Actually, no, Icouldbelieve it. I wasn't surprised by anything that Simon Dawson did.
I shook my head in disgust. Of course, he would bring Maria, the best friend of the girl Barron had cheated on Eden with all those years ago. Her connection to the other woman was bad enough - but she tended to display the same unwarranted disdain towards Eden that Lissa did.
I knew Simon was still casually seeing Maria. I bumped into them several times at The Homestead with Lissa.
Before Lissa was banned, of course.
Thatwas bad enough. But now he was starting to encroach into my personal space.
I had only been living in my new apartment for two weeks when I happened to bump into Simon in the hallway. A scantily clad Maria clung to his chest as they strolled towards her door - on the same floor as me. I knew Maria lived in the building, but I had no idea how close I was to her.
Simon's eyes widened in recognition when he spotted me, causing him to stumble a step. He had rather abruptly let go of Maria, which made the other woman briefly lose her footing.
"Sofia?"
Maria had not been pleased with his acknowledgment of me and flashed me a look of pure suspicion. She started tugging on Simon's hand, whining something about wanting to fulfill her promise of a massage.
Gag.
I simply rolled my eyes and continued down the hall towards my door, slamming it shut behind me.
Sure, Simon's toned body, slicked-back dark hair, and devilishly handsome face popped into my thoughts more often than I cared for after our little run-in at Kelly's barbecue. I had just chalked it down to not being laid for a while.
But knowing that he had a...thingwith Maria all along put him firmly in the ick pile. I didn't care how sexy he was; he was a fuck boy through and through.
Hard pass.
Unfortunately for me, he was difficult to avoid. All the times I had not seen him at my apartment, he was suddenly there more times than I cared for. And he somehow seemed to run into me just as I was leaving my place or arriving home.
He flirted heavily without hesitation, letting me know he'd drop Maria like a sack of potatoes if I were willing. Sometimes I faced him with a verbal sparring; other times, I regarded him with a face full of disdain, as if he was gum stuck on my shoe.
"That dress is...something," Ryan's voice penetrated my thoughts, causing me to observe Maria properly.
She was wearing a very short and very low-cut red dress. Even though she had a banging body, this was not the time or place to wear a handkerchief. Not to mention, it was fucking February.
Even Eden's industry friends who were in attendance - legit supermodels - had dressed appropriately.
I watched as Simon made his way over to Barron and Eden; with a sour-faced Maria dragging her feet behind him. Simon hugged his cousin before bending down to kiss Eden's cheek.
I knew the exact moment Barron spotted Maria. His posture stiffened, and his face tightened in fury. But more telling, he pulled Eden tighter against his body, a gesture that read protective.
I was no body language expert, but a casual observer could see that Barron was pissed at his cousin for bringing Maria - even more so when the other woman gave Eden and Barron a wan smile before holding her hand limply out for a handshake.
Eden gave Maria a big, albeit forced, smile before speaking briefly to the couple. Ever the sweetheart, I knew my bestie wouldn't reciprocate Maria's attitude—something I definitely did not have in common with Eden.
As Simon stepped back from the group, my shrewd eyes ran over his attire. He always looked expensive. And smelled it, too, the handful of times he had leaned into my space.
I hated to admit it, but the man knew how to look good. He wore a long-sleeved olive-green buttoned-up shirt and stone white pants that hung low on his hips, topped off with a brown belt. He looked effortlessly chic yet casual.
As he stuck a hand into his pants pocket, I noted that his body language appeared a little stilted. He rubbed the back of his neck and gave Barron and Eden a small, almost guilty smile.
It looked like the douchebag realized his error in bringing Maria as his date. A little too late to be self-aware now, though.
His eyes roamed around the room, possibly looking for an exit. As his gaze drifted towards our area, I quickly turned my frame slightly away. The last thing I wanted was to be caught looking at him.
"How's your mom doing?" Ryan abruptly asked. I welcomed the change in subject.
My mom was behind the bar, as she had been most of the night. Unable to stand still and enjoy the party, I knew she was making sure everyone had food to eat and a drink in hand.
