Getting Over Edie Ch. 01

"Gem, are you sure he's on his way?" Gemma nodded. "He said he's on his way out." Her cerulean eyes traveled back to the door, searching the entryway. Suddenly her face lit up in a shy smile. "There he is" she whispered excitedly.

"Thank fucking God," Stevie hissed. "I think my toes were heading into frostbite territory." Arden shot Stevie a shut-the-hell-up look. She directed her gaze to the guy making his way over to the large black bouncer. He was actually pretty cute. Tall, Asian, and dressed in that hipster jeans and scarf look Gemma liked. After whispering to the bouncer, he glanced up and waved at Gemma. The bouncer signaled them over and they walked behind the velvet rope. Arden tried not to glance at the clearly freezing and irritated crowd as they cut the line and headed into the warm club.

She followed behind Gemma and Stevie behind her as they parted through the sea of bodies. The music was loud, some song about dropping it low booming through the speakers. After what seemed like an eternity they stopped at a high-top table in front of a long mirrored wall. There were two guys already sitting at the table. One looked like a reject from a VH1 reality dating show; he was huge, bulky and muscular wearing a shirt that looked as if Ed Hardy threw up all over it. Total meathead, she thought. Too bad, he was ridiculously nice looking too, with his tousled dark hair. He was looking at her like she was the last piece of rib at a fat man's barbecue.

The other one was sipping his drink, his interest clearly not on them. She couldn't really see him too well; the corner he inhabited was obscured in darkness. But she knew he wasn't paying attention from the angle his head was turned. Well, whatever. If he wanted to be rude, so be it then. Arden plastered on a smile and hoped that this awkward meeting wouldn't take too long.

********

Grady was finishing the shot when Tony returned with three women in tow. He took the hand of the girl in front. "Guys, this is Gemma Kirby. Gemma these are my boys. That big meathead is Benny and the Shirley Temple looking one is Grady."

Grady turned his attention to the new additions. He nodded in greeting to each of them. The one Tony introduced as Gemma was a stunner. He couldn't help but watch her as Tony took her coat and set it gingerly on the back of her chair. She had bright blue eyes that seemed to glow in the light of the club and against her dark skin. Her hair was a little past shoulder length and medium brown with honey hued highlights.

"Hello boys," she said in a breathy accent.

"These are my friends Arden Finch and Stevie Knox."

The two other girls mumbled a greeting and sat down in the available chairs. Grady took a good look at them. The chick with the short haircut was a little intimidating. She was wearing tight jeans and a black leather jacket. The other girl, the one with the darker skin kept stealing glances at him. Grady turned his head, forcing his eyes to focus on his drinks. This really wasn't what he wanted tonight; he didn't need pussy in his perimeter. He just needed to be mind-numbingly drunk.

Grady gulped down the rest of his drink. He felt the heavy pull of the alcohol working its magic on his senses. It was a sweetly numbing feeling and he welcomed it with open arms. For the next half hour he drifted in and out of the conversation. He didn't add anything, but chose to listen as Tony and Benny did their best to entertain the ladies. By listening he figured out Tony's girl was from Australia, a small town outside of Perth. The other girl, the one with the short hair and dark looks was still kind of intimidating. While the other two girls drank brightly colored concoctions in martini glasses, she stuck to beer in tall glasses.

He shrugged it all off. He didn't need to wonder about the drinking habits of people he just met, but needed to focus on his own impending alcohol issue. He was out of spirits and was contemplating signaling one of the shots girls over when a voice jarred him out of his thoughts.

"Wait, you're Grady Kade? The Grady Kade that writes "The Go-To Guy" stuff for EDGE magazine?"

Grady glanced up, his gaze meeting the eyes of the darker-skinned woman. "Yeah," he said shortly.

The woman nodded approvingly. "Very nice. I always try to catch your column. You're a fantastic writer."

"Thanks," he said gruffly. Grady turned to Benny.

"Gonna head to the bar. You want something?"

"Nah," Benny replied. "Got everything I need right here." Grady followed his gaze, which was currently trained on the short-haired chick.

"Oh c'mon Benny. That girl looks like she'd eat you alive," he said in a whisper. "She's a fucking ballbuster."

Benny shrugged. "I'm always up for a challenge."

"Your funeral, dude. Don't come crying to me when she makes a kaleidoscope out of your genitals."

Rising from the table, Grady stalked off to the bar. He ordered a double Jack and ginger ale and two shots of Patron. The tequila he downed right away, the smooth liquid burning the back of his throat, setting a fire in the pit of his stomach.

Fuck yes, he thought. Resting his elbows against the bar, he surveyed the action in the club. There were people everywhere, getting drunk and trying to get laid. Sipping on his ridiculously strong drink, he felt incredibly disconnected.

This night was turning out to be a fucking drag.

He was happy for Tony, but inviting the Vag-tastic Voyage Crew along was not his idea of a good time. At this point girls were just getting on his nerves.

Okay, to be fair it was really only one girl.

"Goddammit, Edie" he swore aloud.

"Who's Edie?" a throaty voice questioned.

"Holy shit!" he exclaimed, jumping slightly.

Grady turned to see the dark-skinned girl from the table standing next to him, her face a mask of amusement. "What the fuck, do you normally sneak up on people like that?"

She shrugged. "I wasn't sneaking. It's not my fault you weren't paying attention."

"Why are you here anyway?" He was being a total douche, but he didn't care. Something about her personality set him on edge.

She shot him a look. "Well, it's a bar. So clearly I'm here to play soccer."

"I meant why are you here standing by me?"

She hesitated at that, her dark eyes shifting uncomfortably. "Jesus, I didn't mean to disturb you." She turned to leave.

"Fuck," he cursed. "Wait I'm sorry. Don't go."

She whipped around to face him. "What the fuck is your issue, dude?"

His fingers ran errantly through his curls. "I'm sorry. Just having a shitty time. Shouldn't take it out on you."

Her gaze softened, something that wasn't lost on him. She had wide chestnut-colored eyes, big and almond-shaped. They were overly expressive, but it wasn't obnoxious. It just made her hyper-emotive. "It's alright. I have a tendency to be kind of snappish."

"Let me make it up to you. What are you having?"

She smiled. "Thanks. Whatever you're drinking is fine."

Grady signaled to the bartender. "Another double Jack and ginger ale."

The silence between them was heavy and awkward as they waited for the bartender to mix the drink.

"You're not used to hanging around girls, are you." It was not a question.

"Why do you say that?" he asked with a wince.

"You're extremely tense. And kind of twitchy. Like a lab rat stuck in a maze."

Grady cocked an eyebrow. "Really, Freud? Well here's your drink." He slid it across the bar top into her waiting palm. Slapping ten on the counter, he turned to walk away.

"Hey!" she called after him. "You never answered my question. Who's Edie?"

He chose to ignore her, never breaking his stride.

Grady was officially done. There were too many people, the music was too loud, and most of all she was being too damn intrusive.

He returned to the table to find Tony and Gemma looking cozy and the ballbuster downing her beer, a foul look on her face. "Dude, where's Benny?" Ballbuster turned her attention to him. "You mean the guido? He went to push up on some orange bimbo."

Well, the night just officially went lame. "Tony, I'm heading out."

Tony looked up from his intense conversation.

"What? Are you sure, man? You haven't even finished your drink."

Lifting the glass to his lips, Grady guzzled the alcohol down before slamming the glass on the table. "There. Now I'm leaving. I'll get at you guys later." He grabbed his stuff. "Tell Benny I said to wrap that shit up."

He pushed through the crowd, but not before he heard "What the fuck is his problem?"

"Breakup. Girl did a number on him."

Grady shrugged it off, the liquor finally kicking in as he stumbled out of the club into the bitter cold night air.

"Did a number on him".

What a fucking understatement.

********

By the time he arrived home he was past Tipsyville and plowing straight into Drunktown. He could barely unlock his door before bursting in and sprinting towards the bathroom. He didn't break the seal all night and his bladder was practically screaming for release.

Stumbling from the bathroom he plopped down in front of his computer. Touching the keyboard, the machine sprung to life, showing the slideshow screensaver.

He sighed loudly, the groan a strangled sound in his throat as images of her flashed on screen. Being around Edie made him a camera whore; he was constantly snapping pictures of her: sleeping in bed on her side, slender frame hugged tightly to a body pillow. She oozed sex, even in her sleep.

There were various pictures of them together: kissing in the park, drinking at the bar, snuggled under blankets. His eyes welled up as his favorite shot came into view: she'd just finished brushing her teeth in the bathroom when he snuck up from behind, wrapping an arm around her waist, and pulling her close. He'd been watching her as she did her morning ritual, admiring as his black Ramones t-shirt fit her like a minidress, the hem of the shirt skimming her ass and making his dick twitch. When she bent down to rinse, he caught a glimpse of her smooth pussy, looking absolutely luscious.

"Grady," she husked. "Stop it. I'm all ugly."

"Bullshit. You look so fucking beautiful right now." He nuzzled her neck with his lips, smiling at the soft sighing sound she made.

"Come on, I have to get ready for work." The rest of her protest died on her lips when his hand snaked down, cupping her bare mound. "Baby, no." The 'no' stretched out, making him grin hard.

"That sounded like a 'yes'." With a wicked grin he pushed a thick finger inside, watching in the mirror as she mewled with pleasure.

"You bad boy," she breathed, a shameless grin on her face.

She reached up to meet his lips. Grady groaned when her fingers found their way into his hair, pulling hard at his curls. She was in love with his hair and her constant attention drove him wild. He reached into his back pocket, pulling out the digital camera and snapping a quick shot.

"Grady! You little pervert!" she said with a grin. She pushed him, leaning against the sink.

"What? I just wanted to keep that moment forever."

Licking her lips, she pulled off the shirt, her slender body on display for him. "Come back to bed. And bring the camera with you."

Grady shook his head hard, forcing his brain not to finish the recollection. He'd been extremely late for work that day, but it was worth it. He was completely wasted, but his state didn't stop his body from reacting to the memory. Being inside Edie was indescribable; she was like velvet, so soft and so incredibly fucking wet.

Dammit, he was doing it again.

Slamming his fist angrily on the keyboard, he sent the slideshow packing.

Grady pushed back from the desk, rising slowly. He didn't need this shit tonight. His feet felt heavy in his boots as he stumbled down his hallway, his fingers blindly slamming into the wall, grasping for support. So much alcohol, he thought numbly.

After what seemed like an eternity he finally reached his destination. Grady unceremoniously kicked his shoes off, nearly toppling over in the process. His fingers stumbled over the tiny buttons of his plaid shirt. Angrily, he tossed himself face down on the bed.

"Fuck clothes" he mumbled aloud. As he drifted into a booze-induced coma, his brain puttered out a final logical thought: Drinking tonight was a BAD idea.