by Vi Carter
I texted Jared letting him know that I would meet him there and explain all once I got there.
Next was Morgan. Fear curled in my stomach like a snake.
Party tonight will you come with me?
I didn’t have to wait long for Morgan to respond.
Yeah cool. What time?
Relief swam through my veins, and I sagged briefly. My fingers moved over the keys.
Can I borrow a dress?
I had nothing to wear, and since I was going as Jared’s girlfriend, I wanted to look good. My phone buzzed in my hand, Morgan’s name flashing up. I answered it.
“What have you done with Layla?” she asked, with suspicion in her voice.
“I just want to look nice.”
“It will take some work. But…” The insult wasn’t lost on me, but I was on a high and nothing was going to take me down.
“Morgan,” I warned, and was surprised at the small chuckle that resonated down the phone.
“We can get dressed together.” Her words sounded nervous. Getting ready with Morgan wasn’t exactly something I wanted to do.
“Or not,” she said, her voice snappy.
“No. No. I would really like that.”
“I’ll be there in a few.”
Great.
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
Morgan arrived thirty minutes later with a suitcase. Evelyn was delighted to see her, and they chatted like Morgan was an angel. She smiled so sweetly at Evelyn and said all the right things like, “Oh, no, we won’t be drinking. Just socializing.” I threw up a little bit in my mouth at her sweet tone.
Saving Evelyn from Morgan’s easy lies, I dragged her upstairs where she opened the suitcase on my bed.
“I brought a few dresses.” There was like twenty dresses and shoes to match.
“Let’s hope we can find something for you.” She said this while eyeing me from head to toe. I wasn’t Shrek, but she was making me feel like a swamp creature.
I moved the top three, and her hand clamped around my wrist stopping me. “These aren’t just dresses, Layla. I know fashion means nothing to you, but to me, these are the second skins we choose to wear. And since they are my second skins, I’ll pick one for you.” I clamped down on the eye roll and smart remark that wanted to pass my lips. Instead, I gave her a curt nod.
“I am thinking blue.” She was looking at me while tapping her chin. “No, red.” She started to rummage and took out three red dresses. One looked more like a top instead of a dress, and I told her that I would NOT wear it. Begrudged, she put it down.
So that left us with two. Both dresses were stunning, and Morgan held them up. “Why don’t you try on both, or we’ll never know for sure.” I took them and went to my bathroom. I wasn’t a prude, but I wasn’t stripping in front of someone like Morgan. Her laugh snort made me know that I had made the right choice. The first was a bodycon dress, and it was so tight, I swear I was struggling to breathe. My cleavage felt like it was up at my chin. I came out of the bathroom and didn’t look at Morgan. I turned to the mirror that was attached to my door.
I had curves.
I looked older and sexier. I turned to see the back and felt a little exposed at how it stuck to my backside.
“Who would have thought. You have a killer body.” Morgan’s words weren’t said with venom, but inner thought.
“Thanks,” I said. “I think,” I added. Each compliment seemed to be attached to an insult.
“Well, at least you’re ready,” she said, while she started going through the suitcase for her own dress. I continued to assess myself in the mirror. The dress went just below my knee but stayed tight. I hoped I didn’t walk like a penguin, but I had to admit it was a killer dress.
“Hair up or down?” I asked Morgan.
“Up,” was her immediate answer, as she took a black long-sleeved dress from the pile. She didn’t go into my bathroom but started to strip. I focused on my hair, but in the end, I let Morgan do it, along with my makeup. I had a thousand pins in my hair, but the end result was a messy but sexy pile of hair on top of my head. The end result of which I couldn’t stop staring.
Morgan left her long hair down and reapplied her makeup that I thought was perfect already.
“You look great,” I told her as she slipped into heels.
“I know,” she told me while passing me a decent size heel that I knew I could manage. I wondered if she did that to be nice. It was hard to tell with Morgan.
The buzz of my phone had me reaching for it.
Can’t wait to see you
I smiled at the message and quickly returned it.
Me too. X
It was crazy how much I missed him when he wasn’t here. “What are you smiling at?” My smile faltered as I looked up at Morgan. She was scrolling through her phone. I suppose everyone would know soon enough.
“I’m smiling at a message from Jared.”
Morgan’s head snapped up, a smile growing on her face. “He’s hot.” Her smile turned wicked. “Are you sleeping with him?”
My cheeks heated up, turning the same color as my dress.
“Ugh, don’t answer. It’s written on your face. You’re a virgin.” Morgan turned to my mirror, red lipstick in hand. She applied it while glancing at me in the mirror as if what she just said wasn’t hurtful.
“What Jared and I do is our business,” I answered while turning away and gathering my phone and bag.
“Don’t get so defensive.” I closed my eyes briefly to stay calm and reminded myself why I had Morgan with me.
It’s the only way you can go with Jared.
That was the mantra I kept in my head as I drove my car to the party. Morgan had snuck a bottle of vodka in her suitcase and was drinking straight out of the bottle in the front of the car. I drew the line when she tried to light a cigarette.
“Is this the kind of night I have ahead of me?” Morgan asked, disgusted with my rules.
“When we get there, we can split if you want,” I said, and the silence that followed had me quickly glancing at Morgan. She was looking at her nails, her face drawn.
“Or we can stay together,” I added, hating that I hurt her feelings. Her laughter burned my cheeks.
“You’re too easy, Layla. Yep, splitting up sounds great. Just if my mum asks, we hung out all night long.”
“Got it.”
I didn’t even have the car parked when Morgan jumped out and ditched me. Her action was hurtful, but as soon as she was out of sight, Jared appeared on the front porch, and that made everything feel better. The house the party was at was set off on its own at the end of a row of houses. The lawn around the house was larger than the others. I got out of the car just as Jared reached me. My stomach tightened. I was nervous about what he would think of the dress.
“Wow, you look…” Jared’s dark eyes took me in, and I didn’t move, but let him assess me. It felt good, and from the look on his face, I knew he was pleased with what he was seeing. It also it gave me a moment to check him out. The collared t-shirt he wore stretched across his broad shoulders, the deep red looked good on him. He finished it off with jeans and tanned tennis, shoes. “Amazing,” he finally finished his sentence when his eyes reached mine. Taking a step towards me, my heart leaped, the smell of his aftershave wafting in the air. I could close my eyes and sniff the air forever. It just smelled so good. One hand took my face while the other held the back of my neck. The kiss was gentle and faltered as more cars started to arrive at the party, which sounded like was in full swing. When Jared backed away, I smiled at him. “We better go in,” I said, and twined our fingers together.
“I’m not letting you out of my sight tonight.” His words had me smiling.
“And why is that?” I asked.
He glanced at me, a grin on his face. “Because they'll be fighting over you.” I laughed at his sweet words as they stroked my ego.
The hallway was packed and was a clear indication to the rest of the house: bodies pushed
together, and Jared steered me out the back. He never let go of my hand, keeping me close. The pulse of R& B music had everyone moving, the beat easily taking over. I found my own hips moving as I walked with Jared. I felt amazing as he parted the crowd for us. Eyes followed us, taking in our joined hands, and the news spread fast. For the first time in my life, I didn’t mind the attention. I felt untouchable with Jared. We entered the kitchen that was equally as packed. A group of guys sat around a round table, arm wrestling, while a group of on-lookers formed around them. A few glanced at us as we moved past. Most greeted Jared and gave me a curt nod. Double doors that led out on a decking were open, and the area was less crowded. Still, it was filled with about thirty people. The crowd poured out onto the lawn where some lounged on large chairs.
Most stood around in their own circles. A barbeque was going, the smell and smoke wafting its way across the open deck. Two large speakers on either side of the double doors blared the R & B music that roared inside. Jared steered us through the crowd while glancing back at me to make sure I was okay. Every time he looked at me, I ended up smiling. I still found the idea that I was here with Jared a little hard to swallow.
“Wow, girl. You look gorgeous.” I was so glad to see Ashley, she was wearing the white dress that she wore the night I babysat for her. She also looked amazing. Jared released me as I hugged Ashley so happy to see her. She held my hand before raising it over my head and twirling me. Her action had a few people looking at us, but once again I didn’t mind the attention.
“Just gorgeous,” she repeated. Lucas and Sam did that half hug that only guys could do, with Jared, then repeated Ashley’s words. All the compliments had me feeling as beautiful as they were all saying. Jared watched me, his brown eyes soft and a half smile always on his face. It would break out in a full smile when I smiled back. We must have looked like two people in love, but that’s what we were. Jared twined his fingers with mine, pulling me into his side, his head tilted as he spoke close to my ear for only me to hear.
“Now I wish we hadn’t come here.” I smiled, completely agreeing. The music had picked up a beat faster, and I wanted to dance.
“Dance with me?” I asked, tilting my head back toward the house. Jared told the group we would be back before leading us back inside. The front room was where the “dance floor” was, and we found a space nearly in the center. I wasn’t sure what to do. I wasn’t one for dancing, but I didn’t need to know. Jared took the lead. He pulled me back into his chest, then he twined our hands together, lifting them, so they were level with my belly. His breath brushed my neck, and he started to sway us. The movement brought us closer, and my muscles twitched as we brushed against each other. The beat grew more frantic and so did our swaying until we moved with the rhythm. Desire burst through me as I moved against Jared. Closing my eyes, I let myself feel everything, his hot breath on my neck, our bodies flushed against one another. A kiss to my neck had me snapping my eyes open. My heart was beating out of my chest. I wanted him, and I didn’t care who was watching. I turned in his arms, our eyes clashing. We both moved together our lips colliding, his tongue demanded access, and I granted it. Tongues touching had my awareness reaching a new level, and I deepened the kiss, pushing my body against his. I was surprised when Jared broke the kiss. His breath brushed my face as we both tried to control our breathing.
“Get a room,” was said by someone. I didn’t look up; a part of me didn’t care. It was only Jared and me. That’s all I needed. All I had ever really wanted.
I bit my lip as I ran my hand through Jared’s hair. His nose flared, and he captured my hands stopping me, before leaning in to whisper, “Layla, you're making it hard for me to control myself.” His words made me want to push harder, to make him lose control. But a smaller part of me was wondering what the hell I was doing.
Jared’s grip loosened, and he started to sway again to the music, before positioning my hands around his neck. I looked up at him, and my stomach twisted as my throat grew thick with so many emotions. Jared had created a small gap between us, but I thought the clothes between us was enough of a barrier. As we swayed, I moved closer, my breasts rubbing against his chest. A muscle twitched in his jaw, and a warning flashed in his eyes, but I didn’t move back. My body felt like it was on fire with a need that had me raising and kissing the flickering pulse on Jared’s neck.
“Layla.” My name was said with a longing I wanted to fill.
My lips found his. “Yes, Jared?” I replied boldly before kissing him. Once again, the kiss deepened quickly, and Jared broke it for the second time, only this time he looked at me, surprise visible in his eyes, along with hunger he was trying to fight.
“Let’s get a drink,” he said. The temperature in the room was at boiling point, and lots of people’s visible skin glistened as they continued to dance. Jared had taken the lead twining our fingers together. Once we reached the kitchen, Jared got two cokes, handing me one. I wasn’t going to drink but the fact he wasn’t, surprised me.
“I have to work in the morning,” he said at my look.
“Where were you?” Morgan’s voice had me wanting to run the other way, but she was in the kitchen loud as hell, and there was no escape.
“Dancing.” Her eyes landed on Jared, and she smiled at him, it was a slow smile.
“Hi, handsome.” She raised both eyebrows, and I wanted to wipe the smile off her face. She was blatantly flirting with my boyfriend, in front of me.
“Jared, you got a minute?” The voice had my good mood plummeting, and the fine hairs on my body rose. Chester walked through the double doors, and I sucked in a sharp breath when I saw his face.
Both eyes were nearly closed, they were that swollen; his nose had a large plaster across it, and the bruising around his eyes made it look like it was broken. He had stitches in his lips and bruises along his jaw. My hand fluttered to my chest. I didn’t like him, but to see someone that badly beaten up was horrible. What made it more horrifying was the thought that Jared did that. It wasn’t a fight, it was a frenzy, like a wild animal. I swallowed as Chester looked at me, his eyes too swollen to see me properly, and I looked away, feeling shame.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“What do you want?” Jared’s words were spoken harshly-- a sharpness that I was sure was shown on his face, but I didn’t look at him.
“Just one minute. Please.” Chester saying ‘please’ was like hearing a dog talking. I didn’t know him, but I couldn’t imagine he would ever say please. The way Jared tensed beside me while his hand tightened around mine, told me I was right.
“You okay for a minute?” It took me a second to realize that Jared was speaking to me. Then I noticed Morgan and Chester watching me. Glancing back at Jared, I said yeah, but he wouldn’t look at me. Just a quick nod and he left with Chester. They weren’t out the door good when Morgan was beside me.
“Holy shit! Did you see his face?” She laughed into her glass. “Why wasn’t I there to see him getting the shit beaten out of him?”
I couldn’t hide my disgust. “What, you’d enjoy seeing someone getting hurt?” I asked while shaking my head.
Morgan rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well, some of us aren’t joining the nuns.” She walked away while shaking her head.
Tension poured into me when Alex walked in through the double doors. Her eyes landed on me as she walked in. I tried not to squirm as she reached me.
“We need to talk,” she said.
“No, we don’t.” I looked around the room, but she moved in front of me, her arms now crossed under her big boobs. The laced-up top made them look even bigger than usual.
“Look, I know you’re dating, and I’m not going to fight over it. I just want to give you some advice.”
I snorted a laugh. “You want to give me advice about Jared.” Her eyes narrowed at me, her lips pressed tightly together.
“He’s gay.” She finally said, and I stepped away from her. I didn’t want to listen to this, but she blocked me.
“Want to know how I know?” she asked. I didn’t, but she answered regardless. “The whole time we were together, all we did was kiss, nothing else.” Disgust had entered her voice now. “I played along and told people we slept together.” My stomach dropped at her words. Her tone wasn’t malicious, and her eyes watered. She was being honest. I was relieved to hear that he hadn’t slept with her, but what she was saying made my stomach twist. “Just thought you should know what you’re getting yourself into. Hope your acting skills are up to it.” Sadness entered her eyes as if she really pitied me as she walked away. Her words rushed around my mind.
Leaving the kitchen, I searched for Jared, not seeing him anywhere. Ashley, Lucas, and Sam still chatted and laughed where I had last seen them.
“Have you guys seen Jared?” I asked. Ashley stopped talking, and her brows pulled together. “You okay?” she asked, then sucked in a breath as someone brushed past me, nearly knocking me over. Lucas steadied me, and I thanked him as I glanced at Alex, who looked back and smirked at me.
What the hell?
One minute she’s giving me advice, the next she’s pushing me. “What a bitch.” Ashley’s anger shocked me as she handed her drink to Sam, who just caught it as she stormed off after Alex.
“Ashley, don’t,” I called after her, but she wouldn’t stop.
“I’d leave it, they get pretty heated when they fight.” Lucas still held my arm as he spoke.
“Take your hand off her,” Jared spat, anger flushing his skin. I pulled my arm away from Lucas.
“Jared, stop it.” My eyes grew wide as I took in Jared. His eyes snapped to me; the anger I saw had me taking a step back.
“I’m going home.” I walked away and didn’t stop even as he called after me. I looked for Morgan as I made my way to my car, but I couldn’t see her.
“Layla.” I crossed the lawn and got into my car. Tonight was a mess. Jared opened the door and got in before I had a second to protest.
“You did that to Chester?” I said, shaking my head in disgust.
