Naya glanced in that direction and her whole body stiffened when she spotted Luke entering from another doorway. He hadn’t seen her yet and an iron band tightened around her chest. When Tanya sidled up to Luke, a green fire ignited in Naya’s eyes, causing her to lose focus for a long moment. She had to blink rapidly, but was relieved when Luke disentangled his arm from the blonde woman and he started to move off. Unfortunately, Tanya didn’t take the hint, moving closer once again. So, Naya moved to the left, refusing to watch the man she’d taken into her body just last night while another woman attempted to seduce him.
Naya rarely hated anyone. She preferred to focus on the positives in life, so hatred wasn’t a good thing.
Yes, there was that teacher in third grade, who had accused her of cheating. And then there was the guy at the mall who glared at her when she’d tried on too many dresses. It was hard to find a dress that worked with her height and curves! There had been no reason for his huffiness when she hadn’t bought anything after trying on so many dresses!
Okay, so she hated the women at the gym who were tall and skinny with smaller boobs that didn’t jiggle obscenely when they jogged on the treadmill. But that wasn’t personal. It was just…being human.
So when Naya felt the hatred seeping through her body towards Tanya as the woman continued to flirt with Luke, she wasn’t exactly sure how to deal with that reaction. It seemed so petulant. Juvenile, even.
But she couldn’t watch. She couldn’t rationalize her feelings towards Tanya, nor could she forgive Luke for letting the woman drape herself across him like that.
She moved to the opposite side of the room, wanting to keep her eyes away from him. Needing to keep her claws away from Tanya’s perfectly tanned skin with her nude lipstick and fake blonde hair that was perfectly highlighted with those annoying platinum colors. Ugh!
She clenched her glass of champagne and, turning towards the wall, she downed the glass in about one swallow. Another waiter walked up to her, smiling as he offered her a fresh glass. Naya tried to smile, but the startled expression on the cute waiter’s face made her suspect that her “grin” was more of a snarl. He moved off quickly, which was a shame since she wanted another glass. Her second was already empty.
Looking around, she searched for another waiter, relieved when one approached.
“Having a good time?” a sleazy looking man asked as he inched closer to Naya.
Naya looked up into his blue eyes, wondering why he looked so unattractive. Before meeting Luke, she would have at least given the man a chance. She suspected he would have failed the test, but at least she wouldn’t have pre-judged him.
But now, all she wanted to do was take a bath because he looked at her in a dirty way. And she wanted Luke by her side.
Stupid rules! She downed the champagne in her glass and grabbed another. Why had she demanded that they stay separate during these events? She couldn’t remember now. Nothing made sense and the world was getting a bit more rosy. “Not really,” she finally replied to the man by her side. She turned slightly when she felt his hand touch her back. “No touching,” she snapped at him, ignoring the way his boring eyes widened and he held his hands up in the air.
“Sorry!” he laughed. “You just looked like you were about to fall backwards during that last glass. Only trying to help.”
Naya’s eyes tried to focus across the room, but it was difficult. The champagne was going to her head since she hadn’t eaten enough today. On the upside, her stomach wasn’t growling any longer and she didn’t feel that aching stab of jealousy. Of course, it also helped that she wasn’t watching a mean, beautiful blonde woman try to make a pass at Naya’s man.
But Luke wasn’t her man. She’d made sure that Luke wasn’t hers. She’d very clearly stated that theirs was only a sexual relationship. She’d set up rules to ensure that they kept their distance.
Of course, he’d completely ignored all of those rules. He slept at her house or she slept at his every night now. He either grabbed take out at a restaurant or she cooked their dinners. And breakfasts were always enjoyed together…and sometimes lunches when they could get together during the week or on the weekends.