Page 27 of Obnoxious Bad Boy

Am I really fidgeting? If so, then I sure hope Vex hasn’t noticed.

“Thanks, Dad.” I roll my eyes. “It’s a… mostly straight party. No one’s gonna roofie me here.”

“There’s a couple gay guys here,” Levi protests. He swings his finger between the two of us before pointing out others. “Dude in the red flannel by the window, and that tall thin one in a Megadeath T-shirt, among others. Both are within your age range,” he said, wiggling his brows. “Maybe this is your night?”

I can sense what he’s insinuating. “I’m not a virgin.” I down my wine and get myself more despite Levi’s disapproval. “Are you here looking for hook-ups?” I’m suddenly nervous that maybe he knows about Vex, or even slept with him in the past, since Levi is notorious for his conquests. Then again, Vex likes me. Skinny, pale, dark-haired me, and Levi is my polar opposite with his size, his tan, and his colorful tats. I also know from Kai that Levi is a top, so I doubt he’d be a good match with Vex.

I’m not sure I want to know such details about this much older dude, who I see daily, but that’s just how my mind works.

“Nah, I’m friends with Sage and Yasmin. And know Vex too,” Levi says, sipping his beer. “Speaking of which, I heard he’s tattooing you. Wow, I can’t say I expected that.”

Kai and his big mouth.

I do have to bite back a smile, but when I look around I can’t spot Vex anywhere. “I still haven’t decided on the details, but he offered, and we kind of hang out now, so I’m not in a rush. I want to think it thought.”

“You know he’s straight, right?” Levi asks quietly before adding. “Just keep that in mind. He does have... lots of charm, but he’s a good customer, and I don’t want any more drama at my cafe,” Levi says, likely referring to the time my friend Matt demanded I break his leg in the restroom, so he’d have an excuse to stop his now-boyfriend from seeing someone else. In hindsight, it was a shitshow, but I got carried away at the time and almost fainted when Levi pretended to go with Matt’s plan to teach him a lesson. I’m just glad there was no blood or I would have been the one hitting the floor.

I laugh a bit too loudly and wave my hand. I think the booze is doing its job. “Of course! I don’t even see him that way. We just talk about… art. And stuff.”

At least now I know Levi did not in fact sleep with my Vex.

Levi shrugs. “This seems like your crowd, so it’s good you found your way here thanks to him. Believe me when I say there’s no point wasting time on people who don’t make you happy,” he says, nodding like a wise man. Maybe it’s he who had too much to drink?

He puts a hand on my shoulder and once more points out the guy in the Megadeath T-shirt. He leans in to whisper in my ear, “He can deepthroat like a champ and is proud of it.” Levi then sniggers, pats my back and walks off, leaving me in the sizzle of my own discomfort.

Should I learn to deepthroat?

Is that a requirement? Or do people have different preferences?

I wish I was on my own, just so I could hit my head against the wall at the images passing through my head, so I wander off, exploring the house.

But as I enter the kitchen, hoping the backyard might give me a moment of solace, the first thing I see is Vex facing the big table and standing deep between the spread legs of a pretty red-headed girl, who sits on the heavy piece of furniture.

I’m so taken aback I just stand there, squeezing my cup, dangerously close to spilling the little wine I have left.

What. The. Fuck?

I know he didn’t promise me anything, but he invited me here. He said he wanted to be alone with me later. Is he so horny that he wants to cover his bases and have someone to fuck, regardless of how the evening goes?

I’m not some disposable piece of gum for him to chew and spit out once the flavor’s gone.

And to make matters worse, another girl runs her nails down his arm, no doubt complimenting him on the tattoos as an excuse to touch him.

I want to make some kind of scene, but instead I freeze. People pass me, and I oblige when someone offers to top up my cup with whisky. It makes an unholy mix with wine, but I’ll need all the courage I can get if I’m to approach Vex among all those sexy, cool women who clearly know what they’re doing.

Any second now…

I’ll come up with a good excuse and ask him about something inconsequential that will have a meaning to us both, so he understands I’m angry. I just need to be ready with a set of comebacks.

“Is that silver?” A man’s voice pulls me out of my stupor.

“Hm?” I look up at the stranger who is blocking my view of Vex.

He’s in his twenties, wearing a T-shirt with a hole on the shoulder, and his greasy hair is tied into a messy ponytail. He grabs the pendant I’m wearing, a key from a typewriter with the letter A.

“I’m just asking because I’m allergic to other metals and it looks like something I’d want to get.” When he smiles, I’m not put at ease at all, because his teeth are in desperate need of a toothbrush, all yellow with a hint of black.

“Ah, yes, the chain is silver,” I say so he can move on with his life, but while he lets go of my pendant, he stays in front of me.