3.
He was so incredibly good looking that Chantel was sure she saw Sarah’s jaw hit the floor out of the corner of her eye. The host led them inside and through a maze of hot bodies, into the packed kitchen and got them a drink of ice cold vodka and lime.
“Here you are,” he smiled, his eyes locking in on each of theirs in turn. “Have a good evening.”
He turned and made his way through the crowd and Sarah turned to Chantel immediately and yelped, “I want him, he has to be mine!” She gripped her hands together under her chin as she watched the host mingle his way through the throngs of people, and stop to chat smoothly with as many as he could.
“I wonder who he is,” Chantel mused. “He’s certainly very confident. And this house isn’t bad either.”
She looked up and around at the modern kitchen, decked out in black granite counter tops and what appeared to be expensive marble flooring. Growing up in a wealthy family meant that Chantel knew something expensive when she saw it, and this guy had splashed some serious cash in setting up his rather decadent and classy bachelor pad.
“He’s some sort of market trader apparently,” a random girl leaned over Chantel’s shoulder and whispered.
“Really?” Another girl heard her and butted in. “Someone told me he was some kind of scientific genius. Made his money by selling an idea for a very advanced machine. Something to do with space travel.”
Chantel felt her mouth curl into amusement but she tried to hide it. Why would a scientific, millionaire genius throw a house party for college girls? She looked across the room at their dashing and very sexy host. His shaggy, brown hair fell perfectly around his chiseled jaw and his deep brown eyes glistened under the light. His skin was smooth and perfect and Chantel couldn’t help but think that he was young to have had so much success. He couldn’t have been any more than thirty-five, but he looked like he had a lot of experience in being the perfect host with the way he entertained. He moved fluidly throughout the rooms of the house, stopping to speak to both men and women who seemed enchanted by him. Chantel was one of them, and she found her eyes fixed on him with every move he took.
“Hey Sister,” Sarah jabbed her in the ribs. “I called first, find your own man.” She laughed afterwards to make it sound as if she was making a joke, but Chantel knew she was serious.
“He seems so… different…” Chantel said dreamily, but she was snapped back to reality by Sarah jabbing her in the arm.
“Hey!” Sarah crunched her lips up to her nose. “I said he’s mine.”
Chantel held her hands up in surrender and rolled her eyes.
“Okay Boss,” she said with jest before she looked back around the room and realized their sexy host had disappeared.
“Well whoever he is, he certainly knows how to throw a party,” Chantel said. “And work the room.”
“He does, doesn’t he?” Sarah beamed.
The girls mingled within the crowd and sipped their vodka and limes. The house was so crowded, rammed and full of people they recognized from both college and around town. She even saw one of the old waitresses from Carlo’s and stopped to chat to her for a few moments on her way to the bathroom.
Sarah was on a mad mission, she was determined that she would find the host on one of the levels of the house and tempt him away from whatever conversation he was having and into a bedroom with her.
“You’re crazy,” Chantel told her. “You don’t even know the guy, and you’ve only said hello to him, he may have a shitty personality.”
“He won’t,” Sarah said, as defiant as a child. “I can tell just by looking at him and we would be good together.”
Chantel found it hard to argue with her, as she certainly knew that feeling. She had lusted after Ben for weeks now and even though she tried to turn off her feelings and ignore them, she still found herself being drawn to him as if there was a magnet between them.
“I need another drink,” Sarah said as she drained the rest of her glass. “Shall I get one for you too?”
Chantel looked ahead at the queue in front of her to use the restroom and knew that there was no way she could risk losing her place in line.
“Please,” she said. “I’d come with you but… this queue…” she held her hand out.
“It’s cool, I’ll get us some! I’ll be right back,” Sarah kissed her on the cheek and made her way off down the stairs.
Chantel leant against the wall and sighed. There was still at least four people in front of her waiting to use the restroom. She looked down at her watch. It was eleven thirty and she had been waiting for around fifteen minutes. The party was going strong and the hallways seemed much busier than they had been when she arrived and more and more people filtering through the rooms were familiar to her. She could have sworn that most of the town were there and certainly a lot of girls from campus.
She was second in line and just about to reach the head of the queue when Sarah returned and slipped a drink into her hand.
“It’s crazy down there,” Sarah laughed. “The rumors about these parties are true. I can’t believe we’ve never been to one until now.”
“Well at least we know now for next time,” Chantel winked.
The door to the restroom opened up ahead of her and a small raven haired girl walked out with a bottle of wine swinging from her hand.
“Finally,” Chantel sighed to Sarah and made her way inside and closed the door.
After she had peed, washed her hands and reapplied her make-up, she looked in the mirror and flicked her hair. The curls she had so carefully crafted were still soft and bouncy around her face and Sarah had been right, she did look like a 50’s starlet. She rubbed a tiny streak of red lipstick off her front tooth, smiled at her reflection once more and then turned and opened the door. As she stepped out of the bathroom and took up her place next to Sarah on the landing she was happy and ready to enjoy the rest of her night. But Sarah’s hand rushed out quickly and circled her wrist.
“Let’s go downstairs,” she said.
“Huh?” Chantel asked her confused. “What’s the rush?”
But before Sarah had chance to pull her away, or explain what the matter was, Chantel saw it…
On the opposite side of the hall were a couple locked up in each other’s arms. They were entwined together and exploring each other like they were ravenous. The guy dipped the girl back and kissed her so powerfully and passionately it was like something out of the movies. The heat they were radiating was impossible to ignore and they were so into each other and so obviously linked by more than a quick hook-up that it made it all the more hard to look away.
Chantel felt her stomach drop and the tears well up behind her eyes.
The guy in the loving embrace with another girl was Ben.