Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6

Matt

I 've been watching her out of the corner of my eye all night. Every time Hunter tries to touch her or lean in close, Sienna shifts away. She's clearly not interested, yet he doesn't seem to be taking the hint. Margot's not taking the hint either. She keeps trying to play footsies with me under the table, and it's fucking annoying.

"Can you quit?" I finally snap. I'm tired of pretending that I'm enjoying her company. "Your toenail keeps digging into my ankle."

That finally gets her to stop. She quickly straightens in her chair then whips around to face her brother. Now, she's vying for his attention.

"Hunter," she rudely interrupts as Sienna is mid-sentence. "Are we going home this weekend for my mother's birthday?"

"Is that this weekend?" He drops his conversation with his date and turns toward his sister. God, both of them have no manners. "I hadn't thought about it. But I guess we should so my dad doesn't get pissed."

They start going back and forth as if we're not even here anymore, so I turn my attention toward his date.

"So, what are you studying, Sienna?"

She looks up from her dry salad that she's barely even touched and places her fork down. I've never understood why girls order salad on dates; it's not like watching them eat plain lettuce is attractive. And Sienna definitely doesn't need to be watching her weight. If anything, she could stand to gain a few pounds.

"I'm a business major right now, minoring in marketing. What about you?"

"I'm in business management with a minor in political science."

"Nice." She smiles, and for the first time since sitting down at this table, it's a real one. "So, what do you want to do when you graduate?"

"I want to work for a big company first, get my feet wet. But eventually, I want to start my own business and see if I can't become a big-time CEO running my own team of people."

"That's awesome, Matt." Her eyes light up as if she really cares. I thought Sienna didn't care about anything other than herself. "So, how does poli sci play into all that?"

"I think knowing the legal side of things is going to be beneficial. There are a lot of sharks out there and I want to be well-versed in the law so I can stave off any bad deals."

"I think that's really smart." She nods. "Maybe I should change minors." She gives me another grin, and man, does she truly have a beautiful smile. It's a shame that she was always so ugly to people back home. If she could've been like this, she would've been pleasant to be around. I may have even asked her out.

I quickly dismiss the thought. "So how come marketing?"

"Because I've come to realize that marketing is the key to a business's success. And when I start my company, I want to be able to set myself apart and give myself a competitive edge."

"Now that's smart." I smile. "I may have to change my minor." I wink, and for the first time since I've known the girl, she giggles. The hairs on my arms rise as the sound runs through my body. It's not fake, or forced, or laced with any pretention. It's real and sweet, and it's…so fucking sexy.

"So, what kind of company do you plan on starting?" I ask, trying to distract myself from the feelings stirring between my legs again. Not sure why I'm having a hard time tonight. Maybe the girl has changed, but I'm sure she's still rotten at the core.

"Ugh…seriously?" Margot cuts in, rolling her eyes. "Can we talk about something not so lame?"

She's welcome to go back to talking with Hunter about whatever the fuck she wants if she has a problem with it. In fact, I wish she would. It's obvious to me now why a girl as pretty as her doesn't have a boyfriend. She's getting uglier by the second. Every time she opens her mouth, my respect for her fades.

"I agree," Hunter states. "We don't need to stress about these things now. We have our entire lives to worry about work and all the boring shit we have to do once we graduate. Let's talk about something fun. Which reminds me." He turns toward me. "We have the Halloween Bash coming up next month. I was thinking about making it a superhero theme. What do you think?"

Right, because talking about party themes is a much more riveting conversation. I'd rather go back to talking with Sienna and let him and his sister talk about costumes and playing dress-up.

"You two should go as Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm," Margot suggests to Hunter and Sie.

Hunter shakes his head. "Those aren't superheroes, Margot. And I haven't decided who I'm bringing as my date to the party yet. It's still a month away."

Margot's face turns even uglier as a wicked smirk forms on her cheeks. She turns toward Sienna. "Ooooh, burn. Sorry, girl, but it looks like you haven't made the cut."

Man, she's a bitch. Margot will be lucky if she even gets asked to the party. Although, she probably gets the invite just for being Hunter's stepsister.

"I didn't say that." Hunter smiles at his date. "It's just still to be determined." He gives Sie a wink, and I want to roll my eyes. To be determined. The guy is a prick. If I were Sienna, I'd be telling him to take his tiny dick and fuck off.

"Well, the answer would be no so you can take me out of the running." Sie stiffens in her chair, and I get a glimpse of the girl I remember. Although, I'm happy she's putting the ass in his place. "Sorry, but I think we'd be better off as friends. You're just not my type."

I bite down hard on my tongue to keep myself from busting out laughing and repeating his sister's words. Hunter's expression is priceless. Rejection just slapped him across the face, hard, and he looks struck by it. And his equally arrogant sister looks like she just grew two horns and is about to breathe fire from her mouth.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" And here come those flames. "He's not your type? You'd be lucky if my brother asked you to the party. And he doesn't want to be your friend. No one does. Do you know what the girls say about you back at the house? They think that the only reason you got accepted into the sorority is because your mom gave her donation. Because no one would've chosen a studious bore to be a Gamma Zeta."

I feel like I'm watching a scene out of Mean Girls . Yet the girl I thought was the queen bitch didn't do anything other than stick up for herself.

"I'm going to tell your mom that I don't want to live with you. I shouldn't have to be subjected to your dull personality day in and day out." The real bitch just crossed a line, and I'm not going to put up with her calling Sie names. But right as I open my mouth, Sienna's voice stops me.

"Please do tell her." Sienna nods emphatically. "Because she refused to listen to me when I told her I didn't want to live with you. And while you're at it, you should tell her what you think of her donation. How you and the girls think it was a bribe. I'm sure she'd love to hear your opinion about how she thinks she's a queen who can buy her way to the top." She turns and flags down the waiter. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get my check and then call myself an uber."

"No, please don't go, Sienna. Margot, retract the claws." Hunter quickly reaches for Sie's hand, stroking over her skin like he's putting on the moves. Man, he is such a fucker. "I'm sorry for my sister's behavior. She's just defensive of me, but she needs to learn when to mind her own business." He ignores Margot's little huff, still trying to smooth talk his way back into Sienna's favor. "Before you decide you're not interested, how about you get to know me better. Let me get the check and we'll head out. Maybe once we're back at the house, we could chat for a bit. Just the two of us."

He runs his fingers down her arm, looking into her eyes as if he actually gives a shit. All he cares about is getting her in his bed. Now that he knows she's not interested, he sees her as a challenge and is going to chase her. It's so fucking typical. Guys like him can't handle the word no . Their egos can't take the rejection. Thankfully, though, I think Sienna sees right through his bullshit.

She tugs her arm back to her lap, shaking her head. It looks like his chances of sleeping with her are gone, and that makes me want to smile. He's a fucking asshole, and his sister is just as bad. I can't believe the girls said that to Sienna about her mom. And here I thought Sienna was a bitch, but she's been so nice to Margot all throughout dinner, even in spite of what Margot said about her dress back at the house. If I were Sie, I would've given her the cold shoulder all evening.

Another huff across from me has me looking toward my date. She looks like she's about to lose her shit now that her stepbrother didn't take her side. When she sees that he's tuned her out, ignoring her tantrum, she turns to face me. Plastering on her fake smile and flipping her hair as she tries to regain her composure. She's definitely too late where I'm concerned. I've seen enough tonight to put me off dating sorority girls indefinitely.

Have to be honest, this entire scene has me questioning whether I want to be a part of the fraternity. I'm not a fan of Hunter. He's an ass that I don't want to spend time with. My only saving grace is that he's a senior and will be graduating at the end of the year. Until that point, I need to remember that he's not worth jeopardizing the opportunities that could come from being an Omega Chi. He's going to graduate, go off and work for his father's company, and I won't ever have to see him again after that.

"So, who are you planning on taking to the Halloween Bash, Matt?" Really? Just like that she's going to act like she didn't start that little showdown with her "ooooh, burn" comment. If Margot thinks she stands a chance at being my date to the party, she's crazy. Tonight may go down in my book as the worst date ever. The only good part of the night was that Sienna was here.

"I don't know." I shrug. "Haven't met anyone who I want to ask yet."

When Sienna's giggle rings out, a bit of the tension in my gut loosens. Man, she really does seem different tonight. I'm definitely seeing a side to her I didn't know existed.

"Did you get the check yet?" Margot snaps to her brother. "I'm ready to go back. This date is so boring."

If she thinks I'm in any way bothered by her comment, she's wrong. I'm not even phased. But when I see Sienna shake her head and look right at me, I reconsider. There's a spark igniting in my gut, and I don't know what to make of it. But I'm definitely feeling an attraction toward the girl who I'm starting to think I may have misjudged.