Party
Party
The party was wild.
Lexi threw it to celebrate our win against the Dolphins. The entire campus seemed to have showed up, crowding into the Union house. Music blasted through the speakers and laughter spilled into the hall. The lights were dim, flashing in all sorts of neon colors. People were chatting and dancing, and the air was filled with excitement. There were Solo cups littered across the whole place as we navigated our way through the crowd.
“Where’s Lexi?” I muttered under my breath. Even though the music was blaring, Matt listened to me.
“She must be around,” he said, glancing at the boys and girls clinging to each other while dancing. Some of them were so much into each other that I couldn’t decide where one began and the other ended.
Matt walked beside me, his broad shoulders and his persona making him look like a hulk. When a boy deliberately touched my shoulder, he immediately cupped it, growling at him. The air crackled under his touch. My body hummed with awareness of him, and his constant attention to me wasn’t helping. Despite all the fun around me, all I wanted was… him. I couldn’t believe we had won. After all the sabotage, the pressure, and the tension, we finally beat the Dolphins. I didn’t know what it meant, or who would be the next team member, but I pushed aside those thoughts for once.
The party felt like a distraction. The loud music, the cheers, and Matt. His hand tightened around my shoulder, and I felt it like a spark traveling through my veins.
We walked into the corner of the room, and Lexi immediately spotted us. She rushed over, her smile bright and jubilant.” Tam! Matt! You made it!” she squealed. She practically tackled me into a hug, her energy contagious. “We finally did it! We beat the Dolphins! I still can’t believe it!”
Her excitement was contagious, and I found myself smiling. At first, her action was suspicious, but when Angel noticed that she was genuine, I melted. This was the same Lexi who had made my life unbearable all the past days. Probably she was under Sarah’s influence.
So I laughed and hugged her back. I had to admit, it felt good to finally have the victory. We deserved this moment.
“I still can’t believe you two pulled it off,” Lexi continued, pulling back from the hug. Her eyes glimmered as she scanned us both. “It feels like a dream, doesn’t it?”
It did. A surreal dream.
Then Lexi caught my writs, and pulled me out of there. Of course, Matt followed. When we were alone on the porch, she made us sit on the swing as Matt leaned over the rail with his hips.
“Tamara,” Lexi started. “I’m so sorry for how I behaved with you the past days. But know this–it was Sarah who poisoned me against you. She said that you were supposed to go for the basketball team, but you pushed your way into the beachball team. So….” she lowered her head. “I was furious. We asked Coach Dana to recheck whether you are in our team or not because you didn’t have prior experience. She rechecked and she said that you were indeed in our team. It’s really strange how you ended up on the beachball team, but I’m so glad that you are with us!”
I chuckled. “Even I don’t know, how I ended up here. I had filled out my college application saying I wanted to join the basketball team.”
Lexi pursed her lips. “If it helps you, then all I can say is that I saw Sarah talking to Professor Tulip a few days ago. I mean, I heard about yours and Matt’s spat with her, but maybe I am overthinking?”
Matt frowned. “You just saw, or you even heard a conversation between them?”
She sighed. “I couldn’t hear much honestly. Something like, is it done…? She shrugged, unsure about it. “They stopped talking once they noticed me. At that time, I didn’t give it any importance. But now that I think of it in retrospect, I feel like there could be a connection.”
An awkward silence descended upon us. Tulip was involved with Sarah? And was she behind the change in my application? But what was the purpose? It sounded so bizarre that I couldn’t wrap my head around it.
“But now that it is behind us,” Lexi added. “I don’t want to even think of that traitor!” She laughed nervously. “So, what are you two drinking?” she asked, her eyes shifting between me and Matt, as she tried to lift the mood.
“I don’t know,” I muttered, glancing at Matt, who stood silently, his eyes looking in blank space. The tension was palpable.
“Come on,” Lexi insisted, grabbing a bottle of wine from the table. “I’m celebrating. You deserve a drink too, Tamara. After everything we’ve been through!”
Before I could protest, she dragged me inside. She took me to the kitchen and poured it into the red cup and handed it over. I hesitated for only a moment. It had been a long day, and I didn’t want to be the buzzkill. So, I took the glass, swirling the liquid inside as I gave a small, hesitant smile. Lexi handed the whole beer can to him.
Matt didn’t seem thrilled with the idea of me having it, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he gave me that ferocious,
1/2
་
Party
protective look, like he was constantly watching over me, even in a crowded room. I felt it, deep in my bones. We walked outside to where the party was.
I took a sip, the wine smooth and sweet as it went down, warming my chest. It was nice. I took more sips, and in a few minutes, I felt like I could conquer the world. The alcohol made me feel a little more relaxed, and I couldn’t help but smile as I started to feel the effects. I looked around, noticing the wild behavior of a few other girls and boys in the room.
Suddenly, one of them was dancing provocatively near Matt. She was too close to him, for my liking. Her eyes were locked on him, her moves slow and deliberate as she swayed her hips. She was trying to get his attention–and she wasn’t subtle about it. She wanted him, that much was clear.
A pang of jealousy shot through me. It wasn’t even about the way she moved. It was the way she looked at him. I wanted to gouge her eyes. My hands fisted and every logic, every restraint that I had built inside me, felt like it was crumbling.
I tried to focus on the conversation, but the energy in the room was changing. I could feel it. The wine was starting to hit me, but my nerves kept buzzing as I glanced back at Matt.
Then, without warning, the girl turned toward me, her lips curling into a sly smile, like she was saying that by the end of the night, Matt would be in her bed.
Something flared inside. Why was I feeling like murdering her?
Matt was my boyfriend. How dare she seduce him?
Before I knew it, I said through gritted teeth, “Back off. He’s mine.”
Her eyes widened, her gaze flicking between us. Then, before I could understand my actions, I climbed onto a table in front of Matt. With my eyes locking on his, my body moved seductively. The room went quiet for a moment as everyone’s attention turned toward me.
Goddess, I didn’t know what had overcome me. All I wanted was Matt’s full attention on me. It was surely the alcohol inside me. Definitely not the mate bond.
“What’s the matter, Matt?” I purred, swaying her hips slowly as she danced. “You’re too quiet. You should come join me, don’t you think?”
I stared at him, my movements so overtly sexual. Someone stop me. I wanted him. I could feel his eyes on me, the intensity of his gaze burning into me.
I leaned over to him. “Matt…” I whispered, more to myself than to anyone. But I couldn’t ignore the sudden rush of emotions. The music got louder, and so did the swaying of my hips. The crowd started cheering madly. Matt bit his bottom lip as he watched me with intensity that made me want to clench my thighs. There was no mistaking the feral look in his eyes.
I continued, not oblivious to the storm building in Matt’s gaze. “Come on, Matt. Don’t be shy.” I turned in a way that my butt was right into his face. And what I did next was beyond me. I swayed them like a belly dancer. A boy tried to grab me. Then, something happened. In one smooth motion, Matt stood up, his chair scraping against the floor. He pushed him aside. “No one touches what’s mine,” he growled under his breath, his voice low and dangerous.
“Ooooh!”
“Ahhhhh!”
More such voices followed as Matt sat down again.
The air thickened, a tension hanging between Matt and me.
He grabbed my waist. “You are mine, Tamara,” he said, his voice raw and deep, just for me to hear. “And if you continue doing this, I will spank you so hard that your butt will turn red!”
His words were possessive, making my heart race. I swallowed hard, feeling sexy. Like I wanted him to spank me. “Then spank me, Daddy.” Saying that I climbed onto his lap.
