Page 42 of My Fiancé's Brother
I sighed and clicked off the phone without replying.
CHAPTER 13
Two hours later,I stood in my version of hell. Music blasted, people talked and laughed. I was just a girl, standing alone, at her party. I sipped my wine. I sighed and looked down at my ring. I thought one benefit of getting engaged and married was so that you had the plus one who gave a fuck about you at parties. My throat tightened as I remembered the throaty female voice that answered his phone. I forced myself to not think about that.
Four women surrounded Jackson. Julie trailed one hand up Jackson’s arm and then laughed as she squeezed his bicep. I gulped more wine. My University days flashed in front of my eyes. Friends tripped over themselves to capture Jackson’s attention. I predicted that Julie would win. I already envisioned Jackson tugging Julie’s hand as he discretely led her upstairs to his room.
Julie waved at me. “Em, come over here.”
With great reluctance, I fixed a smile on my lips and walked over.
Julie studied me. “Wow, your lips look fantastic.”
I swallowed and avoided looking in Jackson’s direction. “Thanks.”
“My lips would look that good if I also could afford $40 lipstick,” she looked around the group. “But not all of us got so lucky in life.”
“Five dollar lipstick from Walgreens.” I kept my voice light.
“So we were just bugging Jackson about his workouts.” Julie changed the subject.
“Oh.”
“He won’t tell us about the crazy things he does. He says that he just works out like everyone else.”
I stared at her. What was she even talking about? This had to be the most inane conversation I have ever walked into. I took a big sip of my wine.
I evaded making direct eye contact with Jackson.
“Are you going to tell us?” Julie urged. I looked at her. Her eyes burned bright, giving her a somewhat alarming look. She loved the conquest. This persona appeared when you mixed Julie, a hot man, wine and some female competition. No one liked this side of her, mostly because she became a tiny bit scary.
“Tell you what?”
“Tell us about Jackson’s workouts. We need to know how he created such a perfect hard body.”
A few other women nodded and leaned in. This entire conversation mortified me. Is this how people flirted? It pained me even to listen. Jackson stared at me without expression.
“I apologize for my friends,” I said to him. “They’re acting like they just broke out of a nunnery.”
Jackson looked away. He struggled not to laugh.
Julie’s laughter peeled so loud; she almost blew out my eardrum. “Maybe we just haven’t met someone of Jackson’s caliber.”
I hadn’t realized that Jackson’s party experience might be worse than my own.
Beth squeezed my arm. “Do you mind lending me that soup cookbook you were telling me about?”
I breathed a huge sigh of relief. That was our code for we needed to talk. “Absolutely. Come with me.”
We walked away from the group.
Beth leaned into my ear. “Julie’s acting crazy tonight. She’s barking way out of her league.”
I sniffed. “She doesn’t seem to think so.”
“He’s being nice about the fact that she is trying to molest him without ever giving her a single shred of hope that he’s interested.”
I looked across the room. Jackson listened politely to someone talk. “He’s a nice person.”
