Chapter 4. “There y’all are! I turned around to introduce you to someone and you were gone,” Jess exclaimed as we found her waiting for us outside the front door.

“There y’all are! I turned around to introduce you to someone and you were gone,” Jess exclaimed as we found her waiting for us outside the front door.

“Sorry, we had to make a quick stop, but we are good now,” Evie responded, not giving her any additional details of our conversation. “Lead the way, Cuz.”

We followed Jess into the house, and the scene that greeted me was very much what I had expected it to be. The furniture in the living room had all been pushed up against the walls, leaving an open space for dancing in the middle. There were a handful of people moving their bodies in harmony to The Killers song that blared from the iPod player in the corner, but most people were either lounging on the couches or standing around, drinking and talking. Meg and Ash were nowhere in sight. We followed Jess closely as we wove in between other party-goers and entered the kitchen. Her eyes immediately lit up as she saw a dark-haired cutie standing by the island. She snuck up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He jumped at the contact but when he spun around to see her, a huge smile spread across his face. An unexpected twinge of jealousy ran through me, as the need to feel wanted and loved emerged, but I quickly dismissed it.

After we each took a shot of tequila to “get the blood flowing” as Jess recommended, we grabbed a beer and the introductions began. Jess pulled Evie and I from one group of people to the next, I was overwhelmed by all of the new faces and names, knowing I would never remember any of them. I smiled, shook hands, I even got a few hugs from some guys that were obviously trying to press themselves against my breasts. I didn’t mind though, I enjoyed the attention and even contemplated a couple of them for my “nightly prey” as Evie had so eloquently put it. I tried to keep myself from looking for Ash’s whereabouts, but failed miserably. However, when the back door opened, and several people shuffled in from the back porch, I realized that when Ash was in the same room with me, I would never need to look for him, I could feel his presence. I turned around to see him flanked by two beautiful blondes. He guided the one in front of him into the kitchen with his hand at the small of her back, while the one behind him tagged along, her fingers threaded through his belt loops. The three of them walked over to the island and he grabbed three beers from the cooler. I didn’t want to stare at them, but for the life of me, I just couldn’t stop myself.

“I warned you, didn’t I?” Jess’ voice interrupted my trance but I continued to watch him. “That’s just Ash… he’s always been that way. I’m not sure he’ll ever find a girl that will make him settle down. I just don’t think he’s wired that way, ya know?” Without waiting for an answer, she bounced off to say hi to some other people, leaving me alone with my unanswered questions.

Almost as if he could sense us talking about him from across the room, he looked up at me and our eyes locked. Again, I felt something pass between us. I wasn’t sure what it was, or if I was just imagining it on my end, but Ash definitely made my body feel things I wasn’t quite prepared for. Then he cocked his head to the side and gave me that panty-dropping, dimple-showing smile. I knew he was only interested in me for one thing, and I’d be damned if I was going to give it to him. I scowled and broke the gaze. I then turned my attention to the two girls that still stood on either side of him. They were both looking up at him with admiration and adoration, as if he was some sort of sex god. I laughed at the pathetic sight they were and then looked back at Ash. As if he knew exactly what I thought about him and his entourage, he dropped the smile and then what I thought was a look of guilt washed across his face. I wasn’t sure what his deal was(,) but I didn’t need to spend any more time thinking about Ash or his dubious expressions and intentions. I rolled my eyes and turned to go find Evie. As I walked towards the back door, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud as Taylor Swift sang about knowing trouble when it walked in the room. The timing could not have been more appropriate. Unable to resist the temptation to sneak one last glance at him; I turned around and ran straight into a hard chest and stumbled backwards.

“Oh, excuse me, I’m so sorry,” I apologized as I tried to catch my balance. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

The guy I nearly ran over held me by both shoulders to steady me and I looked up into his face to see if he was someone I had been introduced to earlier in the night, but immediately knew I hadn’t. I would never forget a face like that. He was… wow.

“No worries, little lady. Are you okay?” he asked not letting go of my arms.

I nodded and bit my lower lip, embarrassed by my clumsiness. I wasn’t sure who this guy was, but he could give Ash a run for his money in the appearance department. He looked like an Abercrombie model. What was up with all of the drop-dead gorgeous guys around here? His blonde hair was styled in a messy, spiky kind of do. His eyes were a deep, dark blue and he donned a perfectly straight smile. Dressed in a striped polo, khaki shorts, and tan deck shoes, he was the image you would find in the dictionary under “All-American male,” and he was the perfect preppy college boy to help me win tonight’s contest and forget all about Ash Walker.

“You’re new around here, I’ve never seen you before. Are you going to be a freshman at St. Thomas?” he asked in a deep voice with a hint of a Southern drawl.

“No… I mean yes… I mean…” I stammered, feeling my face flush as I continued to embarrass myself. Taking a deep breath, I tried again to answer his questions. “What I meant to say was yes I’m new around here, and yes I’m going to be a freshman, but not at St. Thomas. I’m a student at Rice. I’m just here with my roommate’s cousin, Jess Johnson.”

“Oh, well, do you have a name or should I just call you ‘Jess’ cousin’s roommate?’” he teased playfully.

“I’m Scarlett, Scarlett MacGregor,” I smiled as I held my hand out towards him. As a rush of confidence flooded through me, I flirted back, “So do you have a name or should I just call you ‘guy who likes to flirt with all of the new girls?’”

“Touché, Miss Scarlett. You’re not only beautiful but witty,” he said while still holding onto my hand. “I’m Dylan Stephens and it truly is a pleasure to meet you. Would you like to join me outside for some fresh air?”

His smile made my knees weak and my heart rate increase; I wanted to learn more about this Dylan Stephens - like how his lips tasted on mine(,) and how his hands felt on my body. Just as I was about to agree, I felt someone walk up behind me and place their hand on my shoulder.

“There you are Scarlett, I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Ash said in his husky voice. “I’m getting ready to start playing and I know you had said you wanted to hang around for it.”

I had no idea what he thought I wanted to hang around and listen to him do, but I knew exactly what he was doing - coming between Dylan and me. Without turning around, I said in a shitty tone, “You appear to have your hands full tonight, so instead I think I’ll grab some fresh air with my new friend Dylan here. Enjoy your playing.” And with that, I grabbed Dylan’s hand and led him through the back door.

Once we found a secluded area on the porch to sit and talk, Dylan asked, “Do I even want to know what that was all about?”

“I’m not really sure,” I admitted. “I met Ash over at their house right before we came here tonight. I don’t know, he just rubs me the wrong way and I think it pisses him off that I’m not falling all over myself trying to hook up with him.” Okay, so that was partially true.

“You just met him tonight? And he’s acting like that?”

“Yeah, just a couple of hours ago or so… why? Should I be worried about something?”

“No, nothing to be concerned with. It’s just not like Ash to get all territorial and shit…. He usually doesn’t care what his hookups do or who they talk to…just kind of weird,” he said.

I didn’t want to talk about Ash and his hookups, or Ash and me, or anything to do with Ash. I just didn’t want to think about him anymore.

“Look, I’m not one of Ash’s hookups and never will be, so you don’t need to worry about that. I came out here to get to know you better, so can we please stop talking about him?”

Dylan and I spent the next hour or so talking and flirting with one another. We found we had quite a bit in common, we enjoyed similar music, we both loved watching old Saturday Night Live reruns, and we wanted to travel to many of the same places. He was an English major and wanted to go into editing, which of course with my love of all things books, interested me greatly. We had a wonderful time, Dylan was funny and he made me feel relaxed and comfortable. And the best part was I didn’t think about Ash one time while we were outside.

When we stood up to go back inside to refill our drinks, Dylan grabbed both of my hands in his and pulled me close to him. My chest was pressed against his and my entire body buzzed in anticipation. He released one hand and moved his finger under my chin, tilting my face up towards his. I looked into his desire-filled eyes and the butterflies in my stomach took flight. Leaning down oh-so-slowly, he lightly pressed his lips against mine, and then backed up as to gage my reaction, never taking his eyes off my mouth. I then moved my free hand around to the back of his neck and pulled his face back down to mine and kissed him with much more force. I felt his tongue tease against my bottom lip and I eagerly opened up to better taste him. I wasn’t sure how long we stood there kissing, exploring each other’s mouths with our tongues.

“Ummm… I hate to interrupt, but I was going to see if you wanted to come inside for an acoustic session. Ash was going to play and I thought you might enjoy it.” I turned to see Evie standing there with a grin spread from one ear to the other. “But if you’re busy, that’s cool.”

“No, no, it’s fine. We were just coming inside anyways. I need a glass of water,” I said as I turned and walked towards her. The look on her face was priceless, she was beaming at me like a proud mom.

“Have you met Dylan?” I asked, trying to not sound like an equally giddy school girl.

“Yes, I think Jess introduced us earlier, but honestly, I’ve met so many people tonight the names are all starting to run together,” she replied. “It’s good to meet you again, Dylan. I’m Evie.” He smiled at her and shook her hand, “You too, Evie, very nice to meet you.”

We all went back in the house, grabbing drinks as we moved into the living room where everyone had gathered. The couches and chairs overflowed with bodies and the floor was almost full as well. Jess called out for us to join her, she had saved us some room. We made our way over to her and Jacob, trying to not step on anyone as we climbed through the people, and took our seats on the floor. As I scanned the room, I found Ash sitting in a chair by the fireplace with a guitar in his lap. I made the mistake of bringing my eyes to his and he was staring at me again. I looked away quickly and wished away the uneasy sensation he stirred inside of me. I glanced over at Dylan hoping he hadn’t noticed Ash paying attention to me, but his eyes were locked on Ash. Abruptly, Dylan claimed he wasn’t comfortable with how he was sitting and repositioned us so that his back was supported against the couch and I was nestled in between his legs, my back pressed against his chest. He wrapped his arms around my stomach and softly kissed the top of my head. I looked over at Evie and Jess, both of their faces were full of questions. They were questions I didn’t know the answers to, so I just shrugged, smiled, and decided to make the best of it.

“So Ash, what are you going to play for us tonight?” asked bimbo #1 who was sitting on the floor by his feet. I didn’t see bimbo #2 around so I thought that maybe she didn’t make the ten p.m. cut list, but a few minutes later she joined her sister-in-sluttiness on the carpet.

“Because we have some new faces at the party tonight,” he looked up in the direction Evie and I were sitting, “I thought we’d do a little variety, mix it up a bit.”

For all of my life books, music, and dance had been my only outlets, my only escape from my parents, and they were the things I felt most passionate about. I loved to watch live music, to see the emotion and passion on someone’s fingers, on their lips… it was awe-inspiring to me. I couldn’t wait to hear Ash play and sing, but at the same time I was scared shitless of the feelings it would evoke in me. I had assumed he would be good. I was pretty sure he was good at just about everything he did; he was just one of those guys. However, nothing could have prepared me for how amazingly talented and incredibly sexy he was when he made music. It took every ounce of will in my body to not look at him while he performed. There was no doubt he was extraordinary; I looked around and everyone in that living room, both male and female, was completely mesmerized by Ash’s voice and the music coming from his fingers. I could hear the sex dripping from his voice, radiating from the strings of the guitar.

At times I could feel him looking at me, like he was singing to me, but I refused to turn in his direction. I was pretty sure that Dylan sensed it as well because several times when I knew Ash was staring, he would tighten his arms around me and nuzzle his face in my neck, leaving behind soft sweet kisses that made me tremble with desire.

“Alright, I’m going to do one last song and then turn the guitar over to anyone else who wants to play,” Ash announced. “Feel free to join me singing this one.”

I released a huge breath of air that I had not even realized I was holding. One more song, I could get through one more song. Ash decided to close his set with “Let’s Get It On.” It was if he purposely picked that song to irk me or get under my skin. It felt like he was trying to make fun of me. Of course, everyone else in the room thought it was awesome, they screamed in approval as the opening line left his mouth and most of the room joined him in verse. I cringed and tried to block him out; I didn’t want to give him the pleasure of knowing how he affected me, but I couldn’t take it any longer. I didn’t want to make a scene and walk out the room in the middle of the song, so instead I did the next best thing. I turned around in Dylan’s lap, straddled his legs, and kissed him… hard. And I didn’t break away from his mouth until the song was over.

Ash received a standing ovation from the intimate crowd and I saw him take an exaggerated bow through my peripheral vision. He then invited anyone else who wanted to play to come up.

“Do it, Sam. Come on,” Evie nudged me in the side.

“You play?” Dylan asked. Without lifting my head from his neck, I shook my head no.

“Oh yes she does, she’s just being modest. She’s really good.” Evie insisted.

I really did NOT want to play. I was an emotional roller coaster from everything I was feeling about Ash and Dylan, a bit tipsy from several drinks, and was already uncomfortable with the number of strangers in the room. However, with Evie, Dylan, and Jess’ prodding, soon our half of the room was chanting “Scarlett! Scarlett!” I had never been so embarrassed in my life.

When Ash realized that they were calling for me to go up, he held out the guitar towards me, “By all means, Scarlett. Let’s see what you can do. I can’t wait to hear your rendition of Amazing Grace.” His voice was saturated in sarcasm. God he was an ass.

Anger raged through me, partly due to his mocking of my innocence and his apparent doubt that I could play, but I was even more infuriated with myself for allowing him to repeatedly upset me. There was just something about him; in having known him for just a few hours, he had stirred feelings inside me that I didn’t know I had. And it scared me to death.

Fueled by my fury and the alcohol intake, I snatched the acoustic out of his hands and took the chair he had just occupied. I was reeling in my brain about what to play, I wanted to respond to Ash’s not-so-cryptic musical messages with something just as witty. I decided just to sing songs about guys who were dicks, there were more than enough of those to choose from. They didn’t have to relate to Ash particularly, but enough man-hating that he’d get the point.

“Hello everyone,” I began nervously. “I’m Scarlett, a friend of Jess.’ I’m new here in Houston, just moved in yesterday so I want to thank you for showing me such a good time tonight. I hope you enjoy.”

I took a deep breath and began with a song I was certain most everyone would recognize, Pat Benatar’s “Heartbreaker.” I felt a little shaky at first, but I refused to let my fears get the best of me. By the middle of the first chorus, I felt much more comfortable and then I really let it go. Many of the girls in the room joined me in singing the parts they knew, well it was more like screaming, but I loved it nonetheless because I knew they were having fun with it. I debated internally on whether or not to look at Ash when I sang. On one hand, I wanted him to be clear that this was indeed an answer to his earlier performance and I also secretly hoped that I could make him feel just a fraction of the frustration that he bestowed upon me, both in my mind and body. However, the other part of me knew that if I locked my eyes with his, there was a good chance that I’d completely lose my train of thought and stop mid-song. I opted to play it safe and not throw any more fuel on the fire; he knew my song selection was no accident.

I played a couple more songs that fit nicely in my guys-are-jerks-palooza before wrapping it up. “Again, thanks for the hospitality,” I said before I began to play my final song for the night, “You Oughta Know.” This was one of my favorite man-hater songs and I thought it was a perfect way to end. Even though I had never experienced the things written about in the song, the lyrics had always struck me as so raw, so real. I could feel the hurt… the anger… the bitterness caused by rejection and being replaced. It was my fear of all fears ~ putting myself out there for someone only to have them not want me in return. I guess that was true for most people, no one welcomed rejection.

I pushed the psycho-self-analytic thoughts to the back of my head and focused on the song. The room was exceptionally quiet and all eyes were focused intently on me. I saw many faces light up as they recognized the song with the first few lines. There were several hoots and hollers when I seductively asked about giving blow jobs in cinemas; I was pretty sure Dylan was one of them. I had successfully kept myself from even glancing Ash’s way for the entire time I had sung and played; however, I couldn’t leave well enough alone. Midway through the second verse I looked over to where he was sitting and locked our eyes just in time to ask, “Are you thinking of me when you fuck her?” His eyes darkened and I could feel the heat from his desire across the room. Immediately I turned away from him so that I could finish the song and not melt into a puddle of shameless lust.

Relieved I had made it through the impromptu session and exhausted from the previous 48 hours, I told Evie I was ready to go back to the house. Jess and Ash decided to return home as well since it was a little past one o’clock. Saying goodbye to Dylan was a little awkward with Ash standing a few feet away. I wasn’t sure what had happened to Ash’s friends from earlier, I had honestly expected at least one, if not both of them, to follow him to his bed, but neither were anywhere around. Dylan and I exchanged cell numbers and he brushed several light kisses across my lips before I walked away.