Marcus returned with two glasses of champagne. As he passed me the flute, he asked, “What was that about Candy?”
Not wishing to appear judgmental, I said, “She’s nice.”
“Bullshit. My mother was nice.”
Cassie interjected, “Marcus, no one ever likes their stepmom. It’s almost cliché, sweetie. I’m sure your dad still holds your late mom close to his heart.” She put her arm around his shoulder, and his frown melted away.
Having snuck off to get a drink, Justin returned with a plate of food. “Why’s everyone looking so serious? Let’s party,” he said so loudly that the older guests turned and looked over at us again.
“You should slow down, Justin. It’s only nine o’clock,” I said.
He ignored me entirely and turned his attention to Marcus. Another kink in his personality, and jarring in many ways, Justin was a man’s man.
“So why are you looking so fucking glum, bud? It’s your birthday.”
“He was talking about his mom,” I said.
“Oh? His new hot one, or…”
Marcus scowled. “Listen. Don’t you fucking say that ever again.”
Justin stepped back and held up his hands in defense. “Hey, dude. It’s cool. I was just saying, Candy’s kind of out there.”
“She’s a fucking ex-stripper. What do you expect?” he snapped. “I don’t know what happened to my father. He used to be a man of taste. An educated man. Then this…” He swept his hand about the room.
Marcus had been hitting it hard too, it seemed, allowing me to see a new side to him. He’d always come across as the quiet one of the pair. He usually left the spotlight to Justin, who’d been known to jump up on bars and dance or down four shots in succession and sing his favorite team’s anthem loudly.
I had to admit, my sympathy for Marcus increased after I caught sight of Candy cuddling up to his dad, who looked more like a biology tutor than a billionaire with a penchant for bimbos.
Justin placed his arm around Marcus’s shoulder. “Come on, dude. Forget about it. She’s making your dad happy, and that’s all that counts.”
“Mm… I suppose so.” Marcus turned to Cassie and stroked her cheek. “You look gorgeous.”
Leaving them to it, I headed to the dining area. Following close behind, Justin pinched me on the butt.
I turned sharply. “Hey, that hurt.”
He laughed and drew me in tight against his waist. “I can’t help it. You look so sexy all done up. Out of that librarian gear, you scrub up well. And I know what’s underneath.” His eyebrows lifted.
Mm… Justin was hot to trot. We hadn’t seen each other for a week. He’d been busy at being a lawyer, which suited me because I liked my own space. That evening, though, there was something about Justin that irked me. Mainly his heavy drinking and lack of subtlety, which I should have been used to by then.
While I battled with those thoughts, a table of colorful sweets caught my eye, and a little voice within told me to forget about that troublesome boyfriend because life was great again. My stomach cartwheeled with glee at the sight of cupcakes. As my hand hovered over the pretty little thing, I reminded myself that I hadn’t eaten since lunch, so sensibly, I headed for the table of savory food instead.
“I’ll be back soon,” said Justin, touching my ass again.
“Justin, if you do that again, I’ll leave. You’re embarrassing me.”
He laughed. “Oh, come on, Ava. I’m boning up bigtime. Your tits look so big in that dress.”
“You’re being crass.”
He drew me in tight again and planted a sloppy kiss on my lips, leaving behind the sticky flavor of bourbon and Coke. “I’ll be back soon. Enjoy, and don’t let any of those horny rich dudes feel you up.”
I tilted my head. “I’ll try to control my urges.”
After Justin left me alone, I was faced with the difficult task of deciding on what to eat. Arranged on platters spread over the large oval table, the colorful array of food was indescribable, thus unfamiliar. As I pondered over each carefully decorated selection that resembled more a work of modern art, a yummy aroma drifted up my nose.
A voice traveled over my shoulder. “It’s complicated, isn’t it?”
I turned and was met by Marcus’s dad, who was in his mid-fifties, wearing spectacles and a gentle smile.
“Um… excuse me?”
He held out his hand. “I’m James.”
“Oh… Hi. Nice to meet you. I’m Ava.”
He studied me for a moment as if trying to get his head around my name. “Ah…