Chapter One
Lexi
I know he’s following me because his eyes have been tracking me all night. I’m not used to so much attention from men. Well, in person at least. Tonight is different, though, because I’m dressed up for my best friend's wedding. We spent all afternoon getting ready for this, and I’ve never been so pampered in my life.
Parker went and landed herself a good one, and he’s not only sweet with her, but the man is beyond loaded too. I can’t even wrap my mind around this kind of wealth. I almost passed out when we went wedding dress shopping. Is it even shopping if everything is brought to your own home? Because that’s what Parker and I sat through. Dresses that were too expensive to ever sit on a rack in a store for anyone to try on. They were all one of a kind. This wedding was no freaking joke.
I’d always thought Parker came from money because she’d gone to a fancy boarding school growing up and her father took care of everything for her. At first I’d been in awe of it and a bit jealous. I was sure she was going to be stuck up, but she’d been far from it.
In fact, Parker is the sweetest person I’ve ever met. So much so that I always worried over someone trying to take advantage of her, and it made me protective. In all her father’s control, he’d made her a bit naïve in a lot of ways.
It didn’t take long to see everything her father did for her was all about control, and he’d done a real number on her mentally. I guess parents aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, but I should know that better than anyone. My whole life all I wanted was parents, but maybe I lucked out to a degree.
Parker’s father might have had some money, but it’s nothing compared to the man she married or the people at this wedding reception. Everyone here is so shiny and perfect, but I’m sure it’s all a show. The same as Parker’s father put on to hide who he really was.
I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about Samuel once Parker told me how they met. After all, it’s not how most love stories start. I’d given my best friend the idea to order a sex toy because she’d never had an orgasm. Somehow she ended up mailing it to her new office where she’d been starting an internship that her father pushed her into. The package landed right into the boss's hands, and he’d personally delivered it back to her.
I still can’t believe their story, but here we are months later, and she’s not only married but knocked up too. It’s not surprising that Parker got Samuel to fall madly in love with her so quickly. She’s easy to love. I wish the same could be said about me. I’ve never been lucky in love. With each new foster I was sent to, I’d wonder if maybe this family would fall in love with me and want me to stay. I’d seen it happen to so many others but never to me.
Unable to help myself, I peek over my shoulder at Asher. His eyes are on my ass now but a pretty blonde has stepped in front of him and is chatting away. His eyes suddenly lift and catch mine, but I quickly jerk my head back around, making it super obvious I was staring at him.
I really have no moves when it comes to men. It’s probably because I spend all my extra time, when I’m not in classes or studying, playing video games. If I don’t have to leave my dorm room, I won’t.
Since Parker moved out, I've been flying solo, and it’s the first time I’ve had a space all to myself. I was sure I was going to enjoy it, but it’s turning out to be a lot lonelier than I thought. Even with how much time I spend chatting away to random people online, it can be isolating. Never did I think playing video games while speaking into a mic and telling people what I was doing in the game would make me money. I’d been oh so wrong.
Men are strange creatures. They come to watch me play and even ask questions while still spouting off that the only reason I have the following I do is because I have tits. Which may be true, but when I play, I’m always in a shirt or more often a hoodie. Lately I’ve had sponsors ask me to wear their logos, and I stuff my hair into a branded hat to maximize exposure. There’s nothing remotely sexy about it. When I’m dressed that way on campus, no one gives me a second glance. After today, though, it does make me wonder what I could make if I sexed it up a bit.