BAD REP(36)

“Oh, come on.  Don't leave me to deal with a house full of sloppy drunks by myself,” he pleaded teasingly.

I couldn't help but laugh.  “Please.  You deal with sloppy drunks almost every day.  By now you have to be a pro.”

“That's why I shouldn't have to suffer it alone on my off time.  Please come,” he said softly.  I looked over at Olivia and the girls but they were too wrapped up in their party planning to pay us any mind.

This felt sneaky and underhanded but I couldn't help myself.  When Jordan looked at me like that, it was frighteningly easy to throw my morals and resolve straight out the window.  I sighed heavily.  “Fine.  I'll come.  But only for a little while,” I conceded.  Jordan's mouth stretched into a dazzling grin.

“Excellent.  See, I knew you'd never let me down,” he said, tapping the back of my hand with his finger and I tried not to shiver at his touch.

“We'll see,” I muttered, trying not to look as pleased as I felt by his words.  Jordan smiled again and then had the audacity to wink at me.  His flirting knew no bounds.  But before I could say anything else, he moved away and went about his job.

I was only able to stomach another thirty minutes of watching Olivia and Jordan as they bantered back and forth.  I couldn't deny the connection they shared.  One that obviously came from a shared history.  Sure, there were times Jordan seemed annoyed by his girlfriend but she also made him laugh and he interacted with her on a level that was impossible to ignore.

It sucked.  I slammed back my beer and got to my feet.  Olivia looked up in surprise.  “You leaving, Mays?” she asked, giving me a smile that was so sweet it made my teeth ache.  Jordan's eyes flicked over to me and I immediately looked away.  Something stirred in my gut as I realized Milla was watching me. 

“I've had a long day, I'm beat.  I'll see you guys tomorrow.  I'll be over to the house around lunch time, cool?” I said, grabbing my purse and digging for the keys.

“Sounds good.  We'll see you then.”  Olivia got to her feet and gave me a hug.  I patted her back awkwardly and threw out a final goodbye to Tabby and Milla before heading to the door.

“Maysie!  Hang on a sec!” I froze as Jordan jogged to catch up with me.  I painted a smile on my face and stood rigidly as I waited for him.

“Yeah?”  I asked, almost scared of what he would say. 

“You forgot your debit card,” he said, handing out the thin piece of plastic between two fingers.  I laughed nervously.  God, I was such an idiot.  What did I think he was going to do?  Profess his undying love to me in front of his girlfriend and my sorority sisters?  I needed to get a grip.

“Thanks.  Guess I need that.” I laughed shortly and reached out to take it from him.  He put it in his palm and pressed it into mine.  He held my hand almost intimately.  The feel of his skin against mine was too much.  We stood like that, our hands together, for longer than was appropriate.  Realizing he had made no effort to move away, I snatched my hand back and gripped my card tightly in my fist.

“Thanks,” I said, refusing to meet his eyes.

“Sure,” he said quietly.  I darted a quick glance back at my sisters.  Olivia and Tabby were talking, oblivious to our little moment.  But we did have a witness.  Milla watched us closely and I tried not to shudder at the calculation I saw in her eyes.  She met my gaze and lifted her drink toward me, arching her eyebrow.

Shit, I had to get out of there.  “See ya,” I told Jordan quickly, hurrying out the door.

“Don't stand me up tomorrow night!  You promised!” he called after me as I crossed the parking lot.  I couldn't help myself, I just had to look at him again.  So I stopped and turned to face him.  He stood in the open doorway, watching me.

“Sure, wouldn't miss it,” I called back, feeling the beginning of rain pelt down around me.  Jordan smiled.  The most perfect, amazing smile ever.  And this time I fled as fast as my legs could carry me.



Chapter Eight



“I think we should do some sort of skit.  You know for the rushees.  Something that shows them how awesome Chi Delta is.  We have to stand apart from the other sororities on campus,” Vivian enthused, as I looked through albums of pictures from past rush events.  We were brainstorming ideas for the upcoming rush week.  So far all we had come up with was a beach party theme and a biker babes night.  I thought both were a little lame, but Vivian was all about it.  I had yet to learn the fine art of speaking my mind at sorority meetings.  I was still trying to figure out my place in this group of girls and didn't want to rock the boat.