Evan's Addiction (4 page)

     “Met, that’s the operative word. You haven’t truly hung out with
them, interacted with them. The only person you’ve really interacted with is
Evan and that was just to sling barb’s.”

     My heart skipped again. After Evan had asked me out, for real, and
I’d passed, he’d gone back to his pick-up lines and I’d gone back to my harsh
rejoinders. Evan might make my heart feel something it hadn’t in a long, long
time, but I didn’t trust him or that stupid organ. That’s also why I didn’t
hang out with Carrie’s friends, even the females. I didn’t trust anyone. I was
more comfortable around a computer.

     All people did was let you down, lie to your face or behind it,
and rip your heart out. Computers didn’t do that.

     I’d let Carrie in but that was because I’d seen something of
myself in her. She’d gone through something horrific, and people had been
treating her like shit as if it was her fault. That had totally pissed me off.
Carrie also had the sweetest and purest soul I’d ever come across so it had
been easy to let her in my little bubble.

     “Carrie, you know I’m not the most social person. I will probably
say something sarcastic or inappropriate and cause someone to slap me or kick
my ass.” I used to care about the shit that came out of my mouth, but after
years of no one else caring I’d said screw it.

     “You are exceedingly blunt but you aren’t mean…unless someone is
mean to you. I find you honest and funny and so will everyone else. Please,
please, pleassssse.”

     We were back to the pleading again. “I don’t know. Can I think
about it?” Absently I stroked Rosie, my Calico cat, who’d fallen asleep like
usual in my lap.

     “No, it’s today. There is no thinking, there’s only agreeing.” She
huffed.

     She was so adorable when she got huffy, and that I agreed with Nic
on that jammed my crank. When I’d found out that Carrie was going out with Nic
I did not think he was good enough for her. He was a man-whore athlete and
cocky as hell. She needed someone who treated her like a princess. Therefore, I’d
utilized my skills in an attempt to prove he was cheating on her so I could get
him out of her life before he could completely destroy her, but all my in-depth
investigating had yielded nothing. After a while I realized that Nic treated
Carrie better than a princess. I have never seen devotion like what those two
had for each other. 

     “What’s going on exactly?” I sighed, knowing I was caving. She had
been at me for months to go out with her friends. I couldn’t take seeing the
disappointment in her eyes again. And maybe if I did this she’d leave me alone
for another several months. 

     She squealed softly. “Well, you know Landon and Maya are getting
married next weekend, so tonight both Maya and Landon are having bachelor
parties.”

     “I’m not going out to see strippers.” I complained. Guys dancing
around naked swinging their junk in my face did not sound fun
at all
.

     “We are not seeing strippers.” Carrie rolled her eyes. “Like Nic would
be okay with that. Landon would probably have a fit as well.” She snorted.

     I’d met Landon a few times on UVA’s campus when I was with Carrie.
He’d been with Nic and hadn’t said all that much. In fact, he’d been downright
grim. I’d only met Maya once when I was out with Carrie. She was part-African
American and part Caucasian, and absolutely beautiful. We’d run across her at
the grocery store. Carrie had told me some of the couple’s story, and even
though my heart was buried in ice I still felt for what each of them had gone
through and was glad someone was getting their happily-ever-after.

     I moved through computer space as Carrie related the plans for
tonight. “Landon has leased out the top floor of the Grand Hotel for Maya’s
party. He asked if she could have anything what would she want, and she said a
day off at the Spa. I think she was being facetious but he took her seriously,
so that’s what he made happen. He got her an open bar and rented out the Spa
facilities of the hotel for the party. They are going to bring everything up to
us; facials, massages, pedicures, manicures, and whatever else they have. I’ve
never had any of that stuff done and it sounds amazing. Maya was blown away
when he told her.”

     She probably blew him in thanks. I knew Landon’s dad owned an
electrical company and other shit that made him one of the richest men in Virginia, so dropping the money for Maya’s party was like a drip in a bucket to them. Must
be nice.

     “That does sound amazing.” I had never had any kind of spa
treatment in my life either. Growing up with no money in a white trash
neighborhood kind of made that unattainable.

     “I can’t believe Nic hasn’t treated you to something like that
since he has a huge trust fund.” I taunted knowing that she got quite peeved
when he spent too much money on her.

     She rolled her eyes. “With him being a guy something like that
never crossed his mind, but now that Landon’s done it for Maya I’m sure it’s
been implanted.”

     I snorted knowing she was probably right.

     “So you’re going, right?” Carrie pressed in a hopeful tone.

     I spun away from the computer screen, careful of Rosie in my lap,
to lock eyes with her. “Are you sure that I’m invited? Maya specifically said
that she would like me to be there?” It was hard to believe since I’d only met
her the one time. 

     Carrie nodded. “When we saw her at the store she told you to
come.”

     I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, but she was just being polite because you
two were discussing the party in front of me.” A lot of people did that. ‘
You
can come too if you want to.
’ That’s not really an invitation, that’s just
the uncomfortable tension nice people experienced when they were talking about
an event around a person that hadn’t been invited. 

     “Maya told me yesterday that she hoped you would to be there. She
thought you were really nice, and funny.”

     Maya had thought I was nice? I don’t remember being especially
nice. I’d made a remark that the few times I’d met Landon he’d reminded me of
constipated mafia boss. Maya
had
laughed when I’d relayed that fact. He
was always dressed impeccably, but he wore the most irritable expression on his
face. The man was very good-looking, but did he ever smile? He
had
been
going through a lot of crap during that time so I guess his dour expressions
had been earned.

     I twirled my chair back to my computer and expelled a long drawn
out sigh. “Okay, okay, count me in. When are we leaving?”

     “Awesome! This afternoon at three.” Carrie yelled, and then her
arms were hugging me from behind excitedly. “You’re going to have so much fun
that you’re going to want to hang out all the time after this.”

     My stomach clenched in foreboding. “Let’s not get ahead of
ourselves.”

     Just having those lunches with Nic, Seth, and Evan had been
anxiety inducing. I’d begun to feel a connection to Evan that had made my
stomach want to revolt, and I didn’t even want to acknowledge what had been
going on in my empty chest cavity. Thankfully, fall term had ended and we’d
moved into winter. Courses had changed and shared lunches had also ended. I
still felt this pang in my chest at the mention of his name, as well as at the
thought of him, but it was a good thing I didn’t have to see him every week.
Seeing him…well, it had been doing something to me I wasn’t comfortable with.

∞                   
∞                    ∞

     I looked around the suite Carrie and I stepped into with
dumbfounded awe. “Shit, is this where Donald Trump stays when he comes to
town?”

     The room was the size of a small house with a dinning room and two
lounge areas containing luxurious furnishings, and one wall was all windows
displaying an awesome view of the city. I didn’t even know they had hotel rooms
this size, and I’d never seen one this posh. I’d worked as a maid in a motel
one summer but that had been a shack in a hovel compared to this. 

     Squeals and females suddenly flew in our direction from all sides.
Before they hit us I recognized Maya and Amanda, but the other two were
strangers; though there features rang a bell.

     “Carrie, Shaw, you’re here.” Maya exclaimed with a happy smile,
and then she embraced the both of us…together…in one hug.

     I stiffened automatically not accustomed to being embraced, and
then I smelled peach schnapps on her breath which accounted for the exuberant
welcome, but at least she didn’t look put out at seeing me. While still in
Maya’s clinch we were also hugged by Amanda…a tall-blonde California looking
girl…making it a four way embrace slash huddle.

     “More people. Let’s get this party started.” Amanda yelled. New
alcohol smells wafted over my face.

     How long had these girls been here, and how much had they had to
drink? As happy as they were it looked like just enough.

     They both pulled away, but then Amanda seized Carrie’s biceps and
leaned in really close to her face. “Girlfriend, we are so going to pop your
cherry tonight.”

     My brows rose. I knew for damn certain that Nic had already done
that because the walls in our apartment were frustratingly and embarrassingly
paper-thin. I’d had to invest in ear plugs.

     Carrie blushed. “What are you talking about, Amanda?”

     Amanda’s arm went over Carrie’s shoulder and she led her further
into the room. “You haven’t ever had alcohol. Well, tonight is the night, and
we are going to get you so wasted.”

     Carrie glanced back at me like I would help her. I just smirked.
She was on her own since she dragged me to this. In fact…I trailed after them
because a drink sounded pretty good right now. Alcohol and I weren’t best
friends, but I knew when to call her up.

     Maya tottered along next to me, hooking her arm unexpectedly with
mine. “Since Carrie’s been shanghaied I’ll introduce you. Gabby come say
hola
.
Gabby’s my bestest, longest friend.”

     When Gabby stepped up Maya slung her other arm around her. Gabby
was a short, cute as a button, curvy, Hispanic.

     She held out her hand to me. “Hey Shaw. It’s nice to meet you. I’m
sorry to say I’ve heard
too
much about you except that you work a lot.”

     My lips twisted. That was Carrie’s nice way of explaining why I
didn’t hang out. Although, she didn’t stretch the truth too much, I did work a
lot.

     “Nice to meet you, Gabby. Carrie’s told me everything she knows
about you so it feels like I know you already. You are Maya’s closest and
dearest friend. You’ve been married four years and have an almost four year old
baby girl. You’re a cosmetologist. And you have some really big, tattooed
cousins.”

     Gabby laughed. “All true.”

     The other female stepped up; a tall, gorgeous strawberry blonde
with aquamarine eyes who had to be Nadia, Seth’s Russian girlfriend. Maya had
explained her to me and there was no way I wouldn’t recognize her.

     “
Zdravstvuyte
, hello, I’m Nadia.” She greeted, hand out in
welcome.

     I was into the handshake so much more than the group hugs. With a
brief shake I smiled. “Shaw.”

     She quirked her brow and grinned. “Carrie spill all the details on
me, too?” 

     “Seth’s girlfriend, two siblings that live with you, plumber, card
shark, math genius, and knife ninja.” I dispatched swiftly.

     She snorted. “Knife ninja. I love it.”

     The things Carrie had told me this girl could do with a knife had
my brows disappearing in amazement.

     I realized suddenly that even though I didn’t personally
know
these girls, I did know them pretty well through Carrie’s stories, making it
seem like we were almost old pals being reacquainted.

     “What do you know about Amanda?” Nadia asked as we moved closer to
the bar.

     Amanda swiveled, eyes bright with alcohol and enjoyment. “Yes,
what has Carrie dished about me?”

     “Noah’s girlfriend for almost four years, majoring in advertising,
two brothers, starts Grad school this fall, has a job interview for a part time
internship in three days, loves red nail polish, and gives great head.”

     Amanda’s mouth dropped open.

     “Shaw! I did not say that.” Carrie yelled horrified.

     I snorted. “Yes, you did. Remember when you said she brushed and
blow dried your hair almost making you fall asleep. That sounds like the best
head job I’ve ever heard.”

     Everyone busted out laughing. At least I was earning my invitation
as the funny girl. I asked the woman behind the bar for a beer. It was slightly
bizarre ordering alcohol from this lady who looked to be in her early thirties
when I was only twenty.

     “You know, I’m not too bad at the other one either.” Amanda
boasted. “Noah waits to fall asleep after I’m done though.”

     Maya sighed in wistful drunkenness. “Landon doesn’t. He knows how
excited I get when I do it to him so he always takes care of me. I love his
cock.”

     The other three girls snorted out laughter again. Carried laughed
as well but with a little less alcohol induced hysteria. Uhg, men talk. I met
the eyes of the bartender whose expression remained pretty impassive for a
conversation about blow jobs. I wondered if she hosted many bachelorette
parties where these discussions became old news.  

     I drank my beer as several other dick comments were bandied about.
I learned Seth was hung like a horse. Lon, Gabby’s husband, had a
piercing…Ouch! Noah liked it best doggie-style. And Carrie even contributed
saying timidly that Nic loved her hair wrapped around his. I knew that guy had
some weird fetishes.

     Suddenly everyone’s eyes were on me and my beer froze on the way
to my mouth. “What?”