Blackmailing The Untouched

Betrayal And Bacardi

I'm just about to make another one when the apartment door opens and Travis and Zach come walking in.

Travis immediately searches out Anna, and when they meet, he pulls her into a tight embrace.

Zach walks into the living room, and when he finds me standing there in the kitchen, his eyes target me, the intensity of his gaze givining me tingles, so I look away.

I ignore the strong pull I feel toward him and focus on mixing another drink. This time, I mix the whiskey with the coke and add a pour of the BACARDI as well. I stir the flavors together and then take my first sip, and had I not been already pretty buzzed, this drink might be awful. The comforting burn is there in the back of my throat again, and I feel my cheeks get hot. I feel a constant urge to stay moving, my skin buzzing with adrenaline.

Sally and Zander have migrated to the dance floor, leaving me alone with my cup. I watch them from across the room. He pulls her in close, and they lock lips and eyes; his hands darting all over her body, her fingers tangling in his hair. They don't have a care in the world. Anna and Travis have disappeared completely, too. Maybe they snuck away outside for a quickie in the car? Who knows?

My focus is anywhere but in front of me, so I don't see Zach when he approaches. "Hey there, pretty girl." His voice is low but demanding, igniting a shiver down my spine.

Quickly, my eyes adjust, and I see him standing before me wearing a tan shirt with dark jeans. His jaw is covered in stubble. He hasn’t shaved in a few days. At least since I saw him last.

I focus on his face just longer than I should, letting my eyelashes slowly flutter when I look up at him, "Hey there, pretty boy." I feel more daring than usual, so I don't hesitate to return his intense stare with a subtle lick of my lips.

His lips part, and his gaze drops down my body slowly. "Are you drunk?"

"No." I shake my head with a smile. "But I might be soon." Chuckling, I toss my head back and take another drink.. As more alcohol slides down my throat, I feel my body warm from the inside.

He smiles with half of his mouth pulling up at the corner, "I think you already are." He deduces and brings a hand up to take the cup from me.

"So?" I move the cup just out of his reach with a scoff. "My bed is just in the other room. I can sleep it off."

"I think you've had enough." He says, his tone tight and clipped, grabbing the cup to take it away from me.

I’m annoyed at the condescending way he treats me, so I glare at him, letting him know that I’m angry. We lock eyes, a silent argument raging in our heated gazes.

After a moment, I see Sally come walking towards us. I can't gauge the look on her face, but when she appears, she tells me that there is a man outside waiting for me.

"A man?" I ask, confused. "It's not my Dad?"

"No. But he does look familiar." She shrugs and gives Zach a stare down. "I remember seeing him around you last summer."

"Toby?" I ask with a pitch in my tone. "He's outside?"

"It could be him." She shrugs with a nod.

Zach watches me closely as I make my way through the living room and then out the apartment door.

The stairs are more difficult to maneuver after having had a few drinks, so I use the wall as support. When I finally reach the door, I'm feeling just a tad bit dizzy.

The outside air is cold and breezy, and the barely-there shirt I have on does nothing to shield me from it. Carefully, I manage to walk down the few steps of the porch where Toby is sitting at the bottom. He's sitting with his hands on his knees, shaking uncomfortably.