“Mila hasn’t told you about Louis and Damon?” Sally said and winked at me.
“And I’m not about to start,” I said, cutting her off. I didn’t need Sally getting me into any more trouble. Louis and Damon, ugh.
“You can’t help it if men just fall in love with you,” Sally said. “You’re beautiful and smart. Men like that combination. No guy wants a bimbo.” She grinned. “Big boobs and no brains is not attractive.”
“I guess no boobs and no brains is even worse though,” Barbie interrupted and looked back at Sally with narrowed eyes. “I’d hate to be ugly.”
“Well, you certainly don’t have to worry about that,” TJ said and I watched as he squeezed her knee. My body froze as I sat there watching her squeezing his hand. This was the worst kind of torture and I wished that I were anywhere but in this car.
“Just on the inside,” Sally said under her breath and caught my eye. I smiled weakly at her joke, but it was hard to rejoice in her humor when Barbie was enjoying TJ’s attention in the front of the car, while I sat in the back feeling like a loser.
***
“I’m stuffed.” Sally leaned back into the car seat as we made our way home from dinner. “I literally couldn’t eat another thing.”
“Not even another bite of that cheesecake?” I laughed as I stifled a yawn.
“Not even another bite.” She groaned and then laughed. “Well, maybe another bite, since it would be a shame to waste cheesecake.”
“You girls are brave,” Barbie said in her teeny-weeny voice.
“Brave?” I asked loudly, the wine from dinner making me lose any inhibitions to talk to her.
“You know that saying, a second on the lips, a year on the hips,” she said poignantly as she looked me up and down. “But I suppose you don’t care.”
“Excuse me?” I said, my voice rising as TJ got into the car.
“Excuse you what, Mila?” he said as he looked at me. I ignored his gaze and shook my head. I was pissed at TJ. He’d basically ignored me all through dinner so that he could whisper sweet nothing’s to Barbie. He was so rude.
“I just tell the truth as I see it,” Barbie said and turned back to the front with a confident smile.
“What truth?” TJ asked, confused.
“Barbie’s just talking about my hips,” I said in a huff, still feeling pissed, especially as my jeans were feeling tight after the meal.
“Oh?” he said and looked back at me, his eyes glittering. “What about your hips?”
“That the cheesecake went straight to my hips,” I said, feeling embarrassed.
“Well, then you need to eat more cheesecake.” TJ winked at me. “Personally, I like a woman with hips—more to hold on to when I’m working my magic.”
“TJ,” I said, my voice shocked as my face burned red and my stomach flipped in excitement.
“Yes, Mila?” he said, his voice silky smooth. His eyes burned into mine for a few seconds before he looked down my body and stared at my breasts for a few seconds. “I’m just telling you what I like,” he said and looked back into my eyes, a huge grin on his face.
“Whatever,” I said and looked away from him, though I couldn’t stop myself from smiling as I looked out the window. Take that, Barbie! Score 1 to me.
“So, Mila, is that why you have a big ass?” Barbie turned around again and looked at me.
“Is what why I have a big ass?” I repeated after her, glaring at her for making me repeat her offensive words.
“So you can get a man for the night?”
“Excuse me?” I said and my voice rose. I looked at TJ to see if he was going to say anything, but instead he just started his engine and put his car into drive. I shook my head and looked over at Sally, whose jaw was also practically on the ground. “Did you hear what she just said to me?” I said loudly, not caring if I was being rude or making Barbie uncomfortable.
“Yes,” TJ answered. “I didn’t hear your answer though.”
“I wasn’t talking to you, Travis James Walker,” I said, almost having a hissy fit.
“Oh, okay,” he said, his voice clearly amused as he drove. Sally’s eyes met mine and we both shook our heads in shock.
“You are not a gentleman, Travis James Walker,” I said, saying his full name again, which made him laugh.
“Did I ever say I was?” he answered quickly and I glared at the back of his muscular shoulders. Sometimes I just wanted to hit him. He was so obnoxious. Ugh!
“I didn’t mean to offend you, Mila,” Barbie said in her fake sweet voice again. “I’m actually jealous of you.”
“Jealous of me?” I said in a tone that clearly showed I wasn’t buying it.
“I wish I could find a guy to have a one-night stand with me,” Barbie said in a pitiful voice, her full pink lips pouting as she gazed back at me with a sad face. “You’re really lucky.”