"I didn't ask her to do that. She just kept talking about how hungry she was all damn night. I got sick of hearing it." I shrugged. "She was quick to act when I offered her something to chew on."
"Brother. You have to tell me how you fucking do it. You get laid more than any guy I know." Sam dropped an ice cube into his bowl and started to stir it around like he'd been doing since we were kids.
"You just said that I wasn't getting laid that often, and now I'm a regular slut?" I lifted my bowl to my lips and drank the rest of the liquid in it. Warmth filled me, and I couldn't help but let out a groan. "God, I love this stew."
"Yes, you're a slut, but you knew that. Have your mother get that cough checked out. Seriously." His brow pulled tight, and I nodded in agreement before starting toward the stove.
I paused and decided one bowl was enough. Besides, I planned to find something else to entertain my hunger that night. Sam was right, I was a bit of a slut and it had been too long since I'd gotten laid. A couple of beers and a warm body to snuggle up to was the promise that the night lay before me.
Now to find someone that would turn me on without having to try.
Good luck with that one. She doesn't exist.
Chapter 3
Val
"Um, you look smoking hot!" Katelyn walked into our shared room at the Gamma house later that day and pressed her hands to her hips. "Is Paul coming tonight? He better or he's going to find himself a single man again."
"Please." I leaned over toward the mirror and applied a thin layer of pink lipstick before pursing my lips and moving back. "I hate how fucking tall I am."
"I love it." Katelyn moved up behind me and smoothed my hair down. We were both dressed in skinny jeans, sweaters, and boots. It was comfortable, and yet we had somehow managed to look like we should be walking down the runway at a fashion show. It was due to Katelyn's sense of the latest styles, not mine. I'd have preferred to be in a pair of basketball shorts and an old t-shirt, but that wasn't acceptable. I'd been berated by my mother and my friends enough times to realize that conforming wasn't the worst thing I could do.
"Sure, you do. That's because you're short. A small fry." I sat down on the edge of my bed and worked to finish zipping up my boots.
"Whatever. You're model material and you know it." She sat down beside me. "Why else would the hottest guy on campus be dating you?"
"I give great blow jobs." I glanced at her and laughed as her face contorted.
"Gross." She got up and walked to stand in front of my full-length mirror. "I've yet to do that, but I guess the time is coming. Fucking Martin asks me to do it all the time."
"It's not that bad, actually. Just might help if I liked Paul." I laid back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. The night was going to suck. I had no doubt that I'd be pushing Paul off for most of it or watching Carolyn show him attention in a way that left me feeling inadequate.
"How in the world do you not like Paul Wright? He's so damn dreamy." She reached for my hands, and I clasped hers, pulling myself up with her help.
"I don't know." I walked to the window and glanced out as various cars lined the front of the sorority house. "Is everyone going to this party?"
"Yep. It's going to be packed. One of the frat houses off campus is throwing it. Should be wild." She flickered the lights, causing me to turn. "Let's go. Amy is designated driver tonight. She should be here any minute."
My phone buzzed on the bed where I left it. It was my father.
"I need to get this. It's my dad, and you know he rarely calls." I shrugged. "Just go and I'll meet you guys out there. Text me the address. Besides, I'm not drinking, and if I do, I'll just leave my car at the party and ride back with you guys."
"We'll just wait for you. It's more fun when you're with us." She smiled warmly at me.
"No, he's long winded. Really. I'll see you there shortly." I picked up the phone and sat down on the bed, hitting the talk button.
"Alright. Be safe." She closed the door and left me in the serenity of our room alone. There was nothing like being by myself. It was rare, and I coveted it most days. It was the one thing I was looking forward to post-college: an apartment all to myself.
"Hi, Dad." I laid back down on the bed and pushed away the feeling of longing. Longing to belong. Longing to matter. Longing to live the life I wanted, instead of the one that he and my mother demanded for me. I hated business classes, and yet it was the degree that they were paying for.
"Valentine." The strictness in his voice hurt me more than I cared to admit.
"I know. I didn't mean to upset her." I let out a shaky sigh and fought back tears. Did everyone have this much unwanted drama in their lives?
"I realize that, but you know she's been having blood pressure problems lately." I could almost hear a twinge of fear in my father's voice.
"I tried not to respond to her berating me, Dad, but a few things slipped out." I pressed my palm to my forehead and breathed in slow and deep.