Chapter Three: Xander

Chapter Three
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Xander



I was able to drag the information out of Bruce about the party Liam was hosting at his house. I knew this was a chance to get close to Jenny again without seeming like a stalker. I wasn't looking to Fuck her. At least, not yet. I could wait for that. I was a patient man.

Maybe I was breaking my rules, but I was never much for following rules. I had seen enough at the bar to know that I wanted her. Even if just in my bed. I knew not to expect a lot out of young women like her. I wasn't expecting a relationship or anything. I was a logical man. I was burned enough by Annie. I didn't need more pain.

I was bored, and Jenny offered some entertainment. At least, that was what I was telling myself. I swore, sometimes I wasn't even sure of my own intentions.

I went to the party and was hanging out with my men by the pool when I saw Jenny staring at me.

I had seen her when I arrived. She looked gorgeous in that black bikini. I wasn't sure if she was just ignoring everyone or relaxing, but I figured the latter. The bathing suit looked so sexy on her, barely covering those delicious tits of hers. She was practically naked in that thing. Well, her tits were anyway. It was a black string bikini.

I decided to blend in with everyone until she made the first move, and she had. That one look.

I gave her my smirk that usually had women dropping their panties and winked at her. I wasn't sure if it was my effect on her or the sun, but her cheeks got an adorable shade of pink.

"Xan," Bruce got my attention and sat down next to me.

"Hey, brother." He gave me a knowing look.

"You know, you seem a bit like a stalker sitting here." I huffed and rolled my eyes.

"Man, she was staring at me, not the other way around."

"Sure, keep telling yourself that."

"Seriously." I drove it home, and he slowly nodded.

"Still. You're sitting over here while she is over there. What's up with that? You're not exactly the kind of guy that doesn't go in for the kill." I laughed at his joke.

"I'm taking my time with this." I looked over at Jenny, and she had stopped staring at me. She was starting to sit up, as Sally walked over to her. Sally tried to hand her some disgusting pink drink, but Jenny set it down. Hmm. Did she not drink?

“There is a difference between taking your time and wasting it. You're wasting it because you haven't even talked to her. Once you have talked to her, then it's taking your time." I chuckled and smirked at him.

"Yup, sure." He gave me a friendly slap on the shoulder.

"Word of the wise, Zane and Key are coming today. Don't cause too much trouble." Great. That was the last thing I wanted to deal with.

"Just peachy."

"Be nice, Xan," Bruce offered his advice, but it was futile.

“I am usually. It's Annie that causes a scene. You'd think a year would be long enough for her to get over me shooting him." Bruce laughed as I hopped to my feet. "Have some fun, brother." He nodded, as I walked around the pool. Sally was starting to stand up as I got over to them. "Hey, Sally." She turned and grinned at me. Her copper curls rolled over her shoulders and her blue eyes shimmered in the sunlight.

"Xander, hey!" She gave me a hug and I returned it, stealing a glance at Jenny. The girl looked at me then looked away like she didn't think she was allowed to look at me. Did I make her nervous? I could tell from the way her fingers shook that I affected her, but I wasn't sure if it was fear or desire filling her for me. It was always one or the other, but in most cases, it was a mixture of both.

"You look great, Sally," I said, as I pulled back, and she grinned.

"Thanks. The baby weight is slowly coming off." I could tell. She was slimming back up. She turned back to Jenny who looked between the both of us with an unreadable expression. "Jen, you haven't touched your drink." Jenny waved it off.

"No offense, Sal, but if it's not a normal alcohol color, I don't drink it. That's not a real drink." Hmm. Interesting. She doesn't like girly drinks. I liked Jenny a bit more already.

“What would you like?" Sally didn't seem offended which was normal for her. She didn't get upset much.

"Considering my cousin's selection, some Jack would be great." I didn't peg her for a whiskey drinker.

"Jack Daniels?" Sally asked, in surprise and Jenny laughed.

"Casualty of growing up around bikers. I like the hard shit," she explained, and Sally shrugged.

"Do you want something, Xan?" I grinned at Sally. She was such a hostess even when she was at someone else's party.

"Just a beer. Thanks." She nodded and walked away. Sally had a look on her face that said she knew I was there to talk to Jenny, and she seemed to approve. I hate to say it, but Sally's opinion didn't mean much. After all, she was happy for me and Annie, and look at how well that went. Straight down the toilet.

I took a seat on the lounger next to Jenny and smirked at her.

"You gave Drill quite a beating, but I think you did the most of the damage to his ego." Her eyes met mine with wonder before she huffed.

"He's never had his ass handed to him by a woman, I assume?" I shrugged a bit.

"Not since I've known him. You do that a lot?" I asked, and she rolled her eyes.

"I didn't have to until recently."

"Why's that?" Then she frowned. What did I say?

"My dad pretty much kept the assholes at bay." Oh. She was sad because of her dad dying. Fuck, I didn't want to upset her.

"Yeah, I heard about what happened. Sorry. He's pretty much a legend, even this far away. I met him one time a few years back," I said, and she slowly nodded.

"Yeah, I know. Story of my life." She slipped her sunglasses off her head and set them on the table.

"Yeah, my old man was like that, too," I said, and she looked at me curiously. "I took over when my dad passed away. Growing up, you either get away with shit or get severely punished just because of who your dad is." I explained, and she just stared at me for a minute.

"Yeah, something like that. My dad was a pretty scary guy to most people. Not surprising considering some shit I witnessed him do and get away with." There was a teasing tone to her voice and not a hint of fear. She was making a joke but wasn't kidding at all. I knew exactly what she meant. I witnessed a lot of crazy shit growing up myself.

"Yeah, what else is new?" she snickered, as Sally walked back over with the drinks.

"Xan, are you playing nice?" Sally handed me my beer and Jenny the whiskey. Jenny sat up and took a decent sip of her drink. She didn't shudder or anything from the burn of the alcohol.

"I always play nice." Sally rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, right. Jen, has he been a good boy?" Then, Jenny laughed loud, nearly dropping her glass.

"You did not just ask me that." Jenny kept laughing and Sally rolled her eyes. "I plead the fifth." I chuckled from her answer.

"Sally, leave these two alone." Bruce came up behind her and threw his arms around her.

"I'm not doing anything," Sally deflected.

“Hey, Jenny." She raised her glass in Bruce's direction as a response. "Stay out of trouble, kid," Bruce said, and I noticed Jenny's eyes darkened.

"Don't call me 'kid'," she warned before setting down her drink. Bruce and Sally just stared at her. "I'm a twenty-seven-year-old woman. I've lived and seen ten times worse than anything you could comprehend. I'm giving you a free pass on the 'kid' this time," she said, then Bruce and Sally were distracted by some new arrivals, but my eyes were on Jenny. A statement like that would've scared off a lot of people, but oddly enough, it turned me on. Fuck, I wanted her.

She didn't want people acting like she was a child. She had probably been treated like she couldn't do anything for herself most of her life. I knew it had been that way for me and Austin until my dad passed away. Once I became the president, everything changed, and I was able to get an identity for myself.

Shit. I never had understood someone else like this. That epiphany left me with a strange feeling in my chest. What the hell was it? I couldn't comprehend it. It was a tightening pressure mixed with a tingly sensation spreading out through my whole body. I had never felt anything like it before.

"Jenny, this is Keyanna and Zane," Sally said, and I lifted my eyes to see my ex-girlfriend, her stomach round with a baby, and her husband standing by Sally. Yup, I was not looking forward to this.

"Hi," Jenny muttered, sending a small wave, but Annie wasn't looking at her. She was scowling at me.

"Xander," she sneered at me, and I could feel Jenny's eyes on me. I didn't look to see why she was staring.

"Hey, Keyanna." She stopped letting me call her Annie when we broke up. She considered it a pet name, and she hated it after I shot Zane. I turned my eyes to her husband who had a bit less animosity towards me than Annie did. "Zane," I greeted him mono toned, and he nodded. He always seemed indifferent about me, like I didn't matter to him even though I nearly killed him.

"Don't you have something better to be doing than hanging around here?" Annie scowled at me, and I rolled my eyes. I wasn't going to respond to that. I didn't need the aggravation, and I didn't want Jenny thinking I was the kind of asshole that would get in an altercation with a pregnant woman. I may have been a crazy asshole but I wasn't that kind of asshole.

I stood to my feet and sent Jenny a flirtatious smirk. "Good talking to you," I said, and she slowly nodded, a bit of a blush flooding her cheeks.

"You, too." I nodded and walked away, feeling the daggers Annie was throwing at me with her gaze, as I walked off, sipping my beer.

This was going to be a long evening if Annie and her husband didn't leave soon.