"I mean, that girl yours or something? That why you went ballistic when I was talking about her?" Vince saying anything about Mary had him curling his hand into a fist and gritting his teeth. He looked at the ground and tried to calm the fuck down.
"Nah, she isn't mine. She is actually going to tutor me." He looked back at Vince who hadn't said anything and continued to stare.
"Yeah?"
Alex nodded, knowing what Vince was going to say next. The MMA fighter was a big motherfucker, and fell into the heavyweight category. His black hair was shaved close to his head, and his equally dark eyes never revealed anything. He was a scary bastard, and a fighter no one fucked with, but something had snapped inside of Alex when he was locked in the cage with him, and what started off as friendly sparring and grappling had ended up in him snapping and taking it too far. This was the guy he considered a close friend for years, but all it had taken was Vince saying something about a girl that he had only known for a few fucking days.
"I've never seen Dylan that pissed." Beads of sweat trailed down Alex's spine.
"Nah, he gets wigged out on occasion, but it's not anything getting in the cage and fighting out the fact he's pissed can't fix."
Yeah, he had seen Dylan fight a few times, and the man was insane in the cage and a force to be reckoned with, but his anger had always been controlled. He had let it slip when he saw them going at it in the ring.
"Listen, man, I'm sorry about snapping out there." Alex leaned back against the chair and rested the gel-pack on his thigh. His face throbbed something fierce, and he knew Vince had gotten a few good hits in on him, but looking at the other guy's face showed Alex had gotten his share of hits in, too. "Just don't say anything like that about Mary again, yeah?"
Vince didn't say anything for several seconds, but then he gave a tight nod. "Sure, man. I meant no offense, and didn't know you were that tight with her. Last I heard you were still dropping panties."
Alex winced, actually fucking winced at Vince's words, and what was the fucking deal with that? He had never really felt nasty for the life he lived, but right now he was feeling particularly dirty. He thought back to all the girls he had slept with, and the term man-whore had never felt more real than it did right now, or when he had been in Mary's presence.
"Shit, Alex, you look like you're about ready to puke. You sure you're okay?"
Dammit, was he okay? He was letting some girl affect him to the point he was throwing punches at his friends. "Fuck. Yes. No. Hell, I don't know." He felt like some kind of adolescent teenager that just realized jerking off felt good. He glanced over at Vince, and the asshole was grinning at him. "What?"
"So you aren't with that chick?" Alex gritted his teeth, about to go another round just for the hell of it. Vince raised his hands in surrender. "I'm not asking so I can have a go at her." He waited for him to continue but it appeared Vince was waiting on his response.
"Nah, like I said, she's just tutoring me." He tightened his hand around the pack, and the gel inside started to become warm in his hand. But what he didn't say was that he wanted her bad. Of course Alex didn't need to speak for Vince to read his damn expressions that were clearly on his face.
"But you got a hard-on for her." It wasn't phrased as a question. Vince tossed the gel-pack in the sink and stood to his full height. Nothing was said for several long minutes as Vince stretched his back and lifted his arms above his head. "Well, if you're not with her, then you can hit up Tainted with me tonight." Vince looked bored, but Alex knew the guy was raring to go. Alex should have said no to going to the new and hottest club in Columbus, but he needed to unwind, and get his mind off of doing filthy things with Mary. Yeah, he'd go with Vince, he'd find a girl to fuck, maybe take her in the back hallway. Or, if he was really feeling dirty he'd fuck her in one of the bathroom stalls.
But even thinking about putting his dick in another female had the damn thing shriveling up in his shorts. Shit, he just needed to be with Mary, but first he needed her to help him pass his course, because fucking her before would make a whole lot of shit uncomfortable.
"I'm fucked in the head."
Vince slapped him on the back. "Alex, we're all fucked in the head. But it isn't anything a little alcohol and wet pussy can't handle. So you in, brother?" Vince moved toward the door, but stopped right before he went back into the gym. He looked over his shoulder and cocked a dark eyebrow. They held each other's stare, and Alex knew he was waiting for his affirmation that they were hitting it up tonight.
Vince opened the door, and the sound of fighting and grunts filtered into the medical room. Vince waited for his answer, and Alex knew he wouldn't back out.
"Yeah, man, I'm in."
Chapter Seven
Mary pulled her BMW into the compact driveway of Alex's house. She cut the engine but sat there for several moments. Why was she suddenly so nervous?
Uh, possibly because you have been lusting after this guy every time you see him, and now you're going to be seeing a lot of him, close and personal. After she went to the gym and worked out so hard her legs had felt like pudding, and she had probably lost enough water weight to fill her kitchen sink, she had gone home and taken a shower with water so hot it could have melted her skin. A pair of jeans and a tee seemed like fine attire to go out in, but when Darcy had seen her clothes she made a scoffing noise and shook her head. She had all but dragged Mary back into her room and rummaged through her closet until she found a dress thrust in the back of her closet. It was a black, tight little thing, one that she had only worn once to a dinner with Lance. She should have burned the damn thing, but she had spent too much money on it, and well, it was a beautiful dress. Made from French silk with practically no back and formfitting enough that it actually looked like she had a figure, Mary had worked all summer just to buy it. Maybe not the best way to spend her money since she only wore it once and it was now associated with her ex, a guy she never wanted to think about again, but she told herself she'd wear it again. Yeah, that had never happened, until tonight she supposed. It seemed too fancy for going to a nightclub, but Darcy assured her one could never be overdressed, especially to this particular place, one that was known by everyone, but where only a select few could get in. But lucky for them Darcy knew the bouncer.
Yay for them. Insert sarcasm.
Mary was still a bit hesitant on going, but all it took for that uncertainty to vanish was looking at Darcy and the sad expression she carried when she thought no one was looking.
Darcy planned on meeting her at the club at eight, so that gave Mary a little over an hour to tutor Alex, and then swing back home to get ready before heading out. So now here she was, staring at Alex's house, feeling all kinds of anxiety and anticipation, which was dumb because she had done this type of thing a hundred different times. This was no different. He was no different, and she needed to remember that. She grabbed her bag that was filled with several books she had checked out from the library on Human Sexuality. Figuring they would start from the beginning since she had no idea what he even absorbed in the class, if anything at all, she made her way up to the front door. Bringing her knuckles down on the door three times she dropped her hand but instantly clasped them together in front of her.
Several long moments passed, and she lifted her hand to knock on the door again. She knew someone was home because the sound of loud laughter, and a football game on the television playing in the background came right through the door. She had sent Alex a text earlier today telling him she'd be here at six, so he should be expecting her. Seconds later the door flew open.
"What the fu-" Adam stopped midsentence and stared at her. He lifted his hand that wasn't holding the edge of the doorframe and ran it over the top of his head, further disheveling the strands. "Oh, sorry ‘bout that, Mary." He looked over his shoulder toward the stairs and then turned back to her. "I thought you were someone else. Come on in." He moved out of the way, and she stepped inside. The house smelled funky, like sweat, old gym socks, and something stale.
"I'm here to tutor Alex." She turned around to face him. Adam shut the door and glanced at the stairs again.