Page 9 of Joint Custody

Chapter 5

Mario

Itoyedwiththeidea of leaving the party after getting Chris a cab. With both of my friends gone, there was no reason to stay. But I knew my best friend’s suggestion to “keep an eye on his little sister” was not just a drunken quip. There was that underlying suggestion to protect her from the additional pressure of their parents on a night like this. If I was being honest, I thought he was being a little overprotective and overcompensating for the lost time between them. He was in big-brother mode, but he needed to give her a lot more credit. She must be pretty smart to accomplish all that she had at this point.

At some point, she was going to have to learn to look out for herself. If he was always there or sending someone to be there to watch over her, “keeping an eye on her,” he wasn’t much different from his parents. They’d all be overwhelming her. So I didn’t think it would be necessary for me to stay and do as he asked, although I’d hear about it in the morning, maybe. But I didn’t think she’d need me or anyone else to protect her. She seemed capable of handling her parents, which meant I should have left, but I didn’t.

I wanted to see her again. I shouldn’t. I used his comment to convince myself that I was doing what my best friend asked me to, and I would leave after I made sure she was okay. Besides, it would be rude to leave without saying goodbye. Yet, when I returned to where we were seated, she wasn’t there. When her absence filled me with a sense of longing, I decided to take that as a sign I should leave before the thing I needed to protect her from was my own desires.

As I turned to leave, however, I noticed a shimmer from the corner of my eye. It was her pink glitter purse, tucked into the corner of padded patio seats. Oh, she’d need that. And as orderly as she seemed, I found it strange that she would leave it behind. Well, maybe she could be reckless after all. I may not know the girl but that just didn’t line up with the story I’d formed in my head of her.

Now, did I need to search the garden for her when her parents were in view? No. I could’ve dropped it off with them and been on my way. But that option didn’t give me the excuse I wanted to approach her again. And a thrill shot through me when I spotted her and her friends standing around a pretty sweet Lambo. I was too old for this. This was ridiculous. So what? Now I had an excuse to approach her. What was I going to do with that? Nothing. Except to hand her the purse and be on my way, unsatisfied because there wasn’t a chance in hell in the first place.

I needed to get a grip.

“Were you looking for this?” I asked her, and when her eyes met mine, my knees shook. I used the car to brace myself so I wouldn’t look like a fool. Within less than a minute of standing here, I could tell that these women were wasted. I didn’t want to leave until I was sure they had plans to get home safely. I did the same for Chris. Why wouldn’t I have done the same for them?

“Nice ride,” I said, in genuine appreciation of the vehicle. Of course I recognized it as one of the vehicles sold at Chris’s dealership, but I needed something to say to keep from focusing on the proximity of our bodies now that I had chosen to lean on the very same vehicle she was resting against.

“Youlook like a nice ride.” Her tall friend with short hair giggled while the other girls laughed along with her. Tiffany gasped and tapped her friend’s arm as her cheeks grew red.

I found myself laughing as well. “Smooth,” I said. “So, where are you guys headed?”

“We’re popping our girl’s cherry tonight, you wanna join us? Although my cherry’s already popped, I’d love to ride on . . . I mean, with you,” the one with the bleached ends said as the other two snickered.

I heard Tiffany whisper “Oh my gosh” as she turned around and started to fiddle with her key, trying to get it into the ignition without success. She might be trying to hide the flush in her skin, and she wasn’t alone. I didn’t get embarrassed as easily anymore as I got older, but I found my own cheeks turning red with the comment, hoping it was too dark for them to notice.

I managed to get over my embarrassment just in time to snatch the keys out of Tiffany’s hand, catching us both off guard.

“What are you doing?” She turned around and narrowed her eyes at me.

“Protecting you,” I told her.

She laughed. “Sir, I’ve only just met you tonight, and I don’t need your protection, so you can tell my brother you tried but I was fine on my own.” She reached for her key which I held above my head.

“This isn’t about your brother, Tiffany, you’ve clearly had a bit too much to drink and so have your friends, no offense.” I looked toward the three of them.

“With a face like that, you could offend me anytime you want,” the one with some pretty impressive cleavage said.

“Um, no, actually, that one was bad,” the tall one with the short hair said in response to her friend.

“Was it?” she asked and laughed.

Yeah, they were completely wasted.

“This is so annoying. I do not need a babysitter. I’m grown. May I have my keys?” she asked.

Oh, I knew she was grown. I was too aware of that, and I resisted the urge to close in on her, distract her with my dominance. Something told me she wouldn’t take kindly to that.

“No, you don’t need a babysitter, but you do need someone who’s going to stop you from getting behind the wheel when you can barely stand up.” I dropped the key in my pocket and watched as she considered whether she should reach in and take it out. When she made no attempts to do so, I put my hands in my pocket and straightened up.

I tried not to tell her that I expected her to be a lot more sensible than this. I mean, I kind of got it. She was under a lot of pressure, and she wanted a release. But she’d have to get that release on another night when she had a clearer mind. “Come on, let’s get you guys a cab. I think it’s best if you go home.” I stepped aside and waited for them to walk ahead of me.

Tiffany rolled her eyes at me, and I was filled with genuine fear that they would roll into the back of her head with how unnatural it seemed for her and how intoxicated she was.

“Oh, come on, Mr. Sexy, she’s never experienced a real party before, and we don’t know when we’ll get a moment like this again, please?” Cleavage said.

“How about you”—the tall one pointed at me—“chaperone us then? Come with us, you know you want to.”

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