Chapter 14
**CHLOE DUARTE**
"I knew you were hiding something from me, I know you well, Chloe. I know I keep telling you to grab that man at once, but I can understand your side. You are different from me, thankfully.", A laugh escapes me as I see a frown forming on her face.
"What I am trying to say is that you are a good person and that you take decisions with great care, I know this desire you are feeling and I know that it can be strong at times, it arouses sensations in you that you have never felt before, doesn't it?", I nod my head.
"I don't know what happens to me when I'm around him, I feel like being someone else and making decisions that I will regret later."
"But he seems to feel the same way about you...", I raise my head with a frown.
"Of course not. A man like him is not attracted to women like me, Samanta.", I say the obvious to myself.
"Women like you? Chloe, you are a beautiful and confident woman and a great person. And I'm not just saying this to make you feel better, I'm telling you the absolute truth."
"There is a very disturbing sexual chemistry between you, I could tell that just by the way you look at each other..."
"Aren't you going to give me some advice on how to jump him tonight?", I ask humorously, causing her to smile mischievously.
"That's just you asking me, but sometimes acting on impulse and not thinking too much about the consequences isn't always a bad thing, Chloe?"
Thinking about kissing or having sex with my boss can be one of the bad consequences.
"Matt is hitting on a busty blonde, are you sure you're going to be okay?", he asks, pointing at the redheaded guy who was dancing and is now walking towards us.
"Go have fun, Sam, I can take care of myself...", I smile trying to reassure her.
"Are you sure? I can cancel and stay with you.", she tries, but I interrupt her before she continues.
"I don't want you to cancel your evening because of me, I'll be fine."
She stares at me for a few more seconds trying to see some lie in my expression, but she knows there is not. I would hate to ruin my best friend's night just to have her by my side.
"Okay, but anything, you call me right away, you hear me?", she stands up, frowning at me as the redhead arrives at our side.
"I know, I won't need it, but the same goes for you!", I point to the guy who wraps her around his waist.
"Andrew, this is my best friend Chloe, the same one who will kick and rip your balls off if you don't treat me right tonight."
"You won't have to do that, Chloe. I'll take very good care of this girl here!", I nod and watch them kiss in front of me.
"I'm counting on it, Andrew. Have fun!"
"Text me when you get there, don't make me call the NYPD on you!", I say, smiling in her ear as she reaches over the counter for her purse.
"Do you want me to send the pictures of what we'll do too?", she asks, holding back a laugh.
"Don't overdo it!", I say with a frown.
Without my best friend and partner in all my craziness, I settle for one more drink before grabbing my cell phone from my purse, I could call an Uber on the app and leave for the comfort of my own home, but the effect of the alcohol screams louder when I find James' cell phone number.
I leave the bar and head to an area further away from the loud music finding Matt kissing the busty blonde Samanta mentioned.
Without being in my right mind I click on the contact initiating a new call, the call rings a few times and I even think it will go to voicemail due to the time I am calling, but I am surprised when his hoarse voice answers:
"Chloe? Is everything okay?", I notice her sleepy voice.
Oh, shit! I woke him up!
"I'm...sorry to call you, but I just called to thank you for your help in choosing...my lingerie, even though I'm not sleeping with anyone tonight...you have good taste!", I complete with a drunken laugh.
"Thank you, but I see you have overdone it with drinking, are you still with your friends?", I hear the familiar sound of clothes rustling on the phone.
I lean against a wall still finding my best friend having fun with the blonde in the corner.
"No...they are having fun with other people..."
"All right, I want you to take your cell phone, call a car, and go home and sleep, I'm sure you'll wake up feeling terrible in a few hours.", he commands in a firm tone that makes me smile.
"We are off company...so I am not obliged to follow your orders, sir..."
"Chloe, for your sake, do as I say!"
- Ever since I met you...I found you to be very bossy and I have always been curious to know if you are that controlling in bed when you are...
"My God, how much have you had to drink?", he asks in an irritated tone.
"Why do you think I look this bad?", I frown, waiting for his answer, which is accompanied by a sigh.
"Because if you were sober, you wouldn't be asking me things like that."
"You're right, but sometimes it's better not to think about the consequences and just...go for it!", I gasp, trying to stave off the enormous urge to vomit that rises in my throat.
When I realize that everything around me seems to spin, I lean more firmly against the wall and close my eyes, still holding the cell phone to my ear, waiting for the dizziness to pass.
"Chloe?", I hear her voice calling me, but I don't answer or I run the serious risk of throwing up right here before I can get to a bathroom in time.
"Why did you drink so much, Chloe?"
"I just wanted to forget...", I murmur, my eyes still closed.
"Forget what?", through the phone call and the muffled music I can hear the sound of keys and a door closing.
"You...I wanted to forget you...", I whisper, opening my eyes as I realize the dizziness is wearing off.
"Because I wanted to...", before he can finish, I pull the cell phone away from my ear hearing a familiar beat of a new song starting up.
"I want to dance, I love this song!", I announce to him, getting back on my balance.
"Hold on! Don't hang up yet, Chlo...", I end the call, putting the cell phone back in my purse before heading to the dance floor.
Just as I'm about to start dancing, I feel a hand go around my elbow and make me turn around to find Matt with a frown.
"Princess, is everything okay?", he asks holding me tighter.
"I'm fine...I just need to dance to this song, come on!", I try to pull him in, but he doesn't move.
One other thing Matt hates: people who can't control themselves with their drinks, and noticing the expression that stares at my face I seriously know that he is hating me right now.
It's not his fault, I would do it too and hate it if my father was a violent alcoholic who abused me or my mother daily, it's just one of the traumas he carries around all his life.
"You're not well, Chloe. Come on, I'm taking you home!", he tries to carry me in his arms, but I pull away.
"I won't!", I reply.
"God, I'd forgotten how impossible you look when you're drunk!", he snorts, ruffling his hair in a nervous gesture that he has.
"Dance with me just one song and then you can take me away?"
"Just one!", I smile pulling him to the dance floor when a new song starts.
But I immediately regret it when the dizziness comes back with force as Matt spins me around on the dance floor, his arms quickly grabbing me before I lose total balance.
"Are you having a bad time?", he asks as he notices my hands over my mouth.
I nod and minutes later I'm carried quickly to one of the women's restroom cubicles, with my hair held back I put everything out into the toilet.
I feel my eyes water from the effort feeling Matt's palm massaging my back as I spew my soul out.
Female murmurs are heard throughout the bathroom, I predict the subject is a man inside the women's restrooms, and I sigh lifting my head and smiling after flushing.
"What is it?", he asks without understanding, widening my smile.
"You know you're not supposed to go in here, it's the ladies' room, Matt!", I point to the closed door of the cabin so that those outside can understand the situation in another way.
When he understands what I mean, he too can't resist and starts laughing.
"You are impossible, Chloe. You are lucky that I love you and would never leave you alone."
"The woman who will have your heart will be a very lucky person."
His expression turns serious, I anticipate that he will say something about never falling in love, but I am surprised when a gallant smile forms on his lips, reddened by the lipstick of the woman he was kissing.
"Is this some kind of unknown flirtation? Because you are my best friend and you are very drunk...", I stand up and tap her smiling arm.
"I don't understand how such a good person could have suffered so much, sometimes I just wish I had the power to erase the horrible memories you have."
"I love you, Matt. You may not have been loved in the past, but now you have me, and I will love you forever."
"And you have me too, princess?", I feel your lips kissing my forehead tenderly.
"And I'm sorry for overdoing it with the drinking, I know it's hard for you, and I know that even though you love me, you hate me now, don't you?"
"I can't hate you, Chloe. A little angry at you for being so irresponsible I admit that I am, but I will never hate you, I just can't...", he says in a low tone.
"Okay, let's get out of here because, in a few hours, we need to wake up and go to work...", I agree with my head, noticing that I am still nauseous and in need of my warm bed.
Before opening the door to the bathroom stall, Matt pulls out of his pocket a small box of mint-flavored gum and hands me some, I thank him relieved to remove the bad taste from my mouth.
The crowd of people is still dancing all over the club when we leave the bathroom, our hands intertwined we dodge several euphoric bodies until we make it through the exit.