Belonging to Him

A Challenge

That fateful evening I had come home to find MJ, one of my roommates with her current boyfriend and a friend of his at home. They were sprawled on the floor of the living room and it was hard to say where MJs body ended and her man, Hank's began. They were entangled in a heap on a handful of cushions scattered on the floor.

MJ is beautiful. A leggy blonde with a slim figure, she is also one of the nicest persons I have ever met.

Although her daddy is filthy rich, she treated me like a kid sister and tried to include me in her plans with her friends.

Now, MJ greeted me lazily as I walked in, smiling shyly;

" Hey guys, here's April!!! Maybe she can help us! April, meet Hank's buddy Brad. Brad Winston. Of the famous Winston family. '

Here she giggled, sliding the man in question a sly look and I wondered idly whether they had been smoking pot again. There was a funny smell lingering in the room and Hank had his usual dopey look.

She continued with a hiccup,

'He's here to meet up with a friend of his mom's. But hey! We need you to help.'

And with a naughty grin in my direction, she said,

"You in for a foursome tonight?"

I blushed [yes, I do blush! I'm that kind of girl] while Hank, her boyfriend, who is rather crude and like a hilly billy with his longish dirty blonde hair and deep-set blue eyes, gave a hoot of derisive laughter and fell onto the floor, dragging MJ with him. He seemed to think that the idea of me joining them in ANYTHING was a riot.

Seeing my chagrin, MJ quickly corrected herself, grinning widely," Not THAT way! I meant a double date, y'know, painting the town red and all that!"

She swivelled on her perch on Hank's lap and slapped his beefy arm lightly,

Hank's friend who had been checking his phone till then, utterly disinterested in the antics of the couple on the floor, turned around at that time, to look at me and I got a jolt.

For a moment I thought I was looking at Jake and I almost stopped breathing

Then I felt a small sinking feeling; my breath came faster as I released it.

This wasn't Jake. This was someone else.

Pale green eyes, paler than anything I had ever seen, studied me insolently. The stranger had dark hair, thick and wild, making you long to run your hands through it...and a wide, sexy mouth, a mouth...

I stopped short. It was his hair that had made me mistake him for Jake...

Before I could stop myself, I sighed unconsciously, sadly. Jake was gone, long gone.

Brad Winston glanced at me condescendingly, giving me a slow once over. Obviously, he inferred that I was lusting over him. I was not but truth be told,  he was gorgeous.

I flushed. Something about his ice-cold eyes... Like he was sizing up a slab of meat at the butchers.

He turned away, dismissively, like he was totally unimpressed with what he saw.

Like I was just too gauche for him.

Now, I'm generally like a mouse and timid; I try to avoid the boys who come home and spend the night with MJ and Beth. But the insulting way the stranger looked at me, with contempt, riled me. If a man can't respect me, I shut him off. One reason for my remaining single after Jake left me.

My temper got the better of me.

It had been a tough day at school: someone had taken away my project work and I was due to submit my papers to my guide in a day's time. How I would complete it now was something I had been mulling over all the way home.

Without being aware of what I was doing, I found that I had stepped into the room. Favouring Hank with a fake saccharine smile I purred,

"Yes MJ, why not?"

Hank looked taken back. Not used to wallflowers suddenly showing attitude, I thought nastily.

"Uh-huh" he mumbled, "I... MJ, babe...'

Mel shot me a sharp, interested look but I was only aware of the derisive snort made by the handsome Brad.

The arrogant young man rose swiftly, smoothly, as though he had had enough of the conversation.

I gawked. Tall, muscular... must be spending a fortune in a gym to get that perfectly toned body, I thought snidely.

Aware that I was staring, I turned away to meet my friend's rather amused gaze. Her eyes were dancing. MJ probably imagined that a young teenager like me was besotted by the tall, dark, handsome young Brad Winston. While all I was aware of was the fury building up in me.

"Yeah babe, let's make out this evening,' she lisped to Hank." Brad can spend time with April here?' arching her eyebrows at me.

I almost gaped. Spending time with this Greek god who only worshipped himself and maybe, his shadow? Me?

Was she crazy?

Not on your life! Not if I had been paid millions of dollars!

He was so full of himself, I wanted to smack his silly face!

Obviously, he didn't seem to think it was such a great idea either.

'Nah,' he growled,' I'm taking Isabel with me'

Flicking his eyes towards me, he added in a murmur audible only to me.

'She's really cool, unlike a fat clotheshorse...'

I glared at him, breasts heaving, unable to think I had heard right.

The sheer arrogance of the fellow!

.Alright, so I wasn't dressed to kill. My jeans and large T were my college everyday wear and since I had to put in more hours in the library, I hadn't bothered to dress up. Having bundled my hair in a messy bun on the top of my head, I probably looked like the desperate woman who no one wanted to date in my ordinary getup.

Yet I had never felt so insulted in my life and his cruel jibe cut me to the quick.

Eyes smarting with tears at the humiliation, I turned to leave. There was no point in getting mad at MJ. He was her friend and that of the hateful Hank.

As I made my way out of the room, I could hear the sound of jeering laughter following me as the men chortled.

***

Later, as I stood naked before the mirror in the bathroom, weighing my breasts in my hands, I thought of his remarks, tipped with cruelty.

But the thought of Brad Winston made me think of Jake again.

I felt my cheeks grow hot as I remembered the snatches of lovemaking Jake and I had indulged in, furtive moments in the back seat of his friend's truck...How I missed him!

How I longed to be held, to be loved...

In that instant, I knew what I wanted to do...I wanted to teach that MAN a lesson.

I would show them that I was no Fat Clotheshorse.

I knew where MJ was heading for her foursome and I decided, in a spurt of anger, to go there as well.

Perhaps it was the impetuousness of the eighteen-year-old I was.

But that decision changed my life...