“…Somebody else will if I don't walk up and ask for your name right now, offer to buy you a drink, sit down, and tell you your looks could kill…”


“I want to sit down with this kid, I want to grill him about his past, and I want to make sure he’s not a complete waste of time because holy shit, Travis was.”

Charlotte looked at Jules blankly. This was the first she was hearing about how her best friend thought Travis was a waste of time, and she wondered why Jules hadn’t said anything when they were together. They were in the lounge of the new, posh bar that had opened up. It was far different than what they were used to experiencing. It wasn’t divey, there was no loud music, just quiet chatter among the small groups of people huddled in circles. The only thing that was the same, was the pockets of men prowling for single women. That never changed.

Jules was getting a kick out the guys coming up to them, mostly because now Charlotte was obligated to throw them at her. Now she was getting double the attention, and Charlotte just grinned as she sat back and watched her friend play the field. With some of the scum that was coming up, she was happy she didn’t have to do that anymore.

They were waiting for Darcy to arrive. He had spent the day doing some press work for his new team and had agreed to meet them at the bar so Jules could really get a feel for him. Charlotte reminded him how important Jules was in her life, and if he was going to last as a fixture, she was going to need to like him. But the same girl that was dead set about laying down the law to Darcy, was now deep in flirtation with some dense surfer boy that was trying way too hard to look fancy. Charlotte couldn't help but eavesdrop on the conversation. It was too intriguing. It however left her susceptible to attention of her own.

“Your friend seems to have forgotten you,”

Charlotte flicked her head to the left as a boy, also trying to look fancy, sat on the empty stool beside her. “It appears as though she has another agenda,”

The guy smiled. “Can I buy you a drink,”

She looked down at her half full martini, “I’m good on the one I have now, thanks.” Charlotte looked back over at Jules to make sure she was still holding her own.

“This is awkward now, that was my one in.” When Charlotte looked back at the guy, he grinned, “Richie.”

He seemed to be waiting for her response, and Charlotte thought long and hard about what she would say. “Mia,” Time to give this ‘Mia’ a back story, she thought.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,”

“Isn’t it?”

Richie burst out in a quick, hearty chuckle. Charlotte was proud of herself for that. But now as his flicked over her form, and his knee pushed just slightly between her legs, she thought she might be pushing it a little bit. “Where’re you from?”

“South Carolina,” it came out of her mouth like vomit and she wondered why it was so easy for her to blatantly lie to this guy. “Came out here to model,”

“I believe it. You’re the hottest thing here,”

Charlotte subtly rolled her eyes and picked up her martini, taking a small sip. “Aren’t you a charmer,”

Richie smirked and wrapped his hands around the glass the bartender set in front of him. “I know a pretty girl when I see one,”

“Do you now?” She pressed, hoping he’d continue this inspiring rant about his foresight into attractive girls.

He nodded and pushed his knee to the side, forcing it against Charlotte’s. “And it’s always the ones from the south that like a little something extra,” he winked and Charlotte nearly lost her composure with her lie. Did this actually work for guys?

She took another sip of her drink, “you caught me.”

“Knew it,”

She ran her fingertips along the stem of the martini glass. “Now that you mention it, I do have a thing for being tied up and spanked,” she could go all night riling this guy up for no reward.

“I hate to cut in,”

Charlotte looked back and held in giggles as Darcy stood there, grinning like a fool. She didn’t know how much he had heard, but judging by the look on his face, he knew there wasn’t anything going on between her and Richie.

“No worries, sugar,” she winked and held her hand up to him. “I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Mia,”

Darcy smirked, “Mia?”

Charlotte nodded insistently, “are you new in town, sugar? I always acquaint myself with the sexiest men, and I’ve never seen you around here.” From the corner of her eye, she could see Richie sipping his drink in frustration. Hopefully with a little more of this, he’d leave and free the spot for Darcy.

“And I acquaint myself with the sexiest women,” Darcy brushed his fingertips against the hem of her dress. It reached just below her knees, and he slid his hand up her thigh, exposing more skin as he went, “it’s a shame this dress is covering so much.”

Fuck. This might be a shorter encounter than previously intended, because if that didn’t make her wet…

“Believe it or not I look better out of it, sugar.”

Darcy squeezed her inner thigh after he stopped pushing the dress up midway up her leg. “I’m absolutely sure you do,”

Richie got up from the stool and Darcy watched him go, taking his seat. He focused back on Charlotte, sucking in a deep breath as he admired how good she looked tonight. Afterwards, he leaned in with his hand on her thigh and pecked her lips, “how was your day?”

“Good. How was yours?” She kissed him back and set her hand over his.

“Fine,” he grinned and tilted he head to the side to spot Jules. She was still deep in conversation with a boy of her own. “So, Mia?”

“She’s a model from South Carolina,” Charlotte protested. With her free hand, she picked up her martini and finished it off.

Darcy laughed as the bartender came over. He opened up a tab and ordered Charlotte and himself a round of drinks. “What’s she model?”

Without missing a beat, she responded, “lingerie.”

He couldn’t hide his amused expression, “and she likes to be tied up and spanked?” He squeezed onto her leg.

Charlotte nodded and leaned forward, pressing her palm flat against Darcy’s crotch. She smirked and kissed his lips once more.

“Is Mia coming home with me tonight?” He nodded quickly to the bartender as she set drinks down in front of them, then returned his gaze back to Charlotte.

“She can if you want her to,”

Darcy took the first sip of his drink. “I don’t want her in bed, just her kinks so I can fuck my beautiful girlfriend,”

Charlotte kissed him again, wishing they didn't have to stay and chat with Jules. Her body was aching for him. “You want me to model lingerie for you?”

He nodded slowly and pushed his hand to her inner thigh again.

“You wanna tie me up and spank me?” She winked and giggled.

He nodded again, licking his lips quickly, “then I’m gonna fuck you raw, baby girl.”

“Only if you come in my mouth,” she challenged.

Darcy’s cheeks went red and he cleared his throat. “Do we really have to do this tonight? If I don’t get you out of here, I’m just gonna bend you over the bar.”

She smirked and lowered her voice, “and shove your cock down my throat or stretch out my pussy?”

“Char,” he groaned.

Charlotte turned around. Jules was alone now, just staring at them in bewilderment. She had her head resting on her fist, “are you done jerking him off now?” She shook her head and smiled.

“Hi Jules,” Darcy smiled, “you want another round?”

“Please and thank you,”

“Jules,” Charlotte reached for her, “you don’t get the entire Darcy Kuemper backstory. You get selective questions because I don’t know how long we’re gonna last tonight. Pretty tired,”

Jules glared at Charlotte, “oh, fuck off. You’re just horny,”

Darcy burst out in a fit of laughter. He was amused by her forwardness, and it was clear she knew Charlotte a little too well for her own good.

She smiled at the bartender as she handed her the new round. After taking a quick sip, Jules started, “tell me something about you that I can’t learn on the internet.”

He figured being extremely honest was the way to Jules’ heart and acceptance. “I was a week away from proposing to my girlfriend and I found out she’d been cheating on me.”

Jules’ smile fell and her face became sullen. Even Charlotte looked at him, shocked. She knew that he had had a ring, but didn’t know he had come that close to asking. A week was not a lot of time in between thinking you were going to marry someone, and finding that they were cheating on you.

“What’d you do afterwards?” She asked as a follow up. While she found it simple to ask and sip her drink, Charlotte was much more anxious to know the answer. “I mean, what was the coping method for that?”

Darcy swallowed hard and looked at Charlotte with a weak half-smile on his face. Something told her she wasn’t going to necessarily like this answer. “It tore me up. I had given her four good years, and I spent the next little while…” he looked at Charlotte again, probably thinking of how he should word this, “in the company of different women.”

She couldn't be mad at him for that. She had no right. That was before they had even met, and his past didn't matter now. Charlotte knew that the Darcy she had in her life was different from the heartbroken soul he had been after that break up. There wasn’t any reason to believe he was a saint before they met. Hell, she hadn't been a saint. Maybe she hadn’t gone around sleeping with several different people in a week, but she had been with her share of guys. Given the chance now, she figured Darcy would choose to cope differently. She reached for his hand in his lap and held it tightly.

“What’s your number?” Jules tried.

Darcy laughed and shook his head. There was a limit to what he would answer, and this was it. At least with Jules. If Charlotte wanted to know, she could ask in private. And he would answer her. Honestly. “The only number that matters now is one. And that Charlotte is the only one I’m sleeping with, and the only one I’m interested in sleeping with.”

“Well played, Darcy Kuemper. Well played,” Jules grinned and took another sip of her drink.

Charlotte was impressed by the easiness in which his answer came out. Monogamy was always a weird subject to get into with a new guy. She understood that for most of the animal kingdom, monogamy wasn’t a thing. It was a human social construct that seemed to defy the laws of nature. And with guys in the past, Charlotte had always found it to be like pulling teeth. She’d find herself trying to convince them that she was worth them not looking for someone else to sleep with. Meanwhile, Darcy needed no urging. His mindset was already there.

“You surprise me,” she admitted. Both Darcy and Charlotte were interested to find out why that was. “The fact that you came around after being traded is mind-boggling. You were just each other’s one night stand. I don’t get why you’re pursuing,” Jules looked at her friend and then amended her statement. “Char, you’re great and I love you. I’m just confused why some hockey bro is actively around my friend when her original intended use to him was to make him come?”

“Well why do you like Charlotte?” Darcy asked back. He didn’t sound rude or angry, but more like he was trying to prove a point, and Jules’ answer to this was going to help.

“She’s my best friend,” Jules looked at Charlotte and giggled. For now, both girls thought his question was strange. “She’s brilliant and she doesn't even know it. I wish I could be as modest as she is. And she’s always there for me, without fail, even if I’m being an absolute fucker. I’m an asshole, but I’m her asshole.”

Darcy nodded as though everything Jules was saying were things he already knew. “I like Charlotte for all those reasons too. And I like that she doesn’t see me as some hockey bro. As far as she knows, I’m on the bench so much that I’ve got splinters in my ass. I’m just Darcy.” He smiled and looked at Charlotte, tugging her closer to him so he could press his lips to the side of her head quickly, “and look at her. She’s fucking beautiful.”

Jules flicked her eyes between Darcy and Charlotte. She couldn't help but be impressed by every single one of his answers. “You fuck with my girl, Darcy, I’m coming after you,”

“I expect nothing less,” he smiled and held his glass up to hers.

Charlotte was happy that Jules seemed to like Darcy, but also seemed to understand where he was coming from. Their relationship thus far was not simple. She knew that. She knew that explaining it to anyone was going to be hard because of the circumstances they met under. Jules had put it perfectly; they had been using each other to come. But now things were shifting, and if either of them believed Jules had been hard on them, they couldn't even begin to fathom what other people in their lives would think.

Notes

"Somebody Else Will" by Justine Moore.

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