thought about Emily. She and Emily always talked about things like this, but this time it was different for some reason especially since Emily wasn’t a fan of Chandler at the moment.

She pulled out her phone. Only to see that Emily had already left her some messages.

Emily: How’s the party going? Are you having fun or Is he a pain in the ass?

Emily: Tell me when you and the bad boy are heading home. We already left your place and you know I’ll be worried if I don’t know you are home.

Emily: Better yet, let me track your location PLEASE. I’ve only asked seventeen times, and I don’t know why everyone thinks I’m invading your privacy.

Elena almost laughed. Typical Emily, overthinking and overreacting was her thing. She didn’t want her sister to worry, so she just shot her a text telling her that she was fine but she didn’t go into details and didn’t reply anymore. Not even when Emily texted back asking if she was home.

To Beth, she texted:

Elena: On a scale of 1-10, how stupid would it be to sleep with Chandler Kendrick when I’m trapped alone in a hotel room with him?

She pinched her eyes shut as she hit send. Her phone buzzed almost immediately.

Beth: If you don’t, I will excommunicate you as my friend. Are you seriously questioning this???? That man looked at you like you were an entire meal that he wanted to devour, and I cannot fathom one reason you wouldn’t.

Elena laughed out this time, but before she could send a reply another text popped in.

Beth: Wait. Unless you don’t want to. If you don’t actually want to, say no, and if he doesn’t listen, I’m strapping on my snow boots and I’ll rip his balls off and run them through a meat grinder. I’m sure Emily will do even worse so you better let him know.

Elena’s laughter was soft, and immediately, her eyes pricked with overwhelmed tears. It was a rare gift to be surrounded by women in her life who would commit such violent acts on her behalf without thinking twice.

Elena: No, no ripping and grinding necessary.This is property © NôvelDrama.Org.

Beth: Do you even realize how wide open you leave yourself for explicit comments after texts like that?

Elena: Ha. Sorry. You know what I meant. I like him. More than I thought I would.

Beth: Listen, Elena, if you’re looking for someone to give you permission to quit overthinking and just do the thing, then I’m your girl. He’s gorgeous, funny, and there’s no denying he’s into you. The better question is why wouldn’t you? Don’t think too hard about what happens when you come home.

Okay? If today is what you have with him, then let him teach you all the wonderful things that he undoubtedly knows. And if that’s impossible for you, then ask him out on a date when you and the roads have been plowed, because holy shit, women can do the asking and there’s nothing wrong with it. He’d probably friggin love it if you did.

Elena chewed on her lip, trying to stop the smile at the way Beth’s advice lifted the slight pressure on her chest. She was right. He did want this, and he’d wanted it longer than she had. And no matter how badly they tried to ignore the way the bruises deep in their souls affected their relationships, this was the perfect example.