Entering the townhouse was like slipping into a new world. The bottom floor was swarming with people vying to occupy as much space as possible. Blaring music emanated from surround sound speakers hiding around the house, and bodies were grinding to the beat. Lights were dimmed low and flashing strobe lights projected chaotically across the space. The people were crowded in so close together that Lexi couldn’t even see past the living room. She wasn’t sure if there was anything past the living room by the look of the place. She couldn’t help but ogle the scene in front of her. She felt like she had just entered a nightclub, not a house party.

Bekah took her reaction as a good thing, and smiled at her. “I told you it was going to be a little different than expected,” she yelled over the music.

Lexi nodded, her earlier anticipation about coming here dissolving. To be honest, she felt very much at home in this environment. She and Chyna went out nearly every weekend. She just didn’t know that house parties were this crazy in Atlanta…let alone by someone like Ramsey. She figured she had a lot to learn about this Ramsey character.

Lexi felt her hips sway unintentionally to the music. “This will be fun,” Lexi said to Bekah who appeared hesitant at Lexi’s own enthusiasm.

“Yeah, it will,” Bekah said reaching up on the tips of her toes and kissing Jack on the cheek. He smiled down at her lovingly. Lexi averted her eyes before either of them could see the horror on her face, but she hadn’t done it in time. Jack glanced at her almost involuntarily and saw the haunted look cross her face. He looked like he wanted to say something, but he couldn’t in front of Bekah. “Let’s go find my brother.”

Getting through the crowded living room was a feat in and of itself. Several couples were already interlocked for the evening and disentangling them to create a footpath proved to be rather tricky. Lexi elbowed a girl in the side to get her to move into the mass just an inch further. She squeezed her tiny body against the girl, getting suggestive hip movements pressed against her as she passed. Finally, wedging between two menacing guys, Lexi reached the other side which was surprisingly empty compared to the living room. She trotted into the kibbtchen and breathed a sigh of relief to be out of that crowd. Jack and Bekah appeared right behind her.

“Ugh...Ramsey’s really out done himself this time,” Bekah said brushing her fingers through her still perfect hair.

“Yeah, I’d say so,” Ramsey agreed appearing in the kitchen. He looked just as good as her memory afforded her. When she had first seen him, she had only gotten a critical look at his back side. And while that was impressive, his whole body was even better for the eyes. It helped that he wasn’t in a suit. That way she was able to really see the definition in his chest and arms. He was dressed simply in fitted dark jeans and a black polo. Apparently, the dress code for these things didn’t apply to the host.

“Hey big brother,” Bekah said giving him a hug. “You remember your old friend Lexi.”

Lexi tried not to roll her eyes at Bekah’s statement. She was going to be really tired of this party if she had to deal with this type of bullshit much longer. She hadn’t been able to keep her cool around Ramsey at the Country Club where your behavior was monitored by a hundred wrinkly socialites. Lexi was sure she wouldn’t be able to do it here. “Can I just repeat that I do not know your brother?”

Ramsey turned to face Lexi. His eyes crawled her body and an enticing smile touched his lips as he took in her outfit. It was much the same reaction she had received from Jack, but there was something different. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that her clothing option left little to the imagination. No, it was more likely that it had something to do with the fact that Jack had firsthand experience with what was under her skintight clothing.

“You can repeat it all you want, but I’m holding to the fact that we are old friends. And old friends hug when they greet each other,” he said swiftly spanning the space between them and lifting her off her feet. She clutched onto his broad shoulders for support. He twirled her around once letting her long hair fly out behind her.

When Lexi felt ground under her weight again, she breathed out in relief. Compulsively she smacked Ramsey’s arm as hard as she could muster. “Don’t do that. We’re not friends.”

“You’re right. I’m overstepping boundaries...at my own party,” Ramsey said sending a full-watted smile her way.

“Oh, shut up,” she said giving him a mirthless frown. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“How did you mean it then?” he asked stepping into her personal space again.

Why was he always doing that? She cringed and took a step backwards. He followed her as if they were in a synchronized dance. “I didn’t mean that you were overstepping boundaries or whatever. Just we’re not friends. I don’t know you. I’ve only met you once.”

“Well, technically twice. Three times if you count when you were with Jennifer. Four times if you…oh never mind,” he said plastering on a smile he as looked at her.

“Four times if what?” she asked curiously.

His smile continued as he entered her personal space again. This time she stood her ground and looked up into his face. He was so tall she had to tilt her head all the way back just to look into his face. “Nothing.”

Deciding he was telling the truth, Lexi nodded and said, “Right, well, cut it out.”

“You really don’t remember meeting me?” he asked ignoring the stares he was receiving from all angles.

“I think I’d remember someone who has no concept of personal space,” she muttered. He titled his head to the side really looking at her face from her smoky make-up to her large brown irises to her button nose landing last on her plump lips. Then he took one step back and then another.

“My apologies. Is that better?” he questioned his eyes roaming her tiny clothing once more. Lexi just grumbled an affirmative.

Bekah giggled and clung to Jack’s arm breaking them from their argument, and bringing them back into reality. Lexi took a sly glance at Jack. He looked tense and out of place as he slung his arm around Bekah’s shoulders. Lexi hadn’t even been paying attention to Jack throughout that entire encounter. But as she looked closer, she realized he looked ready to pounce. God, she did not understand him sometimes. Only a few minutes earlier, he had been making out with his girlfriend not caring who heard him, and now he was openly glaring because she was talking with Ramsey! She hadn’t even been flirting with him. She had actually been annoyed with him. Oh, wait, dammit! He thought she was sexy when she was angry.

Bekah broke the awkward silence that had settled in the air. “Ramsey, you should introduce Lexi to your roommates. I have a feeling they would just love her.”

Lexi wasn’t sure what that meant, but as soon as Ramsey called over his roommates she understood her implication. These two guys, though they had the same appearance of class that Ramsey wore, didn’t pull it off quite as well. Lexi could see straight through to the frat boy beneath, and cringed as they collided with her body. She hadn’t even gotten the introduction before they were hugging and fondling her. They smelled strongly of booze as if they had been drinking all day...all week.

Ramsey grabbed both of his roommates by the back of their collar and yanked them off of her. “Hands off. She’s never been to one of our parties,” he said roughly pushing them to the side.

“All the more reason,” the one dressed in navy said.

“Agreed,” the other, in a yellow Georgia Tech polo, approved.

“Uh...I don’t think so,” Lexi said pushing her hands out in front of her. Then she caught a glimpse of Jack’s face. He wasn’t doing a very good job at hiding his displeasure. If she had thought that he had been jealous earlier today, it was nothing compared to the waves of jealousy he was sending her way now. Somewhere deep inside, she knew that she shouldn’t enjoy the fact that he felt that way, but she was pretty much ignoring all the things that she was supposed to be doing and feeling. She was in Atlanta for Jack which was bad enough. If Jack was getting some backlash for his bad choices, well then so be it.