Cabaret

Cabaret- Justin Timberlake ft. Drake

Ok...how many strikes before you're out?" I questioned.

"3!" EJ said, with no hesitation.

"That was easy... How many innings?" I asked EJ, tossing him a soft plush baseball from Rocky's couch.

He thought about it. "9" EJ answered correctly, catching the ball effortlessly, before tossing it back.

"Ok. What are you gonna make Jake buy you at the game?" I asked, tossing the ball up to myself.

"Peanuts and Cracker Jacks!!!" He said, jumping up, trying to intercept the ball from me.

I laughed, and let him catch the ball.

"I think you're ready for the baseball game." I told him. "Are you excited for Hurricane Harbor too?"

"Yeah. Its gonna be awesome. Jake said he'll take me down the big water slide! " EJ exclaimed.

"Do you like hanging out with Jake?" I asked EJ, curiously.

 I know, I was calling on a 7 year old to be a character witness. So sue me. Besides, kids were supposed to have an intuition. And since I was getting to know Jake all on my own, I figured I could use EJ's intuition to guide my opinion.

"Yeah. We always have fun. Brandon and Jake took me on a dirt bike before." EJ recalled.

See? Jake was fun. And we already determined what we were doing was more fun then riding a bike, so EJ's intuition was spot on. But, he didn't tell me anything I didn't know.

I smiled at EJ. "Well that's good. But do you remember how much fun you're allowed to have without me?"

EJ smirked. He looked just like Ethan when he did. It was freaking adorable.

 "This much!" He stretched out his arms out as wide as he could, so his hands are far apart. I shook my head.

"No! Absolutely not. You know it's this much!" I scolded him, mockingly. I held out my hands, a ruler length away from each other.

"I'm gonna have this much!" He grinned, spreading my hands out. I grabbed him and started tickling him. He burst out laughing.

"Ok. Ok...." EJ said, between laughs.

"Ok what?" I looked up to see Ethan walking into the living room. He was wearing charcoal slacks with a pale purple dress shirt. Obviously, he headed straight over to Rocky and Brandon's house after work. Even after a full day of work, he looked impeccable.

EJ looked at his dad. "Lily said I can only have a little fun with Jake this weekend at the game and Hurricane Harbor."

I smiled at Ethan as he came and joined us on the couch. "I think Lily is just jealous." He told EJ.

"That's right. I wanna have fun. It's not fair!" I pouted

"We can have fun too!" EJ rationalized.

"We can?" I asked.

EJ nodded. "Yes!"

"Ok. You can have as much fun as possible." I relented.

"EJ, go ahead and put the ball away so we can get ready to go." Ethan said to EJ.

EJ ran to put the ball away.

"Thanks for watching him when Brandon went to work." Ethan turned to me.

"You know it's not a problem. You know my schedule too. I can still watch him when you need me. I'll come over here if it makes you more comfortable." I offered.

"You don't have to do that. If I need you to babysit, your apartment is fine. I might need you these next few weeks." Ethan explained.

"Oh. Hectic at work?" I asked.

"Yes. Anthony, you met him, he is opening his own firm. Still in association of our firm, just smaller accounts only. It's the first time it's been done." Ethan explained.

"So is that a good or bad thing?"

"Neither. Just new. At least we don't have to worry about competition. We'll just kick back clients that are on a smaller scale to him. But we're still losing a partner. Anthony wanted me to go with him." Ethan said.

"And?"

He paused as he watched as EJ hopped back in the room. "Go ahead and put your shoes on."

He turned back to me."I thought about it. But I need the stability of where I'm at. Anthony can't offer me that. At least not right now."

I nodded, understandably.

"But what about Anthony's position?" I asked.

"That's what I'm doing this weekend. Having Anthony go over my portfolio. He's recommending me. As long as I help him get staffed." Ethan informed me.

I smiled. "You're up for partner? Ohmigosh, Ethan that's huge. Congratulations!"

"Yes and no. They may decide not to add another partner till they see how Anthony does."Ethan explained.

"Don't act like this is not a big deal. This is amazing. You work so hard. You completely deserve it."

"Thanks Lily. Guess that 'all work no play' worked out." He smiled.

I laughed. "I guess so."

Rocky arrived home. Ethan and I greeted her as she headed to the kitchen.

"C'mere little man!" Rocky called to EJ. EJ finished tying his shoes and rushed over to her.

"So what are you up to this weekend?" Ethan asked me.

"I don't know. Rocky, did Amber decide what she wanted to do?" I asked.

Rocky rolled her eyes as she gave EJ a hug. "No. And she's driving me nuts. She keeps on shooting everything down. I said a lounge, I think Gigi said a movie night. Amber wants something like an adult slumber party. But it would have to be here and I just don't have the energy to try to pull that together this fast."

I nodded. "Yeah but she never gets a break between her, her husband, and the kid's schedules. I hate that it's last minute, but I don't think she had much of a choice." I said.

Rocky shrugged.

"Amber's the one with the 2 daughters and one son?" Ethan asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. They're gonna be with her husband's parents."

"How about Winstar?" Ethan suggested.

"The casino in Oklahoma? I went when I first moved out to Dallas. Wasn't impresses." Rocky made a face. I've never been.

"That's why they did renovations. In fact, I know someone who helped with the renovations and the second hotel. Let me make a call and I'll get back to you today." Ethan told Rocky.

After Ethan and EJ left, I rushed home. Sammy's new boss's event was tonight, and I had to go home and get ready.

"Where have you been?!?" Sammy greeted me at the door.

"Rocky's. EJ needed a babysitter." I said, heading up the stairs.

"I already picked you out an outfit. Hurry up. Lamar and Patrick should be here in 30 minutes."Sammy snapped.

"Alright! You look great!"

And she did. She was wearing a pretty orange mini dress, with a lace covering and a modest neckline. Then I saw the back. It was completely out. Her hair had already grown out past her shoulders. She had it curled and pushed over one shoulder. Her make-up was dark and dramatic. Sexy gold stilettos and gold jewelry finished her look.

I glanced briefly at the dress Sammy laid out for me. It was a floral mini dress that I brought from Macy's with a v-neck, pleated waist, and a keyhole back. Nowhere near as sexy as Sammy's, but that was a good thing. I planned to be the crazy conservative, protective, best friend to interrogate Mr. Ron. I needed to look that part.

I hopped in the shower, careful not to get my hair wet. I hopped out, dried off, threw on my dress and white wedge sandals. I put on white gold hoops, and do my go-to quick make-up: liner, gold shimmer, pink lips. I gave my hair a quick brush, and headed down the stairs.

Lamar and Patrick are already here. They both looked handsome and sexy. Lamar was wearing dark denim jeans, a pressed white dress shirt and a cool navy blazer. Patrick wore white denim, a fitted white tee, and black graphic vest.

Sammy gave me a once over. "It'll do. Lets go!"

I have to work in the morning, so I opted to be designated driver. Patrick and Lamar had to work too, but they didn't have a boss constantly on their asses. I explained the situation as we drove.

"Maybe he has a hard on for you?" Patrick asked.

"No way. Wouldn't he be nice to me?" I rejected, as I navigated to the Quixotic World Theater in Dallas.

"Not necessarily. He's your boss. He knows it's inappropriate. Maybe that's why he so hard on you." Patrick explained.

"Makes sense to me." Lamar added.

"You should seduce him!" Sammy blurted.

"No! You're  crazy!" I exclaimed as they laughed.

They playfully debate it until we arrived at the venue. I tried not to be impressed, but as soon as we walked in, I was. The space itself has a whimsical feeling. The walls are dark, but the decorations and furniture are vibrant and colorful. It's like cabaret meets gypsy circus. My eyes feasted on the decor and soaked in the ambiance. The event was for a new artist's album release. His music was like Miguel meets The Weeknd. Sultry, urban, and soulful. His music was playing in the background but the stage was set up for a performance. The large bar was being tended by 6 women. They were all wearing black tube top dresses with bold yellow stripes down the sides. Sammy led us to the bar.

"Ron." Sammy called to an older gentleman. He was tall and looked distinguished in a black suit.

"Samantha. So glad you could make it." He said, charmingly.

"Wouldn't have missed it for anything. Lily, Lamar, Patrick, this is Ron Jackson. Ron, these are my friends." Sammy introduced us.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Jackson." Lamar said, as he shook his hand.

"Please. Ron is fine." Ron said. I reached to shake his hand. He kissed the back of my hand instead.

"Pleasure to meet you Lily."

"Thanks for having us, Mr. Jackson." I said, pulling my hand away. He just turned to Sammy.

"Did you find this place ok?"He asked.

"No problem at all. This place is fabulous." Sammy gushed.

"Good. We book a lot of events here. Glad you like it." Ron smiled.

"So how do you book jobs anyway?" I asked.

"Word of mouth. My girls are amazing, so we're constantly getting referrals. So glad to have Sammy part of the team." Ron said, gesturing to the bar. "Please, don't let me bore you with business talk. Grab a drink."

"Don't have to ask me twice." Patrick joked. We all smiled and got settled. Sammy on one side of Ron. Me on the other. Once Lamar and Patrick got their drinks, they headed off to explore.

"Thanks Ron." Sammy smiled at him.

"Business talk doesn't bore me. I'm always curious to how successful entreprenuers conduct their business." I said, while Sammy ordered a drink.

"It's simple really. Have a great product, treat your employees and customers fairly." He answered.

"That's so true. It's sad most businesses don't provide that." Sammy nodded.

"Don't be modest. My dad owns a few businesses. I know it takes more than that." I replied.

 When it's my turn to order a drink, I quiz the bartender on types of wines and wells. She is knowledgeable and polite. After she passed my quiz, I just ordered a glass of wine.

"Sammy didn't tell me you're a bartender too." Ron commented.

"I'm not." I said, taking a sip of my wine.

"She used to be. That's where we met. At Dave and Buster's." Sammy supplied.

"Where are you working now? Any chance of stealing you over?" Ron smiled at me. It didn't quite reach his eyes.

"No. I don't bartend anymore. Just bartended to get through grad school. I'm hopping Sammy does the same." I said, matter of factly.

"I didn't know you were in school Samantha." Ron said.

"I'm not." Sammy said quickly, before I could say anything, another guy joined us.

"Ladies, please excuse me. Business calls. Or Sammy would you like to join me? It's your business now too." Ron offered.

Sammy joined him and I went off to explore. I eventually found Lamar and Patrick sitting on oversized couches, jamming to the music. I joined them. I pulled out my phone and recorded a pan around the room for a snapchat. At the end, I aimed the phone at me and asked "Cabaret wedding?" I then sent it to Forrest.

Sammy joined us and we took a stroll around the venue. We took pictures and selfies and even got to meet the new artist.

By the end of the night, I didn't know how I felt about Sammy's new job. But I knew Sammy was sold. She excitedly chatted about it all the way home while posting pictures on her instagram and Facebook. I just hoped she would keep her Dave and Buster's job too. Even if just part time.

After we dropped Lamar and Patrick off, we went home. I checked my beeping phone
.
It was a new text.

Jake: That dress you wore tonight looked so sexy. Bet it would look better on my floor.

I giggled. I know it's a line. An old one at that, but I loved the attention.

Me: You think so?

Jake: I would know so if you came over

Me: Well I can't pass up proving you wrong

I waited for Sammy to leave before heading to Jake's apartment. While I did, I noticed Forrest responded to my snapchat.

Forrest: Maybe for the bachelor party. Set it up

I laughed as I packed an overnight bag.

I know the commute is gonna suck in the morning, but I figured bringing my work clothes is better than making another trip home in the morning.

I knocked on the door to Jake's apartment. He answered quickly. He looked so sexy in basketball shorts and a shirt. The smile on his face widened when he saw my overnight bag.

"What's this?" He said, taking the bag from me.

"Whips and handcuffs." I said, sarcastically, stepping into the apartment.

He set the bag down and unzipped it.

"Looks like work clothes."

"Oops, wrong bag."

"Poptarts? Really?" Jake smiled, holding up a package of poptarts.

"My breakfast." I answered.

He chuckled and walked over to me, looking me over slowly. "Yep. Sexy. Now let's see it on my floor."

"No. I haven't shown you how sexy I can be in it yet." I smiled, pushing him back to sit on his couch. I kneeled in front of him.

"Condom?" I asked, as I played with the waist band of his shorts.

"In my pocket."

I retrieved it from his pocket, before pulling his pants down. I grabbed him and moved my mouth to his penis. I kissed all over it before putting him in my mouth. He moaned when I swirled my tongue around the head. He grew larger and harder as I sucked him, deeper in my mouth. He stroked his hand on my face.

"Mirame Cariño." He said, roughly. I stopped, looking up at him, but keeping him in my mouth. "I wanna see you. Keep your eyes on me."

I moaned and complied, alternating between licking all over him, to sucking him down my throat, all while keeping eye contact. When I held him, stroking the base with my hand and sucking his head, he groaned. Hearing his sounds and the way he was looking at me were turning me on. I kept it up until he pulled my mouth away.

"Put the condom on me." Jake said, breathing heavily.

I ripped it open and slid it on him.

He pulled me up from my knees and laid me on the couch. He quickly positioned himself between my legs. Lifting my dress out the way, he pulled my panties aside, and rubbed on my clitoris.

"Jake!" I gasped.

"Wrap your legs around me." Jake muttered. I did, and he positioned himself to enter me. I cried out as he pushed inside me. At first, I tried to match his pace, grinding my pelvis into his. But soon, I couldn't keep up. He was going so fast and hard.  I just held on to him, enjoying him as he was thrusting wildly into me. After a few minutes, he was coming.

"That's it old man?" I grinned at him, when he caught his breath. He laughed, burying his head into my hair.

I squealed when he lifted me up.

"Nope. I still need to see that dress on my floor." He replied, carrying me to his room.



This morning, I woke up extra early. Jake kept me up late, proving to me how young and vital he still was. We teased each other a lot, but quite frankly, I think I handle him well. And the same is true vice versa. And not just in bed. We get along great.

I crept out of Jake's bed and made a quick breakfast for us. I tried to sneak in poptarts and was going to leave them as a joke. But Jake already saw them. I made bacon, eggs, and toast, As I cooked , I thought about Jake and I. We needed to have 'the talk'. But I didn't wanna make it weird or too much pressure. I just needed to know how he felt. I then decided to write Jake a note.

It read:

After research, I have concluded that the whole staying over/breakfast only applies if the persons actually care about each other. So, enjoy. But only if you care about me too. If not, throw it away. And help yourself to a poptart. 

I then went to Jake's room and got dressed. He was still sleeping when I was done

"Jake." I said softly, rubbing his thick hair. He groaned, but started to stir.

"Hey. I gotta go to work. Come lock up." I said.

He sat up and followed me out the room.

"You cooked?" He said, sleepily,  genuinely surprised.

"I did...but don't eat til you read this." I explained, handing him the note.

He looked confused. Then worried. "Lily, just talk to me. We can be honest with each other right? Just tell me."

I leaned in and kissed him on the mouth. "Just read it babe."

He relaxed. "That's the first nice thing you've ever called me."

I smiled too. "Remember that while you read the note."

I left and headed to work. I heard my phone beep, but I didn't answer it. I really wanted to, but texting and driving was dumb enough. In Dallas, texting during rush hour traffic was just suicidal. Yeah, I said it. Dallas drivers, you cannot drive!!!

When I got to work, I sat in my car and checked my phone. My heart thumped when I saw it was from Jake.

I opened the text. It was a picture of the empty plate of food I left for him. The Poptarts sat there unopened. The text read:

Jake: I ate and enjoyed every bite sweetheart. Next time, I'll cook for you.

I couldn't erase the grin off my face.

Sleeping With a Friend

Sleeping with a Friend- Neon Trees

This morning as I rushed around my apartment to get ready for work, I heard my phone beep. I raced to it, thinking maybe it was Jake. I just left his apartment. Maybe I forgot something...

I was disappointed when I saw it was a new text from an unknown number.

Unknown: Hey pretty lady.

Me: Hey... who is this?

After I responded, I put my phone back on my charger. I had no idea when I received the text. My phone died sometime Tuesday evening, but I was too busy to worry about it.

I grabbed my phone when leaving for work and saw I had another message.

Unknown: Your future boyfriend.

Creepy. I ignored it for the moment.

I went to work with a smile on my face. After Saturday night, I still have no idea where Jake and I are headed. I don't even know if Saturday night would be classified as a date. But I enjoyed it. And the new me wasn't stressing about it. If something more happened, it happened. We'll cross that bridge when we get there.

"Hey!" Jordan called from the nurse's station before I headed to the training center.

"Good morning." I smiled, cheerfully.

"What are you so happy about?" Jordan asked, smiling back at me.

"Umm, maybe because it's halfway through the week." I replied.

She looked at me skeptically. "Still got a whole half to go."

"Yeah, but I'm a glass half full type of girl." I explained.

"Since when?"

"Right now."

"Sure...Corey said he tried to text you last night." Jordan said, smiling.

"Ah-ha! I had an unknown number text this morning. My phone died on me last night. When I asked him who he was, he said my future boyfriend." I explained.

"Sounds like Corey." Jordan laughed. "Make sure you text him back. I was telling him about you. He's excited to meet you."

Hmmm, that made me think about Jake. I would normally ask my friends opinions, but I know I need to make up my own mind about him. Besides, I promised him I would.

The only thing Jake and I talked about was getting to know each other. Jake already informed me the more he got to know a girl, the less he liked her. So maybe he would eventually feel the same about me. But still, I thought about how I would feel if the situation was reversed. The thought of him dating someone else didn't sit too well with me.

 So I guess I answered my own question. I couldn't see us in a relationship yet, but I could see us heading in that direction. I just needed to talk to Jake to see if he felt the same way. And maybe he already did. I know he said he wanted me to be his in Spanish. I don't know if he really meant it, or if it was just a line.

"Will do. In fact, Sammy is dragging me to this party Thursday. Bring Corey and your boyfriend" I told Jordan.

"Um, doubtful. Too short of notice. I'll let you know" Jordan replied.

Hmmm, just like I thought. I knew as soon as I brought up her boyfriend she would leave it alone. So shady. But at least that should buy me some time to talk with Jake.

I nodded and went in to the training room.

My first appointment wasn't until 10am, but I came in early to get in a work out. I had been eating out and drinking a lot recently, so I needed to balance it out with a couple more workouts.

I was contemplating what I should text back to Corey. Even if Jake wasn't in 'relationship' mode like I am, I know that I can't give any other guy the attention they deserve with Jake occupying my mind. And bed.

I smiled to myself as I thought about Saturday night with him. I was so glad Sammy spent the night with Phillip, because neither I nor Jake was thinking about her when we got to my apartment. As soon as the front door was closed and locked, we were all over each other. We shared a hot, hungry kiss that left no question to what we were about to do.

His hands gripped my waist, as he backed me to the stairs. I broke the kiss, to lead us up the stairs to my room.

As soon as we got in the room, he stripped out of his clothes. His sexy tan skin covering his muscular, cut body was making me wet just looking at him. He pulled me back to him after he stepped out of his jeans. I loved how he made me feel when he held me in his strong arms. I felt small and precious; two things I never considered myself. Not even as a kid.

He then cradled my face in his hands, and kissed me. When he used his tongue to show me what he was going to do to my body, he made me feel fucking sexy too.

Maybe like Sammy said, I was just appreciating his vast experience with girls. But in that moment, all I knew was that I wanted Jake. And I felt no shame, guilt or doubt about it.

I pulled back to remove my clothes. My pants and halter were on the floor moments later. I'm not 100% comfortable with my naked body. But with the way Jake looked at me, I was getting there.

"Don't." He commanded, when I reached to pull off my bra. He moved his hand to my hair and undid my braid. He ran his fingers through my hair as he looked me over in just my black bra and purple panties. I blushed. If I would've know this was gonna happen, I would have picked out one on my Victoria's Secret sets I brought. They sat in my drawer, majority of them never worn.

"Now take it off."

I quickly complied. When my bra was off and on the floor, he clarified, "Everything."

I pulled down and kicked off my panties.

He looked me over. "You're so beautiful." He said, huskily.

Heat spread all over my body. I wrapped my arms around his neck and brought him down for another kiss. During our kiss, he pressed his body against me. I felt his erection, hard and throbbing. It was such a turn on knowing I affected him like that.

He pulled away and laid me on the bed. He retrieved a condom from his pant pocket before joining me. He kissed me on the lips, before moving his mouth to my breast. He kissed all over, before he sucked my nipple. He gave my other breast the same affection. I moaned as he kissed and sucked on me. My need for him was growing with every touch. My moan turned to a groan when he moved away from my breast, and kissed down my stomach.

"Jake, please. I want you." I said, desperately. I normally love foreplay and the anticipation, but I was all out of patience. My body was aching for him.

He grinned up at me. "I know. Let me get you ready for me, little girl."

He spread my legs, before sliding his fingers inside me. I moaned as his fingers stroked me, deliciously. I propped up on my elbows to watch his skilled fingers dip inside me. When our eyes met, he pulled his fingers all the way out, before pushing them back inside of me.

"Ohhh God!" I cried out, gripping the sheets on my bed, as he continued to stroke me with his fingers.

"Jake, please." I sputtered, barely catching my breath.

He continued for a few more moments. He finally pulled his fingers out and licked them, one at a time. My stomach clenched, hard. I don't think I had ever been this turned on before. I was dying for release.

He pulled me up and sat down beside me, leaning against the headboard. He slid on the condom, and pulled me in his lap.

"Jake...it's been awhile. I might be really bad at this. Unless it's like riding a bike." I joked, anxiously. I knew I was trying to hide my insecurities with a joke. The same experience that I appreciated earlier tonight was filling me with dread. How could I measure up with the other girls he has been with? Girls like Sammy? There's no way.

He chuckled. "We're about to find out." He kissed me as he guided himself into me.

"Mmmmm..."

"Ohhhh!"

We moaned together, breaking the kiss as I sank down on him. I rested my head on his shoulder, as he rubbed my back, causing shivers up and down my spine. I gasped as my body adjusted to him. His lips found mine and he kissed me, again, as he filled and stretched me. It felt amazing when he was all the way inside of me. My hips started to rock, wanting more, and taking him deeper. He matched my movements, thrusting up into me. We rocked into each other, the passion building between us.

"Ahhh...." I groaned, returning my head to his shoulder. He used both hands to hold my butt. He guided my hips so that my clitoris grinded into his pelvis.

"Jake!!!" I gasped, the passion climaxing as my hips moved frantically against him.

"Justo ahi, Cariño, esta perfecto." Jake moaned. "I knew it sweetheart. There's no way you could be bad at this." He whispered, breathlessly in my ear.

His words brought me over the edge as my climax tore through my body. I rode him faster as I came. I felt him tense up too.

"That's it Cariño. Come." He growled, grabbing me with both hands, thrusting up into me harder. A few moments later, he came too.

"Better than riding a bike? " He breathed in my hair.

I laughed, panting and nodded my head.

We held each other, catching our breath, before he slipped out. He sat me aside on the bed and removed the condom. He went to the bathroom to get rid of it. I stumbled to my drawer to put on a tank top and shorts. Jake came out the bathroom and joined me.

"Oh. So you do have matching bra and panties sets..." He teased me, with a grin.

"Shut up." I elbowed him. I was hoping he didn't notice. No such luck.

He pulled out a pair of blue lacy boyshorts with a green trim and the matching bra.

"Green is my favorite color, but I know blue is yours. Save these for next time." Jake said.

"Who said there's gonna be a next time?" I asked.

His answer was another intoxicating kiss.



The next time ended up being Tuesday evening. We had been texting throughout the day since it was my off day. Since I had snapchat now, I sent him a picture of me in my new purchase: a green skirted thong with a black bow on the crotch. I sent him a full body shot so he could see the matching green bra underneath the open black silk robe I was wearing. I set it for 5 seconds.

He responded: Fuck Snapchat!

I laughed and he told me he was going to stop by after work to see me. I knew Sammy opened at work, so there was a chance she would come home. I told him I'd rather meet at his place. He sent me the address to his apartment and told me to be there at 4:30.

I took my time and didn't get there till a little before 6pm. I paid for it, the rest of the night. He made me beg for everything I wanted. My pride went out the window after the first half hour. I hate losing, but this was one of the few times I was a good sport about it



 I checked my emails, social media, and voicemails while I was on the treadmill to keep my thoughts PG. Afterwards, I decided to text Corey back.

Me: So after some detective work, I know this is Corey and not some random creeper : -) Sorry it took so long to text you back. Super busy week. Your number is officially saved in my phone.

Amber also sent an invite on Facebook. It read:

Girls weekend!!! Not sure where, who, what, when, but the why is cause my kids are with their Grandparents! Ladies, send me your thoughts! NO BOYS ALLOWED!

The invitees included me, Sammy, Rocky, Jackie, her best friend Gigi, and her cousin Heather.

I replied:

Me: I'm down for whatever!!! Can we include Peyton and Becca too?

Amber didn't have them listed on the invites, which made sense. She only knew Peyton through Rocky. She knew Rocky through me. I really had no desire to hang with Becca, but since it was important to Trevor, I figured I might as well try.

Jake and Corey texted me while I was on the phone.

Jake: Starving...didn't get any food for breakfast.

Corey: I thought random creeper was more original than hey, this is Corey ;-)

I responded to Jake's text.

Me: So why didn't you make yourself something?

Jake: I keep forgetting you're new to this. Because you spent the night, you should've made me breakfast.

Me: LOL is that right?

Jake: Yeah, that's how it works.

Me: I don't recall you making me breakfast.

Jake: Technically, I bought you breakfast before ;-)

Me: I'm so sorry. Now that I'm aware of the rules, what are you favorite kind of Poptarts?

Jake: I'm not a big sweets for breakfast kinda guy

Me: So dry toast?

Jake: That's a start. Add to the order some eggs, a side of bacon and fresh squeezed orange juice to wash it all down, and it's perfect.

Me: So that's an order of 'hell no', with a side of 'bitch please' and wash it all down with freshly squeezed  'I ain't yo momma?'

Jake: LOL. I'll just call you my little Mama

I literally laughed out loud. I told him about the guy's pickup lines at IHOP. I asked Jake about nice ways to put guys down. He claimed he never had any experience with a girl putting him down. After I laughed at him, he told me to be nice but direct. But if a guy is overly aggressive, just lie and say I have a boyfriend.

When a couple of people looked at me when I laughed, I smiled, apologetically and turned off the treadmill. I hurried to the locker room to shower and change before my first appointment of the day. I texted Jake back first though.

Me: You could, but I don't think my boyfriend would like that...

Jake: So this is what rejection feels like...

Me: Get used to it. I think your looks are fading... ttyl old man.

Jake: Lies! See you later little girl.

I put my phone away and went to work.


***Updated Character Guide***

Arabian Nights

Arabian Nights (Aladdin)- Bruce Adler

I arrived at the IHOP by my apartment before him. He said to give him 15 minutes and he'll meet me there. I went ahead and went in to wait for him. It was pretty crowded with the late night club/bar hopping crowd like myself but I was seated right away. I ordered water and told the waitress I was waiting for someone.

"Hey little Mama! Why don't you come over here and join us?"

At first, I didn't even realize this guy was addressing me. But when I looked up, I saw the young guy that spoke was looking at me. He was with 3 other guys.

"I'm not. Alone, I mean. I'm waiting for someone. Thanks though." I said, politely.

He got up and headed to my table. His friends snickered at him.

"I don't mind keeping you company till they get here." He said, sitting in the chair across from me. "You look way too good to be sitting alone. You got a man?" He said, looking me over slowly. He stared at my chest.

"No. Not at the moment." I flushed at his unwelcome stare.

"That don't make no kinda sense. But it works for me." He grinned. "You look like you should be giving me a belly dance." He continued, looking me over. I was regretting my outfit choice.

Before I could even think of a nice way to turn him down, I saw Jake enter the restaurant. I met his eye. He looked confused for a moment, but I sent him my most desperate help me expression.

He walked over and sat in the chair right next to me. Before I could say anything, he grabbed my chin, tilted my face up and kissed me, deeply. It sent sparks from my lips straight down to my core. God, why do his kisses do this to me? Even when he pulled back, I kept my eyes closed, savoring the way his lips felt on mine. I finally opened my eyes, curious to see if our kiss has the same effect on him. But he was not even looking at me. He was staring down the guy across from us.

"Thanks for keeping my girl company. I was running a little late." Jake said, friendly.

The guy ignored him and addressed me. " I thought you didn't have a man."

"I don't at the moment. He's working on it." I said, looking at Jake.

"You mind excusing us so I can get to work?" He asked the guy, but kept his eyes glued to me. I smiled, before I watched as the guy got up and went back to his laughing friends.

"Thanks." I said, gratefully.

"Anytime." He replied, picking up his menu.

"So what is this? What are we doing?" I asked Jake, after we order our food.

"A friendly hangout."

"That kiss didn't feel friendly to me." I muttered.

"I don't remember. Come here." He said. I giggled, as he tried to pull me to him. I stopped him though.

"I don't know what to tell my friends about us." I said.

"Why don't we figure that out for ourselves? Before trying to explain it." Jake asked.

"Rocky and Sammy already know." I told him.

When he sighed, I explained. "I had to run it by Sammy. She's my roommate. I don't want any drama. And Rocky figured it out. Apparently, we were pretty obvious Sunday."

"Ok...do you think you can just get to know me? And not by what they think they know about me?" He asked.

I nodded, thinking about how Sammy said I let other people's feelings dictate my life.

"Deal."

I asked him about his day. He said he just chilled and did a whole lot of nothing. He was relaxing cause he knew next weekend would be busy. He was talking EJ to Hurricane Harbor and the Rangers game. He and some of his friends went to see Transformers. They were hanging at the movie cinema bar when I texted him.

I told him all about my day as well. And how I hung out with Rocky and Trevor.

"How did y'all all meet? I know in college, but how?" Jake asked me.

"Rocky and Trevor had a study group together. So they were already familiar. I met Trevor at the dining hall. You already know how my dad was about food, so we never had cereal for breakfast. So I was in like, cereal heaven on my meal plan. You have no idea" I smiled.

"Have you seen Forgetting Sarah Marshall?" Jake smiled at me.

I already knew where he was going with that."Yes. I didn't have a huge cereal bowl! I just mixed different cereals together. Like raisin brain and cocoa puffs." I explained.

"Ewww, that sounds disgusting." Jake laughed.

"Whatever. Not the point. Anyway, Trevor noticed it and made fun of me. I didn't know his personality at all, so I was like "why is he picking on me?" Eventually, Rocky told him to shut the hell up. And we've been friends ever since." I explained.

"That sounds like Rocky." Jake said. "That's really cool that y'all been friends for so long."

"Yep. There like my family." I stated. "Too much like my family..." I shuddered, thinking of how Trevor's been acting lately. Normally it was Rocky on my case. Now it was like they were playing good cop, bad cop.

"What is he on your case about?" He asked, after I explained how I felt sometimes.

"Mostly just my relationships. Like with Forrest or with Ethan." I said.

"I understand that. I do the same for my sisters. "

"Ok, Forrest, I understand. But I'm not a homewrecker!"

"Homewrecker? Who says that?" Jake smiled.

"I know right? But anyway, I'm not. So I would never cross that line with Forrest. But what about my relationship with Ethan was just soooo bad?"

"Well you wanted more and he didn't-"

"Yes he did. He wanted me to be his girlfriend.  I decided to move to California, so I didn't want a relationship at the time."

"Ok..." Jake said, thoughtfully. "So why did you move? Why didn't y'all keep in touch? Why aren't y'all together right now?" Jake fired off.

I frowned, not wanting to get into all that. I was still wrapping my brain around it.

"Exactly. It's not supposed to be that complicated." Jake answered, simply.

"Whatever."

Jake just smiled at me. Urgh, I can't even pretend to be irritated with him when he smiles. That dimple is my kryptonite.

After we ate, we stood up to walk to the front and pay.

"Now I see why that guy was trying so hard." Jake said, as he followed me to the front. "You look good enough to eat." He whispered, leaning in close to my ear. He rested his hand on the small of my back while we waited for the hostess.

I blushed but smiled. I was so glad I picked this outfit out now. Any unwanted attention was definitely worth the way Jake was looking at me. He paid the bill then walked me to my car.

"So..." I started, turning to face him.

"Soo...." he repeated.

"Thanks for hanging out with me buddy." I smiled.

He shook his head, but grinned. "Anytime pal."

I went in for a hug, but when I tried to pull back, he kept me pulled tight close to his body. I looked up at him and we both leaned in for a kiss. Our lips locked, and the kiss was as powerful as the one he gave me inside. We stood there, embracing, for a good minute.

"Quiero que seas mía." He whispered against my lips when we finally pulled away from each other.

"What was that?" I grinned.

"Spend the night with me." He lied.

I pretended to think about it.

"My place is closer... spend the night with me."

Friend Like Me

Friend Like Me (Aladdin)- Robin Williams


"Sorry I'm late you guys." I said, as I sat down at the table with Rocky and Trevor. Trevor, Rocky and I haven't been out together, just the three of us, in forever. Trevor brought it up when we talked last. I blamed it on their significant others. So Trevor remedied the situation by inviting us out to lunch on Saturday. I was still trying to explore the city of Addison, so we went to BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse. It's amazing the amount of restaurants I haven't been to in Dallas. I probably eat out too much, but I feel like I have to try every restaurant at least once.

Derek called me as I was getting back from grocery shopping. I was on call this weekend. He told me my patient that had ankle surgery was experiencing swelling and discomfort and was concerned. I met my patient at the clinic, and took care of him before meeting up with Trevor and Rocky. 30 minutes late.

"That's ok. Got caught up with your girlfriend?" Trevor joked with me over the table.

"Shut up Trevor. Or you're gonna be wearing that beer." I threatened, picking up my menu.

"See, this is why I don't hang out with y'all, just the three of us. I always end up babysitting." Rocky complained, rolling her eyes. But she smiled, so it's all in good fun.

We were having fun, studying the menu, and catching up when my phone rang. I normally would ignore it but I was on call. When I picked it up, I was glad to see it was just Forrest.

"Hey, wuz up?" I answered, smiling. And ignoring Trevor's disapproving look.

"I have your pictures... and I'm in your neck of the woods." He said.

"Awesome. Let me give you the address."

"Forrest is gonna drop by." I said, when I got off the phone.

"Forrest? Is that one of your gay neighbors?" Trevor asked.

"No! That's Patrick and Lamar. I met Forrest through work. He invited me to the mud run." I explained.

The waitress came to take our order.

"Can we just get appetizers for now? Forrest might have time to join us."

They agreed and we ordered the appetizer combo that came with Spinach and Artichoke Dip, Mozzarella Sticks, Avocado Egg Rolls and Santa Fe Spring Rolls. Trevor ordered us another round of beer too. I was drinking their Berry Burst Cider and Trevor tried Piranha Pale Ale. Rocky wasn't in the mood for beer, so she stuck with their handcrafted black cherry soda.

The drinks arrived the same time Forrest showed up. I stood up to hug and greet him, before introducing him to Rocky and Trevor.

"Rocky is Brandon's girlfriend that didn't want to pay to play in mud. Trevor's the one that wanted to pay to see me fall face first in the mud." I explained to Forrest as we sat down.

He smiled at Rocky. "I understand. That's how the dinner afterwards came about. For people who want to donate and participate without the mud. Next year, make sure you come to that." He then handed Trevor a large envelope. "And these are almost as good as being there. Thank y'all both for the donations." He finished.

While Trevor and Rocky looked through the pictures, I turned to Forrest.

"Hungry?" I asked, offering him my menu.

"Always can eat. It's a constant struggle." He said, taking the menu from me. I laughed at that.

My phone beeped indicating a text. It was Derek. Checking up on the patient.

"Put your phone up!" Trevor said.

"Eat me. I'm on call." I replied.

"That's Jordan's job." Trevor joked.

Forrest choked on the beer he just ordered.

"Please excuse them. They have no home training." Rocky apologized.

"That was just my boss. I don't need to give him a reason to lecture me again." I said, putting away my phone.

"No problem." Forrest said.

"Is your boss giving you a hard time?" Rocky asked.

"Nothing I can't handle. " I said.

"You sure?" Trevor added.

"Yes. Geez guys, chill out." I smiled.

 The waitress came back with the appetizers and we ordered our food. As we snacked, I told them about the patient I just took care of.

"It was just swelling. But he freaked himself out reading all the aftercare paperwork. He thought he had an infection and he was going to need his foot amputated or something." I exaggerated.

They laughed. "Is he still icing it?" Forrest asked.

"Yeah, and taking anti-inflammatories. But I bet you when he's resting, it's not elevated." I guessed.

"Yeah, that's why I love the cryo cuffs. Cold and compression. And it's easier to rest elevated with it than a bag of ice. It helps the swelling tremendously." Forrest said.

"Ohmigosh. That's an amazing idea. He can take it home." I pulled out my phone to texted Derek the idea. "You're scoring me major brownie points with Derek. I knew there was a reason I kept you around." I grinned at Forrest.

"I'll keep being useful then." He winked at me.

"Are you a therapist too?" Trevor asked him.

"No. I'm an athletic trainer at a high school. One of Lily's patient is a student."

"So he introduced you two?" Trevor asked.

"Kinda. Lily sent me a really nasty, bossy note. Telling me to back off and that Darren was her patient." Forrest grinned.

"And that just made you think, my type of girl?" Trevor laughed.

"Exactly." Forrest laughed too.

"I didn't send it. Derek did!!!" I finally admitted. "Now you see why I wanna stay on his good side."

"Just let me know. I can round up a posse for you to straighten him out." Forrest joked.

"That's how y'all get down in Fort Worth?" I laughed.

"They don't call it funky town for nothin' " Forrest laughed.

"I thought it was called that because of the smell." Trevor joked.

"Have you and your fiancee set a date?" Rocky asked Forrest.

"She's still looking at locations. But sometime next summer." Forrest answered.

"You're engaged? Congratulations." Trevor said.

"Thanks" When Forrest looked down to eat a spring roll, Trevor sent me a hard glare. I ignored him.

"How and when did you propose?" Rocky asked.

"Geez Rocky. Can he eat?" I asked her.

"Me and my boyfriend live together. I'm constantly thinking about the next step. I just want a guy's perspective of when he was ready to take that step." Rocky explained, ignoring me.

"It's ok. My fiancee's family is real old fashioned, so living together wasn't an option. But we dated off and on through college. We actually didn't start dating again till a year ago. We got back together at my buddy's Memorial Day BBQ. When we started dating, I knew that I was ready to take that next step. It just felt right to propose at this year's Memorial Day BBQ." Forrest explained.

"Y'all need a whole year to plan? Red, white and blue are the wedding colors and serve BBQ." Trevor said.

Forrest laughed. "I thought the same thing. I figured we'd spend 6 months celebrating being engaged. Then 6 months planning. Didn't work out like that."

Me and Rocky laughed. "And just fyi, no one does wedding colors anymore. It's outdated. It's color palettes. Ours is going to be neutral palette." Forrest added.

"What does that even mean?" Trevor smiled. I noticed his smile was a little tight.

"Don't ask me. I said navy and white and got chased out the room." Forrest grinned.

We all laughed.

"It's different tones of beige. Understated, but really elegant." Rocky explained. Something in her tone made me stare at her. There was a... yearning, I guess would be the best word, quality in her voice. It took me by surprise.

"That sounds expensive." Trevor commented.

"Well, her parents are really old fashioned. So they're paying for it. Trade off is I have no opinion. Goes back to the golden rule. He who has the gold makes the rules." Forrest said.

I laughed. "You did not just quote Jafar from Aladdin."

Forrest grinned. "If I did, you knew where it was from."

"I'm sure that was around before Aladdin." Rocky cut in.

"Shut up Rocky. That's the first time I heard it!" I smiled.

"Maybe you should try picking up a book sometime Lily. Instead of watching Disney movies." Trevor laughed.

"Whatever. I still watch the classics to this day." I stuck my tongue out at Trevor.

"I can tell. Real mature." Rocky said.

"I still watch Disney movies. I still learn life lessons. I just always related to them." Forrest said.

"Me too. Maybe it was the parents being out the picture." I suggested, looking at Forrest.

"Definitely." He agreed.

When the food came out, Trevor clapped. "Thank you. Now we can move on from the morbid topic of dead parents."

Forrest and I laughed. Rocky ordered Parmesan Crusted Chicken that came with white cheddar mashed potatoes and broccoli. Trevor order a Roast Beef Dip Sandwich with French fries. Forrest and I chose deep dish pizzas. He got the BJ classic, the toppings included meatballs, pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms, green bell peppers, black olives, onions and tomatoes. I got the Great White, that had chicken, alfredo sauce, mushrooms, garlic, Parmesan cheese and tomatoes.

I split my pizza to share with Forrest.

"Thanks Lily. I would love some pizza too." Trevor said.

"Hell no. Forrest and I collaborated on our meal." I explained, as Forrest split his pizza with me.

"Well I wanna collaborate too." Trevor announced.

"Too late. You gotta do it when you order. I don't want any roast beef sandwich. I could get that at Quiznos" I informed him.

"Help yourself to some of mine." Forrest offered.

"No Forrest. You're making me look bad." I exclaimed.

Rocky laughed. "You are hogging a whole pizza Lily. Kinda looking bad all on your own."

"Don't let your former fat kid come out." Forrest smiled at me.

"Fine." I grumbled. I took a slice of pizza and ate off all the mushrooms. When Forrest gave me a look, I said, "he doesn't even eat mushrooms."

Forrest chuckled and I handed the pizza over to Trevor.

"Thanks Lily." He said, with a half grin.

"Whatever. Gimme some fries. With au jus dip!"



After we ate, Forrest and Trevor argued over who was paying. Forrest won when he pointed out that he crashed our lunch. Trevor just agreed to buy us drinks when we all went out tonight. I said goodbye to Forrest and headed to my car with a doggy bag of half my pizza. I blamed the appetizers and beer as to why I couldn't finish.

 Trevor followed me to my car.

"Lily, What are you doing? That dude is practically married." Trevor asked me.

"We're not allowed to be friends because he's engaged?" I huffed.

"l thought y'all were dating. Hell, I would still be thinking that if Rocky didn't bring up his fiancee." Trevor exclaimed.

"But they're not Trevor. So calm down." Rocky butted in. "Lily is not dumb. She knows not to get involved with him. Can we go now please?"

"Fine. I'm gonna go pick up Becca. Meet y'all later." Trevor said, before he left. Rocky followed him. I climbed in my car and took off.



I went back to my apartment and got ready to go out. I showered and got dressed. When we moved in, Sammy gave me clothes that didn't fit her. One of them were gold swirl patterned harem pants. When I first saw them, I was waiting for a chance to get rid of them. I was inspired to wear them tonight. I paired them with a slinky white halter that exposed some cleavage and my midriff. I put on gold and white bangles and white ankle booties. Booties and boots were the only shoes with a heel I could walk in.

I spent 35 minutes on YouTube to braid my hair back in a fishtail braid. The end result was not bad. A few strands fell out, so I used them to frame my face. My make up featured dramatic lashes, black liner and soft pink lips. Satisfied with my finished look, I stood in the mirror in the den. I snapped a picture of myself. Then I texted it to Forrest and wrote:

Me: A whole new world

I captioned the photo, hoping he would get and appreciate my look that was inspired by Princess Jasmine.

He texted me back, immediately.

Forrest: A new fantastic point of view

I smiled as I recognized the next lyrics from the song "A Whole New World." I received another text.

Forrest: What are you up to tonight?

Me: Just hanging out with friends at a lounge in Dallas. No mechanical bulls, but should be fun if you wanna hang.

Forrest: That's Cool. Do you have snapchat?

Me: I don't. Should I?

Forrest: all the cool kids have it.

Me: Key word: Kids. I don't have parents to hide from.

He didn't respond before I left to head to Rocky's house.


"Oooo Lily, don't you look sexy!!!" Rocky said, as I walked into their house.

"So do y'all." I smiled at Rocky and Brandon. Rocky was wearing a blue sheer blouse and a black bandage skirt. Brandon wore dark denim blue jeans and a short sleeved, black military inspired button down.

I accepted a glass of wine from Rocky. I was designated driver for the night, so that one, plus one drink at the lounge, was all I was doing.

"Is it just us tonight?" I asked Rocky and Brandon.

"Yes. Trevor, Peyton and their crew is meeting us up there." Rocky answered.

"You didn't invite any of your friends Brandon? " I asked, casually.

"You mean Ethan? You know he's not a going out kinda guy." Brandon answered, just as nonchalantly. Ass. He knew I was talking about Jake.

"I know. I meant in general. "

"No. Did you invite any of your new friends?" Brandon asked me.

"No." I turned to Rocky. "Thanks so much for getting Trevor off my back earlier. I don't know what his problem is." I changed the subject.

"Don't mention it. Besides, he doesn't know you're hooking up with Jake." Rocky said, sipping her wine.

I almost spat out my wine. I swallowed and turned to Brandon. "Fuck Brandon. Did you tell her about freak dancing on that girl at the bar too!?!" I snapped.

"No, Fuck you Lily. I didn't tell her shit!!!" Brandon exclaimed.

I turned to Rocky.

She looked amused. "He didn't. You and Brandon just confirmed my suspicions. None of y'all are slick. You were sneaking glances at Jake the whole time like you were afraid he was going to disappear. And Jake looked like someone kicked his puppy when you left Sunday."

Awwww, really?

I was temporarily thrilled till I realized Rocky was studying my reaction.

"Not that it matters, but what do you think about it?" I asked.

"I don't think anything. Anyone is better than going back and forth with Ethan. Or spending too much time with Forrest. I don't appreciate y'all making deals behind my back." She paused to give Brandon a look. "But I'm sure y'all realize now not to try it again."

"I want nothing to do with this drama." Brandon announced, looking over at me when he said "drama".

"You've said that before." Rocky stated.

"I mean it this time. I'm outta it." He replied, before leaving the room.

"So how does Sammy feel about this?" Rocky asked.

"Not even an issue" I said.

"Really?"

"Yeah, really. We don't live by archaic society rules." I explained.

"Alrighty then." Rocky dragged out. I knew she wasn't convinced.

I composed a text to Ethan. Brandon had made me feeling guilty for thinking about Jake, and not Ethan.

Me: Hey, any plans tonight? I get to watch others build their alcohol tolerance before I drive them home.

"And by the way, Brandon wasn't really freak dancing. More like, he got sexually assaulted by some drunk girl." I explained, as I sent the text to Ethan.

"Don't try to clean it up now. I'll deal with him accordingly." Rocky said.

-----------------------------

At the lounge, Rocky dealing with Brandon consisted of freezing him out. I felt bad as I watched her give him short responses, refused to dance with him, and chatted up other guys when he left to get them drinks. But during the course of the night, Rocky must have forgave him. Cause they were cuddled up in a booth, making out and groping each other.

I sat down with them and pulled out my phone.While I was downloading snapchat, Ethan finally responded.

Ethan: I'm actually getting some work done. Get home safe tonight.

Me: All work and no play...

"You and that phone..." Trevor said, throwing his arm around me, as he slid in the booth with me.

"Better than watching that." I motioned to Rocky and Brandon, before I put my phone away.

"Then come join us." Trevor said.

"That's ok." I said. Becca and Peyton and their friends were loud and rowdy and drinkers. Not fun to be around if you're not drinking. Plus, Becca's best friend Mallory gave me a weird feeling when she sized me up. Maybe it was my outfit...

"Do you have a problem with Becca?" Trevor asked me.

"No. I don't even know her." I said, surprised.

"And you haven't made an attempt to. I made more of an attempt to get to know Forrest when I thought y'all we're dating." Trevor pointed out.

"Damn Trevor. Alright. We'll join y'all." Rocky said, coming up for air.

We abandoned the booth to join them standing at the bar. We hung out with Becca;s friends, who, for the most part, were cool. I watched everyone drink and tried to keep up with conversations. Peyton's boyfriend Chris and Trevor are designated driver as well, so we formed our own sober crew.

Finally, the end of the night came. I drove Brandon and Rocky home. I checked my phone in the driveway. No new messages. I sent another text.

Me: Are you still up?

I got a call back immediately.

"Hey. Why didn't you come out?" I said, instead of hello.

"Did you invite me?" He chuckled.

"Since when do you need a formal invitation to hang out with a friend?" I responded.

"So friend, do you wanna hang out?" He asked.

"When?" I smiled.

"Right now."

"Ok."



Who did Lily text?!?! 25 comments of who y'all think it is(and/or who you want it to be) and I'll post a mini bonus revealing who it is!

Author's Note: Character guide

Hey Everyone! I just realized that some comments have been going to spam. Sorry about that. I'm going to make a point of checking it from now on.

One of the comments was concerning who would "play" Karen as far as looks go. Do we still care to take a vote? Do y'all want minor characters to have an actors/actresses?

If we do, I can make polls and take suggestions for new characters from now on. For example, Corey (The guy Jordan supposed to be setting Lily up with.) Any feedback? If not, I have no problem picking ;-)

Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe

Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe- Kendrick Lamar

"Bitch, don't leave me hanging!" Sammy laughed, holding out her fist. I reached out and fist pounded her.

"Wait...you're not mad?" I asked, completely thrown off. I honestly thought she was going to punch me!

"Of course not! I'm a proud mommy right now. We''ve been living together for 2 weeks and you've already learned from me!" Sammy started. "Moving on from Ethan, with one of his friends. Classic move. Two guys, one stone!"

"Pretty sure it's two birds..." I corrected. I was playing along with her. Inside, I was kinda disgusted with myself. That wasn't my intention. It had always registered to me how attractive Jake is, but I have to admit, I've never been attracted to him until things ended with Ethan. Was I subconsciously trying to get back at Ethan? Is that what Jake thought?

"Whatever. In the words of Left Eye, 'if your man starts actin' up, switch and take his friend'" Sammy sang.

I forced a laugh and shook my head.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just surprised by your reaction. That's all." I shrugged.

"You gotta realize, you're not living with Rocky. I don't live by old fashioned rules of life."

"Then what rules do you live by?" I asked.

"None! I swear, Lily. That's one thing I never really liked or understood about you. You let everyone's opinions rule your life. Life is too short to let people have that type of power over you. Do you!"

I smiled. "Ok."

"Obviously, we have the same taste in guys. So if there is ever a guy that's off limits, just let me know. And I'll do the same. But other than that, we're ok." Sammy finished.

"Thanks for being so cool about this."

"I told you me and Jake were not like that. There are way too many guys on the planet to be fighting over one. Besides, my weekend was so great, nothing can bring me down."

"Well, do share." I encouraged her.

"I finally had the interview with Ron. I got the job!" Sammy started.

She continued to explain how Ron had 14 girls employed right now. Essentially, they audition for each event. The client's wants/needs determined who received what jobs. Each job can pay anywhere from $200-$500 depending on the hours and type of event. Plus the girls took home any tips they made.

"Sammy, that's not really stable. What if you don't get picked? And what about benefits?" I asked, as gently as possible. I don't wanna burst her bubble, but I hoped she thought about this.

"All I need are a few events and you know I'm going to be a favorite. And besides, I plan on working at Dave and Buster's too. At least for the next few months. If I don't like it, I'll quit."

"But there's no telling how many jobs you'll actually get in the long run. It depends on how many events Ron is hosting."

"He's already done 15 for this month alone. Just 5 of those would be at least a thousand dollars." I could imagine the dollar signs floating around her head.

"Sammy-"

"Before you say anything else, Ron invited me to an event. Just to get the feel of things. Come with me. Hell, bring Jake. You'll see it's legit."

"I'll go. I don't know about Jake. I'm pretty sure that was a one night, drunken thing." I said.

"But how was it?" Sammy said, wiggling her eyebrows. I grinned.

Sammy laughed. "You can appreciate him being with a lot of girls now, huh?"

"I don't know about that. But I definitely appreciated the tongue skills." I commented.

Sammy's eyes widen. "What all did y'all do?"

"Made out, a lot. And he went down on me."

"You didn't return favor?" She asked.

"No."

"Wow. I can learn something from you then." Sammy smiled. I laughed.

"So, why did y'all stop hooking up?" I asked. I really wanted to know what lies Jake was referring to at our housewarming.

"We just moved on." She answered.

"But it sounds like y'all were having fun. And it wasn't a one night thing. Why not continue?"

 "We're both hunters. That's probably why he likes you so much. It's all about the thrill of the chase. The fact that you hooked up with Ethan probably makes you more appealing." She elaborated.

I wanna call bullshit. They hooked up the first day they meet. On campgrounds. Where everyone could hear. What kinda chase was that? But I didn't press the issue. She's cool with what happened. Why push it?

"Actually, he said he wanted to fulfill the fantasy of hooking up with roommates." I told her.

Sammy laughed. "Wouldn't have counted anyway. We stopped hooking up before you and I moved in together."

I pulled out my laptop and went through the mud run pictures. Sammy looked through them with me and helped me pick which ones I wanted. I paid for them online. I texted the link to Jordan as well, showing her which ones I bought.

Jordan: Thanks! Corey saw our picture. He doesn't know which one you are, but he thinks you're sexy!

Me: Lol. Ok.... Who's Corey? And should I be concerned he thinks I'm sexy covered in mud?

Jordan: He's the guy I'm setting you up with! And you should be relieved. Only uphill from covered in mud!

Me: Not fair. I have no idea what he looks like.

Jordan: He doesn't either. He thinks you could be Jasmine. Trust me. You'll like him.

I put my phone away and explained my potential date to Sammy.

"A blind date? What if he's a loser. Or worse, ugly?" Sammy made a face as she heated up leftover Chinese.

"Jordan said I would like him" I said.

"Well, what does her boyfriend look like? Then you can see what she thinks is cute." " Sammy asked, eating my leftover lo mien.

"I don't know. I don't know anything about him. Which is weird, cause she talks about him all the time..."

 I suddenly remember something from the first time she brought him up.

"What is it?" Sammy asked, noticing my apprehensive look.

I explained to her how Jordan joked that she thought we were on a date the first time we hung out outside of work. Or how I thought it was a joke...

Sammy busted out laughing.

"She's in love with you. It's like that movie Obsessed. She's got you in her crosshairs."

"Shut up Sammy. You watch too many movies."

"I'm for real. You better ask specific questions about her boyfriend. And this guy she's setting you up with. Or it's gonna be her, in drag. With chloroform and duct tape in the trunk."

"Now you watch too much Lifetime"

--------------------------

On Facebook, I posted and tagged Jasmine in the video of her on the bull. A lot of her friends and family made fun of her or liked the video. Jake commented saying how she was in Fort Worth one day and came back a vaquera.

In the comments, I posted a meme of a cowboy, with a fuchsia cowboy button down, pointy fuchsia cowboy boots, and the phrase "Haters gonna hate."

Jake commented back.

Jake: Lol. You can look that stupid, but if I say something, I'm a hater? @Lily

Me: Duh. Everyone knows the more hate you get, the better you're doing @Jake

Jake: Maybe it's not hate. Maybe it's the truth @Lily

Jasmine: It's ok Lily . I know I get hated on cause I'm a bad bitch :-)

Jake: Or maybe you're just doing bad, bitch ; -)

Jasmine: Vete al infierno!

Me: LMAO. I'm stealing that @Jake

Jake: That's cool. Just give me my credit @Lily
And I'll see you there @Jasmine

I smiled, gratefully that we're still ok. I don't know what's going on between me and Jake, but I was glad we could continue to be friends till I figured it out.

-----------------------------

All this week, I was swamped at work. I had been putting in 200% effort ever since my talk with Derek. Especially since I had requested days off to go back to California. Derek hadn't said anything negative nor positive about my work. But I figured no news is good news.

On Thursday, Jordan caught me coming into work.

"Hey. Let's do lunch today!" She said.

"I can't. Derek has a meeting with Dr. Samuels about a new patient that I'm going to be working with. I should be there." I declined.

"Oh. Do you normally go to those?" She asked.

"No. But I figured I better show I'm focused and dedicated and shit." I smiled at her.

She shook her head.

When lunch time rolled around, I went to meet Derek in his office.

"I'm ready for the meeting with Dr. Samuels whenever you are." I said.

"I don't need you to be there. It's a classic ankle repair." Derek answered.

"Nonetheless, I would like to go. I've been reading up on some new techniques. I would love to implement them." I said, firmly.

How's that for dedication?

"Dr. Samuels is old school. He's not going to want to hear anything new." Derek replied. "I would like to hear them. Take the rest of the day and come up with a rehab plan. We can go over it tomorrow." He finished.

"Of course. Thanks Derek."

"Thank you. Your hard work hasn't gone unnoticed." He said. I smiled and left. I grabbed my purse and headed for the nurses station.

"Guess who got a compliment, and the rest of the day off?!?" I said to Jordan.

"It's not me, so I'm going to take a wild guess and say you!" Jordan grinned.

"Still wanna do lunch?" I asked.

"Love to. Give me 10 minutes." Jordan answered.

I used that 10 minutes to freshen up and think of some questions to ask Jordan about her boyfriend. Not gonna lie, Sammy's warning is still a thought in my head. I know, it's stupid and super conceited of me. But I can't help the feeling that something wasn't adding up.

When she was ready, we went to a sushi place. After ordering and receiving our food, we ate and chatted.

"So, tell me more about Corey?" I said, as we dug into our food.

"Oh, he's awesome. We went to high school together. So he's my age. 24. He's a pharmacy tech. Really laidback. Great sense of humor. I really think y'all are going to get along great."

"Cool..." I said, taking a sip of my water. "So... does he get along with your boyfriend?"

"Sure. My boyfriend's always busy. So it's hard to hang together. But when we do, it's fun." She said quickly, before going back to her food. I couldn't tell if she was really hungry, or if she was avoiding the question. I gave her the benefit of the doubt and decided she was just hungry.

"What does your boyfriend do?" I asked her, when she paused.

"He's a doctor." She answered.

"Oh. What does he practice?" I asked.

"He works at a clinic. So y'all all went out to the bar after the run?" Jordan asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah. It was so much fun. I wish you would have came. Your boyfriend's a doctor but wouldn't come out for a charity run?" I questioned.

"He had to work."

"Oh, I thought you said it wasn't his thing?" I questioned.

"It wasn't. But he had to work in the morning anyway. That's the thing about Corey's schedule too. He works pharmacy hours. So he doesn't always get weekends off. If you do hang out, you're going to have to work around his schedule."Jordan explained.

She finally took a breath "Let me show you a picture of him." She exclaimed.

I let her change the subject. I know she's hiding something. She was too eager to break her own rule to show me a picture of Corey. I decided to catch her off guard with more questions later.

I looked at her phone. He's definitely cute. Cute enough that I let Jordan send my number to him.



On the drive home from lunch, Trevor called me.

"Hey you! Becca finally uncuffed you?"I answered.

"I'm on my lunch break. Waiting for your brother. And we don't use handcuffs. We use rope." Trevor replied.

"Mmmm....Gross. Don't wanna hear about you sex life." I said.

"Do you have a sex life we can talk about?" He teased. I blushed, thinking about Jake.

"Potentially. You know that girl from my work? Jordan? The nurse? She came to my housewarming?"

"Yeah..." Trevor said. I could hear the confusion in his voice.

"I think she's obsessed with me and loves me in a more than friends kinda way." I said, mater of factly.

Trevore laughed. "Ok. Run that by me one more time. But slower. And tell me any intimate moments you two might have had. In many details..."

I laughed with him.

Do you agree with Sammy? On her opinions on the 'girl code', Lily's choices and attitude, and about Jordan's intentions.

Don't Tell 'Em

Don't Tell 'Em- Jeremih feat. YG

"Where is she?" Jake asked, looking over at Brandon. When he still didn't let me go, I pulled away.

"About to ride the bull." Brandon answered, still staring at me, in disbelief.

"I have to see this!" I said, turning away from them both.

I rushed outside to watch her. Brandon and Jake followed me. We got there just in time. Forrest and his friends were cheering her on. I pulled out my phone and took pictures. She was grinning as she put her arm up, signaling the bull to start. When the bull started, I recorded her. She lasted about 37 seconds before she fell off. We cheered as an attendant helped her up.

I'm so grateful to Jasmine for the distraction. We focused on her, and not what Jake and I were just doing. I was trying to forget all about it, but my body was not cooperating. Forrest walked us out to Brandon's Explorer.

"Next time we're gonna get you up on the bull." Forrest teased.

"Doubtful. I think I'll stick with corn hole." I smiled.

"Have you been out to the stockyards in Fort Worth?" He asked me.

"I haven't. There are still parts of Dallas I haven't been too." I answered.

"Well, we gotta plan for y'all to come out here and visit the stockyards. No mechanical bulls, but you'll get the true western experience." Forrest replied.

"I'm sure I don't want the western experience." Jake butted in.

"Yeah man, weren't we slaves back then?" Brandon cut in.

"Y'all are so stupid." Jasmine laughed.

"Yeah, shut up." I glared at them both.

Forrest smiled. "It's all good. Rachel told me the same thing. She studied African American studies. So yes and no to slavery. It was after slavery was abolished. Unfortunately, slaves didn't know that down here."

"Is Rachel a teacher too?" I asked Forrest.

"No. She's a professional student." Forrest grinned.

"Beauty and brains. She's the complete package. Good thing you already locked her down." Jake told Forrest.

"I know it." He shook hands with Brandon and Jake before hugging me and Jasmine.

"Thanks again for coming out" He turned to me. "I'll text you tomorrow with a link so you can look at or purchase pictures from the mud run."

"Ok. Good night Forrest."

"Night."

----------------------------

We drove home in silence. I had a thousand thoughts running through my head. And they all came back to stupid Jake. And his kiss. And how I'm going to have to tell Sammy. And what do I tell Sammy? Then I'd have to tell Rocky... if Brandon doesn't tell her. Urgh, of course he's going to tell her. And how do I act around Jake now? And did he really think Rachel was the complete package? He didn't even know her. He was going off looks. Stupid manwhore.

We all made the decision to just crash at Rocky and Brandon's house. Jasmine and I took the guest room while Jake took the couch.

Everyone showered and changed while I washed all the dirty clothes. After I showered, I put the clothes in the dryer. On my way to my old bedroom, I passed Jake sprawled out on the couch. His eyes were closed, so I took the opportunity to devour his shirtless physique.

"Like what you see?" He said, with a little smile.

"I already told you your upper body needs work." I said, embarrassed to be caught.

"So come work me out." He said, suggestively.

"I didn't spend 7 extra years of school to do a trainer's job." I replied.

He closed his eyes."Then go back to bed, little girl."

I sat down on the arm of the couch next to him instead. I knew I was playing with fire. But I felt like I had to defy him. Especially for calling me a little girl.

He sat up. But I didn't flinch. I just watched him, challengingly.

He placed a hand on my knee. Then he slowly inched up, caressing my inner thigh. It took everything not to slap his hand away. I was trying to stay unfazed, but my face is burning up. He smiled at me.

"Eres linda." He murmured, before pulling me into his lap. I would have laughed at the irony of sitting in his lap, like a little girl, but he kissed me, softly. All thoughts went out the window as each kiss grew deeper and more passionate than the last. And I returned every one of his kisses. He moved his hand off my thigh to the straps of my sundress. He pulled the top of my dress to my waist, revealing my breasts. My face burnt harder as he stared at my exposed body.

"You're so cute." He repeated, in English, when he looked up. He kissed me again. I rested my arms on his wide shoulders and pressed against him. Partly because I wanted to feel him, chest to chest, but mostly because I wanted to hide my body. It's bad enough I was doing this with Jake, but we were out in the open. Rocky, Brandon, or Jasmine could walk out and see everything we were doing. I wasn't so far gone that I didn't realize that. I was just too far to stop it. I swear, his kisses were like drugs. And I needed my fix.

He broke off our kiss and laid me back against the arm of the couch. One hand crept between my thighs while he placed little kisses all over my face. He pulled my panties down and off. We both groaned when he pressed a finger inside of me.

"How long has it been for you?" He asked, moving his finger inside of my tight flesh.

"None of your business..." I grunted, as he explored me, moving his finger in and out.

 Truthfully, it's been a little more than a year since I had sex. But he really didn't need to know that.

He laughed. I quickly put my hand over his mouth. I looked over my shoulder. I could've sworn I heard something...

"Paranoid little girl? Don't wanna get caught?" Jake said, grinning at me.

"No."

"Good." He said, before kissing down my body. He trailed kisses down my chest, stomach, navel, stopping between my thighs.

Any paranoia I had faded away with the first touch of his mouth on me. His skilled mouth and tongue made me forget everything but pleasure. Pleasure ripped through me as he held me against his mouth. I arched my back, as my body tensed. I bit my lip, to stifle my cries when he moved his mouth to my clitoris and sucked. I threw my head back and came.

He finally pulled back as the last spasm coursed through my body. I looked down at him, panting. He looked up at me, hungrily.

"Go to bed Lily." He said, gruffly.

I didn't test him this time. I pulled my dress up and hurried as fast as my tired legs could take me to my old room/the guest room. I felt so awkward jumping in bed with Jasmine after what I just did with her brother. I laid down in the opposite direction of her. The events of the day hit me hard, and I passed out quickly.

---------------------------

I woke up the next morning, sore all over. I heard movement out in the kitchen. I took a deep breath, and got ready to face the music. I deserved whatever Rocky was getting ready to tell me about myself. Especially after what happened on her couch last night...

When I stepped into the kitchen, it was Brandon, not Rocky. No lie, I was relieved.

"Hey..." I said softly, as to not wake up Jake. He was still sleeping on the couch.

"Hey." Brandon said, pulling out a huge skillet.

"Where's Rocky?" I asked.

"Went to the store to pick up a few things for breakfast." Brandon answered.

"So did you tell her what you saw last night?" I continued.

"No. What did I see last night?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" Brandon stopped to raise an eyebrow at me.

"Exactly. Nothing."

"Didn't look like nothing."

"That's the funny thing about interpretations. Like I could interpret you freak dancing with that girl last night as trying to conceive a kid with her." I threw out there.

I heard a chuckle from the couch that alerted me that Jake was awake. Jake sat up, and gave me a heated look before heading to the bathroom.

Damn, why does he have to be so hot?...

"All jokes aside, I'm not going tell Rocky." Brandon said, breaking up my dirty thoughts. "But you are putting me in a bad spot. Not just with Rocky. But with Ethan too. I suggest you think about it before you start up anything with Jake."

"First of all, Ethan and I are just friends. I doubt he would care. Second, and most importantly, ew. I'm not starting up anything with Jake. I'm not trying to be another notch on his bed post."

"Bed post is so high school. There's an app for that." Jake returned back to the kitchen. At least he's wearing a shirt right now. I could focus on the disgusting-ness of his comment. And not how good he felt against me last night...

"Gross. You will never have to worry about me being on it." I said, trying to convince him and myself.

"That's ok. I'll fulfill my roommate fantasy another time. Maybe for my birthday. I'm thinking Vegas." Jake said, changing the subject. And officially dismissing me.

 A part of me is upset, but honestly, it's better this way. Apparently, I don't have the strength to resist him if he decided to continue to pursue me. At least I got off last night. He could go fuck himself. Literally.

Rocky came back with coffee supplies and assorted danishes to go with the breakfast scramble Brandon made. Jasmine woke up at the smell of coffee and we ate and relaxed.

Things are normal between Jake and me. We're doing our bantering back and forth. I can't help sneaking little glances when he's not looking. The memories of last night keep playing in my head...

"Lily!" Rocky said, as I was zoning out. Jake had just laughed at something Brandon said and rubbed his hair. I was remembering how good his hair felt tickling my thighs...

"Huh?"

"I was asking if you had pictures from yesterday." Rocky repeated, looking at me like I was crazy.

"Oh yeah. I was thinking if Forrest said he was going to text or email. Let me check my phone." I played it off, pulling out my phone.

Forrest actually tagged me in a post on Facebook that had the link. I used Rocky's laptop to pull up the website so we could look through them together. We laughed and pointed out pictures we wanted. There were a lot of great candid shots. Rocky loved the picture of Jordan, Jasmine and me covered in mud, posing and pouting like models. I checked the boxes of all the photos that we were in so I could pick which ones I wanted to buy.

"Is that Forrest?" Rocky pointed him out. It was a candid shot of all of us hanging in the grass, drinking beer after the race. Forrest and I were sitting down, talking.

I nodded.

"You noticed how fine he is?..." Rocky asked, hinting.

"You should see his fiancee." Jake said, whistling.

Brandon nodded, in agreement.

"How fine was she?" Rocky asked Brandon, folding her arms.

"As fine as you think he is." Brandon countered.

"I think we can all agree they're a fine looking couple." I said, dying for a subject change.

"When's the wedding?" Jake asked me.

"I don't know." I shrugged.

"Oh, I thought it would come up during one of y'all's 2 hour lunches." Jake said.

I ignored Rocky's surprised look and glared at Jake.

"We have business lunches. We talk about my patient's knee." I disputed.

"Poor guy. He must have the most messed up knee in the history of knee injuries." Jake said, sarcastically.

I was saved from having to respond when my phone rang. It was Ethan. I picked up, happy for a way out of that conversation.

"Hello?"

"Lily! It's me." EJ's voice came over the line.

"Me?... do I know a me?" I said, pretending.

"No. EJ. EJ Carter." EJ explained.

"Sounds familiar. I do remember a little boy, but I haven't seen him in forever. He went to his grandparent's house and disappeared." I said dramatically.

"No I didn't. I'm right here!"

"I would have to see it to believe it." I smiled.

"Ok. Can I come over?"

"Sure. Let me speak to your dad."

A moment later, Ethan was one the phone.

"Hey. I have something to drop off to you. Can we stop by?"

"Yes. I'm actually at Rocky's and Brandon's. If you wanna meet me here." I answered.

"I'll just catch up with you later at your apartment when I take EJ to his mom's. You'll understand when you see what I'm bringing. "

"That's ok. I can meet you there in like 15 minutes. I need to go home anyway. Relax a little before I have to work tomorrow." I complained.

"Was the run tough?"

"No, it was actually kinda fun. The drinking afterwards was rough." I explained.

"Uh-oh. Did your low alcohol tolerance make you do something crazy?"

"Not at all. My tolerance is building and I didn't do anything I can't repent and forgive myself for." I met Jake's eyes when I said this. He looked away.

"Alright. I'll see you in a few."

"Ok."

I got up and headed to the laundry room. I was folding up everyone's clothes when Rocky joined me.

"So...what's up with this Forrest guy?" She asked, helping me fold.

"Nothing, really. We're just friends. We had lunch once. And it wasn't two hours." I explained.

"Ok." She said. I was shocked she didn't question me further. But I didn't press it. We walked back out to the living and delivered everyone's clothes.

"What did my brother want?" Brandon asked me.

"I don't know. He has something he wants to drop off at my apartment."

"Dick in a box?" Jake asked.

"No!!! He has EJ!" I exclaimed, as they laughed. Well, everyone but Jake. He just shook his head.

"And y'all are just friends?" Jake added.

"Duh." I said, before leaving.



When I arrived at the townhouse, Ethan and EJ were already there. I smiled as I gave EJ a big hug. And then I gave Ethan a hug as well.

The present was from his mom. It was a set of tv stands.

"I can't accept that. It's too much." I said.

"I told her you would say that." He handed me his phone when we were inside. "Talk to her about it."

1 minute on the phone with her, and I was accepting them.

"I think I have mommy issues. She talked me into it." I told Ethan. I let EJ run around and explore the place.

"No, that's just her." Ethan commented.

EJ ran over with the Bop-it Ethan bought me. "Can we play?"

"EJ we gotta get going. So we can eat before I take you to your mom's." Ethan answered.

"Did y'all have plans?" I asked. "We can order food here..."

"Please?!?" EJ pleaded.

"Sure." Ethan relented.

I called Lamar and asked for his recommendations for delivery. He texted me the website to a Chinese placed called Jasmine's. While we waited for our food, we played Bop-it. It was fun. It reminded me of how me and Ethan first hung out. He let me be a part of EJ's life after the whole mess with Cam and Megan, but supervised the visit instead of letting me babysit.

I know he was going through a rough patch, but my initial impression of him was that he was so uptight. And thought he was too good to associate with me. I soon learned that he was just reserved. And I really was glad he decided to give me a chance. With EJ. And with him.

After dinner, I said goodbye, hugging them both. It really reinforced the idea that me and Ethan could be friends. And that made me happy. Those happy feelings faltered when Sammy came home.

"Ohmigosh girl! I have so much to tell you!" She exclaimed, flopping on the couch with me.

"I actually have something to tell you too." I said, nervously.

She looked at me. " You first."

"Well, Brandon, Jasmine, Jordan and Jake went to the mud run with me." I started. When she nodded, I continued. "Afterwards, we went out drinking. And one thing lead to another. And... I hooked up with Jake." I spat out.

I held my breath and watched her. At first, she looked confused. Then, in shock. I didn't noticed her facial expressions anymore. I was more concerned about her hand movement. Her right hand balled up into a fist.

That's My Kind of Night

Mini-bonus post. Enjoy!

That's My Kind of Night- Luke Bryan

Fun ended up being an indoor/outdoor bar called Landmark Bar and Kitchen. We followed Forrest and his group of friends to the bar. Driving up to it, we saw a huge mechanical bull on the outside. I automatically knew this was going to be an interesting night.

This part of the night was only for the participants of the run. It was a group of 14 of us, but we were able to find a large table outdoors with attached benches. We ordered drinks. Thanks to Brandon driving, he's the designated driver for the night. We start off the night with a round of signature shots before going off to explore.

Outside, there are corn hole games, Foosball tables, and of course, the mechanical bull. Inside there are skee-ball games, a wall of retro arcade games, oversized Connect Four and Jenga. Jasmine grabbed me and we headed for the danced floor. The DJ was playing top 40 mixture of country, pop and some rock. Jake and Brandon joined us and we were all dancing together till some girls started dancing on the guys.

Jasmine and I just continued to dance with each other till I felt someone dancing on me. I turned to see Forrest. We continued dancing. I tried not to notice how freaking sexy he looked dancing against me.

After the song ended, Forrest leaned into my ear. "We got a corn hole table. Come play with us."

I nodded and told Jasmine over the music. She waved me off and kept dancing. As I left, I watched both Jake and Brandon on the dance floor. Brandon had some young, sloppy girl grinding her ass all over him. I glared at him, willing him to look up. Jake noticed me first, and tapped Brandon on the shoulder. Jake said something to Brandon to make him look my way. He sheepishly took a step back from the girl while Jake laughed. I turned and followed Forrest to the outdoor bar.

I never played corn hole before in my life. But the rules were explained to me and it seemed simple enough. They made it a drinking game. For every point scored against you, you had to take a drink. And on the tables sat two fish bowls of trashcan punch.

Forrest goes first. 3 of his bags end up on the board, one on the floor. Giving us 3 points and an automatic drink. Blake, his friend on the opposing team, goes next. 1 on the floor, 2 on the board, and one holer, a term for when it went in the hole. I learned it when they all screamed HOLER. They gave them 5 points. Meaning they scored 2, so we had to take 3 drinks, while they only took 1.

When it was my turn, all my bags landed on the board. Ashley, (the girl I was going against) only got one on the board.

We easily crushed them. Me and Forrest hugged as we celebrated and trash talked. Well, I mostly trash talked, but in my defense, they scored 11 points, so I was 11+ sips deep in trashcan punch.

"Y'all gotta split up!" Ashley demanded.

I laughed. "You gotta keep your bags on the board."

Everyone laughed when she turned red.

"Sit down babe. Just rest for a minute." Blake told Ashley. "Lily, come be on my team."

"No. I recruited her. You go recruit your own!" Forrest laughed.

I saw Jake talking at the table with girl who looked like a country Barbie: orange tan, long blonde hair, boobs outs.

"Jake!!! Come play with us!!!" I called to him.

"No...he needs a girl." Forrest replied.

"Don't be sexist!" I said to Forrest. I smiled when Jake made his way over.

"Yeah, don't be sexist." Blake grinned.

"Do you know how to play?" I asked him.

"Nope." He said, sitting down next to me.

"Want me to talk you through it?" Blake asked.

"Nope, just play."

Blake and Forrest started the game. They tied, so no one got points. When Jake saw it was a drinking game, he ordered a drink. He wasn't into community drinks. I snickered when he said that.

"You probably caught more diseases by talking to that skank." I told him, as we stood to take our places.

Forrest chuckled when he heard me. I went first, and Jake proceeded to spend the entire game just knocking my bags off the board. He doesn't even care about points. He just wanted me not to score. I grew increasingly frustrated with him. I have no choice but to go for holers, which is not happening for me the more I drink.

"You're not playing right!" I snapped at him when the score is 17-14 them.

"Sure I am. It's called defense." Jake laughed.

"Well stop!" I pouted.

"Whatever you like."

Next round, he went for straight points. And got to 21 before us to win.

Forrest and I were gracious and told them congratulations. Forrest and Blake then head to the bar for last call. Jake gave me a cocky grin. I returned it.

"You know you lost right?" Jake rubbed in.

"Did I?" I said, tilting my head.

"Yeah, you did."

"Oh. Guess I got confused cause my goal was to get you away from that girl. So it's a win-win." I smiled.

Jake smiled. "I didn't know you cared, sweetheart."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't."

"I'm gonna go find Jasmine so we can get ready to go. Be right back." Jake told me. I nodded.

 After 5 minutes, I had to go to the restroom. So I did. 10 minutes later I left the bathroom.

On the way back to the patio, I saw Mortal Kombat game. Mortal Kombat was my game. I named my blue Jetta Lady Kitana. I asked if I could join the guy that was playing. He said yes and we played. I won the first battle. He won the second. We were gearing up for the third battle, when I felt someone over my shoulder. I looked up and saw Jake.

"I thought you were going to stay put." He said.

"I was. But then I had to go to the bathroom. Then I saw Mortal Kombat. You know how it is." I explained.

"You're such a nerd." He said.

"My brother actually got me into games. We used to play all the time growing up. Saying that's like calling him a nerd. I'll kick your ass for that. " I answered.

Jake laughed at me.

"You ready?" The guy asked me. I nodded and focused on the game. It was a close battle, but I beat him.

"Best outta 5?" The guy asked over the music, with a smile.

"Nah, we have to go." Jake answered for me.

I let Jake lead me away to a corner of the bar. He put an arm around my waist and pulled me close. I pulled back at the last minute.

"What are you doing?" I asked him, looking into his eyes.

"You know what I'm doing." He grinned.

"Well... stop."

"Why?" He asked, still holding me.

"Too complicated."

"How?

"Sammy..."

"She's not my girl. Never was."

"Ethan..."

"You never were his..." He replied, stroking my cheek, before cupping my face in his hand. "It's simple. I want you, you want me..."

"I don't want you." I said, defiantly.

"Prove it." He challenged me, before pressing his lips into mine.

They were so smooth and soft as he kissed me gently. I wasn't expecting tenderness from him, and it made me gasp. When my mouth opened, he used that opportunity and slid his tongue inside. I moaned. I couldn't help it. My body responded to him. Even though I didn't want to. He was driving me crazy. His hand was cradling my face, angling me the way he wanted me. His other hand gripped my side as he held me. He didn't press against me or try to increase our contact. He just kissed me, like he could do it all night. And the way he's making me feel, I would let him...

"Jake! I found Jasmine!" Brandon exclaimed. I opened my eyes to see Brandon beside us. When Jake pulled away, Brandon's eyes widened when he saw it was me.