Page 18 of Stray
What was going on with us? Oh, just a little blackmail and forced blowjobs in the bathroom. No big deal. How could I possibly begin to explain this to them? The simple answer was that I couldn’t.
“Nothing is going on between us. Stray has got it into his head that he wants to get with me, and he’s being ridiculous about it. Following me around and stuff. I’m not interested. I thought that maybe avoiding the party would help him get a clue. But it’s cool. If you guys want to go, then we’ll go. I’m sure we could all benefit from a good time.” I tried to keep my explanation light so they wouldn’t read too much into it. Having them both look at me so curiously only confirmed why I would never tell them about the fantasies Stray had discovered or the resulting blackmail.
Luna frowned, her hand frozen partway to her mouth with a fistful of popcorn. “Do you think he’s dangerous? Is this something you should report to the police?”
I let out a bitter laugh. “I don’t think so. The police wouldn’t do jack shit anyway. He hasn’t done anything other than turn up at my building a few times. Stray isn’t dangerous. He’s just a pain in the ass.”
A total lie. He’d pulled a knife on me today and forced me to suck him off. The man was definitely dangerous.
Athena studied me closely while absently picking at one of her fingernails. “You like it. You like the attention. I know you, Codie. If you didn’t like the way Stray has been hanging around, you would’ve chased him off by now.”
It served me right for living with her. She did know me well.
I shrugged and readjusted my throw pillow. “Maybe I like it a little. Not enough to hook up with him. He’s not really my type.”
“Why not?” Athena prodded. “He’s totally hot, and you know he’s got to be amazing in bed. Who has to say you can’t get as much from him as he gets from you? It doesn’t have to mean anything. Maybe one crazy night would be enough to get him to stop following you around.”
“Or it would only encourage him,” Luna pointed out. “Stop thinking with your hooha, Athena. Not everyone is constantly on the prowl like you are.”
Athena laughed, nodding because she knew it was true. The girl was always open to the right opportunity or the right guy. As far as I knew, she’d only had one serious relationship back in high school. Even though she acted like she just wanted a fling, deep down I suspected she wanted more.
Did I want more? On occasion I thought I might. All it took was a conversation with any random guy to know that I didn’t want them.
“All right, so what are we wearing to the party? It might be a good excuse to buy something new.” Athena gave me a break by changing the subject. She seemed to understand that I didn’t want to talk about Stray.
I understood her curiosity. She sensed that I was hiding something, and she was right.
Happy for the change of subject, I said, “You always want an excuse to buy something new. I have that black dress I haven’t worn out yet. The one with the jagged skirt.”
Discussing fashion was always fun for me. I loved clothing. There was something about slipping into the right outfit that brought an entire vibe together. From luxury to comfort to power. There was no end to the sensations the right attire could evoke.
I already knew that if I was attending the graveyard party, I would dress to get a reaction out of Stray. At the same time I intended to hang with my friends and ignore him completely. There’s no way I would be seen with him in a public setting. We may have had an arrangement but it was forced on my part. I wouldn’t do a damn thing to acknowledge him at that party, but I would make sure he noticed me.
“I’m a lot more worried about what I’ll wear to Storm’s wedding than what I’ll wear to the party this weekend.” Luna tapped her bottom lip thoughtfully. “Have you guys thought about that yet?”
Pressing my lips together, I shook my head. “Not really. She needs to give us some guidelines. She might want us to wear certain colors.”
“I can’t believe my best friend is getting married. It feels like only yesterday we were kids planning to grow up and marry our celebrity crushes.” Athena smiled wistfully, lost in a memory shared only by her and Storm.
I still couldn’t believe Storm was marrying one of the Graveyard Kings. Their relationship had been red hot right from the start. I didn’t blame her for being willing to jump in with both feet. In some ways I envied her.
“I can’t see myself getting married at all. Men have not been a high point in my life.” Luna plucked a perfectly rolled joint from her black cat backpack. “Speaking of high points, anyone care to join me?”
Since I didn’t want any stinky smoke in the apartment, I moved everyone to the balcony. As soon as I stepped outside, my gaze landed on the Mustang down below. Was he fucking kidding me? What was Stray doing here?
He leaned against his car, a cigarette dangling from his lips. His phone was in one hand, occupying his attention. I allowed myself a brief moment to drink in the sight of him. Casually dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt, he still managed to be hot as hell without even trying. Damn him.
“Jesus, Codie. You really expect me to believe there’s nothing going on with you two?” Athena nodded to Stray down below.
I did my best to shrug it off, like it was no big deal. “I told you he has a weird fixation with me. Eventually, he’ll get over it. Just pretend he’s not there.”
Athena didn’t look convinced. She leaned against the balcony railing, her arms crossed over her chest. I turned my back so I wouldn’t be tempted to keep looking down at Stray. I didn’t want to accidentally make eye contact.
When Luna passed the joint my way, I took a few small puffs. I didn’t mind the occasional marijuana high, but at the wrong time, it made me more anxious than anything else. I got the feeling Stray simply wanted to be noticed. This was his vain attempt to get inside my head. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that it was working.
Part of me wanted to shout down at him, to tell him to get lost. Maybe to even throw something else down there. Maybe our leftover pasta from the other night. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I needed to do something to send him a message. Blackmailing me didn’t mean he could take over my entire life.
Somehow, I managed to keep myself from glancing in his direction again. We finished the joint and went back inside. Nobody said another word about Stray.
