A/N: The masses have spoken. Thank you for the reviews, the faves, the alerts! XOXO!
With a dress that barely covered my ass, sheer long sleeves, and a peek-a-book cutout in the front I was determined to set off some pacemakers. I had that delicious moment of victory having caught Stefan's eyes widen and his mouth plop open marginally when I stepped out of my bedroom and joined him for a shot of rum in the kitchen. He cooled his features and affected an insouciant attitude like he was dealing with his baby sister and not a woman he'd ogle in a darkened nightclub.
"You look nice, dapper," I complimented.
Stefan had draped his torso in midnight blue Oxford cotton with a soft sheen, shirttails tucked into his belted tailored slacks. Shoes polished, hair perfectly styled in his usual pompadour. Stefan had forgone wearing a tie.
"I think you want someone to go to jail tonight for lewd and lascivious conduct."
Possibly.
"So long as it's not me," I winked. Stefan shook his head.
We toasted to a night of not remembering what we did come morning, downed our shots, winced, and wedged lime slices between our lips. I fixed my lipstick and popped a mint. The doorbell rung, Stefan answered. Godric stood on the welcome mat with a practiced smile, a fresh bouquet in his hands. White roses for a virtuous woman. I wasn't dressed so virtuously.
I could tell by the strain around his dark green eyes he wasn't as happy as he tried to appear to be when I called him up and told him of our change in venue. Godric was anal about that sort of thing. He kept several mental itineraries going at once, and if there was the slightest change, he freaked out, and behaved as if everything on his plate had to be rearranged to accommodate the modification.
Spontaneity was a word lodged somewhere in the dictionary to Godric.
Stefan made a face at the back of Godric's head after inviting him into our apartment. I stifled a laugh. Our District of Columbia dwelling was about the size of Godric's closet at his family estate in Potomac, Maryland. But whatever. Godric may never have to technically work a day in his life, but he didn't mind rolling up his sleeves and shoveling dirt.
I could grudgingly admire that about the conversative.
"Bonnie," Godric crossed over to me but faltered a bit when he got a good look at my attire. His eyes roamed up, they roamed down, they roamed round and round, and his finger hooked into the knot of his tie and pulled. "Wow."
I struck a pose turning to the side so he could get the full effect of my hourglass shape. "You like?"
"I…do…but umm…do you think that's appropriate attire? We're going to an art viewing, not a club."
Outwardly I sighed. Godric, Mr. Play-By-The-Rules, Mr. Stick-Lodged-Up-His-Ass. Mr. Gonna-Be-Our-Of-A-Date if he didn't stop looking like he wanted to usher me back to my room and handpick something for me to change into.
"I think she looks great," Stefan chimed in and leaned against the counter. "Art equals expression, and what she's wearing is an expression of how she's feeling, and Bonnie is feeling…" my roomie tilted his head and gave me a long, thorough measure. "Unadulterated."
Did Stefan have to sound so sexy saying that when I knew he was only saying it to get a rise out of Godric who was frowning petulantly?
Nevertheless, he hit the nail right on top of its head.
Godric dismissed Stefan by turning his narrowed-eyed gaze on me. If he thought I would scamper off, do his bidding, and put on something frumpy in the off-chance we were photographed he thought wrong. Godric was an equal opportunity dater, but at the same time the women he wined and dined came with a certain level of poise and breeding. I didn't go to finishing school. Public schools and a state-run college was where I received my higher education I was still making payments on. Hell, the day we met I was wearing high-waist cutoff shorts, Jordans, and a ribbed tank top with visible bra straps—ooh the horror! His ass still asked me out anyways.
"We both know it will take me another half hour to find something else and change. This is what I'm wearing. Let's go."
Godric's cheeks reddened yet he conceded. He handed me the floral arrangement that I took a brief sniff of and kissed my cheek. "You do look amazing," he whispered in my ear and lightly squeezed my hip.
I felt nothing from his touch. Godric was good-looking in an academic way. Polos and khakis pretty much made up his daily wardrobe that he traded in for tailored $5000 suits when there was an event his presence was needed. Otherwise he flew under the radar, was the kind of handsome you had to spend time with in order to see he had nice features you wouldn't mind gelling your DNA with.
Placing the bouquet in the fridge since I didn't have time to hunt down a vase, clean it out, and fill it with water, I grabbed my clutch.
"Let's go, guys."
Godric had offered to drive to the event. Amber would be meeting us there. I asked Stefan what she said when he told her that Godric and I would be joining them. He looked at me drolly and reiterated:
"She'll get over it."
We flounced out of the apartment and into the warm, dull air of Northeast DC. It was mid-May and had finally gotten hot enough to ditch the long sleeves, parkas, and boots. The weekend before, Stefan and I had gone down to the Tidal Basin to partake of the Cherry Blossom festival. We took pictures under branches of fluffy, light pink flower petals, sat down on a bench, and ate hotdogs while staring at the Thomas Jefferson memorial.
Unbeknownst to me, mustard had caked itself on the corner of my mouth that Stefan wiped clean with his thumb. And instead of wiping his thumb off with a napkin, he stuck it in his mouth and stared at me while he licked the tangy sauce away.
Either he knew what he was doing, or he was very good at being aloof.
A hand lightly touched the small of my back as the three of us descended the stairs to the sidewalk. The touch burned me through the flimsy layer of cloth, and I knew right away who that hand belonged to.
I checked over my shoulder just to be sure, and saw Stefan walking in step beside me as we made the short trek to Godric's Audi.
There was much I knew about Stefan. I knew he was a very hands on guy. When he liked you, you knew because he'd find any and every excuse in the book to touch you. However, Stefan had a friendly side where his affection poured out of him through the occasional hand grab, hug, caress and it didn't mean anything more to him than being, and you guess it, friendly.
He could be perplexing. Or I was adding layers of meaning to something simply because I wanted the 'D'.
"I have her from here," Godric intervened and, in an uncommon display of territorialism, he shouldered past my roommate, grabbed my hand, and opened the passenger side door for me.
Stefan snorted and climbed into the back. I buckled up and spied the troublemaker through the side view mirror fighting to keep the smile off his face.
Godric checked his mirrors about a million times before pulling into traffic and actually driving the speed limit.
The alert for an incoming text message sounded. I pulled the device out of my clutch and rolled my eyes. It was Stefan.
Stefan: Having fun?
Me: What do you think?
Stefan: Can you tell him to turn on the music or something? I'm bored back here.
Me: Why don't U open ur mouth and ask?
Stefan: I actually don't like wasting words on Godric.
Stefan and I shared that same problem.
Fifteen minutes, a twenty dollar surcharge for parking later, the three of us made it to a nondescript art studio in Chinatown. Amber was there craning her head up and down the block. When she spotted Stefan she beamed and waved wildly. The second she noticed me and commenced a quick scan of my attire, her smile dulled considerably.
She ignored Godric altogether, which sadly I had forgotten he was walking beside us as well. The streets were filled with the restless and tourists, so it was fairly easy to get separated. The whole time we headed on foot to the studio, my pinky had been linked with Stefan's. I couldn't help but be aware of him.
Yet my little digit began to feel the burr of the cold when Stefan broke away, lightly jogged to Amber where he wrapped her up in a bear hug and lifted her off her feet. She squealed and playfully admonished him, but her clear blue eyes sparkled, and her cheeks burned a light pink. Amber puckered up her lips for a kiss that Stefan obliged. Godric saw that as an invitation to wrap his arm around my waist and I almost stole him in his chest for touching me unexpectedly.
Stefan drew Amber forward, holding her hand. I kept my gaze plastered on him, gauging his facial nuances. As much as it made me want to vomit, Stefan was genuinely happy to see Amber. His jaw was relaxed, forehead smoothed and even, demeanor more open and less guarded.
That noise I was hearing in my head was the sound of molars, my molars grinding on top of one another. Shit, he liked her.
"Hey, Amber you remember my roommate Bonnie?"
Amber extended a hand, pageant girl smile in place. "Hi, nice to see you again. Love your dress."
Lies. Her nostrils were a bit too flared to be sincere. "You too, Amber."
Amber was a passable beauty in salmon jersey that showed off an attractive figure. Her legs were longer than mine, not as curvy. She had a decent sized rack flirting with being a D cup while I was a modest 32 C. Her blonde hair fell in layers to the middle of her back, platinum highlights in the front that made her aqua irises pop. Amber was the kind of girl who already had a bumper sticker on her minivan that read: Soccer Mom of the Year. Despite picking this woman apart, I had to admit I envied Amber for the simple fact that no matter what she did patriarchy would be blamed for her shortcomings. Plus, she was with Stefan.
Should she be hated on that basis alone? If only I could say she was a bitch I might feel bad for coveting what probably took her no more than saying 'Hi I'm Amber' to achieve.
I climbed out of my head and made a gesture toward the guy standing to my left. "This is my date, Godric Wainwright."
Amber acknowledged Godric and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise," I heard an inflection in Godric's voice that he cleared his throat to cover up.
I side-eyed him and inwardly shrugged. Amber was the kind of woman you'd expect Godric to hook up with.
"Well, the viewing has started, and Jared has already sold two of his pieces," Amber informed and appeared she wanted to break out into a literal cheer.
"Oh, that's awesome," Stefan said.
"Isn't it? Well, let's get inside. He's probably sold another piece since I've been out here."
She led the way inside the studio where the crowd sipped specialty drinks that matched the overall theme of the artist, Jared Malone's motif. Amber introduced us to the main attraction who was not at all what I expected. He was Ivy League right down to his penny loafers. Granted, Jared's jeans were black as well as his short sleeve V-neck shirt that hugged his frame well. I easily pictured him sailing and playing polo with Prince Harry. A hardcore patron of Lacoste apparel, Jared was.
He was brutally handsome in the 'can I touch you just to make sure you're real' way. He kind of reminded me of Damon, Stefan's older brother, but Jared had a dimple in his right cheek, a square face mired by a chin butt, and his eyes were charcoal grey. I cased the joint and saw several clusters of women and a quite a few men throwing him furtive, surreptitious looks, conversations clearly buzzing about him and not his art.
Out of my peripheral I saw Godric suck in his adorable pudgy belly.
Amber sunk her fingers between Stefan's, gushed as she rattled off both the guys' stats to one another. He paints, he sings, he cooks. He plays guitar, is good with numbers, is the best thing to happen to me. I stood back taking meticulous notes, and discovered that Jared was Amber's best friend.
Sooner than expected, Amber dragged Stefan off to introduce him to her pride of sorority sisters donned in their colors, one blonde after another. Stefan glanced at me silently pleading with me to save him. I infinitesimally shook my head.
Live long and prosper. You are on your own, dude.
Jared and Godric attempted to make small talk which didn't take long for Jared to lose interest because, like I said, Godric could bore a nun to tears. He lost the man of the hour the minute he inquired if he caught this week's episode of Meet the Press.
"Oh, excuse me, I see someone I know," Godric interrupted his own diatribe. He tossed me an apologetic look. "I'll be right back," kissed my hand and wandered off.
Jared and I sighed collectively, looked at one another and laughed. "You're seriously into that guy?" he hitched a thumb in Godric's direction.
The bluntness of the question kind of made me back up and look at him sideways, but I wasn't truly offended. "He takes some getting used to, but he has stellar qualities."
Jared snickered and I waited for his eyes to drop below my neckline. He had been respectful, holding my gaze while we traded niceties. He didn't look, which intrigued me and kind of annoyed me as well. I knew I looked good enough for more than a cursory perusal.
"I'm sure he does," Jared said. "They say opposites attract."
"And Godric and I couldn't be more opposite if you tried pairing polka dots with stripes."
A bellow of male laughter tickled my ears and I had to say I liked the sound. The wetness problem between my legs had diminished some, but I felt it creeping along, rising to the surface like lava. Others were hovering along the periphery waiting for their face time with Jared, but I wasn't quite ready to graciously bow out and let him conduct business. The greedy, horny bitch inside me still needed that taste of validation that I could have him if I so wanted to, he just needed to put out the signal.
Jared bit into his lip once his laughter subsided and finally felt me up with his eyes. I pretended not to notice.
"So how long has Amber and Stefan been a thing?" he probed indifferently. Or tried to. His jaw hardened and I was sure Jared already knew the answer to his question.
But…the wheels in my mind began turning. This could work in my favor.
"For a few months," I replied.
"Is it serious?"
I shrugged. "They like each other. That's about all I can say. You and Amber have been friends for…?"
"Since we were kids. Our parents went to high school and college together. They like to refer to themselves as quadruplets."
I chuckled a bit. "I'm sure they had hopes that maybe their children might complete the set and you all could become sextuplets," purposely leading in into dangerous territory.
Jared didn't answer. He didn't need to speak a word because he directed his full attention across the studio to Amber who was rubbing her hand up and down Stefan's back. Jared and Amber together would be perfect, perhaps too perfect and that probably explained why she chose to remain oblivious to the fact her best friend was head-over-heels in love with her. He couldn't contain that tsunami as hard as he was gawking at his best friend.
I caught myself staring at Stefan just as longingly and cut it out before Jared or anyone else could call me out on it. I wasn't in love with my roommate, per se. I had "feelings" for Stefan that led straight to my bedroom or his, and afterwards I wouldn't be adverse to those feelings leading their way there multiple times.
Jared forced himself to look away. "She's a rare find, I can vouch for that."
"What, the world has suddenly grown a shortage of blonde-haired, blue-eyed women?" I teased.
"I…mean she's honest, funny, and she's…"
"The rest of us are liars with no sense of humor?"
"I feel like you're making fun of me."
"Because I am, Jared." For two people just meeting each other our rapport was surprisingly natural. I didn't feel odd or that I had to be accommodating to appear interested in what he had to say. I just was.
The artiste peered down at me, and I felt a shift. Like a carnivore making a conscious decision to hunt another prey. He grinned then. "I see I'll need to watch myself around you."
"Possibly," I skirted around Jared. It was best to leave now, leave a little something on the table; a deposit for him to either carry out whatever nefarious thought traipsed through his head, or write the whole thing off as the act of flirtation it was that would go absolutely nowhere. "I'm going to go and check out your art. See if you're any good."
"I can tell you right now, your mind will be blown."
"Hmm, I like a man with confidence."
Jared grinned and winked.
Abandoned by my date and roommate I strolled through the exhibit, stopping to admire some pieces here and there. Art wasn't my thing, but I did have an appreciation for an artist who could make something that should be depressing seem like the most beautiful thing in the world.
Godric found me and profusely apologized. "Are you getting famished? We're about an hour late for dinner."
"I could eat."
"I'll get the car. Are your roommate and his date coming with us?"
"I don't know. I can ask."
Godric opened his mouth to argue but shook his head and wandered off to get his car. I pulled out my phone to text Stefan.
Jared popped up behind me. "Verdict."
I swung around to face him. "You have some interesting pieces and you're very good at shading. My favorite piece was the one titled She Is Here."
Even in the dim lighting in the back of the gallery, Jared's eyes glittered. "That's my favorite piece, too though I try not to have favorites. All my works I like to think of them as my babies."
That was kind of cute.
"What made you get into art?"
"My godmother. She's a painter."
I nodded yet refrained from asking her name because I didn't know painters like that, and probably wouldn't know who she was if he told me, or showed me some of her stuff. Granting if she was well-known in the art world. She could paint as a hobby.
"Well, I'm sure she's proud of you, Jared."
He turned rueful then but held out his hand. I stared at it confusedly. "Your phone."
"Why do you want my phone?"
"So I can plug my number into it."
"Real subtle."
"Are we going to pretend you're not interested?" Jared arched a dark brow.
Are we going to pretend you don't have a bleeding heart for the girl my roommate is fucking that you've been thirsting for since y'all were in diapers? If this didn't have catastrophe written all over it.
Fuck it, I coughed up the phone. Jared typed his number into it. I doubted I would use it, but options, like air, was priceless.
"Bonnie?" Stefan barked my name.
His brusque call made me jump and my heart to beat guiltily in my ribcage. Jared bowed out, leaving Stefan and I alone.
"What are you doing?" Stefan's jaw was set, he squinted at me.
"I was enjoying the exhibit like we came here to do."
A moment or two passed before he said anything else. "I asked Amber if she wanted to have dinner with you and Godric, but she rather go with her sorority sisters to this bar."
"So where do you fall into the scheme of things?"
"I don't need to relive the horrors of rush week. I say," and for some strange reason, Stefan stepped closer to me, "we ditch dough boy, order take out, and watch Netflix."
Sounded like heaven. I was already calling Godric before my mind caught up to what the rest of my body was doing. Godric hated bars, clubs, anyplace that meant sweaty bodies would be pressed together indecently while "obscene" music blasted at intolerable decibels.
I was fairly sure this dude was a closet sadist.
"Hey Godric…"
"I'm out front. Come on out."
"Change of plans again."
"Bonnie," Godric whined. Stefan snickered.
"Stefan, Amber and I want to go to this bar."
Godric was quiet. He sighed. "I really don't like bars and with the way you're dressed…I don't think it would be a good idea for you to go. You should come with me to dinner. We've barely seen one another tonight, and I've missed you."
"Aww," Stefan sighed and batted his eyelashes. I shoved him.
"You were the one who had to talk shop with someone you knew. But I'll make it up to you, I promise," shaking my head back and forth.
"That's what you said the last time you cancelled our plans. This is a very stressful time for me, Bonnie…"
Stefan grabbed my phone and hung up. I gaped at him.
"Was that necessary?"
"Yes," my roommate replied and tucked my phone into his pants. If he thought I wouldn't reach in his pocket to get it, he had another thing coming. "As annoyed Godric can make you he also has the uncanny ability to soften you and get you to relent so he can get his way. You have your bitchy moments but this," and Stefan poked me right above my heart, not quite touching my breast. "Is too big for its own good at times."
My phone started ringing. Stefan and I ignored it.
"Are we going home, Bonnie?"
The ringing continued and I knew it wouldn't be long before Godric stormed into the gallery looking for me.
The ringing stopped.
"Tell Amber goodnight."
"I already did."
"Then what are we still looming in this darkened corridor for?"
Stefan and I headed out. I spotted Jared standing in the midst of a crowd. Our eyes didn't meet, and that was just as well. Fingers wormed their way on my hip and heat fanned everywhere like a spilled drink.
We left the gallery via a side door, avoiding the main entrance in case Godric was double parked outside. We walked to the nearest metro station.
"You're a bad girl," Stefan shook his head like it was a travesty.
"What are you talking about?"
"Arriving on the arm of one guy, getting the digits of another, and leaving with someone else."
"That doesn't make me a bad girl. It makes me human. I'm skilled at what I do, Stefan. You'll never see me coming until it's too late."
"You won't ever get the jump on me."
I pursed my lips but didn't comment. We'll see.
A/N: More? Thanks for reading!
