Page 101 of Five
“Or maybe he’s just crazy enraptured.”
“Wankers, the both of you. You done? No, let me rephrase that: you done!” I declare, giving them my back.
I suddenly feel Ollie’s body against my spine. He’s taller than me, stronger, and the best friend I could ever find. I hate him!
“I don’t think you listened to me,” he whispers.
“What’s that?” I yell, earning another pinch on my forearm. They hurt like hell.
“I hear you. I’m justchoosingnot to listen.”
“I know you care, more than care about them. Don’t lie to me again, I can read you like the romance books on my Kindle Fire. You’re scared, and you feel inadequate. You want to show them, but mostly yourself, that you are worth it. And you are, Lor. You’ve always followed your path even when it turned terrible, when Gran…” He stops as his voice breaks. And I feel that hole inside of me again, the one that almost disappears when I’m with my boys. They fill that void with their attentiveness and their dominant behavior and…just their presence.
Ollie talks again. “What you did was out of love, a selfless act that showed your devotion. Accept it as love. Stop losing yourself over it.”
“When did you turn so wise, Yoda?” I try to lighten my mood, which has plummeted to the bottom of the ocean.
“Daily injections of happiness help.”
“Are we talking about cum injections… Ouch! Stop pinching me.”
“Stop finding sexual allusion in everything I say. I’m being serious. The bros are possessive fuckers, you can’t change that. Raph, Rague, Rami, Bez and Gabe, Uri, all stubborn and unreasonable at times, and when they care, it borders obsession.”
“Like you aren’t with Rague.” I turn around to look at him in the face.
“Of course, I am. Have you seen him?” He has an idiotic, lovesick expression on his face. Do I have the same one when I think about my boyfriends?
“I just want them to see that I can be like them. That I’m strong and capable and…good.”
“Good-ish,” Ollie teases me. And I let it pass. “You’re amazing, Lori. I hope you can feel that.”
“Like a hammer to the head,” I deadpan.
He rolls his eyes. “Gran would tell you the same if she was here.”
“She’d hit my head with a newspaper and tell me to stop festering in the corner while threatening to sweep me out of the house with the other bugs.” My smile is sad, and she wouldn’t want that either. So, I add, “ Did Clover-bell tell you what happened with Uri and Sari?”
Ollie shakes his head, and I retell the mind-blowing lip-sucking incident.
His shocked expression mirrors my previous one. And as I look down at the dance floor again, I see Sari dancing with a very cute bloke. They’re plastered to each other, mimicking a grinding movement that makes me see stars when Gabe does it against me.
“Now let’s go dancing.” Clover reappears near us, and I decide to let go for a while and just go with the flow of the music.
“Whoop-de-fucking-doo,” I cheer before downing the last of my drink. We descend the stairs to the first floor, and before we get swallowed by the dancing crowed, I hear Clover say, “Let’s make a Reuben sandwich!”
What the hell is that?
GABRIEL/BEZALIEL
I find him straight away. Dancing flush against Clover.
That’s vertical fucking!Bez roars, taking over.
I shove a guy to the side that obscures them from me for a second, and as I reach them, I let out a menacing growl. They stop moving, staring at me, Clover smirking, my Little Wasp frowning.
“Look at that jealous scowl,” Clover remarks. “What the hell kind of blow jobs do you give, Lori?”
The thought of my Little Wasp on his knees for someone else enrages me to no end. I move closer to him, grasp his ass, and hoist him up so he’s forced to circle my hips with his legs. I turn toward the exit and walk with only one thought inside my head: making him mine.
