by Alexa Davis
The fact that he was so involved in the conversation, too, made me feel a little bit weird inside. I didn’t want to lose my friend to someone like him; it just wasn’t right. “And I thought that we were going to eat.”
“We can still eat, if you want?” Cameron rolled his eyes at me, acting like I was nothing more than a mere annoyance to him. He knew I hated it when he did that, especially as I didn’t even really want to be here tonight. I’d had no interest in meeting his idiotic friend. And I’d even dressed up a little for the occasion. “You don’t have to be that much of a stick in the mud. For God’s sake!”
“Ugh.” I twirled on my heels and stalked toward the bathroom, needing a moment alone. I had no idea why Cameron had to act like such a dickhead. I had been right with my assumption about Marcus; he was going to be a bad influence on Cameron.
Once I was locked away in a stall by myself, I tried to suck in some deep calming breaths before going back out there to face them all again. The whole situation was odd, and it had me all messed up inside. Cameron was drunk and horrible, Maddie had her breasts hanging out trying to land herself a date with the lord, and Marcus...
Well, Marcus was something else.
In all honesty, I found him quite hard to look at. He was far too gorgeous to be real; he actually looked like something from a fantasy. He had slightly curly light brown hair, a chiseled jawline, and green eyes that pierced into my soul. He was beautiful, but an asshole, and that was reason enough to never look at him again. I didn’t want to get sucked in to his eyes. I didn’t want to find anything attractive about him because he was an out and out heartbreaker. That was the last thing I needed in my life.
Okay, come on, I thought angrily to myself, as hot rage coursed through my body. Just get through dinner, be polite, and then get the hell out of here. I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to drag Maddie away, but I’d figure that out when the time came.
I rubbed my forehead hard because I didn’t want to wreck my eye makeup, and I forced my way outside. I took a second to stare at myself in the bathroom mirror, but since the harsh bright white lights were only serving to make me look a little crazy, I quickly gave up on that plan. I shook my head and decided on a drink instead. Just one, then I could tackle everyone a little easier.
I pushed the bathroom door open and made my way back into the bar area, to sneak a drink by myself. I sidled to the bar as quietly as I could and stood in the corner, but as a tap on my shoulder came only seconds later, it hit me how I’d managed to fail anyway.
I slid my eyes shut for a second before forcing myself to turn around, expecting to see either Cameron there for round two of our argument or Maddie, who’d want to spill the beans about her latest, cringe-worthy crush.
Instead, my eyes locked with a green pair that made my heart dance in my chest. “Oh... Marcus, erm, hi?” I stammered. My face heated up as embarrassment careened through my body. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Sorry about your brother. I did try to stop him.”
Oh, my God, does he have to be so good looking? I had to fix my eyes far away from him just to stop myself from freaking out. This was awkward enough as it was; I didn’t need to add to it by acting like an idiot. “Oh, don’t worry about it. I know what he gets like. He’s got absolutely no self-control once he gets started.”
Marcus didn’t answer me, but I could feel his eyes fixed on the side of my face the whole time. It was almost as if he was trying to stare me down, trying to make me crumble under the pressure of his stare, and I found myself falling despite myself.
“So, what are you doing in New York?” I asked, asking him the most mundane question known to man. Still, it was better than silence.
“Oh, you know, I just needed a change of scene.” He was being evasive, which did pique my interest, but I couldn’t give him the satisfaction of showing I wanted to know more. If he suspected for one second that I was interested, he’d treat me as just another pawn in his games. “You know how it is.”
“Of course.”
“So, do you think you’re going to stay for dinner? I’m not sure that Cameron will be eating anything. He’s started on the tequila shots.”
“Oh, God,” I groaned loudly, finally relaxing enough to turn my body right toward Marcus. Maybe he wasn’t so bad, after all. He might not be the sort of guy I wanted to date, but that didn’t mean I had to totally hate him before I even knew him. I wasn’t usually so judgmental.
“Are you serious? No, I think I’m going to skip out on dinner if you don’t mind. I really don’t want to see Cameron drink himself into a stupor because then he starts hitting on women with terrible pick-up lines. It’s absolutely humiliating to watch.”
“Oh... Yeah, I hate to tell you, but he’s already started on that. I saw him ask a girl what letter she was in the alphabet, then he forgot where he was going with it and asked her why her head hurt. It was very confusing for everyone involved.”
I shook my head and chuckled, warming to the guy. “Well, once he told a girl that he had a motorbike if she wanted to go for a ride, and the worst part was she actually almost believed him and followed him outside. I had to stop her before he took her into some alley because it was just so disgusting...”
I suddenly stopped where I was going with that story, remembering that Marcus was exactly the same, if not worse. At least, I assumed he was. But as I gazed into his eyes, I spotted a sweetness there that had me very intrigued. If the English press was wrong about this guy, and he wasn’t a playboy at all, just someone who liked to have fun...
“Hey...” As he moved his body a little closer to mine, absolutely towering above me, I felt a smile playing on my lips. “I have a question for you.” His hand reached up and touched my arm, and I felt a little something fluttering around inside of me. I didn’t know what it meant, I couldn’t really place it, but it wasn’t a horrible sensation. “If you aren’t interested in dinner with your brother and friend, then maybe we should go somewhere and have a dinner of our own.”
Huh? I stepped back and gazed at him in confusion. What the hell is he talking about? Is he asking me out on a date?
And am I absolutely insane for actually considering it?
My fingers reached up and touched my cheeks, almost as if I was trying to decide whether the moment was real. “Erm, I don’t know...”
“Or maybe…” He leaned right in so I could feel his breath tickling my cheek. “We should just go for some... dessert. My apartment isn’t far from here.”
My heart fell into my shoes as I recognized what he was really offering: a cheap hook up, a one-night stand. Cameron was right – this guy was a pig. I needed to be as far away from him as possible.
I didn’t even bother to reply. I glared at him and stalked off toward the table to get Maddie the hell out of there. All I wanted to do was get out of the restaurant before something crazy happened.
“Come on, Maddie,” I said sharply, grabbing her arm. “Let’s go.”
“Yeah, okay.” She complied way too easily, which caused my eyes to snap in the direction of my brother. He was snogging the face off some random waitress like there was no tomorrow, totally oblivious of Maddie sitting glumly opposite him. “Let’s go.”
Neither of us spoke as we left the building, both shell shocked by how awful the night had been. We hadn’t even been with the guys for long, and they’d been total douchebags. We were much better off without them.
“Come on.” I linked my arm through Maddie’s, trying desperately to lighten both of our moods. “Let’s go and get pancakes or something and have a nice chat.”
“Okay, sure.” She turned to me and shot me a sad smile. “That sounds nice. Anything to get away from there.” She paused for a second. “You know, I thought Marcus was much nicer than your brother suggested. I don’t know why he wanted to put me off him.” There was a definite bitterness to her tone, one that was seeking revenge. It was so sharp that I didn’t even bother to tell her that he was an asshole,
too. “I think he might like me, too; he was super nice to me. I think I might hook up with him.”
“You know he’s a player, right?” I couldn’t say nothing. I didn’t want her to get even more hurt. “He isn’t a good prospect long term.”
“I don’t want anything long term. I just want someone to get hot and heavy with; it’s been far too long.” Her expression was fierce and her mind was set. She wanted to do this, and I couldn’t think of anything I could say to stop her. “I think I’ve been too focused on finding a relationship for far too long, and I’ve forgotten to have fun. I just want someone to fool around with.”
Well, if that was the case, then maybe they were perfect for each other. That was sure all that Marcus wanted, and as long as Maddie went into it with her eyes wide open, then she’d be just fine.
“You have to get us together again,” she insisted a little too fiercely. “You need to arrange a night out for us to hang out. We didn’t get nearly enough time today. I know Cameron is an ass, but you don’t mind speaking to him about it, do you?”
I really didn’t want to agree, but it had brought a smile to her face, which was enough to have me nodding along agreeably. “Okay, fine,” I replied through a pinched mouth. “I’ll see what I can do.”
All I had to do was keep the hell out of his way – that wouldn’t be too hard. If I arranged for us to meet up at a nightclub or something, I could easily keep out of his way. Then once he and Maddie had connected, I could keep out of it completely. I might have to hear all the awful, gory details, but I could just block that out.
Chapter 7 – Marcus – Friday
“Ugh, God,” I moaned loudly as I lifted my aching head off the pillow, hangover raging through my body. “What the fuck?”
Okay, admittedly, I knew exactly what had happened. After Blair and Maddie had left the restaurant, I’d gotten on board with the “no food, more booze” plan, and now I was suffering the consequences.
I felt like hell, but as I shifted my weary body from my bed, it wasn’t the sickness that I was thinking of – it was Blair’s face as I asked her to come back home with me. She’d looked disgusted, which made me a little ashamed of myself. That line always worked. I was so used to women throwing themselves at me, it was weird to be rejected.
Maybe that stung so badly that it had more to do with me getting wasted than I realized.
As I sucked back a large glass of water, trying to calm the aching in my throat, I heard someone unlocking the front door to my apartment. It could’ve been a thief for all I knew, but I didn’t have the strength to fight them off. Luckily for me, it was a friendly face that finally peeped around the corner.
“All right, man?” Cam smiled weakly at me. “You look like hell, exactly how I feel.” He tugged his sunglasses off to show me a weary, sickly face. “But what a fun night, right?”
“Erm...” I didn’t see it in the same way. All I could remember was that cold look, lots of shots, and three different, equally awful clubs. The only good thing about it was the lack of eighteen-year-olds, bringing down the average age. I could see the benefit of having the legal limit of drinking as twenty-one years old. “Yeah, sure.”
“Do you want to go to the gym? I usually prefer to sweat the booze out, leaving me ready for another night of fun.”
Was he serious? He couldn’t be suggesting drinking again? “I don’t know about that,” I warned him. “I might need a night off tonight.” Maybe I was a party animal, but I didn’t have the youth that I once did. “Why don’t we go out tomorrow, instead? I mean, I’m still up for the gym today.”
“Yeah, I guess you are still getting used to the time difference, and I do have an invite to a new place tomorrow. Okay, let’s do that. Now can I please get a cup of coffee? I’m dying over here.”
As I made my way into the kitchen, I couldn’t help but wonder if the invite would’ve extended to Blair, too. After all, she shared the Murphy name and that was how Cameron got all his invites.
She didn’t seem to share the same love of the nightlife as her brother, but there had to be some way to get to know her better without raising suspicion. I knew I was supposed to be keeping away from her, but what Cam didn’t know wouldn’t kill him.
“So, will you be inviting your sister and her friend to the club?” I asked as innocently as I could manage while I handed him the mug.
“Ugh, I dunno. Blair seemed pretty pissed with me last night, and I think I might’ve upset Maddie, too.” He rubbed his eyes as if unpleasant memories were coming back to him. “Anyway, they only kill my buzz. I’ve never known a couple of girls as boring as that pair!”
“I dunno.” I shrugged, trying to act blasé. “They could be a laugh.”
“Oh, my God, do you like Maddie?” His eyes flashed at me, which wasn’t the response I wanted. If he acted like that about Maddie, how would he feel when he knew that it was Blair that I really wanted? Maybe it was time to change the subject...
“I’m gonna grab my gym stuff. Let’s get going, is that all right?”
“Okay sure, whatever. If I survive that long.”
***
I had to admit, sweating out the hangover was the best method to recover. I’d been pumping iron and racing on the treadmill for over an hour now, and my head was clearing. I was starting to feel a lot better.
“Have you spoken to any of your family since you’ve been in the States?” Cameron’s question totally killed my buzz. I really didn’t want to be thinking about anyone in England, least of all my family. “Nope, no one,” I replied tersely. “I don’t really want to talk to them, and I don’t want to talk about it, either.”
“Oh, right, okay.” I could practically feel Cameron rolling his eyes behind me. “Whatever you say.”
I ran faster, adding frustration into the mix, and it seemed that my friend eventually got the hint that I really didn’t want to discuss it. I hadn’t even really told him my exact reason for making the decision now, and I didn’t want to. That was something I was keeping only for myself. I was out now – that was all that mattered.
“Hey, there, sexy.” I turned around in disgust, thinking he was making some sort of odd joke at me, but then I saw Cam leaning over one of the machines to leer at a girl who just wanted to exercise. “How are you?”
She gave him an odd look, but then a sense of recognition overcame her. I was used to getting that look myself, so I knew it well. It was just strange to see it going out to someone else. “Oh, hi, I’m good, thank you. How are you?”
“Oh, you know, just pumping some iron.” I wasn’t totally sure that I’d seen him doing anything while he was here, but this wasn’t the time to point that out. “It’s nice to see someone so sexy here.”
“Oh, thanks.” She giggled and flicked her hair. Classic move. “Yeah, you, too.”
Admittedly, she was gorgeous, with long flowing red hair and a really cute ass. And her friend, who came up behind her, was even better. But I couldn’t get the one woman I couldn’t have off my mind. Maybe it was just the taboo of the situation, maybe I needed to just get under someone else to forget about her.
“Who’s this?” girl number two asked. “He’s super cute.”
I slid closer, assuming a good flirt would help get Blair off my mind, but for some reason, I couldn’t get any words out of my mouth. It was almost as if my throat had closed over.
“Oh, sorry, girls. My name is Cameron Murphy, and this is my friend Marcus Lipton.”
My heart froze over. I waited for either of them to realize who I was, but fortunately, the conversation continued without even skipping a beat. I wanted anonymity, and that was exactly what I was getting.
“Sasha.”
“Hellie.”
“You know, we’re going to an exclusive club opening tomorrow, if you girls want to come. It should be a whole lot of fun.” Cameron looked at me out of the corner of his eye as they agreed to it, assuming that he’d done us both a favor. Of course, when I first got her
e, I had been all for sleeping with as many American women as possible, but now I couldn’t seem to find the enthusiasm for it. There was only one girl I wanted all over my body.
Still, I was trying desperately to act like I didn’t want anything to do with Blair, to Cameron and myself.
“Yeah, I’m sure it’ll be awesome.”
Ugh, it was no good. I couldn’t convince myself that was what I wanted at all. What I wanted to do was somehow ensure that Blair was there, in a discrete way. I had no idea how I was going to go about it, but this wasn’t going anywhere. I’d never liked someone for this long. I needed to get it out of my system.
***
“Hellie is definitely into you,” Cameron insisted as we crashed through the front door of his home. “You will get some tomorrow night for sure.”
“Yeah, sounds great.” I couldn’t produce any emotion in my tone, no matter how hard I tried. “Where is this club?”
Shit. My eyes fixed on the girl sitting at the computer in the corner of the room, while my insides did flip flops. This was the sort of reaction I wanted when I saw a woman, not the nothingness I’d found at the gym. It was just a shame that it wasn’t going to be easy.
“Blair, what the fuck are you doing here?” Cam sounded more exasperated than pissed off, but I didn’t like the way he spoke to his sister. Of course, I couldn’t step in and defend her without sounding weird.
“Oh, God.” She looked really stressed and wired. “My computer freaked out, and I need to get these pictures edited. You don’t mind, do you?” In her eyes, all arguments were forgotten, which I guessed was normal for siblings. It was just me and Paul who didn’t know how to communicate.
“No, I guess not. I’ll go and get something to drink.”
As Cameron wandered into the kitchen, I instinctively moved closer to the computer to check out Blair’s work. Or at least, that was the excuse I was giving myself. Really, I was drawn in by her magnetism. In the end, her photographs really did capture my attention.