My friend almost choked while drinking her drink. I still had wide eyes as I stared at Garrett in disbelief. Was I starting to see things, or was he just standing there just inches away from me? He was as tall as ever, his black hair had grown a few inches since I last saw him, he was wearing black from head to toe, and he was not at all casually dressed like someone who dressed to go out to the club on a weekend or week. What the hell was he doing there? He hadn't been to London? Wasn't he missing for so long? So what the hell was he doing there in that club? And why did he have an arm around my waist, hugging me from the side? I swallowed hard and turned my face, still in shock. Rick, the bartender, was blinking repeatedly, a bit surprised and confused by the very sudden male presence that had joined us.
"Are you together?" he asked; the question seemed ambiguous to me. Was he asking if me and this man who just arrived were together like a couple, or that my friend and I had come with him to that club together?
"No!" Sue answered the bartender's question; either way, her answer was no, but at the same time she said no, Garrett Ward responded with a yes.
"You're taking your time with your drink." On top of that, he demanded that the bartender serve us the drink right away. Rick swallowed, giving Ward a grimace, then walked away laughing.
"Of course, three special drinks are going out for the ladies and the gentleman." He hummed in amusement before starting to make his mixes. I was staring into a blind spot now, afraid to even move. If I looked at Sue, she would charge me with a barrage of questions and judgments with just one look. If I looked at Ward, I was afraid he would see how weak I was inside. I was so afraid, I was afraid to even to breathe. And in that endlessly uncomfortable second, Sue and Garrett were still hauntingly silent.
"So, Mr. Ward, right!?" My friend was the first to express herself, thank God. Garrett nodded at her question, encouraging her to continue. Since Sue had never even interacted with a man as important as this one, she was aware that she should refer to him with as much respect as possible, but at the same time, she also knew that this same man was the bastard who had been toying with her. Her best friend's heart. So clearly, she didn't give a damn if she was going to be impolite talking to the man. "Do you come here often to this club?"
"Not really, today is my first time even." Garrett answered so naturally that it surprised me; he still had a hand covering my waist. I was gathering all my strength not to pay attention to that heavy hand on my body; if I paid attention, it would be the end for me.
"Hm, I thought you were coming for a new victim of yours. You know how it is, a virgin girl who meets your requirements from one night of love to an eternity of disappointment." My eyes widened at her speech. My friend was so surgical; she exposed everything in just one sentence. Garrett was going to answer something, but he was cut off by the bartender, who came back with three colored drinks.
"Here are your drinks. For the two beautiful ladies, it will be on the house, but for the gentleman, your golden card may spare a few bucks to pay for a drink." He spoke, explaining right away in his speech that he knew Garrett Ward very well and knew how rich and powerful he was. In fact everyone who resided in York knew the Wards; he was a member of the high society of that city, and everyone liked to hear the gossip of the rich. My throat was even dry. I took the drink, thanking Rick, and I drank it, recognizing that the drink was excellent, but Garrett didn't even touch the drink, he seemed uninterested.
"I can buy both my drink and the two girls' drinks." He replied, which made Rick chuckle sarcastically.
"I don't want you to buy my drink!" Sue spoke up, rejecting Garrett's offer with a sneer on her face.
"Do not wait." Rick dared. "Since the prince wants to buy your drinks so badly, you shouldn't refuse. By the way. Why doesn't the rich guy buy everyone's drinks here tonight?" He was staring at Garrett like he was daring him to do something.
"Look, there's no need…" I tried to speak, but surprisingly, Garrett accepted.
"I gladly pay everyone's bills here."
"Mr. Ward!" I scolded him while Sue had burst out laughing.
"That man is a piece." She commented, still in a good mood. Rick was also laughing. He raised his hand and sang to the DJ, who turned down the electronic music, which made everyone make a sound of disapproval. The bartender took a microphone that was under the bar and talked about him.
"Attention, everyone. Sorry to interrupt, but today we welcomed someone special to our humble club. Here we have the powerful and billionaire Garrett Ward!" At that moment a spotlight focused directly on where Garrett, me and Sue were. Now all eyes in the club were on us. "He's accompanied by his girlfriends, and the good news is he's offered to drool over everyone's drink here!" He yelled that last part. "Consume as much as you want, because Ward is our sponsor today!" The whole club erupted into a cheer so loud that the walls almost came down, the music started to play louder again and the young people and teenagers were jumping and dancing with more joy now. Rick was looking at Garrett with an air of victory and Garrett just babbled.
"For reasons like these I never come to these places."