1
I hated people. Well, that was an exaggeration, but not by much. In general, I really didn’t like the human race. Maybe I was jaded from bouncing around foster homes, or maybe I’d gained more than my share of life experiences, which allowed me to see others’ flaws. Regardless, the circle of people I liked was minute.
A shrill screech traveled down the hallway of the rental house I shared with my best friends, Benji and Avery.
Benji rounded the corner at high speed. An expression of horror twisted his handsome features as he backed into the counter of our small kitchen, which was decorated in roosters. Cocks. The room had rooster border paper, rooster dish towels, and rooster potholders. The decor was all Benji’s idea. My man adored cocks in every sense of the word.
His hand fluttered over his heart as he gasped and pointed down the hall from where he’d just hightailed it. “Tensley. Please, girl, make her stop.” He ran his fingers through his spiked blond hair as his chest heaved visibly.
Benji was absolutely gorgeous. His lean frame was perfectly balanced with just the right amount of muscle to be sexy but not obscene, and he was one of the best swimmers on Norman University’s team. His glacier-blue eyes could melt even the most callous person, and his abs rippled like a lake’s water after someone had smoothly skipped a stone. But women did nothing for him, not even our beautiful roomie, Avery, who had attempted to seduce him the first time they had met. He’d shot her down in a New York second, leaving her to pick her self-esteem up off the floor. After I clued her in that no girl would be able to turn Benji on, we’d laughed and brushed the incident off. Last year, we had all moved in together. Finding good roomies was the key to college success, and I needed to make sure I completed my last two years with a strong GPA.
I tilted my head slightly and closed my chemistry book. The current situation should have proved intriguing and deserved my full attention. When Benji was horrified, he was typically interesting. Not to mention highly entertaining.
“Make her stop.” His voice was strained as the color drained from his face.
I covered my mouth with my hand and attempted to hide the ornery grin that was pulling at the corners of my mouth. “Benji, what’s wrong?”
I propped my elbows on the only space left on the white-tiled kitchen island. Avery had just returned from the grocery store half an hour ago, and due to my studies, I still hadn’t unloaded the plastic bags that littered the otherwise clean and tidy area.
Benji swallowed visibly and pointed toward the hall. “She’s naked,” he finally managed to choke out.
No longer able to hide my reaction, I barked out a laugh. “Our nudist is streaking around the house again?” I scooted my barstool back and grabbed some of the groceries to unload. “Avery!” I called as I opened our fickle refrigerator. We never knew from one day to the next if it would work, but our landlord continued to fix it. He was probably hoping it would limp along for a few more years. “Could you please put some clothes on so I don’t have to call 9-1-1? Benji is about to have a heart attack.”
My focus cut to Benji, who had begun to regain his wits. “She just does it to get a rise out of you.” I bit into a Granny Smith apple, which spewed juice in every direction. “Well, maybe not a rise.” I giggled at my own joke and gently elbowed him in the side.
Disgust twisted Benji’s face, and he wiped the apple juice off his cheek.
“Sorry,” I said around a mouthful of apple.
Benji pushed off the counter, snatched up a grocery bag full of frozen meals, then shoved them in the freezer. “I just don’t understand her need to run around butt-ass naked in front of me. Aren’t there … boundaries?” He grabbed the loaf of bread next and placed it in the bread box his mom had donated to our humble abode.
His parents had helped us out a lot. Most of the furniture, his bedroom suite, pots, pans, plates, and utensils had come from them. Avery’s parents had also kicked in. Mine hadn’t. They hadn’t contributed a dime. My father had split when I was three, and I hadn’t seen my mom since I was twelve. Eventually, I’d come to understand that I was on my own, and I had learned how to survive on the bumpy road called life. Foster kids didn’t have families—they were just a number in the government’s system and a paycheck to the adults that pretended to give a shit when the social worker showed up to evaluate the kids.
Benji wiggled his eyebrows at me. “Are you ready to get your head out of your books and have some fun tonight?”
“Oh, I wasn’t under the impression I had a choice.” I grinned at him while I placed the gallon of milk into the fridge. Then I opened the Seattle’s Best coffee package and poured it into an airtight container. We never skimped on the dark roast. It was our life force.
Benji huffed and placed his hands on his hips, staring a hole through me. “Seriously, Ten, you should probably get ready.”
I arched my eyebrow and shot him an amused look. “I am ready.” I blew a loose strand of blond hair out of my face and tugged on my oversized Big Bang Theory T-shirt that hit my skinny jeans midthigh. Maybe my dress code wasn’t always up to par with Benji and Avery’s, but my clothes fit and were clean. That was all I needed.
“Aw, hell no.” Benji wagged a finger at me. “You’ll never get laid wearing that. Besides, how long has it been? You probably have dust bunnies in your vajayjay.”
Although I wasn’t a nun, I rarely slept around. It wasn’t because I didn’t have needs—I just hadn’t found anyone I wanted to have consistent booty calls with. Plus, I wasn’t interested in anything long-term. The word “commitment” wasn’t even in my vocabulary.
“Avery!” Benji called. “We need to borrow some clothes from your closet. Are you wearing anything now?”
A moment of silence filled the house before Avery responded. “Yes! I’m dressed. Come on back.”
I snickered. “She’s probably only half-dressed.”
Benji’s nostrils flared. “I’m sending you in first. Boobs and twats don’t bother you. You’re my first line of defense.”
Grabbing his hand, I led him out of the kitchen, down the hallway, and into Avery’s room.
Half an hour later, my long hair was brushed and straightened, I had a light dusting of brown eyeshadow that made my blue eyes pop, and Avery had dabbed mascara on my thick lashes. I used to wonder if I looked like my dad, although Mom had been pretty at one time.
I shut those thoughts down and focused on Benji. He’d selected a deep V-neck teal top for me to wear. It showed off more cleavage than I was comfortable with, but he’d literally blocked me from Avery’s closet before I could grab something else. Avery had tossed her Citizens jeans at me. For the most part, we were the same size, except I was a bit bustier than she was.
“You look hot as hell,” Avery said, grabbing my breasts and squishing them together to plump up my boobs even more. She was continually touching me, fluffing my hair, adjusting various parts of me, and patting my butt. It never bothered me, though. She was like my sister, and from what I’d heard, sisters did stuff like that.
My focus traveled over Avery’s flawless tan skin. A smattering of freckles covered her perky nose, and her dark-brown hair accentuated green eyes that were framed by illegally long eyelashes. Avery was stunning. Her boobs, hips, and ass were perfectly proportioned. She stood at five foot nine and was thin without being too skinny. No matter where she was, she turned the heads of both guys and girls. She tucked her red shirt into her designer jeans and slipped her feet into her black heels.