Boston Boys [01] - A Life Without You (6 page)

“Jay?” Anne chirps.

I grind my teeth before I answer. “Why are you calling now?

Saturday’s tomorrow.”

“What? Who is this?”

What do I do? Hang up? Talk more? I’ve never talked to her directly before though I’ve switched off Jesse’s phone a couple of times when she’s called.

“Hello?”

God, her voice is as annoying as the fact that she’s Jesse’s girlfriend. Does he really want to listen to that voice for the rest of his life?

“It’s Adam. Look, he’s busy. Call tomorrow.”

“Wait, why are you being so rude?”

“Rude?” I ask in my chilliest voice. “I’m not rude. We’re busy.”

“Busy with what?” she chirps and I know she’s wondering if Jesse and I are in our room with a girl each or something equally ridiculous.

“We’re going out tonight and Jesse’s getting ready,” I say with a nasty, suggestive tone in my voice.

“He’s going out? With whom?”

“Just me, a couple of other guys, and a whole bunch of girls.

Buh bye,” I say before she can answer.

I snap the phone shut and turn it off just as Jesse turns off his shower. My heart is thudding in my ears and I feel almost numb. God, I just made things bad for Jesse because she’s gonna A Life Without You
39

chew him out tomorrow, and what I said…or didn’t say to her will probably keep her up all night. I’m just plain evil, but I can’t help the flutter of giddiness in my chest. I can always deny being weird on the phone – Jesse will believe me; he knows how fucked up she gets with her jealousy.

Jesse finishes in the bathroom and opens the front door to air out the room. The bedroom window can only be cracked opened two inches and it’s not enough to clear the steam even with the bathroom window open as well. Jesse flumps down on his bed as he waits for the party to start while I, in shame, try not to look at him.

I jerk back when Eric magically appears in doorway with a couple of guys in tow.

Eric said earlier that he and his gay buddies from town had decided to do a
glitzy gothic glamour theme
and now I know what he meant. His narrow hipbones poke out above his black pleather hip-huggers that are so tight that the form of his cock and balls are almost visible. His chest is barely covered by a glittering black, skimpy little tank top that reveals his white stomach while his bare arms and fingers are decorated with loads of silver bracelets and chunky rings. To top it off he’s wearing heavy eye makeup with blue and white glitter and sparkling blue hair mascara on carefully selected locks, plus a black choker strapped tightly around his narrow neck. What surprises me more than his outfit is that he actually makes it look cool.

I’ve only just finished taking in his remarkable appearance when he smirks, lifts his plucked eyebrow, and says, “You girls not ready for the party yet? I finished aaages ago.” Jesse’s fully dressed in black sports pants and green t-shirt that looks great on his figure, while I’m still only wearing my pair of boot-cut blue jeans with my nipples visible to anyone who cares to see…which is everyone standing in the doorway.

“Are these your friends?” Jesse asks while he yanks on a pair of black sneakers.

“Yup. I have a few more waiting downstairs. Guys,” – he says with a flourish to his two friends – “this is Jesse Jefferson and that’s Adam Maxwell. Adam’s gay.”

I glare at Eric. He’s trying to hook me up right in front of Jesse? I pull on a black t-shirt and rustle my equally black hair.

“Adam, Jesse, these are my buddies Benji and Jazz.” A guy slightly shorter than Eric steps into the room and holds out a hand for me to shake. A wide grin is plastered on his small,
42 Erica Pike

heart-shaped, sun-kissed face and the corners of his big blue eyes crinkle as I shake his hand. His frame is really small, like Eric’s, and but although he’s wearing black pants and a sparkly-red top, I can tell he’s nowhere near as flamboyant as Eric. Benji’s cute, especially with his slight southern accent, but not my type.

The other guy, however,
is
my type. Jazz is wearing similar pants to Eric’s. The tight pleather hip-huggers with the silver chain running from the waistline into a fake-pocket reveal all his sexy assets, and a grey long-sleeved see-through shirt that exposes every muscle on his fit body. But aside from wearing similar pants, he and Eric couldn’t look more different. Where Eric has creamy white skin, Jazz has the same naturally tanned skin as Jesse. Jazz and Jesse even have a similar body build: lean athletic muscles, narrow waist and sexy hips. They’re even similar in height, which is about five-foot-nine, roughly five inches shorter than I am. He runs his jeweled fingers through his thick, brown, tousled hair, but what has me gazing down at him are the impossibly turquoise eyes gazing seductively up at me from under thick black eyelashes.

I’m thinking colored contact lenses. His smile is more of a smirk on his very pretty face. His jaws are slender, his chin narrow, and his nose is small. All in all, he’s extremely attractive. I’d probably go for him if I wasn’t so hooked on Jesse.

The thing is, though, that although Jesse may be curious and maybe into some exploring, he’s straight and the chances of having a future relationship with him are extremely slim. Jazz, however, is gay, and he’s making it perfectly clear to me with the leer in his eyes that he’s available to me – if not for a relationship then at least for a night of sex.

“Nice to meet you, Adam,” he says, his handshake more of a caressing handholding under the soft skin of his palms. He’s not accentuating a gay accent like Eric is, nor does he have what seems to be Benji’s naturally high voice. His voice is relatively deep, sort of like Jesse’s. Hell, he’s basically a gay Jesse, only with different eyes, hair and definitely a whole different personality.

“Nice to meet you too,” I reply, not taking my gaze off him until I hear Jesse clear his throat. I quickly glance at Eric who A Life Without You
43

smirks back triumphantly, before I rest my eyes on Jesse who sits at the foot of his bed, eyes shifting between Jazz and me. I immediately drop Jazz’s hand as if I’ve been caught with my hand in a very scrumptious cookie jar.

Eric leans against the doorway. “Adam’s an alpha,” he informs Benji and Jazz. “Benji, Jazz and I are all bottom bitches,” he says to me with a wag of his eyebrows. “Well, Jazz can be both, depending on his partner.”

“Hey, don’t call me an ass-bitch, bitch,” says Benji and shoves Eric playfully.

“Oh blow me, Benji,” says Eric with a mock eye-roll. “Just because you have a boyfriend doesn’t mean you’re not an ass-bitch. You’re even worse than I am. At least I’ve
tried
topping.”

“Touché,” Benji laughs.

“You’ve ‘tried’ as in tried and failed?” I ask Eric.

“Yo, dude, you wanna get hooked up with one of my friends or not?” Eric shoots back at me.

“For the hundredth time, I don’t,” I answer.

Eric slides closer with a raised eyebrow and runs a jeweled, manicured hand over Jazz’s shoulder. “Whaaat? Not even with sexy Jazz over here? I can tell you’re hot for him. It’s time to forget about no-go over there,” – he jabs a thumb over his shoulder at Jesse – “and start living a little. The dude’s either as straight as they come if he hasn’t let a guy like
you
fuck him yet, or he’s got the bad case of the closets. I’m guessing the latter, but some guys never get with the program, if you get me.” He folds his hands in front of him and shoots his hip to the side.

“Jesus, Eric, when did you turn into a pimp?” I say and glance back down at Jazz who’s got a wicked grin on his face. I wonder if he came here just to get hooked up with me. What the hell am I supposed to do if he did?

“Hey, hotness, hooking people up is what I’m good at, ‘sides, Jazz is really,
really
good in bed,” Eric purrs, leering at Jazz.

“He’s one of your fuck buddies? Then it’s a definite no from
44 Erica Pike

me,” – I turn to Jazz – “no offence.”

“None taken, bro. It’s fun to see someone stand up to Eric like this.”

“Hey, I don’t bitch you guys around,” says Eric, unfolding his arms.

“Yes you do,” says Benji, but then eyes the ceiling as in thought. “Well, okay, it’s more like you, me, and Terry bitch the other three around.”

“And us three love it,” says Jazz, winking a turquoise eye at Eric.

“But seriously, Eric, does everything that comes out of your mouth have to be about sex?” I ask.

“Yes,” both Benji and Jazz answer at the same time and shove each other with a snicker. Dear God, when Jazz smiles like that…

“Oh, here we go with the freaky collectiveness,” Eric says with a sigh while Jazz and I lock gazes again.

“Shall we go before people start partying in
this
room?” Jesse asks, sounding a little annoyed. The music and yapping is already loud from downstairs.

“Sure.” Jazz tucks Eric under his arm and pulls on Benji’s hand with his other. I get a nice view of three black-plastered asses as Jesse and I follow into the red-painted hallway. Jazz glances over his shoulder and gives me a sexy smirk.

“Do you find him attractive?” Jesse whispers just loudly enough for me to hear. I look down at him, but he’s staring at Jazz who’s now making both Eric and Benji laugh.

“Yeah,” I answer after a slight hesitation. Aside from the fact that it’s true, I don’t want Jesse to think that I’m so overly hot for him that I won’t consider dating other guys. That might just make him uncomfortable and pressured. Not that I’m seriously considering Jazz, I just like looking at him, and my cock seems to like me looking at him too, judging by the activity in my pants as I watch his slim, muscular back move under the grey see-through material when he walks. I guess my interest is infused by the fact A Life Without You
45

that my dick hasn’t been near another man in a very long time.

But while Jazz may have my cock thumping, what has my heart, soul, and entire body burning is the guy walking next to me.

“Well, if you need time alone with him in our bedroom later, I can –”

“Thanks,” – I smile at him – “but no thanks. I’m really not that liberal about sex.” It’s pathetic how I’m being faithful to Jesse. I’ve had one-nighters; more than a few. Hell, I’m not even dating Jesse, but I’d still feel bad about going to bed with another guy.

“Oh,” Jesse says back with a cute blush in his cheeks. Was that relief in his voice? While we descend the stairs I quickly chastise and warn myself, yet again, not to interpret things that aren’t there. I’m still hanging onto the slim possibility of Jesse being curious, but he hasn’t done or said anything since earlier today to confirm that he is.

The place is packed downstairs with more people flooding in. Eric and his friends weave through the crowd and disappear while Jesse and I sort of stand to the side and people-watch. I spot Brianna and Taylor, two girls from the literary department, hovering over a boom box in the living room. They switch the music to a contemporary beat I don’t recognize. Their long, brown braids jump as they move their identically clothed bodies with the music, a bright smile on their identical mocha-colored faces. The sofas, chairs, and TV have been shoved to the side and as people start moving to the music I see Eric and his friends join the two girls to dance.

It’s seems almost laughable how stereotypical they look. Three gay men in revealing outfits who really know how to work their bodies in beat with the music. Benji is good, Jazz is better, but Eric is notably the best. The way he moves his hips has me ogling. It’s almost as if his dancing is choreographed to that particular song, but I know it can’t be because Taylor changes the tune and Eric doesn’t miss a beat. Brianna and Taylor are cat-whistling and Jazz and Benji are hooting along with a lot of the other onlookers.

One of them, a tall handsome-in-a-rugged-sort-of-way guy with
46 Erica Pike

thick, red hair slides up to Benji and gives him a kiss on the lips.

Benji’s face beams as he looks up at the guy and pulls him into a deep kiss. The way their hands move confidently over each other’

bodies indicate that this must be Benji’s boyfriend.

“I don’t get it. Are they dating?” Jesse asks and for a minute I think he’s talking about Benji and his boyfriend, but when I look down at him he gestures at Eric and Jazz who are doing some very provocative crotch grinding with their nimble hips.

“No,” I say to Jesse, keeping my eyes on the two. “Jazz is his fuck buddy. I know for a fact that Eric has several.” I glance down at Jesse whose eyes are shining with adorable innocence.

“It means they meet up to have sex without any attachments.”

“Fuck buddies…” Jesse repeats, eyes still wide on his gorgeous face, eyebrows slightly tilted.

I grin down at him. “You really haven’t heard that term before?”

“I’m too sober for this,” Jesse says and walks away. I gaze after him and see him head for the beer kegs which are surrounded by a bunch of the macho guys who live in our dorm. They pat Jesse on the back and shove a paper cup in his hand.

I wait a long time for Jesse to return, but he doesn’t. He talks to the keg-guys, then he talks to some girls form the dorm next door, then he goes to the kitchen and I lose sight of him. Eric’s still keeping up the party in the living room with Brianna and Taylor. Benji’s still smooching and nuzzling that tall, rugged, red-haired guy who, I realize now, is wearing black jeans and a black broad-striped tank top that reveals nice and big biceps but covers his big pecs and abs.

There are also two other relatively buffed guys wearing Eric’s theme, but they have me ogling for a different reason. One of them has a very handsome face, black hair and dark skin –

probably of Indian descent – the other has skin that is even whiter than Eric’s. His hair is dyed deep blue and is gathered up in a high ponytail long enough to reach his shoulder blades. They dance and grind and smile seductively at each other. Another A Life Without You
47

couple, I’m guessing.

I blow out a long breath as I look around for something to do.