The Complete Memories Series (30 page)

“Go away, Samuel. I want to see you as much as I want a shard of glass in my ass.”

I open a cupboard door, taking down a glass as the front door opens and shuts.

“Oh, Sam, Jen.” Emily smiles, unbuttoning her coat. “Sam, did you tell the girls?”

“Yes, Mum. For the thousandth time, I told them. Lexy is on the phone to Alec now. She said she’d text you.”

“Oh, well, maybe she did. I haven’t checked my phone since I text you.” She sets her coat on the back of a chair, and looks up at me. “Will you be there, Jen? Si would love to have you there.”

“Of course.” I smile sweetly. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

“I presume Bing has told you about the escort situation?”

Escort? Isn’t that like Billie Piper in Diary of a Call Girl?

“I told her,” Bing grinds out.

“I hope its okay,” Emily pushes on. “Lexy said Carl wouldn’t be able to get up, and since Samuel didn’t find himself a date, I found him one.”

“I highly doubt he couldn’t find a date,” I reply, turning. “He probably just pissed her off by not calling her back the next day.”

Emily’s mouth twitches in an effort to fight her smile, and I can feel Bing staring daggers in the side of my head.

“Yes, well,” she manages. “I’ve saved him the job. Your dresses will be ready to pick up tomorrow. I will get them at lunchtime. Also…” She turns to Bing. “…When your sister appears, let her know your father called me and said someone named Adrian called him today. He said he was a friend of Lexy’s and couldn’t find her number, and since your father had heard her mention him, he handed her number over.”

I click my tongue against the roof of my tongue. “Oopsie.”

“What?” Emily turns to me.

“I wouldn’t wanna be Si when she finds that out, that’s all I’m sayin’.” I shrug.

“Samuel? Explain,” Emily demands.

“Adrian doesn’t just know Lexy, Mum.” Bing leans back and crosses his arms across his chest, making those muscles flex. I blink and look away. “Adrian wants in her pants. Bad.”

“Oh!” Emily squeaks out. “Oh, dear. Well, it’s not going to happen. She and Alec are as strong as the next couple. It’ll be fine, dears. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go call the caterers. I’ll see you at dinner.”

She sweeps from the room with an elegance I’ll never achieve. Bing walks towards me, reaching around me for another glass. I raise mine to my lips, and raise an eyebrow at him.

“I saw you checking me out, Jennifer,” he whispers, smirking.

I snort. “Right. In which alternate reality was that, Samuel?”

“Sarcasm to your defence,” he quips. “Admit it, Jen, you think I’m hot.”

I look at him with disdain. “If Antarctica is hot, then yeah, smokin’.”

He fills his glass up, and stops as he’s about to pass me. “Its fine,” he says quietly, his face close to mine. “I check you out all the time, you’re just too busy being gobby to notice.” He looks at my chest and back up. “And I don’t mind that at all.”

My mouth drops open, and he saunters towards the kitchen door. “You chauvinistic, arrogant, perverted, fat-headed bastard!” I yell, grabbing a teaspoon and throwing it in his direction.

He laughs out loud, moving faster to avoid my makeshift weapon. I narrow my eyes and growl, putting my glass on the side. I continue my barrage of insults at him in my mind, the most prominent being “pillock,” “asshat,” “small-tooled prick,” and “man-boobed moron.”

The last one is, of course, totally irrelevant, considering his abundance of bodily muscle and lack of fat. I’ll still use it, though.

Thinking about his lack of fat annoys me even more. Thinking about him annoys me. I’ve long since accepted my attraction to my best friend’s brother, I’ve just chosen to ignore it. But that was before I came to London, and before I was forced into being his date for the evening this weekend.

Goddamn his annoying, tight ass.

BING

My sister’s best friend is fucking hot when she’s angry.

That sounds like the title of a really corny movie, but it’s true. Jennifer Mason is the only girl I’ve ever met – besides Lexy – that will give as good as she gets. She’s not fazed by my charm or my looks, and she couldn’t give a crap about annoying me.

And I have to admit that I like it. A lot.

I like it more than I should, since she’s actually not available – and in an odd kind of way, I’m not either. But that just makes me want her more, because wanting what you can’t have is both the best and worst thing in life. Jen definitely has the potential to be the best and worst thing in my life.

And I don’t know what to make of that.

Gram said it was time for me to “find a nice girl” before she died. Hell, maybe she’s right – but there’s no nice girls around here. At least, none that are capable of seeing past my dick. I’m pretty sure that’s the number one reason Heidi keeps coming back.

I knock on the door to Lexy’s bathroom.

“What?” she hollers.

“Is Alec comin’ over?” I yell through the door.

“Any minute. Why?”

“I need a work out,” I answer.

“Jen get you riled up?”

“Always.” I turn away, knowing if I stay there any longer my sister will get ideas in her head. Hell, after my performance the other night at dinner she probably already has ideas and the fucking plans to go with them.

I slam my door, change my clothes, and make my way downstairs as Alec walks through the front door.

I motion for him to follow me, and he does without question. We pass down into the basement Dad converted into a mini-gym when I hit puberty, and I head straight for the punching bag in the corner. Alec stand behind it, grabbing it and holding it still for me.

I work out my frustrations, one punch after another, letting out my frustrations. I let out all her sarcastic comments, her biting insults, her hard looks, and her disdainful attitude towards me.

And as much of a git as it makes me sound, I’m not used to wanting someone I can’t have.

Chapter Seven

JEN

Lexy purses her lips, and slams her phone on the side, screen down. I raise an eyebrow.

“He will not leave me alone,” she grinds out. “Jayna is coming to the party tomorrow night because her parents know mine, and Adrian is her date. Which he keeps reminding me about.”

“Well give Polly a cracker,” I spit out. Lexy smiles slightly. “Your friends are assholes.”

“Yep,” she agrees. “This is gonna be a disaster, isn’t it? Adrian is gonna do everything he can to get under Alec’s skin.”

“Then we have to keep him calm.” I shrug. “Number one, keep him away from Twat One and Twat Two. Number two, make sure Bing is around because he can calm Alec down – failing that, smack Adrian himself. And number three, keep me around.”

“Why?”

“Because…” I grin. “…If Jayna tries anything I will go country bumpkin ninja bitch on her ass.”

Lexy laughs. “Country bumpkin against a city… A city what?”

I tilt my head to the side. “Do we need to put a “city” in there? Can’t we just call her Crayola in honour of her make-up?”

Lexy snorts, covering her face with her hands. She bends forward, her whole body shaking. I grin again, fighting my own laughter.

Honestly, I’m so bloody brilliant I think people would pay to have my sense of humour.

I’m just saying.

Lexy sits back up, wiping under her eyes. “Yep. Yep, we could go for that.” She nods.

Alec strolls into the kitchen towards Lexy, and wraps his arms around her shoulders from behind. He rests his chin on her shoulder, and her face automatically turns into his. I feel a stab of jealousy as I watch them together. I’m starting to really miss Carl – and as irritated as I am with him right now, I’d give anything for a cuddle.

“All right, Princess?” he says to her.

She smiles. “Yep. Just talking about tomorrow.”

Alec grunts, sitting next to her.

“Don’t be grumpy,” I playfully scold him. “It’s a party.”

“Yeah, well I can’t say I’m looking forward to seeing Adrian.” His jaw visibly clenches. Lexy leans into him, resting her head on his shoulder. He kisses the top of her head.

“It’ll be fine,” she soothes. “He’s not a bad person, he’s just… Used to getting what he wants.”

“Why does that sound like almost everyone I’ve met in this city so far?” Alec says dryly. I smile in agreement, amused.

Lexy sits up straight. “Excuse me?”

Both Alec and I raise our eyebrows, and she backs down, smiling sheepishly.

“Okay, okay,” she acquiesces. “But I’m not that bad. Anymore.”

“Unlike your brother.” Alec glances at me and smirks. My expression hardens.

“That is because Bing is an arrogant pillock,” I reply, mentally patting myself on the back for using one of my prepared words for him.

“She has a point.” Lexy shrugs.

“Off subject. Back to Adrian – remember that night at the Bonfire Party?” Alec reminds me, and Lexy looks down. I narrow my eyes at him. “I’m just saying I was ready to break his neck, okay? So forgive me if Adrian’s presence at the party tomorrow night stops me from looking forward to it that much.”

I sigh. “Like I told Lexy, if anyone tries anything, I will go country bumpkin ninja bitch on them. Sorted?”

Alec stares at me blankly for a second, and turns to Lexy. “Did you give her sugar today?”

Lexy shakes her head. “No. She’s just being normal.”

“I don’t think Jen knows how to do normal.”

I get up, grab my coat, and make to leave. I smack the back of Alec’s head as I leave.

“Ow! You-”

“Bye see you tomorrow!” I yell, grinning. I step out of the house, shutting the door behind me, and make my way to the bus stop down the street. My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I reach for it.

Carl:
I have to work late tonight. Talk tomorrow instead?

Me:
Can’t. Si’s party.

Carl:
Right. Have fun.

Me:
With Bing? Not likely.

Carl:
What?

I smile slyly, tucking my phone back into my pocket. I know it was a petty thing to do, but I don’t care. Maybe that’ll get his ass up here.

A horn beeps, and I looked up to find a red Ford driving towards me. I purse my lips, recognising the car as Bing’s, and he pulls up next to me.

“Get in.” He pushes the door open.

“Why?”

“Because I’m heading your way, that’s why. But hey, if you want to wait for the smelly public transport and get two buses to your flat, be my guest.”

Ten minutes in a car with Bing, or two smelly buses. That’s actually a tough decision.

“Tick tock, Jennifer,” he says in a bored voice. “I have a place to be.”

I huff and climb in. “Is that a single, double, or kingsize?” I ask him dryly.

“What?” He frowns as he pulls away.

“The place you have to be. Is it a single bed, a double or a kingsize?”

“Oh, ha, ha,” he deadpans. “You’re fucking hilarious. Do you have your spot at the theatre booked yet?”

I pretend to examine my nails. “No, but I’m working on it. Rest assured, Samuel, you’ll have front row seats. After all, you’ll be my inspiration.” I smile sweetly.

“Are you doing a comedy show, or a pole dancing one? ‘Cause I gotta say, Jen, I don’t think much of your sense of humour, but the pole dancing could be a win.”

“The only pole I’m likely to dance around is the one I’ll swing into your head.”

“Feisty.” Bing grins. “Just how I like my women.”

“Oh, Bing, honey.” I shake my head. “You could be the last man on Earth, and I still wouldn’t be your woman. Trust me on that.”

He stops outside my block of flats, and I unbuckle the seatbelt. I’m about to open the door when I feel his hand touching my back lightly.

BING

“That’s what you say now, Jen,” I say in a slightly husky voice. “One day, when you’re done with your little boy, I’ll be there waiting to show you how a real man works.”

She freezes for a second, and I feel her back heave as she takes in a big breath.

“Asshole,” she breathes out, shoving the car door open, and jumping out. She swings the door shut and it slams loudly. My lips curl up in amusement as she stalks towards the main doors. She turns briefly, her blue eyes meeting mine.

I raise an eyebrow. She gives me a look and turns, her blonde hair flying with the movement of her head. I hear the shut of the door, and turn the car around, driving back the way we just came.

So I lied. I didn’t have anywhere to go, I just wanted to get her pissed again, but she did that herself. She annoyed herself by asking which bed I was in next.

I had no intention of pursuing her. Well, no solidified intention, anyway, but her reaction to me being with another girl makes me really wanna go after her.