Selene sighs and leans her head on Kylie’s shoulder. “I know. I should just let you at him.”
“Selene, you need to adjust your standards,” Kylie says. “Take some time for you, but when you’re ready to get back in the game, quit with the pretty boys. Find someone different.”
“Hey, you committed to different, and you wound up with a fuck fling you won’t introduce to your friends.”
“Yeah, but, that’s … different,” Kylie says. “He’s different for me.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not judging,” Selene says. “Have your fun, girl. And I know you’re right. I’m such a sucker for the wrong men.”
“What do you need?” Kylie asks. “Wanna go back to your house and drink?”
“Yeah, but I think I want fries first,” she says.
“Atta girl,” Kylie says, and rubs her hand across Selene’s back.
Kylie meets my eyes again and gives me a tight-lipped smile.
As much as I want to tell Selene what’s going on, it doesn’t feel right. Tonight, she needs us. And I always give my sister what she needs.
A new song comes on and people cheer—Monster Mash. We’ve been listening to a steady stream of cheesy Halloween music, but I guess it fits. Selene decided to go all-out and throw a huge Halloween party, and she’s definitely outdone herself. She brought in a decorator to transform her house into a mass of black sheets, pumpkins, ghosts, spider webs, and twinkling orange and purple lights. She even hired a guy to bartend. He’s dressed like a zombie doctor, with some very convincing makeup, but his drinks are damn good.
Everyone is in costume. I think half the women went to the same section at the costume store—I see a sexy nurse, sexy cop, sexy French maid (although, is there any other kind?), sexy librarian. Some tall chick I don’t know is a Playboy bunny. The guys are dressed up as everything from superheroes and vampires to a dude in a scary clown costume who I wish would just leave already.
I fucking hate clowns.
I went all-out, too, with an old-school Wonder Woman costume. I’m not really tall enough, but I do have the long, dark hair. And hell, my boobs look amazing in this thing. I have the strapless bodysuit, knee high boots, and I even have a gold whip tied at my hip. It’s kind of kinky. I picked it because Braxton will be here, and he’ll have to look at me in this thing all night—without touching me.
Of course, my plan to spend the evening teasing him would work a lot better if he were actually here.
I know he’s coming. I saw him a few hours ago. But I went back to my apartment to change so he wouldn’t see my costume before the party. I’ve been here for a while, sipping a weird purple drink that’s dangerously good, and I haven’t seen any sign of him.
Selene is rocking a smoking hot witch getup, with a tiny black skirt that shows off her crazy long legs, and a corset with a sparkling silver spider webs all over it. Her lips are deep red, and she has long false eyelashes that make her look pretty wicked. She’s hanging out with a few people she must know from work, because I’m not sure who they are. It’s good to see her having fun. She bounced back from Matthew pretty well—I think it helped that she knew the end was coming. I hope she listens to me and tries to find a guy who isn’t such a player next time. Selene’s fucking amazing—she deserves someone great.
A wave seems to ripple through the party and I glance toward the front door to see what’s going on. People step aside, and in walks Braxton.
That fucker. He totally one-upped me.
He’s dressed as Magic Mike, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans and a tie, showing off his broad chest and rippling abs. His skin glistens, and his jeans sit low, revealing the top of that delicious V.
I clench my thighs together against the rush of heat. My panties are instantly drenched.
At least half the party stares at him. The Playboy Bunny girl almost drops her drink, her mouth hanging open. Even the guy she was talking to watches him open-mouthed. Braxton catches my eye, one corner of his mouth turning up in a smirk.
I’m going to kill him.
I make a show of looking away, and take a sip of my drink. I watch him from the corner of my eye. He says hi to a few people, making his way toward his sister.
Selene points at him and laughs when she catches sight of him. He goes in to hug her and she balks, pushing him away.
“Hey, looks like we belong together.”
I turn to find a guy in a Superman costume smiling at me.
“What?”
“Wonder Woman,” he says, gesturing at my costume.
“Oh, right, Superman,” I say.
“That’s a great look on you,” he says.
Uh-oh. I didn’t even think about what to do if a guy hit on me. Brax and I are still on the down-low, and we’re not about to go public in the middle of Selene’s party. I glance in Braxton’s direction, but he’s still talking to Selene.
“Thanks,” I say, looking away so I don’t appear interested.
“Can I get you another drink?” he asks.