Chapter 3. The drive to Evie’s cousin Jess’ house was quick, only fifteen minutes from our dorm

The drive to Evie’s cousin Jess’ house was quick, only fifteen minutes from our dorm. Unlike Evie and I, Jess attended the University of St. Thomas, another college in the Houston area. I had met Jess many times before. She had spent a week each summer at Evie’s for as long as I could remember, and her and her parents were frequent guests there for holidays, as well. I had always liked Jess, she could be a little loud and obnoxious at times, but for the most part I thought she was hilarious. She used to tell us stories about the mischievous things her and her friends would do without getting caught. Both Evie and I had always looked up to her a bit being two years older than us. She knew about my parents’ issues and had always told me if I ran away, I could stay with her and her family in Houston. Of course I never did, but it was so sweet of her to even offer.

The plan for the night was to leave Evie’s car at Jess’ house, an off-campus rental where she lived with two other roommates. All five of us were going to walk to the party together which supposedly was just a block or two away from their house. Afterwards, Evie and I were going to crash in Jess’ room for the night. That way we wouldn’t have to drive late and no one would have to pass on the festivities to be the designated driver. I also felt better about going as a large group so I would have several people to stay close to in case I freaked out or something.

We pulled into the driveway of a cute one-story red brick home. You could tell that it was an older home, but it had been well maintained and there was definite curb appeal. Before we even made it out of the car, Jess had flung open the front door and was bouncing down the front steps to greet us in a hug.

“Evie! Scarlett! I’m so excited y’all are here!” she squealed.

“Did you have any problems finding the place? How do you like Houston? Did y’all get settled in?” she continued without taking a breath. She then turned to face me and said, “Wow! You look… different… incredible actually.”

“Thank you,” I said sheepishly, still unsure about the “new” me. She was looking me over like she was trying to figure out everything that was different.

Thankfully getting the attention off of me, Evie answered her questions, “No, we didn’t have any problems finding the place. So far we are loving Houston. And we are somewhat settled in. We still need to go to the grocery store and get Scarlett some more clothes, but we will get that taken care of on Monday before classes start.”

Jess then turned towards the front door and ushered us inside. “Come in, come in. Welcome to my humble home.”

The interior of the home was like walking into an Ikea showroom. It was modern but inviting, and the perfect combination of earth tones and bright funky colors were used which made the space fun as well as sophisticated. A thin girl with short blonde hair was sitting on the couch drinking a beer and watching tv when we walked in.

“Evie, Scarlett, this is one of my roommates, Meg Scott. Meg and I have been roommates since our freshman year,” Jess introduced us. She then turned to Meg and said, “I’ll bet you’ll never guess which one is my cousin,” alluding to the fact Jess and Evie looked so much alike. They could easily pass for sisters with their super straight black hair that they both wore shoulder length, with heavy bangs, and their shared olive complexion.

“It’s nice to meet both of you,” Meg smiled warmly at us without getting up, as we continued further into the living room.

“Ash will be out in a bit. We are forever waiting on Ash,” Jess said shaking her head playfully. “Please make yourselves at home. That’s my room over there,” she continued while pointing to a door off the living room. “You can throw your overnight bags and purses on my bed or in my closet. Meg and Ash’s rooms are down the hall. There’s a bathroom en suite in my room and another down the hall to the right.”

Evie and I put our things on Jess’ bed and then went back out to the living area and sat on the couch opposite from Meg.

“Can I grab y’all a beer while we wait?” Jess asked as she walked across the room to where I assumed the kitchen was.

“I’m good,” I answered. My stomach was tightened into a hard knot from nerves and anxiety and I was sure if I tried to eat or drink anything, I would puke.

“Scarlett maybe a drink before we go would help calm your nerves a bit,” Evie offered in a somewhat whisper. I gave her a warning look to tell her not to push me on this.

“What are you nervous about Scarlett?” Meg asked nosily.

“Scarlett has never been to a party before,” Evie answered for me.

Meg looked at me confused, “You mean a college party? It’s really no big deal, not much different than high school parties to be honest. Where we are going tonight is going to be extremely laid back. No crazy people running around like idiots or anything.”

Jess yelled from the kitchen as if I was unable to respond myself, “No Meg, she has never been to a party… period. Her parents were crazy strict and didn’t allow her to have a social life, she’s never been to a party, never been on a date… nothing.”

Meg scrunched her pixie face up and looked at me, “Sorry, that totally sucks.”

Before I could confirm the extreme level of suckiness, a male voice called out, “What’s this I hear about never having been on a date or to a party?”

Confused by the sound, I whipped my head around only to see a gorgeous guy emerge from the hallway. My mouth fell open as the breath escaped my lungs. He stood what I guessed to be close to six feet tall with a lean but muscular build. His long dirty blonde hair looked as if he had just run his fingers through it and the sexy five o’clock shadow on his face made me want to feel the scruffiness under my hand. He was dressed in a blue guayabera shirt paired with khaki cargo shorts and brown flip flops. He looked as if he had stepped directly out of a Hurley magazine ad with his deeply tanned skin and surfer-boy threads. However, nothing could have prepared me for the reaction my body had when I looked into his eyes. It was like looking into the waters of the Caribbean Sea, with a sparkle that bounced back and forth between the blue and green. I was captivated. My heart was beating so hard that I was afraid he could see the pulse in my neck from across the room. I remember thinking if he was a vampire, I was sure to be dead in a matter of moments, and surprisingly, I was okay with that as long as he was the one to do it. I really need to stop reading so many paranormal romances.

“It’s about time Ash, my God! Come meet my cousin Evie and her roommate, Scarlett. Hurry up!” Jess shouted again from the kitchen.

Startled, I quickly broke the stare and turned around to face Evie on the couch who cocked one eyebrow up at me and had a questioning look on her face. Before I had a chance to analyze what had just happened, Jess came around the corner with a couple of beers and guided Ash towards the couch where we sat.

“We were talking about Scarlett here, and the fact that she’s lived an extremely sheltered life. Her parents were a tiny bit obsessive and controlling, so they sent her to an all-girl private school since kindergarten and never allowed her to go out - no parties and especially no dates. So tonight will be her very first party - ever,” Jess explained to Ash as they stood in front of us and she handed both Evie and I a beer. Once again she spoke as if I wasn’t capable or if I wasn’t there at all. I wanted nothing more than to sink into the cushions on the couch and escape the embarrassment of the conversation.

Ash didn’t respond to Jess, but instead held his hand out to Evie. When she shook his hand he said, “Evie, I presume? I’m Ashton Walker or Ash, if you prefer. It is so nice to finally meet you.” Then I saw him smile. Oh. My. God. The deep dimples that appeared on both sides of his face turned my insides to mush. I always knew I had a weakness for dimples, I mean, didn’t every female? There was just something about them that screamed youth and playfulness and innocent mischief, and when placed on a handsome face accompanied by hard, masculine features, they were undeniably sexy and downright irresistible.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Ash,” Evie replied with a smile. He then turned to me, picked my free hand up off of my leg, and held it in his. I was frozen.

“Scarlett, it’s a pleasure to meet you as well. I can see why your parents were hesitant about letting you out of their sight,” he said. “If I had a daughter as stunning as you, I wouldn’t let her leave the house either.” I blushed furiously. Then without breaking eye contact, he pulled my hand to his mouth. But instead of kissing the top of my hand in a gentlemanly manner as I anticipated, he lightly pressed his lips against the inside of my wrist, where the pounding of my heartbeat was about to break through the thin skin. Well if he is a vampire, it’s about to be over for me. Instead of taking a bite out of my fragile skin, he then reached his other hand to my mouth and pulled my lip free of my bite. I was done for. His touch ignited a fire inside of me that rolled throughout my body, spreading a liquid warmth from my head to my toes, with the hottest embers settling directly between my thighs. My joke from the day before about spontaneously combusting suddenly did not seem too far out of the realm of possibilities. Who was this guy?

“Down boy!” Jess joked as she playfully slapped Ash on the shoulder and broke our gaze at one another. He then released my hand and lip and took a step back from the couch. I wanted to argue that he didn’t need to get down, or better yet, how much I would like him to go down, but instead I just sat there in a haze and continued to stare at Ash. Evie nudged my leg breaking me from my trance, and I then realized that I had not yet said a word to him.

“Nice to meet you too,” I managed to squeak out. I was suddenly extremely thirsty and took a large gulp of the beer Jess had handed me. The taste was awful, worse than I had imagined it would be, but I reluctantly swallowed it, not wanting to make more of a spectacle of myself than I already had.

“Now Ash, I expect you to be on your best behavior around Evie and Scarlett, at least for tonight while they get used to you. And they are both off-limits to your dirty paws and overused dick, do you understand me?” Jess said somewhat teasingly, but the stern warning in her voice was evident. She turned towards Evie and me, “Ash here has mastered the art of charming the birds out of the trees and girls right out of their panties. He’s our resident playboy, so pay no attention to him if there’s a different bimbo on his arm every time you see him.” She wrapped her arm around his waist and smirked, “It’s a good thing I’ve known him since second grade and know that he truly is a decent human being, or I wouldn’t be able to stand his usual arrogant ass.”

The scowl that left his face as quickly as it appeared at Jess’ words didn’t go unnoticed by me, and he turned to face her, “Don’t be jealous because I haven’t shared any of this pleasure-inducing body with you Jess,” he taunted.

“You are disgusting, you know that right? I know where that body’s been,” Jess sneered at him.

Meg, who remained quiet up until this point, said from across the room while she stood up, “If you two are finished bickering, can we please go to Jacob and Nicholas’s now? I didn’t get dressed up to sit in this room all night. I’ve got a hot little cheerleader waiting for me there.”

I was completely confused, and as usual, I did a poor job of hiding the emotions on my face because Jess looked at me and said, “Meg’s a lesbian. She’s been trying to corrupt this poor girl since last semester, and I think she may have finally slithered her way in somehow.”

Meg’s lips curled up in a mischievous grin and she seductively licked her lips. “Oh, I plan to slither myself in several places of hers if she’ll let me. Now let’s go!”

With all of us laughing at Meg’s last comment and exaggerated facial expressions, we headed out the door. Thankful for the opportunity to get some fresh air as we walked, I knew I needed to gather my thoughts and regain my composure after the intense introduction to Ash. I wasn’t sure exactly what had happened, if anything at all, but I needed to get my hormones in check quickly. I couldn’t allow my brain or my body to overreact like that every time I was introduced to a good-looking guy or I was going to be in my big trouble.

Meg and Ash walked a few feet in front of us, lost in their own conversation, while Jess gave Evie and me the quick rundown on a few of the people that would be at the party.

“The party is at Jacob and Nicholas’ house. Ash met them last year in some soccer class. We all went out for drinks one night, Jacob and I hit it off and started dating, and shortly after, the five of us just ended up hanging out all the time,” she explained. “All of us are about to start our third year at UST.”

“Vicki, Nicholas’ sister, is a year behind us and she is the cheerleader Meg’s been lusting after. You’ll recognize her immediately because she looks like a twelve year old, female version of Nicholas,” Jess said loud enough for Meg to hear.

“No she doesn’t,” Meg argued without even turning around. “She’s just petite… she’s hot and you know it.”

Jess didn’t respond directly to Meg but instead turned to me and said mockingly, “Not only is Meg a lesbian, but she may also be a pedophile. You are at least eighteen right, Scarlett?”

I giggled and nodded.

“Good, then you should be safe from any unwanted advances from my roommate,” she teased.

Without breaking stride, Meg then turned around and looked at me. “Being of age isn’t going to save you from me sweet thing. Not only do you have an angelic face and a hot ass body, but you’ve got a pussy that has never been tainted by a man’s cock, and oh how’d I love to know what that innocence tastes like.” She winked at me and turned back around. “Isn’t that right, Ash? Can you imagine how sweet she tastes?”

My face burned with mortification, and I wasn’t sure how I should respond to Meg’s comments, so I didn’t. I knew part of what she said had been for dramatic effect, to get Jess to shut up about Vicki; however, for a brief moment, I found myself wondering if she really was attracted to me… and why my stomach fluttered when I thought about kissing her. What was wrong with me? Did Evie slip me some women’s Viagra tonight or something?… Before I could contemplate the thought any further, Ash turned around and gave me an awkward, uncomfortable half smile. And then it all made sense.

I was sure that the only reason Ash had acted the way he did towards me was because I was a virgin… the conquest of all conquests for guys, right? Jess had just told him about my not dating and strict parents. I was such an idiot. Jess had made it clear that he was basically a man-whore, and he never denied it. She even went as far as telling him to leave me alone because she knew exactly what he would do. He was probably just toying with me, knowing I would easily fall under his spell of compliments and flirtatious gestures, trying to see how quickly he could get in my pants. I was so pissed at myself for thinking there was some kind of spark between us. But he was just a master manipulator, an experienced player, and I immediately knew it would serve my best interests to stay as far away from Ash as possible. I had completely overreacted to, LITERALLY, the first guy I had been introduced to.

The remainder of the walk, Jess continued to ramble on about other people we would meet ~ who was dating who, who had dated who, who to stay away from, etc… I tuned her out and instead spent the time silently brooding over my own naïveté and gullibility. When we turned off the sidewalk to walk up to the house where the party was, Evie grabbed my arm and pulled me back away from the others.

“Are you okay? What the hell happened back at the house?” she asked with genuine concern.

“I’m fine… I don’t know what you’re talking about, nothing happened… Everything is just great, couldn’t be better,” I lied with forced enthusiasm.

She gave me the I-don’t-believe-a-word-you-are-saying look, but didn’t press me. “Okay, but any time consider using you’re ready to leave, just let me know.”

I nodded in response. I didn’t want to talk about it, not then, not ever.

“Now come on, let’s have some fun, we have some boys to meet! Oh, and don’t forget, tonight is preppy college boy night not hot surfer playboy night… you have to stick to the rules or it doesn’t count,” she said light heartedly as she grabbed my hand and led me up to the front porch.