10 Trading One Wicked Thought for Another

Zaleska was perched in her chair, staring out at the outdoor scenario as a few birds fluttered past her view. "It's beautiful isn't it?" she asked Nel.

Nel smiled and nodded. "Very." She stiffened and quickly turned her head to the door. "Were you expecting company?" she asked.

"No." Zaleska told her, feeling the strange presence she adores so much. "It's Roku. Let him in."

Nel got up quickly and went to the door to open it. She smiled at the young man. "Come in," she told him.

Roku looked at Nel and nodded stepping in past her. Before he could even get a word out Nel pointed to where Zaleska was. He turned and walked over to her. He wasn't sure where to even start. "Some of the newly turned are going after Selene. They attacked her today to get to me."

Zaleska liked how cute he was to report this. "Leave her be, then and pay her no mind. If you show no interest, they'll grow weary and pick at something else." She waved it off.

He frowned and looked down at the ground. "It's not that easy. She lives next door. I have been avoiding her, but-" It didn't matter.

"That's fine. We'll just break the lease and move you elsewhere." She reached out for him. "It's alright. You won't have to worry about her much." What she gleaned this time would be only the poor sad fate of the little thing.

It serves her right for tormenting and rejecting her son.

Roku looked at Zaleska and frowned. "I- don't want her to get hurt."

"What happens to her is only nature's way. If she were to will it, I won't let her die." she told him. "Do not worry yourself, Roku. All will be well."

He nodded. "Yes, alpha." So he would be moving then. Maybe distance would help.

"Nel," Zaleska commanded. "I need you to preview some listings in the area. Can you find me the latest advertisements on rentals?"

Nel nodded. "Right away." She bowed her head and her long dark hair fell forward.

"You can relax here in the meantime," she told Roku.

"Are you going to tell the others?" Roku asked. He wouldn't question Zaleska, but he wanted his business to remain his own.

"It's not their business." she told Roku. "I have no intention of telling them and if you do so, it's of your own desire."

Nodding again he went to sit down next to her. "Thank you."

"I am not out to hurt you." she told him, petting his hair back from his face. "You're my son. I will never try to hurt you unless you were to try to hurt your sisters and brothers within our domain." Any rogues who had forsaken their nature and tribalism with her were as good as dead.

He leaned into her hand. He loved being part of a family. There was so much he'd never known being a lab pup. "I won't hurt my family."

"Of course you won't," she told him. Zaleska was confident in him. Even despite the misgivings others had about him and his sister, the two were perfectly fine to her.

Back at the apartment, things had managed to roll over smoothly, letting everyone gather together to discuss going out.

Sarah looked at Selene. "You sure about this?" She had an idea that Selene only wanted to go to this party because her ex told her not to.

"Of course I am." Selene pulled the tube top down, adjusting it before she looked at Derik. "Besides, I already called Dean and asked him to meet me there." she looked away. "I'll be fine."

Sarah laughed and shook her head. "Alright." Sarah was ready to go too with her tight fitting black tank and skinny jeans with one black leg and one red. She had her hair up in a high ponytail showing off her neck and shoulders. "What are we waiting for then."

Lex watched Sarah and bit his lip. He wanted to tell her to be more careful this time, but she would likely just snap at him. He'd just keep an eye on her and make sure that asshole left her alone this time.

"Sure," Derik looked at all of them. "Mind taking my Mustang down this time?" he asked everyone.

Sarah smiled. "With the top down?" she asked.

"Sure, Sarah. With the top down." Derik smiled at her, digging his hands into his pockets.

Her smile widened and she took Selene's hand. "Come one!"

"Woah," Selene laughed. "Easy!" She followed Sarah as Derik shook his head.

"It's no use running if the car is locked!" he hollered after the girls. He looked at Lex, shaking his head. "Come on."

"Hurry up then!" she yelled back at him. She was tired of being stuck in the apartment. Sure she gave them a scare last time, but that didn't mean she needed to be locked away.

Lex scoffed and grinned. "Right behind you."

Derik shook his head, shutting the door behind him as he followed after everyone. "No sliding on the hood!" Derik called out to Sarah. It was hard to believe she got out of the hospital a few days back.

Lex laughed at that. "I'll make sure she wears her seatbelt. I wouldn't put it past her to stand up with the top down."

"She better not! I'm not turning around for a second hospital trip!" he told him, picking up the pace till he was in a complete jog. "Wait up!"

Selene's feet pounded against the concrete steps as she ran down to the bottom, laughing as she chased Sarah. Yeah, tonight would be great and it'd go fine. She wasn't going to let Roku spook her out of going out.

Sarah got to the car and laughed turning to see the others running to catch up. Seeing Selene laughing was the best part. She needed it.

Derik gave the fob a click, letting the doors unlock as Selene pulled the passenger door open.

"Lex is up front! No shotgun calls!" Derik announced loudly. "You two can keep the party in the back."

"Poorsport!" Selene stuck her tongue out at him.

Lex laughed. He wanted to sit by Sarah, but he wasn't going to voice his disappointment.

Derik looked at Lex. "You're my map, yeah?" he asked him. "Isabell's place tonight. She invited me and it's supposed to be a big party."

"Of course!" He opened the door when they finally got to the car.

"Good, I'll need your expert directions." Derik smirked as the girls slid into the back. He flicked the top down and part of it folded back. He pushed the remaining portion under the cover and clamped it down. "It's going to be windy." Derik told the two of them.

"Whatever. I have short hair." Selene shrugged. "Do your worst."

"Is that a challenge?" Derik raised a brow, smiling wildly.

Sarah smiled and braided her hair, twisting it into a bun and tucking the ends into the tie. "Yep."

Derik shook his head, getting into the driver seat to flick the ignition on. The car roared to life noisily as he put it in reverse and backed up. "Better buckle up!" he told them, giving it a little gas before he flicked it from neutral into drive and started to drive out of the lot.

Sarah felt her heart pick up when the car started. She bit her lip and slid her seatbelt on.

Lex pulled the address up on his phone and told Derik which street to turn on. Occasionally he'd look back at Sarah. She seemed to be in her own little world, enjoying the wind whipping at her face.

Selene leaned against Sarah quietly, letting the wind whip her in the face as they cruised down through town. She was glad the boys took a more scenic route over the interstate up to his friend's house. Riding up to the condominium was nice. It seemed quiet from outside. "You sure this is a big party?"

"Yup. She rented the clubhouse out and everyone is at the pool."

"There's a pool?" Selene asked him. "What the hell, Derik? I don't have a bathing suit for that."

He shrugged. "Eh. Win some, lose some. You would've taken all night to decide, especially with your new boyfriend coming down."

"Lies." Selene told him, giving him a playful smack on the shoulder. "Hurry up and park! I think Dean is at the gate already!"

Sarah laughed lightly. "Already so anxious to see him."

"So!" Selene told Sarah, smiling. "I like being around him."

Derik pulled up to a parking spot and Selene hopped out before he put the car in park.

She stumbled after climbing out but ran over to the gate quickly. "Hey!" she smiled. "You beat us here."

Dean looked over and grinned at her excitement. "Yeah. What took you so long?" he teased.

Sarah stepped out when Lex opened the door for her. She smiled at him as she pulled her braid out. "Thanks."

He nodded. "Welcome."

"Uh. I wasn't driving. Sorry. Derik likes to cruise." she laughed, staring at him. She stepped up closer to him, measuring their heights. "I should start wearing heels. You're always towering over me."

"I like being taller than you," he grinned. He thought better about saying she was cute and tiny.

"Do I detect a dirty mind?" Selene poked, letting her fingers walk up his biceps to his shoulder.

He laughed from deep within his chest. "That is not what I meant."

"No? Then you have to tell me the secret why." Selene smirked, leaning forward.

"You're tiny and cute. I feel protective of you."

"I'm not that tiny. I'm five foot, seven inches tall." She told him. "I'm almost average but that's super sweet of you. Are you my bodyguard tonight?"

And he was six-four, but that wasn't the point. "Maybe," he grinned at her.

"How about my date instead?" she snickered.

"Selene, get your ass in here." Derik hollered behind the two of them after the gate had opened. "Everyone is inside already. Unless you want to make out in the dark parking lot."

"I can agree to that." He took her hand. "Come on."

Selene followed him inside and the gate slammed shut, vibrating loudly as it settled, before she followed Derik and the others back to the clubhouse. Selene squeezed Dean's hand as they walked. "Thanks for coming down to spend time with me." she whispered to him.

"Of course. I kind of enjoy it." He laughed lightly.

Sarah walked in and looked around. "Holy shit! She went all out didn't she?"

Derik nodded. "Do whatever. It's just close friends and a few others tonight." he told Sarah. No way that creep would show up twice.

Kevin looked over, noticing Selene and he nudged Una. "I thought you said she was marked. What's she doing with a human?" he whispered to her.

Una looked over at the girl. "Well, maybe they had a falling out."

Sarah punched Derik lightly. "Enough with that." She shook her head. "I'm gonna get a beer. Want one?" She looked to Lex next to him.

"Yeah I'll take one."

"Yeow!" Derik yanked back. "Christ Sarah! What did I do to deserve that one?!"

Selene laughed, watching the three of them as she leaned against Dean.

"Don't be such a baby!" She called after him as she went to retrieve drinks.

"I doubt it. I'm sure there's more to it than meets the eye." Kevin whispered back, crossing his arms.

"Watch and see what happens then," she said, taking a sip of her beer.

"I will." Kevin grumbled back to Una. "Watch me."

Selene shook her head, watching them all as she leaned against Dean. "My friends are probably like the best form of cheer up medicine I could possibly ask for." she shook her head. "Ah man." Selene looked at Dean, smiling wider. "And then there's you." she told him, smiling wider.

"Am I not as good?" he asked her, smiling back.

"No, you're probably the best one of them all." she rolled her eyes, exaggerating a little. "Though, honestly I think I'm completely into hearing you talk about the idea of a relationship with me. It's… reassuring." she told him with confidence.

"Oh I'm all for it. I guess girlfriend is quite a title though. You up for it?" he teased.

"I'll try." Selene smiled at him. "If you'll let me."

"Absolutely." He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss.

Sarah grabbed four drinks pushing them together, holding them between her thumbs, index, and middle fingers. She smiled as Lex grabbed one for himself. She turned back ahead to make sure she didn't run into anyone and spill. A dark haired man with a scruffy beard caught her eye across the room and she stopped for a second. She nearly dropped one of the cups, but somehow it slid back into her hand. She looked back up to the man and he wasn't there. Wishful thinking?

"You alright?" Lex asked, seeing her stall.

"Oh yeah," she smiled. "Here, can you take some of these?"

Lex took two from her quickly making sure to keep an eye on his.

"Alright, come on," Sarah said and hurried back to the others.

Selene let Dean pull away when she felt someone nudge her from behind. She smiled at Lex. "Thanks." she told him, taking the drink from his hands. "Is everything going well for you guys so far?" Selene asked Sarah.

Sarah passed out the drink and nodded. "Yup. Cheers!" she said, pretending to clank cups together before taking a long swig.

Selene sputtered, laughing at her as she took a sip. She made a bit of a face at it. Though it was sweet, the alcohol was harsh. "Oh geez," she held it up to Dean. "Do you like this?"

Dean sipped his and looked at her. "It's awful, but all of it usually is."

"I thought alcohol was supposed to be fun." Selene slid down another hard gulp.

Kevin snorted, walking up to the two. "I was a bit heavy on the vodka. My apologies."

Selene looked up and nearly spit her drink out. She covered her mouth quickly, looking at Kevin.

"Hey Dean. I didn't realize you'd be here." he nodded to Dean. "How's it going?"

Dean nodded back, taking another drink and swallowing it quickly to reply. "Of course I'd be here." He smiled and wrapped an arm around Selene. "My girl invited me."

"Your girl?" Kevin asked, grinning wider. "I didn't think you were one to settle down."

Selene glared at him, but Kevin pulled a napkin from his pocket to hold it out for her.

"I scare you?" he asked, taunting her a bit.

"No." Selene told him sharply, snatching it. She looked away. "I choked a bit. The alcohol was overwhelming."

"So she says!" Kevin whooped, looking back to Dean. "Well I'm glad she invited you man. I was hoping we'd see each other again soon. I got a new console at my place and I figured we'd play some games on it sometime and get the guys together for a raid."

"Yeah? Awesome. Hit me up sometime." He grinned.

"And you'll have to invite her too." Kevin pointed at Selene. "I definitely want to get to know your new girlfriend."

"I'm not a big gamer." Selene told him, leaning into Dean. She did not want to get tangled up with this person. Obviously he was trying to pull something.

"You have to go talk with the rest of the guys though. They're all here." Kevin urged him.

"Maybe here in a bit," he said, tightening his grip on Selene. He wouldn't force her to go.

"Alright. We'll wait up okay? So don't be afraid to come over." Kevin told him.

He nodded to him and turned Selene back towards her friends. "You alright?" he whispered to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. He was… he was with those guys that scared the hell out me the other night." Selene whisperers back as she watched him leave.

Dean's eyebrows rose and he refrained from looking back at Kevin. "I'll have a talk with him then. I'm not going to let them get away with bothering you."

Selene's grip on his sleeve tightened. "Don't." she swallowed. "They'll just pick on me again if I pay attention to them again." she explained, but she knew it was more than that. The other one showed up at her apartment. Of course it was more than that. It involved Roku.

He nodded. "If they bother you again, let me know."

"I will," she told Dean. She smiled at Dean cheerily. "Let's not worry about it too much. Do you want to sit in the hot tub with me?" They didn't get to last time.

A wide smile spread across his face. "Do I," he laughed lightly.

"I'll take that as a yes." Selene smiled, glancing up at him. His smile was contagious. She felt her own lips pull back into a wide smile as she turned her head down before her gaze followed shortly after. Selene tucked her the short brown strands of hair behind her ear. She mustered up the courage to finally take his hand. "As long as this is fine with you." she murmured, almost inaudibly.

He squeezed her hands. "Come on."

Selene nodded, following as she turned her gaze back up to him.

Kadir watched Sarah from across the room. She was something else. He had greatly enjoyed their time together at the last party. She had tasted so delightful too. Her little giggles when his beard tickled her, or the smell of her arousal when he called her love. His fangs ached just thinking about it. There was a little redhead following her around everywhere. Was she with him? She looked over to him and her bright green eyes locked on his. She looked stunned, like a deer in headlights. Her plump lips parting for a second before she turned around to the redhead. Maybe she was with him. He turned into the crowd of people.

Sarah smiled at Lex. "Are you going to join the others in the hottub?"

"Are you not?"

"No," she said simply.

"Yeah it doesn't sound very appealing."

"Lex. You don't have to keep an eye on me. It'll be okay. Go have fun. Find yourself a girl." She winked at him and drank the rest of her cup. "I'm gonna get another one." She turned quickly to the table with all the red solo cups.

Lex felt like that was a rejection. He thought they were getting closer. He didn't even have time to respond before she had disappeared. With a roll of his eyes he turned to go out to the hottub with everyone else. He wasn't going to let it get to him.

Sarah grabbed a cup and turned around only to bump into someone. "Oh shit! Sorry!" She looked up to see the bearded guy from the last party. "Hey," she smiled.

"Hello, love." He smiled at her.

There it was. That husky voice with a hint of an accent. There was no way this guy was the one that hurt her. Or maybe it was just an accident. She promised herself that she wouldn't get too drunk this time to remember if anything did happen.

He took the beer from her and downed it before setting the empty cup down.. "Would you like to dance?"

She watched him and felt her heart sputter a little. "Yeah," she managed to get out. She looked into his dark brown eyes. They might have had a reddish tint to them, but maybe it was the lighting.

He put his hand around her to the small of her back and led her to the crowd at the center of the room dancing. She looked even more sexy tonight in those tight jeans. Her long neck beckoned to him. He licked his lips and pulled her close to him and started dancing.

Sarah felt her hips press to his and she gasped. Her arms slid up to hang loosely off his shoulders as she swayed her hips. "I didn't know you liked to dance."

"I love to." He leaned in and placed a soft, wet kiss on her neck. Damn she smelled delicious.

Her eyes fluttered closed and she tilted her head to the side. "Mm," she whined when she felt his tongue slide out just a little. His beard scratched her a little, but it felt so nice, especially with the softness of his lips and tongue on her.

Selene was with Dean over at the hot tub. She was sitting on the edge of the pool with only her feet in. "Yeah, I was pretty happy exams were over. When I talked to my other professor and said my last project was it, I think it made me feel a lot better knowing I didn't have to do-" she stopped, turning to see Lex come over. "Hey Lex! Huh- Where's Sarah?" she looked back behind him around the pool.

Lex shrugged. "She didn't want to come out," he tried to hide his feelings with having been rejected, but he was never really good at it.

Selene breathed in sharply, staring at him before looking away. "Oh," she breathed, grabbing her drink to take a sip. "Have you seen Derik?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"He's still inside, isn't he?" he looked back inside. Honestly he was surprised he wasn't out here hitting on all the girls.

"I think s-" Selene caught sight of him in the pool. "Nevermind. I found him. He's already chatting it up." she told Lex flatly. Selene looked at him while leaning back against Dean. "What are your plans?" she asked Lex. Maybe he had an alternative idea for how to continue his night.

He stuck his feet in and shrugged. "Drink." he smiled. A lot. Lots of drinking.

Dean shook his head. Poor guy. He looked back inside for a second to see Selene's roommate dancing with some guy. What a rejection.

Selene diverted her gaze away, trying to refrain from wincing. She looked at Dean and wondered if it was really alright to continue tonight. "Maybe we can go into the clubhouse and see what else they have going on?" she asked Dean.

"Alright. You want to see if they have a billiard table?" he grinned.

"Pool?" Selene blinked, a little oblivious. "Yeah. If you're up to show me the ropes again. Sorry, my memory is terrible."

He wasn't going to mention that she was a bit tipsy too. "Yeah," he said with a laugh. He pulled his feet out of the water and stood up holding a hand out to help her.

Selene took Dean's hand without hesitation, leaving her cup behind as she got up. "I remember you said something about stripes." she started. "Or was it numbers?"

Dean laughed again. "Both. Maybe it'll come back to you if you watch a game."

"Sure," she breathed, smiling at him. "I'll watch one round and then I'll play." She got out of the pool then, but before she could continue she stopped. "Lex, come play a few games with us. Yeah?"

Lex looked up at them and sighed. "Alright." He could still try and have a good time and then maybe it won't seem like they were taking pity on him. He got out and forced himself not to look back inside at the party.

Selene breathed out with relief that he took the offer. She hoped he wouldn't get angry at her for not trying to leave him out. She grabbed the door handle to the clubhouse, opening it up as they all walked into the warm light that brightly glazed over the crisp cream colored walls. "This place is pretty nice." Selene remarked, looking up as she gazed around the room.

Lex looked around. "Yeah it is."

Dean looked at Lex. "You play?" he asked nodding to the pool table.

"Oh yeah," he smirked.

"Good. You can help me show Selene how to play."

"I like the sounds of that." Selene told them. Maybe it'd help Lex perk up a bit.

Lex grabbed a cue. "You wanna rack 'em?"

Dean nodded. He gathered all the billiards into the rack and nodded for Selene to watch him. "Stripes and solids. Every other one with the 8 in the center."

"Does the numbering matter? Can they be in numerical order?" Selene asked him, pointing to the side of the rack.

"What's going on?" a girl asked, poking her head in their direction. She walked up to the table as Selene looked up at her and then back to Dean. "Who's playing?" she asked.

Dean shrugged and was about to answer when the girl interrupted.

"Just me and him. You interested?" Lex asked the girl.

"Want to do teams?" she asked, looking at Lex.

"Yeah, I'll team up with Dean." Selene piped in.

"I like that," she smiled sweetly, staring at Lex a moment before her smile widened. He was cute for a redhead. "Is that fine with you?"

Lex smiled back at her. "Sure," he said. "Ready?"

Dean nodded and pulled the rack up and hung it back under the table.

Lex finished chalking his stick and lined the cue ball up.

"This is called breaking. The point is to get as many in the pockets as possible. Say the first ball in is stripes. Lex and- I'm sorry, what's your name?"

"You can just call me Julie." Julia told Dean carefully.

"Julie. Lex and Julie will have to get all of their balls in and the eight ball before we do to win."

Selene nodded, following his direction slowly. She leaned over the table, staring at the table as Julie tossed her hair over her shoulder. She smiled to Lex carefully before combing her fingers through the soft strands of white. "Your name is Lex. Is that short for something?" she asked him.

Lex shot and managed to break fairly well. He grinned. Solids. Looking at Julie he smiled. "Yeah. Alex."

Dean smirked at Selene as Lex clearly distracted himself with this girl. "We're stripes." He pointed to a few of them.

Selene was too busy concentrating on the game to notice but she caught Dean's smile. Her attention directed to Lex when she noticed it as she watched 'Julie' seemingly dance around him with interest.

"Alex? Not Alexander?" she whispered. "It's alright if it is or isn't. My full name is Julianna." she whispered back to him, watching one of the solids fall into the hole. "May I?" she asked him, motioning towards the next shot.

He liked this girl. She was striking and it made him feel special that she was paying attention to him. "Well, yeah, Alexander," he stuttered a little. "Yeah, 'course." He held the stick out for her.

"Thank you," Julie told him, smiling curtly before taking the stick. She let her fingers slide along the pole alluringly as she turned her gaze away from Lex to lean over the table. Her legs were slender, but they accentuated the curve of her thighs well as her pencil leather skirt slid up a little. Julianna took her time making her shot before she let the pole strike the cue ball expertly, sinking in one solid and sending the next to a nearby hole.

When she was done, she leaned back slowly, letting her back curve delicately before she held the pole out for him. "We might win first. It seems we have the advantage."

He watched her and had to force himself to watch the table and not look up her skirt. It was so tempting though. His eyes widened. Damn. She was actually good.

"Lex." Julie called him, trying to get his attention. She smirked when she realized where his eyes were and she let herself slide off the edge of the table. "Alexander." she called again, stepping up to him as she put her hand to his chest gently. "It's your turn."

He looked at her. He liked how she said his name. He took the stick. "Right," he said, leaning down to take aim. It was an easy shot, but the ball bounced at the edges of the pocket and rested on the edge. "Seriously!"

Julie covered her mouth with her fist to mask her smile.

"Our turn," Dean chuckled. He bent and lined the pole up and fired quickly. There was a loud clack from the balls hitting together. He managed to sink two in and smiled. "Wanna try?" he asked, holding the pole out for Selene.

"Yeah," Selene started, reaching out to grab it. She felt the smoothness of the pole against her hand and it felt warm. Selene took in a shallow breath before leaning over the table, attempting to line herself up as she swayed back and forth to get a good view of the ball.

"Did you come here with your friends?" Julie asked Lex softly, while she waited for Selene to make her shot. She could hear the ball smack the wall before clattering with a few of the balls across the table. From a sideways glance she could already tell nothing sunk in.

Lex nodded. "Yeah, a few." He held the stick out for her. "Your go?"

"That's fine. You can start this one." she nodded to him. "I like watching you play." Julianna glanced over at Selene carefully. "And your friends are interesting." she told him, watching Dean coddle Selene.

"That's okay." Dean said, giving Selene a reassuring smile.

"You sure?" she asked, worriedly looking at the table. "I don't think I make a good teammate." Selene laughed, running her hand down the back of her hair.

"Alright," Lex grinned at her as he took his shot. "Ha! One left."

Dean rubbed her back. "You're still new."

"Oh shit." Selene winced, seeing them. They were going to win.

"Nicely done." Julie smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder. "May I?" she asked him.

"Mm," he said, passing the pole to her. Her touch was electric and he suppressed a shiver.

Julianna took the pole from Lex, positioning it between her fingers carefully as she placed them down on the table. It took her a second to square up to the cue ball before she hit it, sending it across the table before rebounding and hitting the eight ball in. "I believe that is the end of our game."

"I guess so." Selene stared at the pool table for a moment. They barely touched the ball.

Julianna snickered, seeing Selene's surprise and she looked at Lex. "Would you like to play against me in the other pool room?"

Lex grinned. "Yeah. You guys are good right?" he asked, looking at Dean.

Dean snorted a laugh. "Yeah." It was probably better this way.

Kadir grinned. Would he be lucky to have her again? He pulled back up to look into her green eyes. They were like two glowing emeralds. She stared back at him unabashedly. He watched as her tongue peeked out and licked her bottom lip, drawing it in between her teeth. Memories of those lips on his in a deep kiss almost had him stopping. He'd claim them again, but he wanted more time with her first.

Sarah swayed her hips and saw the hunger in his gaze. She couldn't help the quickened patter of her heart. She loosened her grip around his neck to turn around. Her hands were still raised about her head, one in his hair the other teasing his beard. Her hips swayed to the rhythm of the music. His hands held them close even still and she bit her lip again as her ass pressed against the front of his pants.

Kevin watched the two and he had his arms crossed, staring them down. "Is that part of her group?" he nodded to Jonathan.

Jonathan gave Kadir a once over, contemplating it. "He seems the type, though it's hard to say." he grumbled.

Una looked where they were and raised a brow. "They are a colorful bunch aren't they?"

"He's a fuckin' leach as far as I'm concerned." Kevin snarled, staring at him.

"Don't touch him, man. It's not worth it." Jonathan shook his head.

"No one invited him." Kevin clacked his teeth together, clenching them moments before redirecting his gaze to Una. "What are you doing, lingering around here? I thought you were supposed to direct that girl to surrender her chief's location."

"Don't be so prickly." She growled. "I've got it under control."

"It hardly seems like it." Kevin curled a lip before stalking off.

Jonathan stood next to Una quietly, watching Kevin walk back into the fray. "I am staying out of this one." he grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets. He looked up at the moon. "I-I think I need to go check on a few things." he sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

Una rolled her eyes and took a long drink from the bottle in her hand.

Isabell came up to the refreshment table and eyed Una. She had a half-full glass with orange juice and a faint liquor wafted from it. "Is everything going well?" she asked Una softly. "I was hoping the boys would be more lively." Kevin was one thing but Jonathan was her brother and usually he was better about helping her host these things.

Una sighed. "Kevin is just being impatient."

"Kevin?" Isabell looked at her confused. "Oh good grief. Him." she rolled her eyes. "Sometimes he's a real creep. I don't know why my brother likes him."

"Me either," Una rolled her eyes.

"Ugh, I don't get it. Ever since a few months back, he's been hanging out with him and all his creepy friends. I'm glad he didn't bring the rest but I'm starting to wonder if I should ask for him to not come over. When he brings Kevin, people won't come. I think Kevin is a bully and that's why only a few people turned up. It seems a good majority has already left." she glanced at the pool to see the thinning groups.

Una did the same. "Hmm… You're right. Maybe you shouldn't invite him." She couldn't hide her smirk. That would really get him riled up.

"I might." Isabell huffed, crossing her arms. "I'm tired of this. If my brother wants to do his creepy shit and hang out with his new creepy friends, then whatever."

"Fair enough," she sighed. If only Isabell knew. "Are you gonna go swim?" she asked.

Isabell smirked, "Am I going to swim? Of course I am." she made a gesture at her bathing suit. The white bikini top was laced with pink rose petal patterns and a thick pink ribbon to band the back and sides of the bikini bottoms.

"Well, let's go then," she said, nudging her.

Isabell smirked, walking with her. "Sure." she smiled at Una, walking forward with her. She caught glance of Sarah with the dark stranger and her eyes lingered on him for a second, unfamiliar with his face. "Whos' that?" she asked as they got over to the pool.

"I don't know," Una said looking at the two. She figured by the way they were dancing and looking at each other they wouldn't be staying here long.

"I swear. I thought I only invited friends and a few friends of their own. I wish people told me who they were bringing." Isabell shook her head as she slid into the water. "Una, now that I think about it, what brought you out tonight anyway?"

"Uh booze and people. I need interactions Izzy," she grinned.

"Fair." she remarked, sliding into the pool. "Honestly, it's not like it matters. We'll all quit partying when we gotta go to work after graduation. I'm not looking forward to having to go from interning to begging for a paycheck."

Una slid out of her pants and took her shirt off. She wasn't wearing a bra and her underwear covered just enough as she jumped into the water. Coming back up she pushed her dark hair out of her face. "Do you think we'll really quit partying?" she asked with a grin.

"I'd like a family," Isabell told her, looking her up and down. "It's silly, I know."

"Oh? You gotta a man in mind already?"

Isabell blushed a little, "No!" she choked out. "I just… I had thoughts about a few but I wasn't sure."

Una laughed. "Who? You have to tell me."

Isabell looked around nervously for a minute. "Okay, don't… Don't freak out but-" she looked up at her. "Adam." she whispered. "Adam Schiff." she looked down. "I know he looks kind of rough because he always picks fights with Duke but he always means well."

Una laughed. "You would go for the bad boy."

"He's not a bad boy." Isabell puffed, looking at her. "He's a lot more clean cut than you think."

"Defending him. You are smitten," she teased.

"Maybe I am!" she huffed, hugging her chest. "I don't think it's a bad thing to want a family. I just want to think past college life. It's not forever."

She laughed again. "I'm not judging, I'm having fun teasing you. Does he know you want to have his babies?"

"Shut up Una!" Isabell turned to dive into the pool. "We're not thirteen anymore!" she exclaimed, but she couldn't help the redness that flushed her face.

She laughed harder before dunking her hair back to smooth it from her face. She was cute.

Julianna opened the next room up. Luckily most people had scattered from it moments earlier. "Would you like to go first?" she asked him, flicking her long hair behind her as she turned to glance at him, checking to see how close he was keeping up.

He grinned. "Lady's first."

Julianna nodded to Lex, smiling at him before tucking her hair behind her ear and heading into the room. "I don't think I've seen you around before. What do you do outside of the night party life?" she asked him.

"I'm a full time student at the university." He gathered the balls and quickly racked them.

Julie smirked at that, "Is that so?" she asked. "What are you studying?" Julianna grabbed two poles from the rack on the wall.

"Business law."

"Is that so?" she asked, laughing a bit to herself. "Could I ask for your services after you graduate? I swear I'll pay you well." Julianna held one pole out for him.

He laughed. "What would you need my services for?"

"I want to open a business. So what of it?" she asked him, beaming. "Do you think I couldn't do that?"

"I don't know why you wouldn't be able to."

"Well, then you should be great at helping me out then." she returned to that topic again. "I think if you're as good at pool as you are at your studies, that you'll be a strong advisor for any business you help manage." Julianna nodded for him to roll the cue ball back to her side of the table. "Don't you think?"

He rolled the cue to her. "Yeah. That'd be cool. What kind of business are you trying to start?"

"I want to create a nice bar with a hookah lounge." she told him. "One where you don't have to worry about adult troubles where everyone is welcome." Julie lined it up before she gave it a good smack and the cue scattered most of the balls into the right-side of the table. A stripe sunk in and she went on to go for the next stripe.

"A bar. So you would want me to get the permits and licenses?"

"If you could. I'm not familiar with the cities around here." she told him. "I have a few places in mind but logistics are like gibberish to me with the people who run these areas." she shrugged.

He grinned. "I think I could help you out once I finish."

"I'll look forward to it then. Might I have your number after this and we can meet and talk about it more?" she asked him, nodding for him to go after she missed her next shot.

"Yeah." He smiled and leaned down to take his shot. This definitely made his night.

Julianna watched him slowly as she bent over the table, staring at his expression as he concentrated on the game. She crossed her legs slowly, licking her stained lips. "Maybe you can come over a few times to my place, too." Julie added.

He missed the shot when she said that and tried to recover. "Damn… Yeah?" He asked, looking at her.

"I mean it," she started, looking away to give a hint to him. "I mean, aside from business. I do think you're interesting as a person too."

He had a sheepish smile on his face. "How so?"

"You seem down to Earth," she started off, "and not so superficial like others I've seen. I think you've got important things to say if you had people to hear you say it."

Well that was one way to butter him up. "Yeah," he said sheepishly. He winced at how lame he was being now.

She smirked, "So, what exactly makes Alexander interested in playing pool on a dark night instead of enjoying a few good drinks at home with a friend?" she asked, poking at him a little as she noticed his nerves.

"My friends are here. I came with them. I thought-" he sighed and shook his head. "I'm good at pool. I thought it would be fun." He smiled. At least Julie was actually interested.

Julie picked up on his hesitation to continue. "You thought, what?" she asked. "Was pool not what you originally had in mind?"

"Well I didn't know what to expect, really. Every party's different," he scoffed.

"Is that so?" she asked him. "I think they're all rather the same. The usual events transpire, the usual flings. People get a little drunk, have some fun…" she leaned over the table again, taking her shot. She wondered how much he was following along with her. "Honestly, I thought you were somewhat cute for a new face I wasn't familiar with. Everything has been relatively the same here around here for so long that I thought I'd seen everyone at every party there was to be had." she shrugged.

He smiled at her. "Cute?" He scoffed. "Guess it's nice that I'm not seen as the same as everyone else."

"Well, when you've seen just around everyone to be seen, faces start to all look the same." she told him casually. "I like seeing new faces. I suppose that's why I come to these, maybe in hopes of finding someone new."

"You're not disappointed are you?" he asked, a teasing grin on his face. Deep down though he was nervous of another rejection.

"No." Julie told him thoughtfully. She made the finishing shot and walked over to the eight ball and lined the cue up to strike it. "I think I was almost disappointed tonight, but I'm not feeling that way right now." She made the final shot and it smacked the side pocket corner and the eight ball bounced back out. "Are you?" she asked him.

"Ha, not at all. Tonight actually turned out a bit better than I thought."

"Really? Is that my doing?" Julianna asked him curiously. She pursed her lips a little and paused, staring up at him as she waited for him to make his move.

He looked back to the table. Damn, she was good. He lined up his shot. "Yeah, it is." He was just being honest.

Julianna laughed at his answer. It was pure and honest. "Do you trust me enough to come away with me for the night then? Maybe we could walk down near the pier and go to a bar and wander around a bit." she offered. "If you're alright with that."

He shot and looked up at her. "Yeah. I'd like that." He looked back to the table and winced as he missed. It was such a simple shot.

Julianna chewed at her upper lip after looking back down. "Great." she lined her pole up with the cue. Within a moment she hit the cue ball and it launched to the corner pocket before sinking the eight ball in. "Then we can go now or do you want a rematch?" she asked him.

"Ha, no. I think I've embarrassed myself enough with how poorly I play pool." He set the stick down and smiled at her. "I'll follow your lead."

"I think I can accept that." she told him, covering her mouth to hide the wide smile over her lips. Julianna pointed to the door opposite to the club house. "We can go out this way."