Page 17 of Make Me Laugh

“What are you drinking?” West asks, still needing to lean in over the loud voices around the bar. He grips my elbow gently, and I scold myself for wishing his hold was harder—rougher.

My thoughts are all jumbled and horny, and I don’t want to overdo it on the drinking if I’m having to fight against the dirty thoughts Frankie put inside my head.

Yes, I’m fully blaming her for this.

“A Mich Ultra’s fine,” I answer back, staring into his wicked blue eyes. They’re swirls of deep navy and the crystal-clear blue of Caribbean waters.

“Find us a seat.” West turns to the bar, and I take this as a chance to collect my thoughts.

I find a remote curved booth in a corner where the music is quiet enough I can hear my own thoughts again.

Okay, Jo. You’re thirty-one years old. You’re not falling for the charms of another athlete fuckboy. Relax.

But it is okay to have a one-night stand…

I run a hand through my thick hair, the roots damp with sweat and notice West walking my way. People turn their heads, admiring him from a distance. A few even slap their friends on the arm to get their attention.

I'm instantly distracted by the way he’s looking at me. Like I’m the only person in the entire club.

He slips into the booth a respectful distance from me, not overcrowding, but close enough to get another hint of his intoxicating scent when he passes my beer over the table.

West takes a sip of his own drink, and I watch his lips until he leans back casually and asks, “I gotta know. Why did you really come to the show tonight if you don’t find me funny?”

I cross my legs, not missing the way West watches the movement. I’m happy for the cooling sensation the cold beer bottle gives when I rest it against a piece of my exposed thigh. “Frankie’s going through a breakup.” Amongst other things, but that’s none of his business. “I guess they were supposed to come see you, and since I got laid off today and she promised to buy the drinks… Here I am.” I motion towards the room around me.

“Wait, you can’t just breeze past that.” He points, sitting forward. “The getting laid off thing.”

I hadn’t expected him to pick up on that part. I wave my hand. “Oh, yeah, it’s no big. I’ll figure it out.”

His brows furrow. “So, the whole social media thing isn’t a full-time gig?”

I shake my head. “Nope, it’s not really a gig either. Just something I do for fun because I enjoy it.” Statistics has always been my thing. I broke the code to my algorithm and grew by leaning into it based on the stats of like accounts—which isn’t many… I’ve got a niche crossover.

“A five million follower hobby?” West asks, baffled.

“I know it sounds ridiculous, but it’s fun to do. I like numbers and statistics. Straight to the point. No lies, no other way around it.” I shrug and take a sip of my beer.

“You’re hot and a nerd? Fuck. What’s next? You gonna tell me you worked for…” West pauses and throws his hands up. “I don’t know. NASA? A hot astronaut? A dude’s wet dream.”

The delivery is what makes the laugh slip from my lips. It’s not a big one, but it’s a laugh nonetheless.

West smiles, and it’s intoxicating. “Ah, so she does laugh at sex jokes.” It’s cocky and makes me a little woozy, but I choose to blame it on the alcohol.

“I think you’re just wearing me down. I’m losing it to your dimpled smile and nice ass.” I say it with such nonchalance it almost sounds like the idea doesn’t freak me out.

He leans back again, bringing his ankle to rest over his knee in a figure four. I focus on the rings scattered across his fingers because I can’t keep staring into his distracting eyes that never seem to stray from mine. “I wanna make you laugh like Frankie did on the dance floor.”

The way he says it makes it sound like he’s adding it to his daily check list.

For whatever reason, I don’t have a problem staring him dead in the eyes now, the challenge of a smile pulling at the edges of my lips. “Okay, Hotshot. Make me laugh.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

THE ONE WITH THE 2000S BABY

Comment: Wait, haven’t I seen a masked & tattooed bookish account on here somewhere?

Comment: You guys, leave them alone! If someone is masked there’s obviously a reason?