Tangled Up In You (A Savioe Family Novel) (8 page)

Her voice hardened in her anger. “So it’s like that huh? Well, you aren’t the best thing either, Luke. You flirt with any and every female you see. Your hair is all shaggy and greasy looking. You constantly belittle my feelings and then expect me to cater to your stupid need to put that rank ass family of yours first. I’m glad we are done. Now I can go find a real man. Bye
Luke. I hope you rot in hell.”

I glowered at the phone in my hand after she ended the call. My hair isn’t greasy looking. Yeah, I might be in need of a serious haircut but it has never looked greasy. I’m finally free though. Gawd, I feel like a ton of weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

                                                        *****

Roxy

I pulled up to my house just as the sun finally set. The one story ranch inspired house seemed tiny now that I’ve seen the Savioe’s place. The car crept up to the garage door. I dug into the center console to find the ancient garage door opener. This thing had to be older than me and it always took forever to work. I slapped the side of it and tried again. The door groaned and squeaked as it opened. I parked the car, turned it off and collected my things. The garage door opener button seemed to stick as I pressed it to close the door. I put it back in the console and got out of the car to use the wall unit.

“Roxanne is that you, S
weetie?” My mom yelled in my direction.

“Yes mom. I brought some food home if you are hungry.” I placed the containers on the kitchen counter. Mom walked in wearing a Vera Wang evening
gown putting in her earrings.

“I’d love to eat with you, S
weetie, but your father and I have reservations at Nox’s. We thought you’d be gone longer. Well, to be honest I thought you’d be gone longer with that little hottie. I know if I was your age I’d have stayed out most of the night with him.” She laughed as dad walked in the room wearing his custom tailored Armani suit adjusting his cufflinks.

“Stayed out all night with whom?” He asked kissing her on the cheek.

“I was just telling Roxy that if I was her age I would have stayed out most of the night with the little hottie she saw today instead of coming home early.”

“Who exactly is this young man you saw today?” He lifted a container to his nose and smelled it.

“Nathaniel Savioe’s second oldest. Those are from his wife Eva.”

His eyes lit up. “He’s a great criminal lawyer. Met a few of those boys too. Good people. You ready to head on, Jamie?”

“Yes, love. Don’t stay up too late, Roxy.” She leaned her head next to mine and whispered, “Invite him over. Your dad and I will be back in the morning.”

“Mom! I’m not even dating him.” My father raised his eyebrow at me. I explained, “She wants me to invite him over tonight.”

“Go for it. Just be safe.” He winked at me before leaving the house.

Oh my God! My parents are so embarrassing. I grabbed the containers of food and walked to the fridge to put them in when I overheard their conversation outside the open window.

“I am glad our daughter isn’t really like that.” My father joked.

“I know she’s such a good girl.” My mom purred at him. “Must have got that from you.”

The sounds of them kissing made me want to gag. Couldn’t they do that later when I wasn’t nearby and do they really think I’m that much of a good girl? If they only knew what I thought about and what I talked about with Jess. They’d really be surprised then. I grabbed a cherry cola from the fridge and locked the doors. I placed my drink on the coffee table before I plopped down on the couch and turned on the TV. Every channel had pretty much the same show on it, just some cheesy ‘reality’ show that was obviously scripted to appeal to a broader audience. I settled on a random movie and leaned back on the cushion to watch it.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and looked at the photos I had taken today. The ones of Beau and the twins turned out perfectly.
Marie and Charles’s photos were a bit blurry. Damn, I need to grab some new ones of them. Clearing the screen, I pulled up my texts. I quickly typed out one to Luke.

Me: Just looked at a few of the pics
.
I need to grab some new ones of ur sis and Charles.

I placed my phone on the table and picked up my drink. I still can’t believe that I just spent time with the Savioes today. Jess would not believe me if I told her. Oh shit Jess! I leaned forward and snatched my phone off the table to call her home phone. Jess had one of those pre-paid phones that she used only in case of an emergency. Like the other day when
she needed me to wait for her.

“Hello, Frasier residence.” Her father answered the phone in his t
hick New York accent.

“Hi Mr. Frasier. This is Roxy can Jess talk?”

“Of course. Hold on a second. Hey Jessica phone!” He shouted.

I heard a click from another phone. “I got it Dad. Hello?”

“Hey girlie you would not believe what I did today.”

“What’d you d
o? Did you finally have sex?”

“Um… no. I spent the day at the Savioe’s house.” I said with a smile on my face.

“What! Oh my god! Tell me everything. Wait no hold on a second.” I heard her put the phone down and leave her room. Her voice was muffled in the background.
“Dad can I go to Roxy’s and stay the night? Her parents are not at home and she doesn’t want to be by herself.”

“Of course get your stuff together and I’ll drop you off.”
He replied.

I heard footsteps run back up to phone. She was out of breath when she told me. “I’ll be over in a few. I want every and I mean every little detail.”

“Okay. I’ll see you in a few.” I hung up the phone tossed it back on the table and got up to get the guest room ready. This is going to be one interesting conversation with her. I know I’m going to have to make her promise on her life to not say anything. I really didn’t need another ‘
conversation’
with his girlfriend if my day at his house became known.

My phone rang when I was changing the sheets on the small twin bed. I groaned and ran into the living room to grab it from the table. Completely out of breath and practically
panting, I answered it. “Why are you calling when you should be heading on your way here?”

The deep Louisiana drawl greeted me in apparent amusement. “I didn’t know I was invited.”

“Luke?” I squeaked embarrassed beyond anything.

“You got it, chèr. I take it yo
u were expecting someone else.”

“Just Jess. She’s on her way over to stay the night.” I knew he could tell I was embarrassed because he chuckled.

“Here I was thinking you might actually want me to come over. Got my hopes up for nothing.”

“Uh… I’m sorry?” I said confused.

“That’s alright. You’ll just have to make it up to me.”

“Just what did you have in mind?” I sat down on the edge of the couch.

“What are you willing to do?”

My eyes widened at the blatant innuendo. “Depends.” What the hell am I saying here? Playing his game. That’s what. He ob
viously thought this was funny.

“On wha’?” He whispered
his accent becoming more pronounced.

I decided to talk to him like how I’ve seen my mother do to my father when she wanted to unnerve him. Lowering my voice an
octave, it took on a husky seductive quality. “On just what you would want me to do.”

I heard his breath catch before he cleared his throat. “I really don’ tink ya wanna know da answer ta dat right now, chèr.”

“Fair enough.” I said normally falling back onto the couch. “So…. I take it you got my text.”

He cleared his throat again. “Yeah, I did. Ya can come back over tomorrow if ya wan’.”

“I don’t know Jess will probably be with me all day.” I pulled a strand of my hair in front of my face and looked at the ends to see if I needed a trim.

“Oh. How bout Monday after school den?” He asked a slight tremble in his voice.

“Sure. Shit, hold on I think Jess is at the door.” I groaned as I rolled off the couch and stood up after hearing the doorbell.

“No problem.”

I walked to the door phone still against my ear when the doorbell rang again.
Wait a second. Jess doesn’t ring the doorbell.
I opened the door; chain still latched, and saw Bus standing on the other side. “Whoa. What are you doing here?”

             
                                          *****

             
              Chapter Seven

Luke

“Who dere?” I asked her my voice still thick with desire. Gawd, that girl really got my blood flowing. Telling me it would depend on what I’d want her to do. I glanced down at my hard cock. Yeah, I know exactly what I want her to do.

I heard a male voice in the background.
“You are a difficult person to find. I wanted to ask you something but I couldn’t find anyone with your number.”

“That’s because only two people in the school have it and I doubt you talk to either of them.” Her voice had lost all the playfulness she had just moments before.

“Roxy, you okay? Who is at the door?” I sat up slipping my shoes back on.

“It’s Bus.
I’m a bit uh….”

“Annoyed, aggravated, shocked, pissed? Any of them sound right?” I provided grabbing my wallet, heading out the door and down the steps to where my father was.

“All of the above actually.” She cleared her throat. “What do you want, Bus?”

“Well, I just wanted to see if you would like to go t
o the movies with me sometime.”

“Are you serious?” She gasped.

“Tell him no, Roxy.” I ordered looking for my father instead finding Beau. Holding the phone away from my head I asked him “Beau, do you know where dad is? He still has my keys and Bus is at Roxy’s house.”

“Take the spare. They are in the cookie jar on top of the fridge.”

“Thanks.” I grabbed the jar, dug out my spare key, and ran to the garage.

Roxy sighed. “Oh my god. Really? I mean you barely know me.”

“You can use that to get to know me.”
His voice rumbled.

I synced up my Bluetooth helmet with my phone so I could still talk with her on my drive there. I already knew where she lived. I followed her home one day last week. So call me a stalker. “Roxy are you still there?”

“Yes, I’m still here. I don’t trust him right now his eyes are kinda glazed over.” She whispered to me. Then she spoke up to him, “Bus, you are seriously talking about a date?”

“Yes, like a date.”
He chuckled.

“Wow. I’m flattered. Really I am. Can I think about it for a bit?”

My phone dropped the call as I drove over the bridge.
Shit!
Dammit, I need to hurry up and get there. I can’t believe that bastard had the balls to show up at her house at nine at night to ask her out. I gunned the bike and instantly hit 60 mph. Her neighborhood was located on a hill behind the courthouse. Even though they were simple the houses all screamed money. Nicely manicured lawns with uniformed fences, street lamps on every corner and signs posted warning of the neighborhood watch to try to deter the criminal element.

I rode up her street and spotted Bus stumbling to his Mustang. He got in and slammed his hands against the steering wheel. I wonder if that means she said no. He had his phone against his ear when he drove by the van I hid behind.

“Don’t worry about it she’ll be in the book by the end of the week. I promise.” He sniggered into the phone as he passed me.

My hand tightened to a fist as the urge to punch him took over. That just cemented my hatred of him. I took a deep breath and rode up to her house. I parked the bike next to the garage. Glancing down at my
phone, I tried to call her. It just went straight to voicemail. Damn.

After a deep
breath, I walked up to the front door and knocked on it. She cracked open the door with an exasperated sigh. “Look I already told you I’d have to think about it.”

“Wow. Um… hey.” I scratched the back of my nec
k and gave her a sheepish look.

She closed the door startling me. As I turned to walk
away, I heard a chain scraping against metal before the door flung open. “Luke. Thank god, it’s you. I thought Bus was back. Wait what are you doing here?”

“You sounded very agitated on the phone. Then the call got dropped. I tried to call back and it went to voicemail. So I thought you might have needed some help.” I shoved my hands in my pockets and looked up at her.

“How’d you know where I lived?” She asked leaning against the doorframe arms across her chest.

“I asked my dad.” I lied to her not wanting her to know about my stalkerish tendencies.

“That’s cool. Um… do you want to come in for a drink or something?” She pulled at the bottom of her shirt and kicked her barefoot against the floor. Her toenails were painted a bright sparkly gold with some silver design thing on them. Very girly in comparison to what you would expect from her. She still had on that tight shirt from earlier today, the one that stretched across her chest so snuggly it showed the little tiny bows on her bra straps. She had changed her shorts to a pair of sweat pants that hung a little low on her hips giving me a small glimpse of the olive skin above her pelvic bone.

I cleared my throat and smiled at her. “Yeah. I’d love to.”

She gave me a sexy little grin and moved away from the door in invitation. “Soda?” She walked into the kitchen. Her hips swished back and forth emphasizing her shapely butt in those pants.

I raised my eyebrow at her in male appreciation. “Yeah. That sounds good. Has Jess shown up yet?”

She laughed as she removed a cherry cola from the fridge. “If she was here she’d be asking you fifty million questions about ‘how the day at your house was spent.’ Or she’d just try to shove us in a room together.”

I grabbed the can and opened it. “Why would she want us in a room together?

She sighed and leaned up against the fridge. “She thinks that I’d be in a better mood if I would just um… give in and get all nasty with someone.”

The cold soda choked me when it went down the wrong way, that or just the images of her in my head getting all freaky with someone. Those soft lips parting in a welcoming sigh. That ass of hers all firm in my hands as I squeezed it. I shook my head and coughed. “I’m sorry did ya really say she’s pushing ya ta have sex wit' someone?”

“Not really pushing just saying ‘How about him’ or ‘I bet he’d be good for your first.’ When she finds out about Bus asking me on a date she’s going to suggest him even though we all know I’ll end up in that book of theirs.”

“Wait. You know about the book. How?” I asked leaning up against the counter trying to hide my semi-aroused state from her. I wonder if they’ve had that conversation about me.

“Jess. She stole a copy of the book from her last flavor of the week. It has the rules, the point system, every participant’s name and all of their conquests in it. I mean every person involved in it.” She leaned next to me on the counter. “Jess takes it with her everywhere. So when she gets here if you want to look at it I’m sure she’d let you.”

I leaned forward my head just mere inches away from hers. “So even though she is pushing you to do it, the real question is are you ready? If you are not ready then don’t just throw it away.”

She nudged my arm with hers and laughed. “I am so not telling you.”

I leaned a bit closer staring at her lips and whispered. “Why not?”

She glanced up at me with hooded green eyes her voice slightly breathless. “I uh… I don’t think it is worth mentioning right now.” She looked down at my lips and unconsciously licked hers. My breath faltered. Did she want me to kiss her? I leaned a bit closer my hand came up to gently push a piece of hair away from her face. Her eyes met mine in shock. A soft gasp escaped her lips as my head closed in to capture a kiss.

A loud pounding on the door startled us and caused her to jump from me. “That’s Jess.” She stammered walking backward toward the hall before turning around and running to get the door. I groaned my head plopping down on the counter. So close.

                                                        *****

Roxy

I cannot believe he almost kissed me! My hands shook and heart pounded in my ears as I fumbled with the doorknob. When I opened the
door, Jess glided in with a curious look on her face.

“So is that whose motorcycle I think it is outside?” She purred at me as I shushed her while waving goodbye to her father as he drov
e off.

“Yes. He is in the kitchen.” I closed the door and locked it.

“Why is he here?” She put her bag on the couch and kicked off her shoes.

“Bus showed up when I was on the phone with Luke. I was getting somewhat annoyed he could tell it and got concerned when my phone died. So he came over to see if I was okay.” I shrugged as I walked to the back of the couch placing
my still unsteady hands on it.

“Bus was here too? Damn when did you get all popular and shit?” She chuckled and headed toward the kitchen. “He’s in there right?”

“Jess!” I shouted after her. I’m dreaming. That’s what this is. It’s all a freaking dream. I’m going to wake up any second now and it’ll be Friday morning prior to all the stuff that has happened. I’ll get dressed head to school and people will still be ignoring me. I frowned at that. Please don’t let this be a dream. I’ve had more fun today than most of my high school career so far.

His laughter from the kitchen shook me out of my stupor. I might as well head in there and see what’s going on. Luke leaned against the counter can of cola in his hand still chuckling over something Jess had said. Jess was sitting on the counter beside the fridge her hands resting on the marble top beside her. “So there we were in the basement of Angie’s house at a sixth grade party playing spin the bottle. This was pre-RA. She did tell you what RA was right? If not I’ll tell you later. Anyway, it’s Roxy’s turn to spin this bottle. Unknown to us a certain person who will remain nameless at the moment loosened the top of it just before Roxy twirled the thing. So she leans in and grabs the bottle giving it a good turn. The entire time hoping that it would land on the crush she had at the time. Hey Rox, was it Ryan or Jeff that you liked back then. Never mind I remember now it was Jeff I had the thing for Ryan. That was a total waste but that’s a different story. So as the bottle is spinning her eyes start to widen when she realizes the lid is shaking loose. Just as she was about to say something. BAM. The lid flies off and bleach spills all over Jeff. I’m talking a head to toe dousing. Angie’s parents who were oblivious to what we were doing down there come rushing down the stairs at his screams. They see this kid whose black clothes are slowly turning brown in splotches freaking out with everyone laughing. Roxy is now completely ashen standing away from the fray. Needless to say the party is over Angie is grounded and Roxy fails to get her first kiss.”

My face I know was red with embarrassment and frustration. “Jess, can you please not tell him all of the social screw-ups that I have had in the past six years. It is a bit um… exasperating, infuriating, annoying, humiliating, and it’s kinda pissing me off.”

“Puh-lease. You know I only tell it to make sure you find someone who is willing to go through the gates of hell for you.”

“Gee thanks a lot! You make me sound like I’m a walking catastrophe waiting to happen. How many other people have you said this shit to?” I bitched at her.

“Just a few that came sniffing around looking for just a bit of fun. No one you were ever interested in.” She frowned at me.

Luke straightened up from the counter walked over to me and placed an arm around my shoulder pulling me against him. He whispered in my ear. “I find it cute and honorable that your friend is looking out for you.”

“Yeah well I find it meddlesome and annoying.” I crinkled my nose up.

He just laughed at me, squeezed my shoulder and then kissed my forehead. “I’d better head on home, chèr. Call me tomorrow afternoon?”

I stood there flabbergasted for a moment before I nodded my forehead still tingling from the pressure of his lips. “Of course. Be careful riding home.”

He smiled down at me with that dimple tantalizing my senses. His hand brushed a strand of my hair away from my face. “I will be.” His hand dropped as he looked up at Jess. “Later, Jess.”

We heard the front door close and his bike drive off. Jess looked at me with a Cheshire cat grin. “Oooh, I think someone is going to get a hot and I mean hot boyfriend this year. With the looks he was giving you I say your days of holding on to your V-card are over.” She giggled and rubbed her hands together in glee. “When that happens I so want the dets and I mean all of the details. Not just ‘yeah I did it’. I want description of what he looks like, what he does and if he gets you off.”

“Jess!” I exclaimed in horror. “You are insane. There is no way I’m going to tell you any of that.”

“Prude.” She kidded jumping down from the counter.

“Am not!”

“
Yeah, you are. I bet you the Coach bag my uncle gave me for Christmas that you won’t even kiss him by the end of the week.”

“That is really tempting. You know how much I want that thing but you are forgetting one tiny detail.” I frowned at her.

“What?” She asked plopping down in front of the TV.

I sat down beside her and grabbed the remote. “His girlfriend.”

                                                        *****

Sunday seemed to fly by. Jess and I got up around noon after staying up till three in the morning talking about Bus, Luke and the whole
‘how do I get him away from his girlfriend’
scenario. I fixed omelets for us filled with ham, cheese, green peppers and onions. I’m lucky mom actually decided to get groceries this week. Otherwise, we’d be eating canned ravioli or… blech… fast food. Jess and I had decided last night that if I really wanted Luke. That I was to make sure my presence was known at all times. I’d call or text when he requested it. Make sure I talked to him in school and above all else not back down from Christie. We went through my clothes and picked out an outfit for each day of the week that really showed off my best assets. Which in Jess speak means my butt and boobs. We raided my mom’s makeup kit and grabbed the eye shadows that enhanced my eyes. We also searched online for make-up tips.