Authors: Natalie Barnes
I take another drink and when I look up, that girl is now making herself comfortable on Tristan’s lap. I notice her shirt is so tight that not only can I see her fucking nipples, but her fucking areolas, too. Instantly feeling sick at the sight, I get up and look back down at Tiffany.
“Wanna ’nother drink?”
She’s barely touched hers from the last time we made them, but mine is almost gone yet again.
“Sure, I guess.”
She tries to finish as much of her drink as she can before walking back to the island with me. I know I should just leave now, but I don’t want those fuckers to push me out of my friend’s house.
I’m here, damn it!
I say to myself, happy to feel the warmth of my buzz on.
After making my next drink, I glance up and accidentally lock eyes with Tristan. That girl is saying something to him in his ear, but all I notice is that his eyes are penetrating me. His mouth is set into a hard line and his jaw is working underneath his skin.
What the fuck?
Hurrying and looking away, I cheers Tiffany.
“Here’s to a fun night,” I wink at her. She lifts her drink up to her lips and I do the same with mine.
Somehow I manage to stay as far away from Tristan as possible. The next hour goes by pretty fast. I’m laughing at whatever Gunner just said, so drunk that my cheekbones hurt from smiling so much. I’m sitting on top of the island with my back facing everyone else out in the living and dining area. Roger is leaning against the counter across from me with Gunner to my right.
Tristan stalks around the island with his ‘toy’ in tow, giving Gunner a quick glare. It doesn’t even faze Gunner, who just flashes him his pearly whites. I hear my phone go off beside me and I look down at it.
“Is that Benjamin?” Roger asks in the kind of voice that sounds like the way Mrs. Robinson says it in that movie “The Graduate
.
” I shake my head ‘no’ at him.
“It’s Frankie,” I say back to him as I read the text.
OMG! This guy I’m out with tonight is a to-tal freak! I’M NEVER GOING ON A BLIND DATE AGAIN!
Laughing, I type:
BAHAHAHA!!! Why is he a freak? YOU are the freak, Frankie ;)
Tristan has moved in close to my left side now, leaning against the island with his arms crossed. I can see the tendons flexing in his forearms. Peeking up at him, I see his eyes are shooting daggers at me.
My face falls. All of a sudden, I feel very uncomfortable at the mention of my boyfriend’s name around him. But then my eyes slide to the girl that’s draped all over his chest and I smirk. Breaking away, I hear my phone go off again.
I’m so drunk now that it’s really hard to focus on the little blue screen. Blinking a couple of times to clear my vision, I read what Frankie just sent me.
Honey, please! I’m FREAKing FAB-U-LOUS, bitch ;P This one, on the other hand, is totally gross. Like fucking BAD breath gross! I’m leaving NOW!!!
Shaking my head at Frankie’s text, I turn off my phone and sigh. Yep, I’m totally fucked up and the mood in here is starting to get way too heavy for me. Hopping off the island, I turn my attention back to Roger.
“Well, I think I’m gonna header,” I shrug, giving him a lazy smile.
Tristan steps in closer.
“Who’s taking you home?” he asks.
This is the most he has spoken to me since I have seen him again. Oh my God! His voice is so low and rumbles through the area we’re standing in. I also feel it in other places, too. Looking pissed off, he points at my phone.
“You should have this
Ben
come and get your ass. You don’t need to be fucking driving.”
Excuse me?
I don’t like the way he said Ben’s name and I certainly don’t like the way he’s trying to tell me what to do. I quirk my eyebrow at him and cross my arms, slightly losing my balance when I do so. Making a quick recovery by grabbing onto the counter, I square my shoulders and look him dead in the eye.
“Um . . . I’m fine.” I don’t need to say anything else to him. I start to walk off and Roger steps in front of me, blocking my way.
“Hey, hey.” He grabs a hold of my shoulders and turns me slightly, making the room spin even more. “Sophie, you just had a ton of gin. I think you need a ride home.”
Tiffany starts laughing in the background. Looking past Roger and Tristan, I smile at her.
“Sophia!” He shakes me a little to get my attention again.
Fuck!
This is annoying. Staring back up at him, I let out a defeated breath.
“What, Roger? I’m fine, I’ll go slow.”
Roger’s shaking his head, smirking at me.
“The one and only time I heard you say that, Cory and I had to bail you out of jail, remember?”
Hearing Cory’s name instantly makes my heart swell. Yeah, okay. One fucking time I drove drunk . . . I was almost home, and I ended up getting busted.
Remembering how my boys came to bail me out makes me laugh. They couldn’t believe I was sitting in the drunk tank. Roger and Cory were waiting out in the front for me. Roger was drunk as hell himself and trying to hit on the female officer. His ass was fucking lucky he didn’t get thrown in there with me that night.
Roger looks behind him.
“Yeah, she’s gonna need a ride. I don’t know what the fuck is so funny to her right now.”
Tristan speaks up from behind me, sounding assertive.
“I can take her.”
Chapter Five
Sophia
I stop laughing instantly and glare up at Tristan. His arms are crossed and his face is impassive.
Oh please, don’t do me any favors
. I’m getting ready to tell him to fuck off, when his toy whines.
“What?” she pouts.
He doesn’t even acknowledge her. Roger looks down at her and then back up at Tristan.
“You good to drive, right?” he asks him.
Tristan nods, and turns to me.
“Where are your keys?”
His voice sounds all deep and imperative. Rolling my eyes, plainly for him to see that I’m annoyed, I pull them out of my pocket and, not too gently, throw them at him. He reaches out and opens his large hand, closing his fist around them with a full-blown smirk on his face.
Asshole.
Barbie frowns at me.
“So . . . like, how are you going to get back?” she asks.
Roger whistles over the noise and calls over Jared. He comes stumbling into the kitchen, which sets off my laughter again.
“Hey, man. Let me see your keys,” Roger demands.
Jared gives him this “fuck you” look.
“Come on, man. Sophia’s too trashed to be driving home. Tristan’s going to take her car but he needs someone to follow him.”
Roger nods his chin at the girl who now looks really annoyed that I’ve put a damper on her night. Roger glances back at Jared, giving him a shit grin.
“I figure she can follow in your car, since you’re the bitch that actually bought a Corvette with an automatic transmission. She can drive it.”
Jared sizes up the Barbie, looking scared. He doesn’t want to put his car in the hands of someone like her. Roger lets out a chuckle.
“Come on, man. If anything happens to it, Tristan here is loaded. He’ll pay for the damages.”
The thought of Tristan having to pay for something that this chick fucked up makes me sick.
“Listen guys, I’m fine, really,” I say to them, pulling away. They all ignore me, of course, and I see that Jared’s now handing his keys over to Barbie. Her eyes light up once she has her tiny, well-manicured hand wrapped around them.
Pissed off and drunk, I turn on my heel without another word, waving to the other guys as I leave. Stepping outside, the cool night air hits my skin and I get even more lightheaded. Before I know it, Tristan is behind me and wraps one of his strong arms tightly around my waist. Falling into his side, I giggle under my breath. I don’t know why, either. Maybe because this situation is so surreal. I mean . . . Tristan, of all fucking people, is giving me a ride home.
He effortlessly helps me to the passenger side of my car and eases me in. Reaching over me, he grabs for the seat belt and tugs it down, his hand grazing my chest as he buckles me in like a child. I feel heated tingles everywhere his hand just had contact with my body, and the sensation shoots right between my legs.
Fuck!
After clasping the restraint, Tristan’s dark eyes look up at me, but rather than glaring, they are warm and inviting. He doesn’t say anything, though. We just stare at each other for I don’t know how long before he pulls away.
Holy shit.
Trying to keep myself in check, I lower my eyes to my hands, which are in my lap. He takes a minute before coming around to the driver’s side. I assume he’s talking to that chick. He opens the door, but before getting in, he reaches down below the seat and slides it as far back as it can go. Oh, yeah, he’s huge and he wouldn’t be able to get one leg in if the seat wasn’t moved.
Tristan turns the key in the ignition and the car starts. The rumble from the engine makes my head spin even more.
Shit!
Why did I have gin?
He looks over at me, resting his arms on the steering wheel, and speaks softly, probably trying not to cause me a headache or worse, to throw up. I’m barely able to move my head to meet his eyes.
“Roger told me where you live. You can pass out if you want.”
He throws the shifter into reverse and releases the clutch, then places his right arm on the back of my seat and looks behind him as he starts backing out of the driveway. I reach for my iPod and press play. Nonpoint’s “That Day” is on.
Oh, I wish I hadn’t drunk so fast. I’m trying my hardest to focus on the song to help keep my mind from thinking, “I’m gonna be sick.” I glance down and Tristan’s right forearm is flexing as he starts shifting gears. Mmm . . . he’s so fucking hot.
Damn it!
Focus, Sophia, focus. Boyfriend, sweet boyfriend of mine. Tristan, dick, huge dick.
Shit!
I can’t even reference him being a dick anymore in my head without thinking of his dick.
He glances over at me, still with no pissed-off expression on his face.
Wow!
I have no strength left to smile back at him or even roll my eyes. He goes back to looking at the road. It’s quiet in here with only the sound of the engine and the music on low. My eyelids are so heavy. I think I hear Tristan mumbling something to himself, but for the life of me I can’t pick it up. Before I can even ask him what, my lights go out.
Tristan
She’s sound asleep now. Glancing back over at her, I see her chest softly moving up and down with every breath she takes. She’s so fucking beautiful. Her head is leaning against the door with her hair falling across most of her face. My girl sure can take her liquor. She sometimes doesn’t know when to stop and gets to that ‘pass out’ stage, but I love being the one to make sure she’s all right and taken care of. There’s no fucking way I would’ve let her drive home. I would have thrown her over my shoulder kicking and screaming if I had to.
As I approach the stoplight, Carrie is right on my ass.
Fuck!
That bitch is annoying as hell. The only reason I gave her any attention was to distract me from drooling all over Sophia, but all that did was make it worse. Every time I heard Sophia speak or laugh, my eyes were drawn to her. I’m physically aching right now at not being able to reach out and touch her. Helping her into the car was just a tease as I remember her perfectly soft curves molding into my body. When I saw her and Gunner laughing together, that shit right there pissed me off!
Another thing that really fucking pisses me off was that Roger brought up this dude named
Ben.
Who the fuck is this guy? I should’ve known she would have a boyfriend by now. But the thought of another guy’s hands all over what’s mine? I want to destroy something, preferably him. I want to pound my fists into this guy’s body until he’s just a pile of flesh.
Now I got this stupid bitch following us and I have to go back with her. I’m just going to bring her back to the party and bail. I want nothing to do with that. Only two more days. Two more fucking days then I’ll have Sophia all to myself, and on an island in the middle of the Pacific, no less. She can’t run then and will have no other choice but to have to listen to me.
She moans softly in her sleep and that instantly makes my cock twitch. I love that fucking sound, especially when I’m the one that’s making her do it. I turn down her street and I know her place is coming up. Roger said it’s the fourth townhouse on the right. Sure as shit, I can see it. I pull into her driveway, throw the car into first gear, and pull up on the brake. While the motor is still running, I cross my arms over the wheel and lean forward, just staring at her place. All of a sudden I hear dumb shit honk the horn.
“What the fuck?”
Turning off the car, I throw open the door, grabbing onto the handle as I pull myself out. Giving that bitch such a glare that the devil himself would think twice before fucking with me, I walk around to Sophia’s door, carefully opening it so she doesn’t fall out. When Sophia passes out, she fucking passes out! I grin to myself at the sight of my drunk little sleeping beauty.
“Hey,” I say in her ear, taking in the scent of her hair.
It still smells the same as I remembered, like strawberries or something. She mumbles some words I can’t make out, then turns over facing the driver’s side.
I let out a chuckle at her cuteness and reach in for her. Clearly, she cannot walk. With one arm under her knees and the other reaching around her shoulders, I gently lift her out of the car. Once I straighten up, her head falls back, exposing her neck to me.
Fuck me.
The things I would love to do to her if she would let me.
As I start walking her up to her place, I realize that her door is probably locked and her bag is still in the car. Turning around on the front step, I yell at dumb shit.
“Hey!”
Sophia wiggles a little in my arms and now has her head resting on my chest.
Shit!
I don’t want to disturb her.
Carrie pops her head out of the window.
“What?” she yells back.
Rolling my eyes at her, I use my chin to point toward Sophia’s car.
“Get her bag. I’m locked out!” I say to her as loudly as I can without waking Sophia.
I don’t want to wake her up. I want to make sure that I get to put her to bed. Of course, Carrie, too fucking dumb, raises one eyebrow at me like she fucking doesn’t understand.
Wow!
Fuck it!
I’ll just do it myself.
Holding Sophia tightly against me, I make my way back to her car. There on the floor sits her bag. I don’t want to have to put her down, so I walk over to Carrie. She’s glaring at Sophia in my arms. Before I can ask her again, she interrupts me.
“Why the fuck are you
carrying
her? I mean like, she has legs.”
That’s it! Stupid bitch! Growling at her, I lean into the window.
“Get her fucking bag out of the car and hand me the keys, bitch!”
Carrie’s eyes widen before she hurries up and pushes the car door open. Weak fucking slut. If I would’ve talked like that to Sophia, she would’ve rolled her eyes and walked away or told me to fuck off.
Carrie scurries back over to me. With the hand that’s beneath Sophia’s legs, I reach for her bag. Once I feel the straps in my hand, I adjust her body. After looping the straps over my wrist, I open my hand back up for Carrie to place the keys in them. I don’t know why Sophia doesn’t have her house keys on the same ring as her car keys.
Once everything is in check, I go back to her front door. Carrie is now following me. I glance real quick over my shoulder.
“Get back in the car!” I order her. She listens, of course.
I shimmy the key in the lock. When it clicks open, I kick the door with my foot and make my way inside. It’s a small place, and I notice on the wall right next to the door that she has an alarm. Checking it out, I readjust Sophia in my arms and press the small blue button, signaling the alarm to not go off. I wish I knew her code, though. I’m gonna lock up when I leave, but I would feel much better knowing the alarm was set.
Taking a look around her place, I notice the only light comes from the windows in the living room. It’s just bright enough for me to make out objects in the dark house. Living in LA, there’s always lights, not like back home in Wyoming where it would be pitch fucking black outside right now. I make out the kitchen on the right and a hallway straight ahead. It isn’t hard finding her room. It’s the only door on the left.
Seeing her bed right beside the door, I gently lay her down on it. Standing back up, I do a quick scope of the room. It’s not flashy or girly at all. Everything is simple but feminine, and the room is filled with her scent. I breathe it in so hard that my lungs almost ache.
Before leaving, I decide to take her shoes off, so I bend down to undo her laces. She stretches out when I pull them off and her shirt rides up, showing off her nice, taut belly.
Fuck!
I have to get out of here, now!
After dropping the shoes to the ground, I figure I could maybe at least get her a glass of water so that when she wakes up, she’ll have something to drink. She’ll probably have a bad fucking headache tomorrow morning.
I go into her kitchen and flip the light switch on. Even though the place is small, it’s pretty modern and clean. Just standing in there, I feel like I’m gonna dirty the place up or accidently break something. After a few tries, I finally find the cabinet where she keeps her glasses. Taking one from the shelf, I go over to her refrigerator to fill it with ice water and take it back into her room.
She’s now lying on her side with her back to me. I set the glass down on the night table and take one last look at my sweet girl. Leaning over the bed, I grab the comforter from the other side and pull it over her small body. After I’m done tucking her in, I turn to leave. I decide to leave her kitchen light on just in case she gets up in the middle of the night and needs to go to the bathroom, or maybe because I want it to look like someone’s still up since I can’t set the alarm.
I bring in her keys and set them on the island then leave, locking the front door behind me. Heading toward Jared’s Corvette, I remember that I have to endure twenty long fucking minutes with dumb shit before I can head home. Mad at the thought, I yank open the car door a little harder than necessary and climb in. She’s smacking her gum and playing with her nails. Before I get a chance to even close the damn door, she goes off.
“What the fuck? Like it took you like, twenty fucking minutes in there. You just had to toss her in.” She glances over at me, looking pissed.
I’m not going to lose my temper. I’m not going to lose my temper.
I’m repeating this to myself in my head so I don’t rip this damn chick’s head off. I blow out an aggravated breath.
“Because . . . because that’s my girl,” I say to her through gritted teeth, keeping my eyes straight forward on Sophia’s place when I do. “I wanted to make sure she was safe.”
There. The fucking cat is out of the bag now. I don’t care who knows how I feel about her now, either. I should’ve made it known long ago.
I look over at Carrie. Her mouth is hanging wide open like she’s about to give some schmuck a blowjob. A grin slowly forms on my face and I look back at Sophia’s house. Carrie huffs and throws the car into reverse. She doesn’t say one more fucking thing to me the whole way back to the guys’ place.