“Well, I figured your counter could use a good cleaning after last night so I went ahead and wiped it down, too.”
He grinned like he’d won a prize and kissed me hard on the lips. He picked up my bag and led the way outside. We tossed my bag in my car then got into his Jeep.
“Tell me a little about your friends,” I said, trying to focus on something that would calm my nerves.
“They’re fun. Usually we laugh and drink when we’re together. The guys will have their girlfriends there and a few of our friends are women. It’ll be a nice mix of people. Of course you know I’m closest to Drew. He’ll be there today, but he’s single. He’s a good guy. I think he’s about the only one of them I have a real relationship with. The rest, we just get together to drink. But it’s fun.”
“So am I going to be carrying you out of there?”
“No,” he said adamantly. “I won’t be drinking that much. Maybe a beer or two, but I’m not going to drink a lot.”
“Whose house are we going to?”
“Ricky and Billy. They were friends of mine in high school and college. They’re roommates. The house is nice but the backyard is why we always go there. It’s huge and pretty private.”
“What are Ricky and Billy like?”
“They’re assholes,” Xander laughed. “No, I shouldn’t say that. They can be jerks, but they’re funny. They’re going to love you though because you can hold your own with them. They’ll think you’re funny.”
“Are you sure about that?” I asked. If these guys were good friends of Xander’s and the first thing he said is they were assholes it didn’t give me much hope for them liking me.
“Yeah, baby, it’ll be fine. The women are the ones you need to worry about. Kayleigh and Braylon are friends of ours but they’re complete bitches. I avoid them because they’re always trying to get me into bed, but they’re skanky bitches and I have never wanted anything to do with them.”
Fear ripped through me. I knew men would overlook my appearance if they got along with me. If they weren’t trying to sleep with me they didn’t care what I looked like. The women though… that was a whole different story. Women would be horrible bitches if they were jealous of me. Under any other conditions, no woman would be jealous of me. But showing up at a party with Xander would open me up to an attack.
I felt like I was going to throw up.
“Just stay with me. I won’t let them get to you. And if they do, we’ll leave. I promise.” I nodded as Xander stopped the Jeep. I looked at the house we were parked in front of and took a deep breath. “Come on, honey. Let me show you off to my friends.” He brushed his finger over the hickey he left on my neck and leaned in to kiss it. “I love being able to see my mark on you. Telling the world you’re mine. It turns me on so much.”
I leaned back and let the arousal course through my body. Xander turned my face toward him and dove his tongue into my mouth. His kiss was rough and possessive. He threaded his fingers into my hair and tipped my head so he could kiss me deeper. I moaned against his lips, feeling my panties getting wet.
Xander finally pulled back, kissing my cheeks. “I’d take you right now if I knew it wouldn’t hurt you. You make me so happy.”
“I’m happy too, baby. Let’s go meet your friends before I lose my nerve.”
Xander laughed and pulled back from me. He got out and I took a deep breath. When he got to my side he opened my door and offered me his hand. I took it and walked by his side to meet his friends.
Seventeen
Xander pushed through the front door of the two story house like he lived there. We walked right into the living room where I saw old furniture and a big TV. Shoes were kicked into an overflowing closet behind the front door. The room was big and well-lived in. I heard voices coming from somewhere deeper in the house, presumably where Xander was leading me.
It looked like I imagined a frat house would.
It sort of smelled like it, too.
The kitchen was at the back of the small house and overlooked the large backyard. People spilled from inside to outside, laughing and talking.
Xander said hi to the people in the kitchen and introduced me though he went so fast I couldn’t remember any of their names. We said hi and he pulled me outside to the yard.
“Xander!” was yelled out from the yard. I had no idea which way it came from but it brought a huge smile to his face. He squeezed my hand and dragged me behind him to the far end of the yard. When we reached a group of five guys he dropped my hand to trade punches and hugs with the other guys.
He wrapped his arm around me again and said, “Guys, this is Mandy. Mandy, this is Ricky, Billy, Doug, Trevor, and Brian.”
“It’s nice to meet you guys,” I said, trying to keep my cool. So far every single person at the party was gorgeous. I felt like I’d stumbled into the filming of a beer commercial or something. It was terrifying.
I didn’t want to judge Xander’s friends by their looks, just like I didn’t want them to judge me by mine, but I found it hard not to. Xander had already told me Ricky and Billy were assholes and Kayleigh and Braylon were bitches. I wasn’t sure how much of it I was going to be able to take.
The guys looked me over, not shy about their appraisal of me. Xander punched one of them in the shoulder, Billy I think, and said, “Jeez dude, she’s taken. Back off.”
Billy held his hands up in surrender but looked me over one more time. It gave me chills up my spine, but I suppressed them, gripping on to Xander. “Come on babe, let’s get a drink,” he said.
I nodded to his friends and turned with Xander to find a drink. Maybe having some alcohol in me would help take the edge off.
Xander found three coolers on the patio and fished out beer for each of us. He twisted the top off mine and handed it to me. I sucked half of it down before his even got to his lips.
“Fuck baby, you can’t do that. I can’t watch you suck on a bottle like that without wanting you to suck me like that.”
“Sorry honey,” I said wiping my lips. “I just need a little something to take the edge off. Your friend really creeped me out with the way he was looking at me.”
Xander glanced across the yard to where the guys were talking. “I know, but he’s harmless. He’s just trying to get me wound up.”
“I just don’t want to be around him. He gives me the creeps.”
“Stick with me. I won’t let him get to you. Come on, I want you to meet Drew.”
Xander held my hand as he approached another group. A guy stood in the center, commanding the attention of the entire group. He had dark hair, longer than Xander’s but still short. His brown eyes were looking around the group making eye contact with everyone as he told his story.
He was good looking, as hot as the rest of the people there. His left arm was covered in tattoos and he had an elaborate cross tattooed on his right calf. I couldn’t stop watching him, wanting to hear what he had to say.
“I took the next turn and knew it wasn’t going to end well. My bike started going down and the only thing I could do was go down with it. There were two cars coming toward me and they were both swerving. All I could do was pray it would work out.”
I held my breath with the rest of the crowd, anxious to hear how the man standing in front of us survived the fall. I gripped Xander’s hand and stared at the tattooed god.
“I let the bike fall and went down with it. I slowed down as much as I could and ended up rolling into the grass off the side of the curve. Thankfully my bike wasn’t too badly damaged and once I brushed myself off I could get back on it. I had a few scrapes down my leg and banged up my arm pretty good, but I was okay.”
“What happened with the girl you were going to meet?” one of the other guys in the group asked.
“Ah, you know, she was cute but shallow. We hung out for the weekend, touring the wineries around the Finger Lakes, but I didn’t see her after that. I need someone with a little intelligence, not just a flighty woman th
at’ll put out.”
His eyes searched the crowd and landed on mine. I felt warmed under his appraisal. He smiled at me and took a step forward. The rest of the crowd started to dissipate, sensing the story was over.
He reached his hand out toward me and said, “You must be Mandy. It’s great to finally meet you.”
I shook his hand and smiled up at him. He was tall, much taller than I was. At 5’8” I wasn’t that short, but he easily stretched well above 6’, maybe up to 6’6”. Xander hovered at my side.
“I’m sorry, I don’t have any idea who you are,” I told the mystery man.
“Oh, sorry. I’m Drew. I work with Xander,” he told me.
“Oh, wow. It’s so great to meet you. Xander’s told me so much about you. You’re not at all what I pictured.”
He ran a hand through his hair and gave me a breathtaking smile. “Yeah, the tattoos throw a lot of people off. I started getting them when I was in college and it became an addiction. But since I never did drugs and rarely drink I figure it’s a pretty safe addiction.”
I laughed and nodded with him. He reminded me so much of Xander that I was drawn to him. Looking between them they almost could have been brothers. He had a charm that made everyone want to be friends with him. I did too.
Xander hugged me tighter to him and nuzzled my neck, “Can we talk for a minute?”
“Sure babe. It was great to meet you Drew. I want to hear all about Xander in college. We’ll be right back.”
Drew smiled as we walked off. Xander held on to me and guided me toward the back of the yard. “Why are you flirting with him?” he asked.
“Seriously?” I countered, laughing.
“Yeah, I’m serious. I’m not going to stand by while you flirt with my best friend. What’s going on?”
I turned on him. “Xander, you need to knock this off right now. Drew is not what I expected but he’s very charismatic. Being interested in what someone has to say does not mean I want to jump him. Honestly I was thinking how much he looks like you and how similar you guys are. I can see why you’re good friends. But I’m not into him.”
“Are you sure?”
“Hey, where’s my hot, confident boyfriend? Where’s the guy I’ve gotten to know? The man who had me panting and screaming his name last night. The guy that marked me just last night. The one that kisses me so hard and holds me so tenderly that I forget every other man exists.”
“I just don’t think I can take it if I lose you, especially to my best friend. I couldn’t handle it.”
“I’m not going anywhere. But I do want to get to know your best friend better. I don’t want you getting jealous, but I am going to go talk to him. He’s nice. He made me comfortable, not creeped out.”
“You’re mine, baby,” he said. He leaned down and slanted his mouth over mine, forcing his way in. I eagerly wrapped my arms around his neck and moaned into him. His fingers dug into my fleshy hips and his cock was firm against my stomach. Jealous and possessive Xander was hot, but there wasn’t any reason for him to be that way.
“Only yours,” I moaned as he trailed kisses to my ear. He nibbled my earlobe then dipped his tongue behind my ear. His teeth brushed over my collarbone and my head fell back to give him access.
“When we get back to my place I’m going to mark you again, in other ways. I want you unable to walk tomorrow.”
“Let’s get back to the party. Otherwise I’m going to drag you upstairs to one of those sketchy bedrooms. Then you’ll have to carry me to the Jeep.”
“Fuck,” he whispered in my ear. “I need to go calm down. Will you be okay for a few minutes? If I don’t get away from you I won’t make it upstairs. I’ll bend you over right here and now.”
“I’ll be fine. I’ll go find Drew and flirt with him a little more.”
He smacked my ass, “You will not. You’re mine.”
I laughed. “I’m not going to flirt with him, but I am going to talk to him. If you’re leaving I need to find someone who won’t make me feel uncomfortable.”
“I will throw you over my shoulder and drag you out of here if I find you flirting with him.”
“That might be enough of a reason to do it,” I teased. Xander glared at me and I just laughed as I walked off to find Drew.
Halfway across the yard I heard two women talking. “What is he thinking? He’s too hot for her.”
My brain said keep walking, but for some reason my feet didn’t listen. I paused, pretending I was looking at something as I eavesdropped on them.
“I know, right?” the second one said. “And why would he bring her here? It’s not like she’s someone he needs to be showing off. She looks like a cow.”
“A cow in Army gear,” the first one said. They both cackled and the hair on the back of my neck stood up straight. They were talking about me.
“The good news is after her he’ll realize he can’t find love bargain shopping. He needs to find a real woman. One as hot as he is that’ll be his equal instead of his puppy dog. Literally.”
I knew it had to be Kayleigh and Braylon. They were both stunning, and about half my size. All it would take was for me to sit on them and they’d be dust.
Xander walked out of the house and searched the yard for me. When he saw me near them he got a serious look on his face. He headed straight for me and they snagged him as he tried to pass.
“Xander,” the blonde purred, “where have you been?”
“I’ve been with my girlfriend. Have you ladies met Mandy?”
He reached out to me and pulled me against him. He nuzzled into my ear and licked it, sending shivers down my spine.
“Why bother? It’s not like she’ll be around long. Not when we’re here, ready and willing,” the blonde cooed, leaning into the other one, making it clear they were up for a threesome.
I stood there shocked, unsure what to say. My fists clenched into balls and tension filled me. I wanted to slug the bitch, but I knew it wouldn’t do any good.
“I’ll be back, honey. I need to go inside for a minute,” I said sweetly. I walked away before I could say or do anything I couldn’t take back.
Inside I found a bathroom off the kitchen. I locked the door behind me and gripped the sides of the sink. I stared myself down in the mirror and willed myself not to cry. I wanted to, I’ll admit it. Those skinny bitches made me feel like a worthless piece of shit. I wanted to punch them, to bitch slap them, to knock their asses out. All of the above. I knew it wouldn’t do any good but God I wanted to. I wanted to hurt them as much as they hurt me. Except physical pain goes away. Emotional pain lingers.
I pulled out my phone and sent a text to Sam. I knew Claire was working and Addi was spending the day with her family. Sam had a photo shoot that morning but was going to be on her own for the afternoon. We’d all talked about getting together for dinner but nothing was set.
‘Two skinny bitches made me feel like shit,’ I sent her.
A few seconds later I got a reply. ‘Want me to come kick their asses?’
I laughed. ‘No. Just pissed me off.’
‘What did Xander say?’
I scoffed. I understood he didn’t want to cause problems with his friends, but I was disappointed that he didn’t respond to their shittiness. ‘Nothing. I left before he had a chance.’
‘Not good. Want me to come kick his ass?’
I laughed, grateful for having someone on my side. ‘Not right now. Will let you know if that changes.’
‘Home all afternoon.’
I smiled and stuck my phone back into my purse. I checked my make-up one more time then went back outside.
Xander was in the group at the back of the yard. I could hear Billy talking before I got over there. Everyone was laughing at something he said and I went closer so I could enjoy the joke.
“What’s the definition of irony?” Billy asked the group.
I took another step closer as everyone glanced at each other, everyone shrugging. “A fat girl who doe
sn’t swallow!” Billy boomed.
I froze. He was telling fat girl jokes? And Xander was over there laughing with him. I looked at Xander and saw his broad smile as he laughed with everyone else. The blonde bitch saw me and nudged her friend. The friend said, “Is your life ironic, Xander? Does your fat girl swallow?”
“Back off, Braylon,” he said.
“How do you fuck a fat woman?” Billy asked, drawing the attention back to him.
Everyone looked around again. “Xander says you smack her ass and ride the wave.”
I turned as tears burned my eyes. I didn’t wait to hear what he had to say, I just needed to get the hell out of there. The roar of blood rushing in my ears drowned out everything else, but I knew Xander was laughing with the rest of them, not caring that those words hurt me. It didn’t matter what he did while I was standing there. If he’d laugh behind my back I didn’t want him.
I burst through the kitchen and pulled out my phone. I sent Sam a text asking her to pick me up with the address and letting her know I was going to start walking.
I shoved through the front door and nearly ran over Drew who was sitting on the front porch. “Whoa,” he yelled, jumping out of the way. “Are you okay Mandy?”
I waved my hand at him and started to walk down the steps toward the street. He grabbed my arm. “Mandy, what happened?”
The tears I fought broke free and ran down my cheeks. I tried to shake him off, but he held me tight. “Mandy, talk to me. Where’s Xander?”
“Xander’s an asshole. He’s in the yard with his friends. And I’m getting the fuck out of here.”
“Mandy, sit down and talk to me. I’ll give you a ride if you need one, just tell me what happened.”
The kindness in his eyes made me want to trust him. He wasn’t out there with the rest of them. Maybe he wasn’t that bad. “Billy was telling fat jokes and Xander was laughing at them. He knows how sensitive I am about my weight and he was fucking laughing about fat girls. He’s a fucking asshole.”
Chubby & Charming (Big & Beautiful Book 1) Page 14