“Stay out of it, man. You trail after her like a lost puppy, and you've been itching to get into Emma’s pants for ages. Well, here’s your shot. Go for it. I’m out of your way.”
Merrick looks annoyed with the confrontation, and from what Letti says, he is not one to make a scene. We watch Travis stride up beside him in support, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You good?” he asks, looking straight at Emma, Patrick, and her little clicky entourage.
Emma is pretty, and she knows it; this, however, doesn’t give her the right to treat people like shit, like I heard that she does. Trixie once told me she flushed a girl’s head down the toilet in high school.Who actually does that?
“Emma, look… seriously, I wish you the best in life. But I’m done. I don’t want anything more to do with you, it’s as simple as that.” He raises his glass in a calm, unceremonious toast, then turns without waiting for a reply. Travis walks beside him, both heading straight toward us.
“Are you fucking someone else?” she screams at his back.
Merrick’s face contorts—pain, fury, disbelief. He stares at the three of us, stunned and flat-out pissed. Emma’s voice rang out so loudly, it stopped the room cold. Heads turned. Conversations stalled. This is the Emma I have heard about, the drama-queen-make-a-scene.
“What a bitch,” Letti mumbles beside me.
Merrick looks to Letti, searching her face like she might hold the answers he needs, then he turns back. “Are you serious?” he mutters, shaking his head in disbelief. He takes deliberate, powerful steps toward Emma—not to yell, just to keep the scene from escalating further. “No, Emma, I’m not fucking anyone else,” he says, voice clipped but steady. “I just don’t want to be around you anymore.” His tone hardens. “We talked about this yesterday. Webothagreed it was over—and it is. So I don’t get why we’re bringing it back up again. Why it suddenly matters now when it didn’t twenty-four hours ago.” His gaze cuts through her, a mix of sadness and frustration. He gestures sharply. “This is whatwedecided.” His hand slices through the air, punctuating the point before he turns away—this time heading straight for the nearest exit, Travis falling into step beside him.
“There is someone else, I know there is,” Emma yells behind him. “I can feel it, but you will come crawling back like last time.”
Letti shakes her head, but not before sending a death stare Emma’s way. “I’m going to go check on them.”
“Sure, let me know if you need me,” Shelby says, gripping at her wrist and releasing it as we watch her walk like a Dior catwalk model out the door. I can see Emma watching her, but Letti just glares her down with the wrath of Medusa, then flips her the middle finger.
Shelby lets out a giggle at her roommate’s brazenness because Letti will let you know how she feels about you.Watching her looking so elegant, yet still the diva shines through, it’s comical.
I turn and raise my eyebrows at Shelby. “So much for Merrick wanting the night drama free.”
Shelby shakes her head, looking at the empty doorway. “Merrick is such a sweet, caring guy…he doesn’t deserve that,” she exhales.
After the drama is over, we take our drinks back to the guys and there he stands just like he promised. A few girls have joined the group, but he doesn’t pay them any attention as I reflect back on Shelby’s words: “Judge him by his actions.”
His dark eyes find me, and his intense gaze makes my stomach flip. I just had him underneath me an hour ago, but say the word and I’ll have him again.
Shooting his friends a wave, he leaves the group. His strides are long; he’s so tall, his business shirt pulls tight against his muscles, with that blonde hair that sways just across his brow as he walks. He meets me halfway, accepting the drink and shot glass from my outstretched hands.
“The shot is yours, if you want it,” I say. “I had mine.”
“Last one,” he says, throwing back the shot. With him it’s erotic to watch, everything he does is pure macho sexiness, and I wonder if there is a coat room we can sneak off to.
“Have I told you how gorgeous you look tonight?” he leans forward, his voice husky from the drinks.
“You did mention it, but I’ll never get sick of hearing you say it,” I beam, my hands resting against his chest.
“There is just one thing you need to fix, and I should have had you do something about it back at the house.”
I gaze down at my dress and frown. It’s a strapless, skintight black dress that goes to the knee but has a high split. It’s definitely the sexiest dress I own, but nothing different than what the other females are wearing. “What’s wrong?”
His eyes pour into mine as he grabs at my ass, pulling me close so I can feel his erection. “You need to wear a fucking bra. You not wearing one is driving me insane, and I swear to God, someone’s nose is going to be broken if guys don’t stop staring at your perfect tits.”
I feel my cheeks blush knowing my breasts are far from perfect, but loving the compliment. He pulls me in close, his lips brushing against mine. “It would be so easy to slide your dress down and suck on your nipples, and that tempting, torturous thought is all I can think about.”
“Oh,” I mumble.Where is that coat room?
A few hours later, Randy takes my hand and leads me out to the balcony as the chant starts. We stand, holding each other, my hands on his chest and his on my waist, staring and smiling at one another like the only people left in this world.
Ten, nine, eight.
Randy’s warm brown eyes pour down into mine. “I’m so glad you’re with me right now. This is perfect…you’re perfect.”
My heart skips a beat and my whole tipsy body swoons.
