are we?”
“This is my friend Brian’s house. A bunch of us get together once a month to have dinner and catch up.” I move to get out of the car and she grabs my hand.
“What are we doing, Hunter?”
I know what she’s asking but I really don’t want to answer it right now. “We are eating and having some fun.”
“You know what I mean.” I can see the confusion etched on her face.
“Can we have this talk later tonight? For right now, let’s just have fun. Give yourself a chance to be normal for a day.” I’ve seen how stressed her career makes her in the few days I’ve been around. I also thought that if she got some normalcy¸ it might make her feel better.
“Okay.” I can sense some hesitation but I know once we get inside, she will loosen up. I take her hand and lead her into the backyard. The guys are all standing around the grill. I don’t see the girls yet, but I’m sure they are around somewhere.
Brian sees us coming and gives me a sideways look. I didn’t tell him I was bringing anyone and considering they have never even seen me with a chick in daylight, I’m sure it’s a shock.
“Well, look what the cat dragged in,” Mason says as he sees me. “It’s about time you made it, slug.”
Sam turns to face me. “Slug?”
I rub the back of my neck, not wanting to get into this right now. “It’s nothing.”
“Aw, come on! You used to wear that title proudly.” Mason turns to Sam. “We call him slug because they are the most sexually active animals, since they have both male and female parts. It’s been a running joke that if Hunter could fuck himself he would never leave his house.”
Sam bursts out in laughter, along with everyone else in the yard. Real fucking funny. I finally bring a chick around and they have to make me look like an asshole.
“Well, ya gonna introduce her? Or are we supposed to guess? You do know her name, right?” Brian says, as he is flipping the burgers. Why did I think this shit was a good idea? I really don’t need them laying all my shit bare the first time they meet Sam.
“Sam, this is Brian, Mason, Jake, and Ryan. Guys, this is Samantha.” I wait for more insults as the guys step up to say hi to her.
Brian’s fiancé Jules and her friend Lacey come out of the house with huge margarita glasses. Their eyes zero in on the fact that I’m still holding Sam’s hand. “Shut the fuck up,” Jules says before covering her mouth in shock. “I’m sorry. I’ll blame it on the tequila at this point. You know who you are, right?”
I knew she would be the first one to realize who Sam was. I just hope they can all keep it together.
“Babe, what are you talking about?” Brian asks as he walks over to her and grabs the glass out of her hand.
“That’s Samantha Baker. I tried to get tickets to her show a few months ago and they were sold out.” Jules looks back toward me. “Wait a minute. Is she your new client?”
I nod my head. “When you’re done being a psycho fan, we just want to have a normal relaxing day.”
“Okay first of all slug, it’s called fangirling.” I hate that fucking nickname now. “Second, I’m totally cool. Sam, do you want a margarita? Lacey is a little heavy handed with the tequila, but they’re delicious.”
She looks over at me and smiles. “Have fun.” I whisper in her ear, before placing a kiss on her neck. I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I can’t control myself around her. It’s like I want to, no I need to, claim her. I need everyone to see that she is mine. Even if she isn’t, yet. Sam’s body seems to tense a bit before relaxing against me and accepting my form of affection.
After a minute, Sam follows the girls into the house and when I turn back toward the guys, they are all staring at me. “What? You assholes never seen a woman before?”
Ryan laughs. “Oh, it’s not that. We’ve just never seen one with you that wasn’t plastic and filled with air.”
They all start to laugh and I grab a beer out of the cooler. I want to go in to see how Sam is doing but I don’t. When did I become such a fucking pussy?
The girls