The Next Contestant (12 page)

I leave my home and go back to the dorms mid Saturday morning. I told the parental figures I had a ton of homework that I left at the dorm.

I text Tiffany.

On my way home. BAF.

She replies immediately.

T: ?BAF?

Ding, ding, dong! Bored As Fuck. BAF.

T: Oh! LOL. So then you’ll be going to a party with me tonight, yes?

Uh. Not a good idea. I can’t risk it. Frat house party is out for me.

That would be suicide.

T: It’s at a house, but not at the frat house, I swear!
See, Vincenzo told me to meet him there and I don’t really want to show up alone with peeps I don’t know. PLEASE GO WITH ME! I hear Jax might be there. PLEASE!

Huh. The mention of Jax, and the idea of possibly seeing him—Tiffany is probably goading me!

Fine. But only because you say you won’t know anyone. I’m guessing it’s one of his friends NOT associated with their school? Cause you know I couldn’t do that either.

T: Absolutely swear. It’s at some dude name Wrecker or something like that. He doesn’t go to Berkeley so I doubt there will be anyone we know. And you know how I hate going to parties with unfamiliar faces.

I’m trying to decide if it’s a good idea or not. I’d like to believe I’ll see Jax, but I know that’s unlikely. He’s doing homework so that means he’ll be at his house. Others are probably home, or would come home and they all know me. So sadly, Jax is out.

T: You owe me!

Yeah, I do owe her. She’s helped me with this little white lie so I can go out with Jax, so yeah, I’ll let her drag me to this party so she can hook up with this Vincenzo.

Okay, I’ll go. I just got home so let me get ready.

T: Yes! Be ready in an hour? I’ll drive.

Perfect.

I take a quick shower and shave. No need to wash my hair since I showered this morning. After applying makeup, I slip on a pink sleeveless button down shirt with a pair of white denim shorts and a diamond bling belt. I slide my feet into a pair of pink rhinestone sandals that match my shirt perfectly and then head down to the lobby to meet Tiffany.

I whistle. “Dang, girl. You look gorgeous.” And she does. Her dark curly waves are flowing down her back and she has on a navy blue slim fitting tee with dark denim Miss Me shorts. The navy blue brings out the green in her eyes as does the glittery green eyeliner.

“So do you. If I were Jax, I’d be dining on your hot little self every damn night.” She wiggles her eyebrows.

“Touché, Tiffany. Touché.”

We exit the building, slide into Tiffany’s light green Kia Optima, and get pumped up by listening and singing at the top of our lungs to Porn Star Dancing by My Darkest Days Ft. Ludacris.

We stroll into the party and hit the tap for beer. After we’ve sucked down one, Tiffany says, “I’m going to go outside. Vincenzo is blowing up my phone and since he doesn’t want to come inside, I’m going out to the back patio to greet him. Come on.” She tugs on my arm.

There’s a familiar voice. I halt and shrug out of Tiffany’s grasp and turn to locate the face that belongs to it. I can’t believe my eyes, can’t believe he’s really at this party. There’s no mistaking him and his electric blue eyes under messy blond hair.

Tiffany stops and I know she’s glancing at me so I turn my attention back to her before she notices what’s caught my attention.

“Naw. I’ll stay in here while you
greet
Vinnie.” I waggle my eyebrows for effect.

“You sure?”

“Um, yeah.” I wave her off. “I think I just spotted a blond sex god.”

I don’t think Tiffany was listening to a word I’ve said. She’s too excited to get to her man.

Jax doesn’t see me yet, doesn’t know I’d find a party he obviously didn’t invite me to, never mentioning this last night. ‘Staying home to catch up on my homework’ he had said. My ass. Yeah, he never asked to be exclusive, but I’m pretty sure he understood that’s not the way I swing. I am exclusive, loyal to whomever I’m dating whether it’s the first or twentieth date. I’m miffed at him, unsure of his intentions. Especially when I catch several girls flocking toward him after he steps away from the keg. He doesn’t see me, doesn’t know I see those bitches crooning, and his smile, the beautiful smile I thought he only flashed at me, beams at their attention. I step behind a rather tall guy in order to get closer, to hear what they’re whining about.

“This is him, girls.”

“What? You’re kidding. Stop kidding.” Another girl huffs. “Tell them, Jax. You were with me!”

“Ah, fuck,” Jax hisses. “I’m not with any of you; never promised anything. Yeah, we had fun, but that’s all it was. Not my fault y’all are friends. Never promised anything, especially exclusivity. And it’s not like I was with any of you at the same time.”

“You bastard!” one of the girls shouts. “You’re a user and a fucking pig.” The girls continue to complain peevishly but I can hardly hear them over the sound of my pulse pounding in my ears.

I don’t know what to think. He was actually with them. He didn’t deny it. But when? Was it before he met me? During? And is he still seeing other girls?

“Jax! Oh my god!” A brunette pushes through the girls who’d just cornered him and wraps her arms around his neck. He hugs her, a little too tight.

I continue to watch him as he puts his head down, forehead pressed against her shoulder.
What the fuck? And why the hell am I still watching him?

“Ellery. It’s been a long time,” he says in a what? A pained voice? Then he releases her and steps back.

“Yes it has. Look, Jax, I’m sorry. I really am. I never meant to—”

“Stop. I don’t need to relive that shit again, Ellery. What’s done is done.” He points to her, “This,” and then to himself, “is done. Has been for a long time.”

Ellery reaches up, pulls his head down, and whispers something in his ear. She steps back smiling and he’s smiling too. Then she slowly walks away, Jax watching her as she goes, and she knows it because she looks over her shoulder and winks at him.

I feel sick. I want to march out of this party, but I can’t. Tiffany’s head over stilettos with this Vincenzo guy and by the sound of his voice on the phone earlier, I’m certain he’s game for her too. So yeah, I can’t leave. I turn slightly, glance over my shoulder at the same moment Jax notices me. His eyes lock on mine. His face shows no worry, no guilt, nothing but a grin sliding across his lips. Probably doesn’t know I heard the whole spiel with those girls and then with
Ellery.
I pretend not to notice him, as if it wasn’t obvious, then turn, and stroll toward the bathroom nonchalantly. When I feel I’m out of his visual path, I charge up the stairs and park my ass in the kitchen, away from the chaos in the basement, and suck down my now warm beer.

Some guy, not bad looking mind you, walks into the kitchen. He raises his chin at me; I do the same. Then he opens the fridge, leans in, grabs a beer, and glances back at me.

“Want a cold one?” He holds up a can of bud light.

I nod.

He slides three over on the counter.

“Thanks.” I give him a smile I don’t feel and I think he gets it. I’m not interested. I’m a bitch.

Wandering toward the living room, he halts and looks back at me. “Fuck him, whoever he is,” he says and winks, then disappears.

Wow. Is it that obvious I’m stressing over a guy?

I drink my third beer, fourth if you include the keg beer I had earlier. After nearly polishing it off, I catch a glimpse of a body lingering in the entryway. I look over to find Jax staring at me.

“Wanna talk about it?”

Which part? You being here or the girls you’ve been with? Or your ex-girlfriend? I wish I could just say it, but I’m not that bold. He’s waiting for me to answer. I slam my empty can on the counter and give him one. “No.”

He eyes me warily. Probably gauging my reaction. “Want another drink?”

“Yep.” I’m trying desperately not to cave. He’s so freaking sexy and I just want to let go, grab him, and kiss those beautiful lips.

He snakes around the counter, his hand brushing my thigh. I shudder. He opens the cabinet above the stove, grabs two shot glasses, a bottle of tequila, a jar of something or another, and sidles up beside me. I gather he’s frequented this house, knows the occupants since he seems to know where to find the stash he’s just placed on the counter in front of me.

I watch Jax’s bicep flex, twitch, and flex, as he pours the liquor into the shot glasses. “Mental escape, or so I’ve heard.” He sits, shifts on his barstool, knees knocking into mine, but he doesn’t move to correct them.

“What?” I don’t get it.

Jax nods toward the bottle. “Tequila. A mental escape,” he repeats.

“Ah…” my voice cracks. “Probably… so.” It’s the way he’s staring at me, his knees flush with mine, and the way his smile is endearing and a little bit promiscuous that has me all stirred up. He slides a shot in front of me and I break away from his gaze.

I grab the shot and face him again. “Um… Lime? Salt? I can’t down this without it.” The taste of it will make me puke.

“Nope. These are better.” He opens the jar, reaches in, pulls out a bag of sour gummies, turns to face me, and smirks.

“Okay then.”

Jax rips the bag open and dumps the gummies on the counter. He lifts his shot. “Ready?”

I wrap my fingers around my shot glass and raise it. “Yep.”

Jax nods and we both down the tequila. I reach for the gummies at the same time he does and our fingers brush. Such a trivial thing, fingers brushing, and yet it causes a warm tingly sensation to travel up my arm.

After several more shots, I’m feeling aloof, and tipsy.

“One more?” Jax asks.

“One more,” I agree. We do our last shot, but this time when I reach for the gummies, Jax swipes them into a pile, away from me, dangles a few in front of me, next to my lips, but doesn’t let me have them.

Oh, that grin!

What is he doing?

My breath hitches. He shoves a few sour gummies between my lips but keeps his finger pressed against them so I can’t suck them in. He smiles at me, his lids heavy, eyes glazed with lust, and it’s toxic. My uncertainty over this man, this sexy as hell man, transforms into something else.

He’s… god, he’s beautiful, so fucking sexy he’s intimidating. Oh the dirty things running through my head… what his lips feel like, his hands against my skin, his….

His tongue darts out, licking his lips, as he reaches out, grabs my neck, releases the finger he had pressed against my lip; the gummies fall, and his lips are warm against mine. He’s kneading his fingers into my hair, bringing me closer, deepening the kiss…

Oh. My. God. I’m suddenly more than buzzed. And… Oh god, oh god, oh god! He’s pulling me off my stool, his lips and tongue never stopping their assault. Oh! His tongue is so deep and… I want him. Bad. But I… it’s the alcohol. I wrap my arms around his neck and something about that move has him walking me back and pressing me against the wall. It’s been too long. He feels so good and… he’s dragging his hands down my sides, further, further until… he’s cupping the globes of my ass and instinctually, I wrap my legs around him. Big mistake. Huge! I mean, he’s… he’s fucking hard and… huge!

This is bad. Very, very bad, Kimber! And you’re drunk!

People come in to the kitchen and whistle. Jax whispers in my ear, “Let’s get out of here,” and I want to, but I can’t.

I want to keep touching my lips, savor the kiss, but come to my senses. “I… I can’t leave Tiffany here.” The tequila… all those shots… oh it’s hitting me hard. We’re walking through the house… or more like I’m dragging Jax room to room in search for Tiffany but can’t seem to locate her. My buzz is worse and my head begins to spin.
Oh god! Please don’t let me barf.

Jax holds me up to keep me from face planting the ground. He leads me outside and the cool air feels good on my hot cheeks.

“Come on. You’re coming with me,” he says.

“But—”

“No excuses. Your friend is with Vincenzo. I texted him and he said he’ll let her know you’re riding with me.” I can’t argue with that. I stumble along as he leads me to his car.

I’M TAKING TIMBER
with me… she’s wasted, and when she can’t find Tiffany, her ride, we argue for a bit. She finally gives in and follows me out to my car. I get her in, and secure the seatbelt. I may have forgotten to mention that I’m taking her to my place. It’s only a few blocks from here whereas her dorms are miles away, and even though I’m not spinning, I still have alcohol in my system. Not taking any chances.

I’m driving and I get this feeling in my veins, kind of like an adrenaline rush, but it’s not over a game, it’s all about this girl, this girl who has my fuckin’ head all whipped and off track. I’m like the devil and she’s an angel and I can’t let her go, don’t want to break her heart. Shit! I want her so goddamn bad.