Lady Balls (Itty Bitty Delights)

CAMILA

Takingout a chocolate straw from my purse, I pull the wrapper open then stick one end in my glass and the other in my mouth. The wrapper gets tossed on the bar beside the others. This is my fourth drink. I usually don’t drink so much, but after seeing the guy you’ve been dating for the last couple of months with his head between another woman’s legs, I do believe a stiff drink or four is called for.

After taking a long slurp of my drink, I bite off the end of my straw. I swear they put additives in these things because they truly are addictive.

Feeling the sudden urge to pee, I set my drink down and get up from my stool. It’s a mistake, because the second my ass lifts from the seat, I realize just how drunk I must be. I tip sideways, and if it wasn’t for a big pair of hands catching me by the waist, my face would be smashed into the dirty floor.

“Whoa there,” a deep rumbly voice sounds.

I blink several times, trying to bring my gaze back into focus, and look up at the most handsome face I’ve ever seen. It’s a familiar face I’ve known for years. One I may have fantasized about a time or two when I was in high school. Okay, fine. I have totally fantasized about this man way more than a time or two. It’s probably more like two or three hundred. And okay, I may have had a few naughty dreams about him way past my high school years. The man is hot as blazes, though, so it’s not my fault.

“Brady?” I ask, squinting my eyes and leaning toward him. “What are you doing here?”

I let out a little squeak when I’m suddenly lifted by my waist and set back down on my stool.

“Apparently saving you from face planting on the floor.”

I probably shouldn’t, given my wobbly state, but I grab my drink and take another sip.

“Thanks for that. But what I mean is, why are you here and not in Silver Falls?”

He eyes the drink in my hand before setting his gray gaze on me. Stupidly, my stomach does a little flip when he looks at me. I’ve always been mesmerized by his eyes.

“Maybe you should call it quits with the drinks,” he suggests.

I gulp the last swallow of my drink without saying anything.

He picks up his lowball glass and swirls the liquid. “I like to come here sometimes when I need to think. It’s far enough away from Silver Falls that I can drink in peace, but close enough that I can be back in town if I need to be.”

I nod. The bar we’re in is a couple counties over from Silver Falls.

“What are you doing here?” he asks.

I lift a shoulder. “Like you, I guess. I needed a drink and to be alone for a little while. It’s hard to get the alone part at Whiskey’s.”

He drains the rest of his drink and holds his hand up for another. The bartender brings it a moment later. Before he walks away, I make a request for another drink, although I should probably take Brady’s advice and stop.

When the bartender drops my drink off, I ignore the disappointed look Brady gives me and take a long swallow. I damn well deserve this drink, and I won’t let Brady Masters make me feel like shit for having it, no matter how hot he looks giving me the stink eye.

I twirl my finger around the area we’re sitting, then grab the edge of the bar when I tip sideways a little bit. “This is a judgment free zone, so either keep your trap shut or carry your unwanted opinion somewhere else.”

He scowls, but wisely doesn’t say anything on the matter. I turn and face the dance floor.

“Where’s the wife? I’m surprised she let you off your leash.”

The thing with alcohol—or at least it is with me—it makes you braver than you would normally be. If I were sober, I wouldn’t dare mention the way Addison Masters tries to control her husband. The woman is crazy when it comes to Brady. I’ve seen her lose her shit a time or two when she thought a woman was flirting with him. Of course, this was before he became judge of Silver Falls. Oh, she’s still looney over him, she’s just more sneaky about it now.

Brady is very much a manly man, so I’ve never understood why he puts up with her shit. And there’s no doubt he knows of the crap she’s done in regards to him. He can’t be that naïve or stupid.

“The last I checked, Addison isn’t my keeper. I do leave the house on occasion without her in tow.”

An unladylike snort leaves me. “Does she know that? Because from what I’ve seen, she’s never far behind when you’re out and about.”

“Are you keeping tabs on me?”

I look at him and see mild amusement on his face. “It’s not just me who notices, you have to know that. That wife of yours is certifiable, and the whole town knows it.”

He lifts a shoulder and picks up his drink. “She has her issues, just like we all do.”