by Sarah Tork
“I bet it is,” Liam murmurs breathily, taking a step back. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to my date.”
Xander unclenches his fist and gazes around the room with that evil twinkle in his eyes, “Oh, really? We must have an introduction then!”
Liam’s jaw clenches; my eyes travel across his body. He is holding himself back. “Don’t count on it.”
“Count on it,” Xander hisses back.
Fucking hell!
Liam turns and leaves quickly, disappearing through the growing crowds that surround us.
I look back at Xander, who glares with a new determination in the direction Liam is last seen going.
“Forget about it,” I lean into him and hiss into his ear. “Don’t even think about intruding on Liam’s date!”
Xander slowly looks away from the crowd, back to me. “We’ll see about that.”
Jesus!
“Stop being a trouble maker; and as I seem to recall, you already have a date for this party!” I take a step back and motion to myself with my hand.
“Never stopped me before,” he leans in and whispers into my ear. “That’s what makes these things so much fun.”
“Fuck off,” I hiss, leaning back. “That’s your brother. Have you no loyalty?”
Something in his eyes changes, they widen, seemingly appalled. “Don’t you low-blow me again. I’m warning you now!”
“I thought you liked it when I talk to you like you are an asshole?” I remark, looking away from his angry glare. “You can’t pick and choose what I can belt at you. Whatever I think you deserve, I’m gonna shoot at you. And right now, you’re being a prick!”
“Oh, really? I’m being a disloyal prick right now? Were you here just a second ago? Do you think I forgot how the golden boy just grabbed you and whispered things into your ear right in front of me? How come it’s okay for him to do it?” Xander asks furiously.
Shit! I have nothing…silence it is.
“That’s what I thought,” Xander snaps quietly. “Come on; let’s find our seats and get this thing over with.”
He grabs my arm delicately and leads me to our table. Before sitting himself, he pulls out my chair. Which is odd, considering he is a natural-born princess boy. This guy, he doesn’t make sense: one minute—one thing, the next—another…usually something fucked-up. I can’t keep up.
“Why’d you bring me here? You’ve got all these girls, probably on speed dial, that would have come with you and conceded to your ever demand,” I ask, confused and slightly deflated as he takes the seat beside me.
Xander doesn’t look at me. Instead, he grabs a crystal glass filled with ice water and brings it to his lips. “I have my reasons,” he says after drinking his water.
“Yeah, you always do.” I look away, placing my clutch onto the table.
None of this makes sense. Why am I here? He could have brought with him a hundred other girls he knows, who are probably waiting beside their phones for his fake ass.
Whatever! I’m not asking any more questions. I don’t fucking care.
My stomach gurgles loud enough for me to hear. I turn to him, “Will there be food at this thing?”
“Yes,” Xander responds curtly.
“Well, where is it?” I reply, irritated. “I’m starving.”
“A late lunch will be served shortly,” Xander explains, not bothering to look at me.
“I’m hungry now!” I whine loudly, not caring if I make a spectacle of myself.
I don’t fucking care anymore! I’m sick of it, sick of him…of everything, and if I’m not given some food, there will be hell to pay. If he thinks I was bad before, he’s seen nothing yet.
I’m famous for being bad at parties, after all.
His nostrils flare; his eyes widen at my tone and volume.
Yeah, I do that too, bitch! I silently tell him with my eyes, which I hope are also reading ‘crazy ass bitch’.
“I’m hungry! I need food right now. I need to be fed. You dragged me out for this whole adventure without even feeding me!” I snap quietly.
I mean business. I’m sure he’s regretting bringing me here now.
I smile a little inside.
Xander leans closer, “Well, if I knew you were hungry before, I would have fed you.” He leans back, smiling to himself as he looks away at the crowds surrounding us.
What is that smile for? I don’t have the energy to decode his shit right now, I think, narrowing my eyes at him as he avoids my gaze.
“You’re a shit date, you know that?” I groan, finally looking away. Xander’s phone rings, interrupting the tension between us. He takes it out of his jacket pocket and quickly gets up.
“I have to take this privately; I’ll be back shortly,” he says as he quickly leaves.
“Wait – what?” I spit out, taken off guard. “You can’t leave me!”
“I’ll be back soon,” he says, then scurries off into the crowd, leaving me alone.
That mother fucker! I shoot daggers at his backside as he circles around the crowd with his phone to his ear, chuckling happily.
Hmmmm…what is he up to now?
****
Fifteen minutes later, there is still no sign of the asshole. The pervert has completely disappeared from the party.
I’m starving, especially with how little I ate yesterday, then eating nothing today. If I don’t get some food inside me soon, I’m going to lose it.
Or pass out. Which would be bad, considering I’m at a lavish party and in a dress I could never afford on my hourly wage back at 4Scoops.
Don’t think about work, I order myself. Thinking about returning to my dead-end job will only fuel the depression I can already feel sneaking in.
I hate my job, I think as I stare at the rich crowd around me. I don’t belong here as a guest; if they all knew who I really am, I’d be stripped of this fab dress, ordered into a uniform, and handed a serving tray.
Ehhhh…I need a self-help book right now! My shoulders slump; God, I feel pathetic. The sound of a mic turning on interrupts my pity session.
“Hello, testing. One, two,” a hushed but amplified voice echoes out all of a sudden.
Where did that come from? I ponder, gazing around the party area for speakers. They are apparently hidden.
Classy! They even have hidden speakers here!
“Thank you all for coming today. Will you all please help yourselves to the hors d’oeuvres table prepared by the one and only Chef...”
What? Did I hear food, available now? I don’t even hear the rest of the speech as I scour the area like a hawk for any signs of food. Then, from the corner of my eye, ten servers walk out of the house holding large covered trays.
“Yes,” I hiss to myself.
Fuck Xander; I am not waiting for his horny-ass to return. I’m gonna go get me some food. I gracefully get up, smoothing the to-die-for dress in the process, and head toward the crowded table underneath the veranda.
I’m going to eat…I’m going to eat! I sing to myself, walking around people I don’t know. Half the party crowds themselves around the appetizer table. I squeeze through two older men and grab a plate.
Now what do we have here? I gaze at the selection of colorful items. I grab the first thing I recognized: pink macaroons. I take three.
“Treat me like that again and I’ll sue!”
A familiar voice hisses behind me, causing me to still as I chew on my first macaroon.
Where have I heard that before? I swallow the sweet bite. I turn around, catching sight of an older woman with wild, curly brown hair. She’s stalking away with a glass of rose champagne from a red–faced, female server whose hands grasp the edges of her empty tray tightly. She stares at the woman for a few seconds before walking away.
Why is my heart beating so fast? I think as I return to gazing at the woman. She wears a side–strap, violet dress that clings to her knees; it’s decorated with small roses along the hem. Something about her wild, brown
, curly hair stirs something within my memory, something that doesn’t feel right, but nothing comes to mind.
“What’s on your mind?” A deep voice murmurs into my ear, causing me to jump. Before I twist my neck to see who it is, a hand caresses my arm. My head turns and in an instant, my eyes become mesmerized by a pair of deep-blue ones that turn my stomach into a butterfly sanctuary.
It’s that damn Nancy Adams again…her ‘Love’ song plays in my head as I lower my gaze to his lush, plump lips. The small tip of his tongue makes an appearance as he wets them. I can feel my jaw drop a little at the drool-worthy sight of him.
Why does he have to be so gorgeous? And the fact that he’s normal makes it worse.
How am I going to get through this now that I feel the way I feel? Flushed, hot, dizzy, hot guy-struck. I’m not going to make it; it’s as simple as that! Maybe I should hold on to his hard, muscled arm for support, just in case I pass out.
Which would be bad…very bad.
Snap out of it! He’s Xander’s brother, nothing more! And close your fucking mouth; you’re worse than a dog panting for a bone.
His bone?
Stop it!
Deep breath! The slight drop in my mouth shuts as I inhale much-needed oxygen through my nostrils; subtly, of course. I don’t want him to know that he affects me.
“Well, are you going to answer me or not?” he whispers, leaning in closer, with his hand now firmly grasping around my arm. I’m not looking though; my eyes are busy somewhere else. Like for instance, they’re taking into account his deep blue eyes going hard as they scan me once.
I put my plate of appetizers down on the buffet table.
“I was thinking,” I say as I turn around to face him, giving him a knowing smile in the process, “where the fuck did my date run off to?”
“Must you use that language at my mother’s home?” Liam sighs; his eyes twinkle with amusement.
“Spoken from the man who screamed everything but the phone book last night. And let us not forget that little display of affection you shared with Xander earlier.”
Grinning widely now, I lean in and continue in a whisper, “I didn’t forget; but maybe you did, old man.”
His nostrils flare as I lean back. “Last night, we weren’t at a civilized party; there’s a time and a place to act certain ways.”
“Are you sure about that? Because I’m sure there was a ‘fucking’ party going on last night too, and you were clearly interrupting,” I inform him, and then try to yank my arm out of his warm grasp.
He’s too strong and unwilling.
“Oh, really? So you lied about your involvement then,” Liam states smugly.
“What? No!” My eyes bulge. “I was there to a pay a debt.”
“And you paid it? How? By lying on your back?”
“No!”
“Stop lying!”
“I’m not. I had nothing to do with his ‘party’!”
“Sure you didn’t,” Liam assumes.
“You know what,” I begin, exasperated out of my mind.
Liam interrupts, getting right in my face, “What?”
Why does he need to know what exactly happened last night? Why does he care so much?
“Nothing. I’m at a party. It’s not appropriate at a civilized party like this.”
“What? You were going to call me something bad?” Liam sneers.
“No, I was going to skull-fuck you in front of everyone. So yeah, inappropriate!” I say quietly, glancing at the party. Surprisingly, we aren’t causing a spectacle of ourselves. The music is too loud for anyone to notice anyways. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a pervert to go find.”
Liam doesn’t move, so I walk around him; my shoulder brushes against his arm, instantly growing goose bumps.
Deal with that!
I make it three steps before a firm hand grasps my arm again, pulling me to a stop.
“Don’t run away from me; I won’t bite,” Liam whispers into my ear.
“What do you want from me, Liam? I told you the truth; what else is there?” I stress to him.
He lets go of my arm, but glides his fingertips upwards, stopping at my jaw to caress it. “Why are you here, Marisa? I told you last night, you should stay away from the likes of Xander.”
“It’s not that complicated, Liam. Xander asked me for a favor and I said yes,” I explain.
“He’s trouble, Marisa; I thought you realized that by now,” he whispers worriedly.
“I know, but we’re sort of friends now,” I tell him. We’re friends now? I can’t believe I just said that.
“Friends?” Liam laughs in disbelief.
“Yeah, friends,” I retort.
“Xander doesn’t do friends; I doubt he knows the definition of loyalty,” Liam says, shaking his head, looking at me like I’m a stupid idiot. “Your friendship is fictional; it doesn’t exist.”
I yank my jaw out of his reach, “Well, it seems like he’s trying. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go find my date!”
I swirl around quickly, leaving Liam’s space.
Don’t look at me like I’m stupid! I want to scream at the top of my lungs. I’m sick of people looking at me like I’m a fool! I’m not!
On my way back to my table, I look over my shoulder to see if he’s still looking; not paying attention to what’s in front of me. Liam is gone; disappointed, I turn back facing forward, but not in time as someone bumps into me, hard.
“Oww!” I grunt as I try to catch myself from falling, not even seeing who it is that bumped into me.
“If my dress is ruined, I’ll sue!” My assailant screeches; from the corner of my eye I see a pink and white frilly dress with a mess of wild brown curls cascading around the shoulders.
Deja vu? Then like a wave of lava, it hits me, as my eyes connect with her blue ones.
“Oh, Xander darling, Mrs. Williams and her daughter are here.”
“Yes, be on the lookout. I hear her daughter is quite smitten with you. What was her name again?” Mrs. Barns had asked.
“I’m not sure; but I’m sure it’ll come to me when I see her,” Xander had said.
Demetria! She is here! She is the girl that Xander’s mother was talking about. And that other curly haired woman, they had the same catchphrase: ‘I’ll sue!’
It took her a second too, but her eyes finally widen upon recognizing me. “What are you doing here?” She asks, disgusted.
“I’m here with Xander…bitch!” I tell her quietly; then without giving her another glance as my heart pounds out of my chest, I walk around her, heading back to my table in search for Xander.
That mother fucker!
He knew…he fucking knew she’d be here! That’s why he wanted me to come! To keep her away from him, by using me as a shield!
Wait till I get my hands on him! That piece of shit; he thinks he’s so smart! That’s why he was so adamant that I come with him here today!
I stalk quickly back to my table in hopes of finding the perverted menace so I can give him a piece of my mind, and maybe a kick or two in the balls. Yeah, I know, we’re at a party; so I’ll be subtle as I cause him huge amounts of pain in his baby making parts.
The table is practically empty. The band begins playing dancing music; guests are pairing up and heading to the dance floor. All the tables around me are scarce. I pull my phone out of my bag and text the bastard.
You mother fucker! You didn’t think I’d find out did you? I pieced it all together; you better get your ass out of hiding and face the shit you stirred.
Demetria is here at your mother’s party! And don’t tell me you didn’t know. You have five minutes, or else I’m leaving!
Asshole!
I sit down at the almost-empty table, staring at my cell’s screen and waiting for a message to pop up.
There’s nothing for five minutes.
Shit!
He’s left me here alone. He’s disappeared.
And I’m fucking panickin
g! What if that bitch comes over to me? I can’t deal with her; she’s crazy!
Well no, that’s wrong; I can do crazy too. But we’re at a classy party. It isn’t right.
I can feel my face heating up; I need to get out of here. I grab my clutch off the table and head towards the bathrooms back inside the house. I follow an array of signs leading the way.
How nice!
I rush inside, my high heels clicking loudly against the marble hallway as I hurriedly make my way to the bathroom. I need a mirror and some cold water now! I head down another hallway, then to a door marked Ladies Room. After checking that it’s empty, I open it and am taken aback by its over–the-top beauty. It looks like something you would find at the Palace of Versailles. There is gold leafing everywhere!
Oh my God! I glide my fingertips over the edging on the marble vanity. Who lives like this?
Not me, that’s for sure. I place my clutch down beside the sink. I turn the gold tap on, letting cold water out.
I’ve got to get out…but I can’t, I worry, remembering that all my things are back in the SUV with Daniels, who is under Xander’s command. There’s no way I can get my shit with that fucker controlling everything around me!
Why? How have I gotten myself into a mess like this, again?
Moron alert…and her name is Marisa!
Just relax for a few minutes and a plan will come to you, I tell myself. I lean against the vanity as I hold my fingertips underneath the faucet, then bring them up around my neck, soothing the scorching hot skin I’m now baking in. I’m so hypnotized by the flowing water and the soothing of my fingertips against my skin that I don’t notice someone walk in, not until the door slams closed. I whirl around to find Demetria leaning against the door with her hand against the doorknob.
The lock snaps shut.
Shit!
Chapter Seventeen
*Marisa*
Damn it…I knew I should have locked the door! Whatever. Like I’m really scared of her? Well, not unless she has a weapon. I scan her once; she has no bag with her, and her pink and white dress is so tight that the only place she could have hidden something would have been up her ass or in that crazy hair of hers.
