Alphahole (Alphahole Roommates 1)

I glare at him. He acts oblivious as Ally tells the cabbie our building address.

My phone rings and I pull it out of my bag.

Jon Calling

I reject the call.

“Who’s Jon?” Aiden asks.

“You’re rude.” I glare at him.

He smiles, eyes on my mouth.

I stuff my phone back into my bag and try (and fail) to ignore him.

It’s a long ten-minute drive with his thigh right against mine, his eyes on me, his scent irritating me. He still smells good. No, great.

Jerk.

I’m reminded of him behind me that morning in the kitchen. He and Ally talk about work, about an upcoming tech show in New York and he remarks that we’ll be there. She talks about some campaign she did a few years back for a similar show in Baltimore and he tells her to send him examples.

The whole time he’s talking to her, he’s leaning in close to me, as if he’s seeking maximum physical contact. It’s unnerving.

Aiden’s blazer starts to ring, so he digs into an inside pocket to fetch his phone. We have no choice but to eavesdrop.

“Aiden here… What? Not likely. No. After the weekend, are you kidding? Not a fuckin’ chance. After all that you send me headless nudes last night? You must think I’m a real stupid fuck, don’t you? Of course I’m serious. Oh yeah? Nope. Not interested in riding your crazy train again, bitch… Fuck off or a certain video will get circulated around the country club your parents go to. No? Try me, bitch… Yep, fuck you right back, babe.”

He hangs up and dials a number, angrily and then barks, “That errand I texted you about three days ago? Bella? When am I gonna have news? Yep. Meet me for a drink tonight and talk me off this ledge or I might pull the trigger.”

He ends the call.

The tension could be cut with a knife. I don’t know if Ally feels it as much as me, but I doubt it. The day I arrived, he was arguing with that girl in the apartment about a sex video on his phone.

I glance at him as he puts his phone back into his pocket and the ruthless look on his face makes my blood chill. He catches me looking and winks at me.

I’m relieved when I see our apartment building.

I ignore Seth who strangely doesn’t speak to us. In fact, he gives us a professional nod when the three of us move through the lobby.

I’m not relieved when Ally gets off the elevator and it’s just us two for the last few floors up. I feel tension in the elevator in the form of him watching me. I ignore him and stare at the progression of the button lights above the doors. I’m out the door first and as I’m fumbling for my keys in my bag, I hear a jingle and he’s got his keys in his hand and he’s unlocking the door.

I follow him in and then my footsteps stutter. Where did those keys come from?

“I thought you lost those,” I say.

“She speaks,” he observes.

My eyes meet his and I’m frowning.

He winks and strolls down the hall to his bedroom and goes inside.

“I spoke when I told you that you were rude!” I call out.

Did he just get them back? Or, did he only pretend to lose them?

Whatever. Who cares?

I head to my room and flop onto my bed, trying to make sense of that even though it doesn’t matter. My phone is ringing from my bag.