Seduced by My Hot Roommate Ch. 04

"Wait a minute," Jeremy calls after her, "I'm only babysitting you two."

"Are you sure, after last night, you should be going to a club?" I ask while Shannon is otherwise occupied.

"You really don't need to worry about me," Jeremy resumes his game. "I am a little surprised you didn't tell her about that, though."

"Not my business, remember?"

Jeremy laughs, "Wow. That really got under your skin, didn't it? Is that the first time anyone's told you to mind your business? Look, I'm sorry, all right? And thank you."

"For what?" I ask in surprise.

"For showing up when you did, I guess," He replies with a shrug.

Huh? When? Oh, at the bar. It didn't seem like he was grateful to see me at the time. "You seemed like you were handling yourself just fine," I point out.

Jeremy doesn't respond.

I stare blankly at the TV until Shannon returns. She takes my wrist and guides me to the couch, sitting me down in the space between her and Jeremy. "Kels will be there. Just waiting to hear back from the other two. I said we'd meet them at nine." I nod. "Do you have stuff to make dinner later, or should we get take-out?"

"I ordered out three times this week," I confess, "Maybe we should cook something."

"Okay," Shannon agrees, "That's fine with me. Will you hate me if I go lay down for nap?"

"Of course not," I reassure her.

"Good, because I just need like an hour and a half, and I'll be good to go. I only got five hours of sleep last night."

"Go on, then," I say, "I'd rather you sleep now than bail on me later."

"I would never do that to you," Shannon tells me as she retreats back into my bedroom, closing the door behind her.

I wish I could take a nap, too, but I have to wait for Chris to come get his stuff so that I can get my apartment key back. It would be too weird to let him keep holding on to it when we're no longer together. Almost on cue, my phone alerts me to a text message. From Chris.

C: I'm on my way over. Do you think we can talk now?

I scoff. What else is there to talk about? I don't even understand.

"Everything all right?" Jeremy wonders.

"Chris is coming to get his things," I divulge, "He wants to talk, but I literally don't have anything to say to him."

I pick up my phone and type an angry response.

L: Your stuff is in a bag on the doormat. Leave my key under the mat. Don't knock on my door. Walk away, and don't come back. Delete my number.

Before I can hit send, Jeremy comments as he looks over my shoulder at my phone screen, "Harsh. You sure you want to send that?"

I think it over before revising.

L: Your stuff is in a bag on the doormat. Please leave my key under the mat.

Direct and to the point. I press send.

"So, last night..." Jeremy starts slowly, and I'm not sure where he's going with this conversation until he continues, "When you went to Chris' place...?"

"I caught him fucking someone else, yeah," I confirm. "What about it?"

"You said he wasn't home."

I avoid his questioning gaze, "I didn't want to talk about it." Not with him, anyways. Not when we'd just kissed and I felt like karma had slapped me in the face for it. I was embarrassed. I wasn't going to ask for his pity when I'd also done something I shouldn't have.

I get another text from Chris.

C: I'll give you the key back when you come talk to me. I'm in the parking lot. Coming up now.

"What the fuck," I curse under my breath. "He says he's not giving me my key back unless I go talk to him."

"Fuck that," Jeremy offers, "Want me to go out there?"

"Really?" I'm surprised he would do that for me.

Jeremy tosses his controller to the other side of the couch and gets to his feet. "Oh yeah. He's not going to force you to talk to him if you don't want to. Just wait here."

Is this what having a big brother feels like? I wonder as Jeremy steps into his sneakers and exits the apartment to take care of my ex-boyfriend problem. Shannon is so lucky. Being an only child is lonely.

Chris' voice cuts into my thoughts, muffled but still audible through the closed door, "Tell her to come out here."

I stiffen up. Ugh, come on, don't be a big baby. Just give Jeremy the key and go!

I don't hear what Jeremy says to Chris, but I hear my ex-boyfriend's immature reply, "Yeah, you really know what she wants, right, tough guy? Don't tell me what my girlfriend wants. You're fucking pathetic. You think I don't know you've been waiting for this opportunity since you moved in? But if you really want my sloppy seconds that badly, then be my guest. She's all yours!"

I hop up from the couch, my blood boiling. That asshole thinks he can talk about me like that? I don't think so!

I reach for the door handle just as the door swings open. I step out of the way so it doesn't smack me in the face. Jeremy steps inside, "Relax. He left." He holds out the spare apartment key for me.

"He's a fucking dick," I hiss, hot angry tears forming in the corners of my eyes, "I want to punch him in the face." I take the key from my roommate's outstretched hand and shove it inside the drawer of the little side table that's currently covered in junk mail.

"So do I," Jeremy concurs, "But he seems like the kind of dick who'd sue if someone hit his pretty face, so I thought, 'I better not'."

I blink the tears away, smiling a little. "Thanks for doing that." I step forward tentatively, intending on giving him a hug. He seems hesitant to accept, but he opens his arms for me to wrap mine around his middle. I lean into his chest, appreciating the soft cotton of his t-shirt against the side of my face, and the warmth of his body. I realize he's not returning my hug.

Finally, Jeremy presses one hand to the middle of my back, while the other pats the back of my head. He says rather dismissively, "No problem."

I remove myself from the awkward embrace, confused by what just happened. Was that even a hug? What was that? That was a sit-your-ass-down-in-the-friend-zone hug. So, what, Shannon comes to town and now I'm the little sister's best friend again? I'm off-limits to him now that I'm actually available? Or was he only attracted to me when I had a boyfriend, and now that I don't, he's suddenly not interested? Was he ever interested? Clearly not, since he did hook-up with Brynn last night. How could I forget about that? What the fuck is wrong with me? I need to get a grip.

-

Shannon wakes up around 4pm and we get started on cooking dinner. Jeremy had left about thirty minutes prior, saying he would be back long before it was time for us to leave for the club. Shan and I make turkey meatballs and spaghetti with a mixed green salad tossed in Italian dressing. Shannon speculates aloud that her brother most likely went to an AA meeting, which makes me wonder if Brynn will be there, too. Is he going to bring her over again? Is it wrong of me to hope he doesn't? Was last night the first night they hooked up, or has this been going on for a while now? He could have been going to her place for months, for all I know. I really shouldn't be so invested in Jeremy's personal life.

"Shan," I start voicing my thoughts to her as we're sat at the kitchen table eating the dinner we made together, "I think that maybe I-" The key being turned in the lock of the front door signals Jeremy's arrival home.

Jeremy walks into view, checking out the food we prepared in his absence, and comments, "Looks good." He grabs himself a plate.

"You think maybe what?" Shannon prompts me, shoving half a meatball in her mouth and gazing at me expectantly from across the table.

"I...might need your help deciding what to wear," I state, after wracking my brain.

Not exactly what I was going to tell her before, but it's not a lie. I don't know what I should wear. And what I was going to say is stupid. I'm glad Jeremy got here when he did.

"Of course, dah-ling!" Shannon responds theatrically.

After dinner, I clean up while Shannon takes a shower. Once she's done, I play dress-up for her in my bedroom while she chooses an outfit for me to wear. She's wearing a black, skin-tight jumpsuit that has a halter top which plunges into a deep V, showing off her great rack. For me, she settles on a crimson red crop cami top and bodycon mini skirt duo. I bought it with her when we went shopping together before summer, but never had anywhere to wear it too since Chris deemed the outfit 'too revealing'. I feel a bit self-conscious, but Shannon reassures me that I look sexy, and the only reason I'm doubting myself is because I allowed Chris to tear down my self-esteem.

"Lexi, it really makes me mad to see how much that douche manipulated you into thinking you're less than you are," Shannon comments, "You were a beautiful, bad-ass chick long before he met you, and you need to open your eyes and realize that you still are. Don't let anyone else change you. You're perfect the way you are."

"You're too sweet, Shan," I tell her.

"I'm also right," Shannon smirks confidently. "Now, I have to go blow-dry my hair. Want to plug in my hair straightener for me?"

I do as she requests before turning to face the full-length mirror stood beside my dresser. I suppose I do look pretty good. I worked hard to get my body in peak shape, and why shouldn't I show it off a little? I applied lotion all over before trying on any of the clothes, so my skin is shiny, smooth and soft to the touch. The crimson red looks nice against my slightly tanned skin tone, although, I think red looks good on everybody, doesn't it? I get started on my make-up, doing a dark, smoky-eye look, blush pink cheeks, and blood red lips. I finish up as Shannon is re-entering the room.

"Ooh, I love your eye make-up," Shannon compliments, "Will you do mine for me?"

"Yeah, sure!"

About forty-five minutes later, me and my brunette bombshell of a best friend are finally ready to go. I gave Shannon some sexy smoky eyes, and in return, she added some loose, beachy curls to my naturally straight blonde hair. Shannon's hair is long, dark and pin straight, thanks to her hot iron. She has supermodel height with the nude pumps on her feet. I have to put on my tallest heels so I won't look like a child standing next to her, and even with them, I'm still about four inches shorter. I accessorized with a long, thin gold necklace and a few cheap gold bracelets, to finish off my look.

We find Kelsey in the living room, filling up three shot glasses lined along the coffee table with coconut rum, her alcohol of choice. Shannon invited her to come over early, and offered the couch for her to crash on tonight, since Kelsey lives almost an hour from us. She's wearing a form-fitting white mini-dress with a crisscross cutout along the ribs, giving her under-boob cleavage. She has small, perky breasts, so it looks great on her.

"Hey girls! I thought we could do a few shots before we go?" She lifts one of the shot glasses and smiles enticingly. "I brought you fruit punch to chase, Lex, since I know you don't like doing shots straight."

"Thanks." I'm not surprised by Kelsey's thoughtfulness; Shannon and I always joke that she's the mother of our little group. Shannon and I grab a shot glass and we clink them against Kelsey's, chorusing, "Cheers!" as we bring them to our lips and toss the alcohol to the back of our throats. I swallow, grimace, and reach for the fruit punch, taking a quick swig.

Kelsey takes my shot glass to refill it, along with Shannon's and her own. "I'm so happy you ladies invited me out with you. I feel like we never hang out anymore."

"Well, Shan did move away and leave us," I point out.

"True," Kelsey agrees, "But you never call me anymore either, and you're still here."

"I'm sorry," I concede, "You're right, I've been M.I.A. lately. It won't happen again."

"Cheers to that," Kelsey grins, holding up her shot glass. Shannon and I tap ours against hers, and we down our shots simultaneously.

Jeremy comes out of his room, freshly showered and looking seriously hot. He has on dark gray jeans, an olive green fitted t-shirt that hugs his chest muscles just right, and a black bomber jacket. I catch myself giving his body a slow, head-to-toe appraisal and I avert my eyes, biting the corner of my bottom lip wistfully.

"Took you two long enough," Jeremy runs his fingers through his slightly damp hair as he queries, "You about ready to go?"

"Perfection can't be rushed," Shannon says jokingly, taking Kelsey's bottle of rum and dealing out three more shots. "One more round of these. Here's to a much-needed night out with my favorite girls." She adds quickly, "And Jeremy!"

Kelsey and I laugh, "Cheers."

-

The four of us pile into Shannon's car, Jeremy behind the wheel, and set off for the club. Shannon texts Meg and Ros that we're on our way. Meg is bringing her long-time boyfriend, Andrew, and Ros is bringing her new girlfriend, Lucia. I am looking forward to meeting her, since I never even got a chance to meet Ros' last girl, Julie or Jill or something like that. They were only together a couple of months, but from what Kelsey has described, Ros seems really, really happy to be with Lucia.

I can feel the rum settling in my belly, the alcohol seeping into my bloodstream and warming my skin. I am thankful I remembered to hydrate earlier and eat a healthy portion at dinner. When my girls go out for a night at the club, or anywhere really, they like to drink, and I can never keep up with them. I have to pace myself, or I'll wind up with my head in the toilet for half the night. I've ruined a handful of girl's nights by drinking too much too soon and getting sick. I'm not going to let that happen tonight.

My eyes keep drifting over towards Jeremy in the driver's seat. He looks good. I feel like he hasn't even glanced in my direction. It's kind of maddening that I can't stop checking him out and he won't even acknowledge me. What's his deal?

"Where's Chris tonight, Lexi?" Ros asks me once our group has gathered in front of the club, and we've all been introduced to Lucia.

"Yeah, I was wondering that, too," Meg adds as we get in line to gain entrance.

"Uh, we broke up," I state awkwardly, wincing at the unwanted attention.

"Oh no, I'm sorry," Ros cringes.

"When did this happen?" Meg bats her long lashes sympathetically, "I thought you guys were serious."

"Pretty recently," I say as our group moves up in line, "And so did I, but it didn't work out. Turns out, he and I want different things." Like, he wants to fuck other women, for instance, and I...well, I don't know what I want. Jeremy is distracting me again. Is he flexing his muscles right now? Why do they look so big? I pull out my ID since we're next.

"He cheated," Shannon blurts out, "He's a cheater. Sorry," She says to me when I give her a look, "It had to be said, so we can move on. Let's talk about something else! How's everybody's weekend going?"

Inside the club, the music is loud, but it's still early and not too crowded yet. We manage to snag a table overlooking the dance floor. Shannon, Meg, and Andrew go to the bar to get drinks for everyone, except Jeremy, of course. When they return, it seems like they are racing to finish their drinks so they can get out on the dance floor. I sip mine slowly.

"Bottom's up, Lex," Shannon orders after Meg, Andrew, Ros and Lucia take off to dance, tapping her fingernails on the edge of the table impatiently.

"You go," I tell her and Kelsey, "I'll be there in a minute."

After Kelsey ensures I'll be okay, she and Shannon leave the table. It's just me and Jeremy. I stir the tiny straw in the fruity mixed drink Shannon bought me before taking another sip.

Jeremy says something, but I can't hear him over the sound of the music. I slide into the chair next to his, moving even closer, and gesture that I didn't catch what he said. He leans in, "You're not going to dance?"

I nod, "I am. I'm just pacing myself." I tap my glass with one of my fingertips. "I can't hold my liquor as well as they can." I am pleased when I notice Jeremy's gaze flick from my face to my tits as I'm talking to him. Finally. He smirks, and I realize I've sat up a little straighter, sticking out my chest a bit further. I want him to look. At least to give myself the satisfaction of knowing he is attracted to me and I didn't make that up. I pick up my glass and drink.

"Careful," Jeremy teases me, "You said you were pacing yourself."

I quirk an eyebrow up. Is he flirting now? I smile playfully. "I'm trying."

"You sure are." He ducks his head and laughs. "You better hurry up before Shan comes looking for you."

He makes a good point. I gulp down the remainder of my drink and stand up.

Jeremy doesn't follow. "Aren't you coming?"

"Nah," His answer surprises me, "I'm good here."

He's not going to dance? I was looking forward to staring at his hot body while I danced. I was hoping maybe he'd let me grind on him a little bit. "Aren't you going to be bored?" Good God, am I coming across as desperate?

"Lexi!" Shannon waves to me from the crowd of people moving their bodies to the beat. "Come on!"

I reluctantly join Shannon and the rest of our group, leaving Jeremy alone.

Shannon has four more drinks over the course of the next two hours, while I only have one. I don't know how Shan can consume so much liquids and still dance around the way that she does. My bladder feels like it's about to burst with only the two drinks I've had since we got here.

Almost like she reads my mind, Shannon grabs on to my wrist and calls out, "Bathroom! Let's go."

Inside the ladies' room, Shannon and I do our business, and after, while we're standing at the sinks washing our hands, I decide to confess to her what I was going to tell her at dinner before Jeremy walked in. "I think I have a little crush on your brother." I giggle, feeling like I'm back in high school again. Shannon starts laughing, too, and for a moment, I regret saying anything. I try and back-track, "Okay, maybe not, like, a crush. He just looks good. I'm attracted to him."

Shannon pokes my cheeks, which are flushed, and snorts, "I noticed. He likes you too."

"Nuh-uh," I deny childishly. I'd been sneaking glances to the table where he was sat, and he was never looking in my direction. He was mostly staring down at his phone or else his head was turned completely, probably watching other girls dance, as long as they weren't me. "He won't even look at me."

"What are you talking about?" Shannon corrects, "He's been staring at you all night. I saw him watching you while you were dancing. He's not going to make a move though, because you just broke up with your boyfriend, and you've been drinking, and he's not going to take advantage of you. Plus, you said Jer kissed you and you guys didn't talk about it, so you're probably going to have to spell out exactly what it is you want from him. Be direct."

"I want him to dance with me," I say, "But I don't want anyone to judge me since they all know Chris and I just broke up."

"Well, babe, you'll get no judgements from me," Shannon claims as she checks her make-up in the long mirror running over the sinks, "I have a confession to make, too, since we're sharing secrets." She sucks in a breath and blurts out quickly, "I fucked my boss last night."

My mouth drops open in shock, and I gasp, "Your boss? The one who's married?!"

"Hey," Shannon turns to me, "I thought we weren't judging?"

I hold my hands up innocently, "Not judging. I swear. Just surprised."

"Yeah, it took me by surprise, too," Shannon shakes her head, "I'm probably going to get fired on Monday. I don't know. I don't want to think about it right now. Let's just go find some sexy single guys to dance with. Come on!" She takes my hand and leads me out of the bathroom the same way that we'd entered.