Lawful Overdose Page 5

  “How did you already find out about this? I figured everyone would still be trashed from Dave’s party.”

  “News flash, Tessa. Some people, like me,” she says with a smile on her face, “are hyper drunks and don’t need to sleep off a hangover. If you check your phone, you’ll see the messages.”

  I reach over to my nightstand and pick up my cell. Sure enough, four people have messaged me about tonight’s party. I also have a text from my boss.

  Ryder: What did you and my brother do last night? He came over this morning asking me a bunch of questions about you. He never asks for details about a woman. You must have left your mark on him.

  I feel the familiar butterflies moving throughout my stomach. The warmth in my cheeks comes back and I know they must be a bright shade of red. Ryder thinks I left my mark on Jaxon. What does that mean? Is that like an animal that sprays her mate? Is he implying I’ve staked my claim?

  I want to ask him this, but then it will seem like I’m interested in Jaxon… and I’m not. Jaxon is just like any other guy. He’s not special, so I need my boss to stop acting as though he is.

  “Who’s the text from?”

  “No one," I say hurriedly, and look up at Piper.

  “Now it’s my turn to call bullshit. Jaxon must have just texted you.”

  Piper yanks the phone from my hands and clicks to read the text. “Ryder thinks Jaxon has a thing for you?” Her eyes look up to meet mine and a huge smile moves across her face. “This is so great! You can make Jaxon your new fuck buddy and get rid of Mikey. This way, you won’t end up hurting Mikey.”

  “Do you hear yourself? If Jaxon really does have a thing for me, then I’d be risking hurting him as well. I’m not going to do that, but don’t worry, Mikey and I are officially done.”

  I decided to end it with Mikey right before my nap. After the intense feelings I have for Jaxon, and I’ve only met him once, I can’t go back to random hook ups with Mikey if I don’t have those same intense feelings. It would be settling, for both of us. I see the irony, because the whole idea of friends with benefits is kind of settling for the next best thing, but it’s settling nonetheless… and I refuse to do it any more.

  “I’m glad to hear it. Now let’s get our butts in gear and get ready for work. Then we’ll hit up the motel afterward.”

  An hour later we’re dressed and pulling into work. There’s a purple and black duffle bag in the back seat with our change of clothes. I grab the duffle bag and get out of the car. Piper is standing on the other side of the car, playing with her chest.

  “Should I get a boob job?” She asks as we start walking into Ryder’s.

  “Are you crazy? You’ve got that whole skinny super model look going for you. Your boobs are perfectly proportioned to your body. If you got them bigger, you wouldn’t look the same.”

  Piper adjusts her breasts in her shirt and looks over at me as she opens the door to the restaurant. “I think that way sometimes, too, but then I see how much attention your breasts get. Guys would line up around the block to get a little motor boat action,” she winks at me.

  We make our way through the bar area and into the back of the restaurant, towards Ryder’s office. “That’s true, but there is a negative side to that. Some real creepers hit on me, searching for some tits and ass. You get the classy guys. Sometimes I wish my body was properly proportioned like yours.”

  I open the door to Ryder’s office and continue talking to Piper. “I can’t get them to look me in the eyes, because their eyes gravitate to my tits and ass. Especially in this outfit.”

  I turn my head away from Piper and stop dead in my tracks. Ryder is in his office and he’s not alone, Jaxon is with him. I start wondering if they heard the last part of my conversation, but I don’t have to wonder for long.

  “Your uniform does show off your breasts and ass, and they’re very appealing to the eye,” Jaxon says from the other side of the small office. He’s leaning against the counter, looking straight at me and I feel my cheeks start to blush. I watch him move from the counter and head to the doorway, where Piper and I are standing. I turn my body sideways so he can get through and he does the same. Our chests brush against each other and he settles his hands on my shoulders, lowering his lips to my ear.

  “But it wasn’t your body that intrigued me and pulled me in. It was your beautiful eyes. They tell so much and are the pathway to your soul.” His hands start a slow path down my arms. I feel warm everywhere he touches. “And when you smile, the whole room notices, and wants to see you smile again. I want to make you smile again.” He gently bites down on my earlobe and in the next second he’s gone. Seemingly unaffected by what’s just happened. I, on the other hand, don’t want to move my body because I’m afraid to step back to reality.

  I look at Piper and then Ryder. They just stare at me, waiting for me to explain the scene they just witnessed.

  I finally will my legs to move, and throw my duffle bag on the counter behind Ryder’s desk.

  “So, you and my brother-”

  “Me and your brother are nothing,” I say, before shooting a warning look at Piper so she won’t open her big mouth. “He’s just overly friendly.”

  Ryder starts doing that thing he does with his hands when he’s nervous. I can tell he wants to say something to me.

  “Spit it out.”

  “Huh?”

  “Whatever you want to say, just spit it out.”

  He looks at Piper and then at me. “Just be careful, okay? I would hate for you to get attached and then have your heart broken. I don’t know how long Jaxon will be here. He tends to move around a lot.”

  His last sentence confuses me. “I thought he was here for his senior year? Wouldn’t that mean he’ll be here for the next eight or nine months?"

  “Oh… yes, well he will be. I just meant… I just meant to be careful, that’s all.”

  I walk over and lean across Ryder’s desk, gently giving him a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be careful. You have nothing to worry about, because I’m not interested in your brother.”

  Piper and I finish up in Ryder’s office before starting our shift. The restaurant is busy, which is exactly what I need to get my mind off Jaxon. A few hours later when the crowd has died down, I’m talking with Piper at one of the side stations. Piper grabbed a tub of clean silverware and we’re rolling them into napkins. It’s one of our side jobs in the restaurant.

  My back is to the bar and I see Piper’s eye spot something and grow big.

  “What’s up?” I ask her.

  She looks at me and then looks back over to the bar. “Krissy is such a slut. She’s leaning over Jaxon, just begging him to touch her.”

  “Jaxon’s here? I thought he left.” I flip around to face the bar and I spot Jaxon at one of the high top tables. Sure enough, Krissy is all over him, but Jaxon doesn’t seem to mind. Even from across the room, I can see him flirting back.

  “Ugh,” I grunt and turn back to face Piper. “Krissy’s a slut? Just this morning Jaxon wanted to be all over me, and now he’s looking for Krissy to fill that void. Jaxon’s the slut.”

  “You turned him down, Tessa. You can’t blame him for flirting with someone else. If you ask me, you’re looking a little jealous.”

  “Whatever,” I roll my eyes. “I don’t get jealous. Krissy can have him, I was just pointing out a fact.”

  Neither of us speaks as we finish rolling the silverware. I hate to admit it, but Piper’s right. I am acting jealous. I need to get myself together, because jealousy is just unacceptable.

  Krissy comes skipping over and nudges each of us on the shoulder. “Did you guys meet Ryder’s brother, Jaxon, yet?”

  Piper suppresses a giggle at Krissy’s enthusiasm. “I met him briefly, but Tessa and him are great friends.”

  What the fuck? Throw me under a bus, why don’t you?

  “You know him?”

  “We met yesterday, but I wouldn’t say I know him,” I answer.

&
nbsp; Piper is laughing from behind Krissy and I want to throw the napkin in my hand at her. Krissy is a sweet girl, but such an airhead. I usually try to avoid all conversations with her. Piper is doing this purely to torture me.

  “He’s gorgeous, right? I was flirting with him a few minutes ago and he’s going up to the motel tonight. Do you think I should make a move?”

  I don’t know what comes over me, but whatever it is, it’s not good. I can feel my face turning red from anger? Jealousy? I’m not sure which, but I blurt the first thing that comes to mind to get her away from him.

  “He’s gay.”

  I hear Piper and Krissy gasp simultaneously. Both in shock, but for different reasons.

  “He’s gay? Of course he is. All the good looking and sweet guys are. Thanks for warning me before I got my hopes up,” Krissy says glumly, before leaving us at the side station.

  Piper has the biggest grin on her face. She’s never seen me act like this. Hell, I’ve never seen me act like this.

  “Don’t you dare say it. Don’t say a damn word.”

  She moves her hand to her mouth and makes a gesture of zipping her lips shut and locking them with a key. Almost immediately she makes a similar gesture and unlocks her mouth.

  “Let me just say this, you have a thing for Jaxon. I’m not sure if it’s physical, emotional, or both, but you definitely have a thing. You need to take care of this thing before it gets out of hand. Go fuck him and get it over with. You’ll feel better, I promise.”

  Maybe she’s right. I basically told him this morning that he blew his chance, but maybe another night wouldn’t hurt.

  I turn my head and look over at his table. I can see Krissy talking to him again. She looks serious, but Jaxon isn’t looking at her, he’s looking at me. He knows what I told her, and he knows what that means. There’s really only one reason you lie to a girl and tell her the guy she likes is gay. Jaxon’s shit eating grin tells me he knows this, too.

  Chapter Five

  No

  The rest of the night goes slowly. I’m avoiding Krissy and Jaxon at all costs. I even joined Mikey on his smoke break because I saw Jaxon stand up from his table and start walking over to me, and I don’t even smoke.

  Now Piper and I are walking into Big E’s party at the motel, and I’m anxious to see Jaxon. I’m a walking contradiction.

  I’m dressed in a form fitting floral strapless summer dress. It’s a perfect dress to show off my curves, but not too slutty. I have small wedge sandals on my feet and my hair is down in soft waves. The small hints of blue in my dress have the desired effect on my eyes, making them pop.

  “We’re not staying long, right?” I ask Piper as we look at three different open motel room doors, deciding which one to check out first.

  “You’re not fooling anyone. You may have avoided him all night, but I saw you looking at Jaxon. You want him and you’re hoping to see him. Actually, you’re hoping to do more than just see him.”

  Piper’s right, as she always is when it comes to reading me. She knows me better than I know myself sometimes.

  “What shall it be? Door one, two, or three?” Piper gestures to the doors.

  “Alright, Dr. Seuss, let's quit it on the rhyming.”

  I get a glimpse of Krissy through the window of the second room, and my instinct says she’s in there because of Jaxon.

  “Let’s try door two,” I say, and begin to walk to the door.

  We make our way in and I immediately know it’s a bad decision. The room is packed with the type of crowd I try not to associate with. Several people are lit up and I swear I’m high just by breathing in the fumes in the room. I look around and spot Jimmy with two girls, making some type of exchange in the corner of the room.

  “I’m out,” I yell to Piper over the loud music. Screw finding Jaxon in here, I’ll try another room in a few minutes. I walk out of the motel room and lean against the nearest vehicle. It’s a run down blue pick-up truck. I lean against the door to the bed of the truck, breathing in the fresh air.

  “Looking for me?” I hear from behind me.

  My body is on instant alert from the sound of his voice. I don’t turn around to look at him.

  “Don’t flatter yourself, I go to all of Big E’s motel parties.”

  He moves to stand next to me, and leans against the door with me.

  “Yes, but do you always lean against a stranger’s truck?”

  “How do you know it’s a stranger’s truck? Maybe this is a friend’s truck, or my boyfriend’s truck?”

  “That’s cute, you think because we kissed and I spent the night at your place, I’m your boyfriend. I’d be honored to be your man, but we should probably try a date first.”

  My hand pulls through my hair as I look down and try to hide my smile. I look back up and point to the truck, “This is your truck?” I ask, shaking my head in disbelief.

  “Don’t sound so disgusted. They don’t make trucks like this anymore,” He says as he bounces on the bumper to shake the vehicle. “She’s gotten me through some hard days.”

  “She?”

  “Yes, she. Don’t be jealous, I’ll leave her at home and take the Charger on our first date. Besides, she wouldn’t be too happy if she had to drive around another woman,” he says jokingly.

  “I think she can handle me,” I laugh. “I’m a truck girl anyway. I’d be too afraid of breaking something in the Charger.”

  “Now, what would we be doing in the Charger that would make you break something?” Jaxon’s lips turn up, and he wiggles his eyebrows. His boyish charm makes me so at ease with him.

  “You are a dirty boy, I wasn’t trying to imply anything.”

  “Yes, but by indulging in this conversation, you did imply you’d go out with me.”

  I look down at my shoes and then back up at him.

  “I did, didn’t I? I guess one date wouldn’t hurt.”

  “You guess?” He leans into me, bringing his face to meet mine. He brushes his lips gently against my cheek and then whispers against my skin, “Tessa, not only will it not hurt, you’ll enjoy it so much you’ll want more.”

  His words have my entire body on alert. I’m instantly anticipating our first date. Knowing how much I want him in this moment, and that if I leave here tonight I’ll probably back out of the date, I decide to take some initiative.

  “Why not make the first date tonight. We’re already together, and I have no desire to go back into that motel room.”

  Jaxon turns to look back to the open room I left a few minutes ago. I can tell he’s undecided on what to do. Maybe I misread how much he wanted to go on this date.

  “Or not. Yeah, you know what, it was a bad idea. I’m going to go,” I babble, embarrassed that he basically just turned me down.

  He turns back to me, confusion on his face.

  “You can’t back out now. I was just contemplating whether I should tell Ryan I’m leaving.” He moves his hand to gently caress my cheek. “I’m going to go find him and let him know. Get in and I’ll be back in a minute,” he says, handing me his keys.

  I watch him go back into the motel room I left earlier and I move to get into the truck. It’s surprisingly clean when I get in. The interior is worn out, but I can tell he takes good care of his vehicle.

  I start up the truck from the passenger seat and turn on the radio. I’m instantly hit with the sounds of Creedence Clearwater Revival, one of my all time favorite bands. I sit back, listening to the genius of Proud Mary and wait for Jaxon to get back.

  A few minutes later, the driver’s door opens and Jaxon is in the car, driving us out of the motel parking lot.

  “What do you want to do? I’m not too familiar with this town and it’s after midnight, I’m not sure what our options are.”

  I hadn’t thought about this. Unless we want to go to a bar, there really is no place to go.

  “I forgot how late it is, nothing is open. Maybe we should do this another night.”

  I don�
�t sound happy about canceling the date tonight and when I look over at Jaxon, he doesn’t look happy either.

  “This isn’t a line, I swear, but we can go back to my place. There is a nice open courtyard. We can sit out there, talk and get to know each other.”

  I take a second before answering. I don’t want to sound too eager, but I want to spend time getting to know him. These feelings are new to me. I’ve never really wanted to get to know a guy before. My version of getting to know a guy was little talking, and just sex. If he was good at sex, he might get lucky and I’d sleep with him again.

  “Well… nothing is open, so I guess that is the best solution. I just want to let you know, I have GPS linked to my phone so if I don’t come home in the morning, Piper will be able to find me.”

  Jaxon looks over at me, shocked.

  “I’m kidding… about the GPS, not about Piper. She’s loyal like that.”

  I see the shock leave his eyes and before I know it, we’re both laughing.

  We make it to his apartment complex a few minutes later. It turns out he only lives a half-mile down the road from Piper and me.

  “Wait here,” Jaxon says firmly, as he gets out of the car. I watch him walk in front of the truck to my side of the vehicle. He opens the passenger door for me and reaches out his hand for me to take it.

  “You’re such a gentleman,” I giggle, and place my hand in his.

  “Let’s go up to my apartment first. We can grab something to drink, a snack, and a blanket, before heading out to the courtyard.”

  “Are you real? I didn’t know guys really did this romantic shit. I thought that was just in the dirty romance novels I read... or a cheesy romantic comedy.”

  He tightens his grip on my hand as we walk into his apartment building.

  “You think this is romantic? Wow, I'm not even trying. This is spontaneous, spur of the moment. Just wait until I really start to wine and dine you.”

  “You say that as if you’ll get another chance to take me out.”

  Unless he does something to royally fuck this date up, he’ll be getting a second date.