Twisted (25 page)

Edwin smiled and turned his eyes back to the flames.  "I
didn't doubt it.  I just like hearing you say it."

I cupped my hand behind his neck and stole his attention back
for another kiss.  Moments passed and I was feeling so good.  Everything was
moving back into place for me.

"You still feel like going out tonight?" Edwin
asked.  "Or we could always stay in again."  He raised his eyebrows
suggestively.

I love tapped him on the shoulder so he would release me. 
"No, I think we should go out.  Hey, what do you guys think?" I
hollered for everyone to hear.  "Want to check out this dance club we
heard about?"

"I think that's an excellent idea," Maddie chimed. 
"I brought all kinds of cute outfits and haven't even worn a single one. 
We should all clean up and make a night of it."

"Yeah, let's do it!" TJ hollered, getting pumped. 
He was ready to let loose.

After painting our faces, clothing ourselves in the sexy, but
skimpy fashions out of Maddie's massive collection, and covering ourselves in a
good helping of body glitter, we were finally ready to go.  When I walked out
of my room, all of the guys’ eyes were on me.

"God damn Abigail!" TJ choked.

Hunter's eyes were wide, but he didn't say a word.  Then he
did, "Edwin's been known to share, right buddy."  He elbowed TJ,
teasing.

Edwin got up from the couch swiftly to see what the huff was
all about.  Instantly he swept across the room and pulled me close.  "You
look amazing baby.  But you don't know what that does to a man.  Look at TJ. 
And Hunter can't seem to pick his mouth up off the floor."

Hunter snapped his mouth shut.

"I'll take that as a compliment," I said, smiling.

Maddie joined us, not getting the exact response she had
hoped for, but she still looked hot.  "Aliah, you almost done in
there?" Maddie squealed impatiently.  "I'm ready to go!"

"Just one more minute," she insisted.  "Why
don't you call us a couple of cabs?"

"Done and done,” Edwin said.  “They should be here any
minute."

Edwin smelled so good and looked even better, wearing his
tight shirt and showing off his incredible physique.  Tonight should be fun.

Hunter walked over to the window and peered out.  "Our
rides are here," he hollered.

"Come on TJ.  Let's go,” Maddie insisted.  “Hunter, you
too."

"Alright, I guess,” Hunter said.  “Edwin, you coming
with us brother?"

"I'll catch the next one with Abby.  You go ahead."

Hunter jogged out the door behind TJ, Maddie already waiting
impatiently in the cab.

"Aliah, let's go!" Edwin hollered, his voice deep
and demanding.

"You go ahead and get in the car,” I suggested.  “I
don't want the cabby to take off without us.”  I hurried toward the bathroom, as
Edwin headed out the door.  I peered in the door without announcing my
arrival.  Aliah looked terribly upset.  "What's wrong?" I asked. 
"Are you sick?  I so hope that's not it.  That would totally suck.”

"I'm freaking out here Abby," she cried.

Aliah crying?  "I'm sorry, you've lost me."

"Hunter does it for me," she said.

Still lost in my own little world, "Huh?  He does
what?"

"It!  You know:
it
," she said, frustrated. 
She wasn’t usually one to dwell much on emotions.  “I’m kind of scared.  I've
never felt like this before.  You must think I'm so stupid."

"No.  You’re only human.  Tell me.  What happened?”

"I don't know what happened.  But it did.  I've fallen
so hard for him Abby.  I think I might even
love
him."

"Oh, no!" I teased.

"Stop it.  I'm serious," she whined, so out of her
normal character.

"Well I kind of figured as much.  That was your plan,
right?”  I paused to let it sink in.  “So, what does Hunter think about it?"

"I didn't tell him!" she stammered.  "Do you
think I should tell him?"  Worry trumped her expressions of anxiety. 
"You don't think he knows, do you?"

I laughed lightly.  "No.  Men aren't that swift.  So
telling him might be a good start.”

Aliah scowled at me.  "What do you think I was getting
at earlier today when we saw you and Edwin under that old willow tree?  You
totally messed with the moment," she said.

"My bad.  You can tell him tonight though, right?" 
Oh, she’s got it bad.

"Right.  No more waiting.  I've procrastinated long
enough.  I'm going to do it," she said with determination.

"Right now?" I asked.

"No better time than the present."

"Oh, shit!" I said aloud without thinking. 
"Hunter just took off in the other cab, and yes Maddie is with him.  Sorry
to say, but that girl is on a mission tonight."

Aliah's wide eyes narrowed.  "That'll change and fast. 
That bitch better keep her hands off my man or she's gonna have my foot in her
face."

A smirk was all I hinted.  She's even worse than me. 
"They just left a few minutes ago.  If we hurry, we won't be far behind
them."

Suddenly Ally grabbed her purse and stomped out of the
bathroom.  She breezed right passed Edwin, who seemed to be checking up on us,
and stepped out the door.

"What was that about?" Edwin asked, stunned by the
smear of tears across Aliah’s face.

"Don't ask," I said, as I locked up for the night.

"I can tell you!" Aliah growled from outside. 
"Maddie better watch herself or she'll be getting a high-five.  In the
face.  With a chair."

"Okay.  Forget I asked," Edwin replied, smirking.

I quickly slipped into the back seat of the dirty yellow
car.  The interior wasn't much cleaner than the outside, so I sat up tall and
made a great effort not to touch anything.

Edwin squeezed in next to me.  "Sweet ride," he
said sarcastically, then slammed the door shut behind him.

"Let's move buddy!  There's an extra twenty in it for ya
if you step on it," Aliah said.

The dark haired cabby did just that, shooting dirt from the
well-worn tires and leaving a trail of dust behind us.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Aliah cheered
happily.  She tossed him an extra twenty when we got out of the car.

We got there just fast enough to catch Hunter disappearing
into the club, with Maddie tugging him along.  Worse, it didn't look to me like
he was putting up much of a fight.  Aliah only saw red, so she stalked up the
main drag ahead of us, passing the long line of loud, excitable people and up
to the door of the club.  Aliah looked back to me, as Edwin and I hurried to
catch up with her.  I could read her signs too.  She wanted me to work my magic
on the door man.  I nodded to her and Edwin turned away hoping I'd make quick
work of it.

First I smiled to get his attention, then lifted my chest and
held it out provocatively to distract him.  After whispering discreetly in the
doorman's ear, with my hand lingering on his buff chest, he was like putty in
my hands.  He checked me out, his eyes lingering on my low cut top and glittery
cleavage, then he looked Aliah over head to toe.

The doorman unlatched the clamp that had blocked our access
and Aliah walked in ahead of me, winking at him.  Not bad.  I didn't even have
to drop Kane's name.

I reached back and twisted Edwin's shirt in my hands, then
pulled him through the door.  "He's with me," I said, batting my eye
lashes as I passed.

The doorman wasn't impressed that I pulled a fast one on him,
but he let us pass.  As we did, the excitable wannabe's turned from raring to
go, to impatient, whining snobs.  A couple of them had been hanging out by the
door and tried to sneak in with us, but there was not a chance in hell that the
doorman was going to let another person scam their way in.

"To the back of the line,” he told them, simple and
stern.  “We're at capacity."

We walked through the cool, dark blue hall until we were met
with a quirking young woman with pink and bleached blonde hair, short and straight. 
She sat on a tall bar stool next to an even taller table.  Standing next to her
was a tall, heavyset man, with his head shaved bald and a grim look set on his
face.  He wore a black collared shirt that showed he was hired muscle.  He
stood there unsmiling with his hands folded over his sagging chest.

Pinkerella had just stamped Aliah's hand and marked mine next
as Edwin paid for our cover.  Farther up the way, a group of ladies with
dramatic makeup, forced cleavage and tight clothes, congregated on the left
side of the hall.  As I waited for Edwin, I watched them.  A group of five
chicas huddled there, the tallest being the leader of the pack.  She stood out
from the rest, being very blond, with long lean legs, by far the most striking
of the bunch.  The other girls seemed to magnetize to her and were hanging on
her every word.

Aliah walked right past them, without a look, as they sized
her up.  It was clear from the scowling that they pegged her as the competition. 
It didn't help that TJ greeted her, hugged his arms around her waist and spun
her around, with a huge but genuine smile on his face, before she hurried off
to find Hunter.

I smiled and watched the ladies drink him up as he came in to
meet us.  After TJ's recent dry spell, tonight was looking like his night.

He smiled and nodded at the girls as he passed. 
"Ladies," he said.

They all swooned and smiled, all eyes on him, as they
assessed the muscles that pulled his shirt tight in all the right places.

I overheard the blonde chiming to her friends.  "I
called him first."

"You guys made it," TJ said.  He rested his hand on
my back and gave it a friendly rub.

We started forward and TJ led the way, all the girls’ eyes on
him.  Just then, the blonde redirected her attention behind me and I knew
exactly what she was doing.  Her eyes were locked wide on Edwin, devouring his
everything.

I tucked my arm in his and tightened my grip to show her he’s
mine, which I thought might fend off the vulture's eyes, but it didn't.  Edwin
didn't seem to notice her and looked at me to see what the sudden attachment
was all about.  That gave me some satisfaction, but as I glanced over my
shoulder, the blonde bimbo continued to devour him.

"Wait, I take that back," the blonde said, with
wicked certainty.  "This one's mine."  Her eyes never left Edwin's
ass.

Oh. No. She. Didn't!
  In my fragile state, unable to let that slide,
I tugged on Edwin until he came to a
stop.  He glanced at me confused.

I went on my tippy toes and cupped my hands over his ear. 
"There's something I have to do.  Be right back," I promised, before planting
a soft kiss on his lips.

"Don’t be long."  Edwin smiled, cute and curious. 
He carried on down the hall toward TJ and disappeared into the hot sticky dance
room with him.

I couldn't drop what had just happened.  I wouldn’t.  There
was an overwhelming, nagging recklessness just begging me to do something about
it.  Turning on my heel, I spun around to face the whore eyeing up my man and strutted
right over to the blonde bimbo and her trampy troop.  "Hey you," I called
rudely, as I approached.

The bimbo looked me eye to eye, suddenly recognizing who I
am.

"Yeah, I'm talking to you," I said, scowling. 
"I saw you ogling my man, and I heard what you said.  Well, I'm here to
tell you to keep your claws off.  He's taken."

"I didn't see any ring on his finger," she replied
brazenly, flashing a pleased smile to her friends.  One of them was grimacing,
but all the others only egged her on.

My eyes never left hers.  "Okay, I can play your game
then," I projected.  "Try and touch him bitch, and see where that
gets you.”  I whirled around, anger fuming, as I stalked off.  I entered the
main room.  It had low ceilings and insignificant lighting.

"Wait," she called, chasing after me.

Oh, did she want a piece of me?  Cuz I am so ready to knock
her block off.  She gazed at me with wide black trimmed, eyes.  She looked
horrified, like she was about to deliver some earth shattering announcement.

"No one has ever stood up to me like that.  I'm
impressed," she said shakily.

I shrugged my bare confident shoulders at her waiting for the
apology.  I must be seriously scary.

"I get it.  He's off limits.  I'll keep my distance." 
Her pause told me she had a new proposal, but why would that involve me?  “…but
what about that other guy that came in with you?" she asked.

Ah hah!  “TJ?"

"Is that his name?  Mmm," she said, knee deep into
the cocktails.

“He's absolutely available, and a really nice guy," I
said, surprised by the turn of conversation.

"It was rude what I did back there.  I do apologize.  Can
you forgive me?" she asked.

One thing was for sure, the girl was hot, and I’d say anything
to keep her off my man.  "I can do one better.  Come with me," I said,
reaching for her hand.