Down to Business (Business Series) (20 page)

We all froze as something crunched under his foot. He lifted his shoe to reveal the cracked bottle of strawberry lip-gloss.

“Oh, crap. Was that yours?” he said looking down at the broken bottle.

“Yeah but that’s okay…I can buy more.” I said, watching the clear gloss oozing onto the floor.

Vinny grabbed some tissue from his desk and cleaned the mess up, tossing the remnants into the small trashcan nearby. It left a small, varnished circle on the floor and the air had a hint of strawberries.

“I guess we should get going to the party.” Vinny said, motioning to the door.

“Yeah, we should,” I agreed straightening the items on Kyle’s desk that I shoved aside earlier.

“Nice meeting you, Autumn.” Kyle said, with a knowing grin on his face.

“Nice to meet you too…” I said with a small wave, still drowning in embarrassment.

“You guys have a good time.” Kyle said giving Vinny a wink.

“We will,” Vinny replied, leading me out of the room.

The walk to the car was full of awkward silence. I was sure he was also absorbing what just happened and didn’t know what to say. I didn’t regret it, and hoped he didn’t either.

Once we were inside the car, he released a sigh and rubbed his hands over his face. “Wow.”

I half-smiled. “That’s one word for it.”

He smiled half-heartedly at me. “Look, I’m sorry for what happened up there, I don’t know what came over me—”

I leaned over and pressed my fingertips against his lips before he could finish. I didn’t want to hear that he regretted it. “Don’t.  Please, don’t apologize.”

He stared at me, his brows coming together in confusion.

“It was fun and I don’t regret it. Neither should you. It just happened and…that’s that. Let’s just go to this party and have a good time.” 

His expression softened and he smiled against my fingertips. “Okay.”

I pulled my fingers away from his lips and he released a breath and started the ignition. We drove out of the parking lot in silence. As soon as the heat kicked on, I felt the cool damp spot beneath my shirt prickle, and the reminder of his mouth on my breast came flooding back. I swallowed as all of the heat in my body centered between my legs. I couldn’t help but lose myself in the memory that ended too soon.  One thing was for sure; I would never look at strawberry lip-gloss the same.

When we arrived at the Alpha Tau house, it was completely packed and we had to park six houses down. Vinny captured my hand in his as we walked through the front door into a room crammed with students. He led me through the living room and into a side room where a bunch of folding tables were set up with people playing cards. As soon as we entered the room, Jace from our Business 101 class strolled up to greet Vinny.

“Circle of Death is calling your name, Vinnster!” he shouted, pointing to one of the tables with an empty seat.

“I can’t Jace! Sorry!” Vinny yelled back over the music.

“How’s your fantasy football line up working out?” Jace asked, slurping some beer from his red cup.

“Pretty good man,” Vinny said, sliding his arm around my shoulders as a few students pressed past us.

“Who’s this? Your new slam?” Jace asked, looking me over. “Hey, don’t I know you from somewhere?”

His new what?! Was that his classy way of asking if we were sleeping together?

“No, this is Autumn. She’s in our Business 101 class, she’s just my—” he paused as a brunette wearing a hot pink rhinestone shirt that could have been a bra appeared beside Jace.

“Vinny!” she squealed, pushing past Jace and throwing her arms around Vinny’s neck, almost knocking me over. I watched in disgust as she left a sloppy pink wet kiss on his cheek.

“Hey Meg, how much have you had to drink?” Vinny asked, pulling her back by her shoulders and wiping his cheek off.

She laughed and made small circles on his chest with her finger. “I don’t know, enough to make me horny.”

“Ah, well, in that case…” Jace interjected, slipping his arm around Meg’s waist. “I’ll take care of that little problem for you, Meg.” He winked at Vinny and I. “Excuse us…”

Vinny and I watched as he threw her over his shoulder and carried her off while she squealed.

“Come on, let’s grab a drink,” Vinny said, leading me into the kitchen where the kegs were lined up on the island counter. He filled two red cups and offered one to me. I took mine and looked over the crowd. A girl was sitting on the counter near us in her bra and panties while two guys helped her put on a beer helmet. I wondered how some girls thought getting that obliterated was a good idea. I wondered how many guys she would end up sleeping with by the end of the night...or how many she already had.

Vinny reached out and pulled me against him. “You okay?” he whispered in my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.

“Yeah.” I answered as I heard my name called out.

I looked over to see Lindy pushing through the crowd, wide-eyed. “Auti! What the hell are you doing here?”

“Oh, I came with Vinny,” I said, almost spilling my beer as she yanked me in for a hug.

“Oh really?” She asked in her taunting voice, looking between us. “You will come with him but not with me?”

“I wasn’t planning on coming, but he talked me into it. Where’s Tyler?”

“Hanging out with the Alpha Tau brothers. I think they are going to do his initiation this weekend!”

“Cool.” Vinny said and sipped his beer.

The sooner Tyler got accepted the better.

“So, what’s going on with you two…?” Lindy asked in her annoying voice, giving me a drunken wink and bumping her hip against mine.

“Nothing is going on,” I answered, making sure I didn’t spill my beer.

“We just got here,” Vinny explained, leaning his chest into my backside.

“I have an awesome idea,” Lindy said, smiling at us. “You two should get completely fucking wasted and fuck. Give Autumn the night of her life. She’s practically still a virgin.”

I wanted to douse her with my beer, but I punched her in the tit instead. “Lindy! Shut up.”

“Ouch! My boobie!” she squealed, feeling herself up.

Vinny laughed. “Actually, that might not be a bad idea, but I don’t know if Autumn is up for it,” he teased, giving my side a pinch.

I jumped and laughed, shocked by his answer.

“Oh trust me, Autumn is up for it. She’s been drooling over you since she met you. That’s all I hear about! You wouldn’t even need to be drunk to—”

“Lindy would you shut—”

“Vinny! There you are!”

Vivian shouldered past Lindy, nearly knocking the cup of beer out of her hand. “I’ve been looking all over for you!”

“Hi Viv,” Vinny said with a tinge of annoyance.

She didn’t even acknowledge me as she pulled him away by the front of his shirt. “Come on! The brothers are looking for you!”

“I’ll be right back!”He called over his shoulder to me.

I doused the lump of rejection choking me with a sip of beer and glared after him as he followed her out of the room.

“What the fuck just happened?” Lindy said, looking after them.

“I don’t know but I think he just blew me off to go with Vivian,” I said, taking another swallow of my beer.

“She acted like she didn’t even see us. I was her study partner all last semester in nursing science! That bitch.”

“You were friends with her?” I asked, appalled that she could stand someone like Vivian.

“Well yeah, she’s the one who introduced Tyler and me. We double dated with her and Vinny a couple times.”

“What the hell, Lindy?” I glared at her. “How come you never told me?!”

“Because I was afraid you’d freak out!”

“I am freaking out. She acts like she owns him!” I scowled at the open doorway they disappeared through. “I should go throw my beer in her face.”

“That would be a waste of beer,” she argued. “What’s going on with you and him anyway?”

“I don’t know,” I said in frustration as the memory of the dorm room flooded my mind.

“What do you mean you don’t know? Did you guys hook up?”

I wasn’t sure how to answer that.

Did we hook up? What consisted of ‘hooking up’ exactly?

All I knew was that what happened wasn’t just something I could forget. He wanted me to come to this stupid party with him, so why did he just go off with her?

I passed Lindy my cup. “I’m going to go find them.”

“You go, girl! Show that bitch who’s taking Vinny home tonight!” she shouted.

I shoved my way through the crowd, looking for him. After a few minutes of searching, I finally found him in the beer pong room doing tequila shots at a mini bar. He downed a shot and bit into a lime that Vivian held to his lips while she laughed. Jace, the idiot, clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs up.

Vinny coughed and shook his head, clearly suffering the aftermath of the shot. Once he looked up, it was like a magnetic attraction as his watery gaze fell on mine. I frowned at him and crossed my arms to let him know how I felt about him trading me for Vivian.

Vivian grabbed his face in her hand and directed his gaze down at her. She whispered something in his ear and he nodded. His gaze drew mine again and a look of sympathy crossed his features before Vivian dragged him out of sight through a door on the opposite side of the room.

Bitch!

I almost screamed it out loud. Why was he letting her control him? Was he suddenly a dog on a leash? Just as I was getting ready to follow them again, a guy bumped into me and a cold splash of beer hit my neck and rolled down into my shirt. I cried out as he started groping my breasts in a drunken attempt to dry me off. I shoved him away and tears blurred my vision.

I fled the room and managed to make it to the nearest bathroom. I locked the door behind me and found it partially empty besides a girl passed out in the bathtub, using the shower curtain as a blanket. Empty Dixie cups lined the bathroom counter as well as the back of the disgusting, clogged, toilet.

I grabbed a wad of toilet paper and pressed it into my beer soaked sweater, glaring at my reflection in the mirror. I looked as tired and fed up as I felt. I just wanted to go home. I tossed the wad of toilet paper into the clogged bowl and noticed the white paper residue all over my shirt. I swiped at it helplessly and let out a curse. I had enough. I decided I’d find Lindy and tell her I was walking home if I couldn’t find a ride.

I stepped out of the bathroom to see a line of people waiting. They all glared at me as I passed by, but I was too pissed off to care.

I walked through the living room and into the kitchen where I saw Lindy last, hoping to find her there. I had no such luck. I continued my search, wandering through the house, and finally coming to a room where a crowd was dancing in the dark under a cheap multi colored disco light.

Bubbles floated around the packed bodies that grinded on each other to thumping club music. My heart clenched as I saw a familiar head bobbing in the crowd amidst the grinding bodies. Vinny. He was sandwiched between Vivian and Meg, the slut in the pink rhinestone bra-shirt. I watched in disgust as Vivian grinded her big ass into his groin and Meg danced up against him from behind, sliding her hands over ass. The beer in my stomach lurched into my throat and I closed my eyes hoping that I was seeing things. I opened them again just in time to see Vinny throw his head back and laugh when Meg spanked him. My stomach twisted into a tight knot and I backed away from the room. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The same Vinny that I just shared an intimate moment with an hour before was suddenly a man whore. My view became a blurry mess and I choked back my emotional upheaval. I couldn’t stand being at the party another second. I decided I’d just leave Lindy a voicemail to let her know I was walking home.

I pressed through the crowd, as tears of frustration began to pour from my eyes. The music, the people, the atmosphere all made me feel like I was drowning. Faces crowded in on me and I wanted to curl into a ball and scream. Before I could make it to the front door, someone grabbed at the back of my shirt. I spun around with a glare to see Lindy looking back at me, drunk out of her mind.

“I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” I screamed in her face.

She blinked as if she wasn’t getting it or she was too fucked up to care. “Oh my God, are you crying?”

“Yes I’m crying!” I snapped, wiping beneath my eyes. “I hate this place, I’m going home.”

“What the hell happened? I thought you were going to find Vinny?”

“I found him,” I sneered, “grinding his dick on Vivian’s big ass. I hate him. I never should have trusted him.”

“What?” she screeched, her eyes wide and red rimmed. “Are you serious?”

“Yes I’m serious! You’re so fucking drunk. I can’t even talk to you. Just forget it! I’m walking home.”

I turned to leave but she grabbed me again.

“No, you’re not going home! Come with me…we will get you drunk,” she pulled me through the crowd.

“Lindy, I don’t want to get drunk! I want to leave!” I shouted, trying to escape her death grip on my arm.

“Screw Vinny! You don’t need him,” she declared as she pulled me along. I wondered if she even knew where she was going. “Don’t let him ruin your night!”

She led me into the room with the ping-pong tables. This time there wasn’t as many people and the tables were being used to pour drinks. Tequila shots were lined up on one of the tables and the other one was for Jell-O shots.  I watched in repulsion as a skinny blond girl was splayed out on the Jell-O shot table in her undies with one guy licking a green shot off her stomach and a different guy lapping a red one out of her cleavage.

“Here, drink this…” Lindy said shoving a tequila shot and lime into my hands. I had never tasted tequila before, and judging from Vinny’s reaction, it tasted like shit.

“I’m not drinking this, Lindy.”

She turned and glared at me. “You need to get over it! Make Vinny see you aren’t just some slut like Vivian that he can dick around. You’re gonna hold your head up high and you are going to drink that fucking shot and get over it. We will find you someone even hotter than him. If he wants to throw Viv in your face, you do it right back!”