3. Chapter Three
Maya
“ A re you going home for Thanksgiving?” Jenna asked, her voice distant, despite the headphones I was wearing.
“I dunno. Are you?” I shot the question back at my older sister.
Jenna sighed. “Probably not. I work that night at eight.”
I frowned, sitting back against the headboard in my shared dorm room, grateful that Terri was in class while I spoke to my sister. “Yeah, mom’s been extra lately. I’m really not feeling it. I was just there a couple weeks ago for Halloween week.”
Jenna laughed. “You were there for like three whole days. You spent most of that week helping me move.”
“Three days too many!” I groaned .
Jenna sighed, but didn’t say anything. She didn’t get it; she wasn’t the one Mom nitpicked at. No, Jenna was the favorite, the one that our mother constantly compared me to. It was an unbeatable standard and really drove a wedge between me and my mother.
For as much as Jenna tried to keep the peace, sometimes there just wasn’t anything to be done about our mother, other than to keep my distance and try to save my own sanity by not subjecting myself to the crazy.
“Mom said they were going to Aunt Brenda’s anyway. I don’t really feel like cramming in the car with both of them for an hour drive,” I said.
“Yeah, I get it. So what will you do?”
“Maybe, I’ll come crash on your couch for those four days.”
Jenna sighed again. “I wish, sister. I’m working twenty-four hours starting Thanksgiving. Supposedly the holidays bring out the crazies and they expect us to be busy.”
“That sounds horrible, sister.” I couldn’t help but smile.
“I’m kinda excited to be honest. Busy means surgery.”
I laughed and shook my head, despite the fact that my sister couldn’t see me. Leave it to fucking Jenna to be excited about the prospect of slicing people open.
“You should come by my place for Thanksgiving!” Kara said on the drive home.
In the end, I had decided to head home. Jenna managed to get Sunday through Tuesday off before the holiday, so I would hang out with my sister, before I headed down to my parent’s. I’d had made effort of showing up, then made myself scarce with friends the rest of the break.
I glanced over at my new friend. In the last several months, the two of us had grown extremely close, meeting in the library to study almost daily. We also met up with Stephanie and Terri, and a couple other friends at the mess hall for meals.
“It’ll be low key, I promise. Literally just me and my Mama, plus Marcos and his two best friends, Jason and Nico.” Kara elaborated.
I thought it over, wondering if I could handle sitting through a meal with Marcos, after our moment, as Kara was calling it. He was a very attractive man, and there was clearly chemistry there. “I uh—”
“Come on, Maya! It’ll be so much fun! We usually play Mario Cart after until we pass out into food comas on the couch.”
I laughed, and despite my better judgement, I agreed. “Alright, sounds good! ”
“YES!” Kara shouted, throwing her arms in the air. “This is going to be the best Thanksgiving ever!”
I was doubting my decision by the time Thursday rolled around. As nerves rolled over me, I was wishing I had stayed in Chicago, despite my sister working long hours. Being alone sounded better than making a fool of myself in front of Kara’s family, her brother especially.
Dressed in leggings and slinky, off the shoulder top, I was classy and casual and still comfortable.
I managed to bake some caramel brownies to bring to dinner, so I wasn’t showing up empty handed.
After finding a parking spot near Kara’s building, I shut off my car and took a deep breath.
I glanced in the rearview mirror to check that my hair and makeup were still good to go, before I slowly opened the door.
I grabbed the brownies from the passenger seat and stepped out of the Honda Civic.
I made sure the car was locked and before I headed up the walkway toward the building. The complex was made up of rows of two-story buildings, and Kara’s mom’s place was at the end of the building on the second floor.
Moments later, I was knocking on a beat-up front door that was decorated with a cute fall wreath. “Coming!” Kara called through the door. “Hey, Maya! ”
“Hey girl, Happy Thanksgiving!” I grinned as Kara stepped out of the way. “Happy Thanksgiving everyone.”
A chorus of grunted, “Happy Thanksgiving’s,” were sent back my way from the three men in the living room, as they looked away from the football game on the TV.
I was met with the stares of the three most beautiful men I’d ever seen, but it was Marcos that held my gaze the longest. He stood up quickly, and walked over.
He dressed in a pair of dark washed jeans and a white cable knit sweater, that made my mouth water.
“Welcome.” He smiled warmly, his dark eyes crinkling in the corners.
“Let me get that for you.” He reached for the tray of brownies in my hand.
“Thank you.” I smiled.
“I’ll take your coat,” Kara offered.
I kicked off my shoes, before I shed my coat and handed it to Kara. Feeling eyes watching me, I looked back to the two men still staring. Both had blond hair. One was shaggier around his ears, like he was in the process of growing it out, while the other guy’s was darker, and short and spiky.
“This is Nico,” Kara introduced, pointing to the blond with shaggy hair and blue eyes. “And Jason.” She pointed to the one with spiky blond hair and slate gray eyes. “Guys, this is my friend Maya from school.”
“Nice to meet you,” Nico said, giving me a wide smile.
Jason just nodded in greeting .
“Come on, let’s get you a drink,” Kara said, pushing me toward the kitchen, just as a short woman with sensual curves and a gorgeous smile walked out.
Carlita Candella was as beautiful as she was the last time I met her, with long wavy black hair that reached her trim waist and big caramel-colored eyes that were so warm as they crinkled in the corners and drank you in.
“Oh Maya, good you made it. I’m so glad you’re here, Nena .” Lita wrapped me a huge hug, that I couldn’t help but sink into. Carlita had welcomed me into her home with open arms, and immediately treated me with love and affection, more than my own mother ever had.
“Happy Thanksgiving, Lita,” I murmured into her shoulder. I had to bend slightly, to hug the much shorter woman, but Lita’s hugs were worth it. “Thank you for having me.”
“Of course, dear.” As we pulled apart, Lita patted my cheek affectionately. “You’re always welcome here.”
As we ate dinner, I relaxed into the atmosphere. I ended up on the same side of the table as Kara, while Nico and Jason took the other side, leaving the ends or heads of the table for Marcos and his mother.
Conversation flowed easily and I laughed often.
The men at the table kept up a solid stream of banter and jokes.
Even though I felt like the three men were watching me constantly, I didn’t let it affect me.
I kept up with their jokes and laughed when they flirted with me.
The three of them were being very obvious in their attraction, that even Kara took notice and made her own flirty jokes.
At some point, a pair of feet settled on either side of mine under the table, and they absently rubbed their foot against my own, basically playing footies at twenty-something years old.
I left my feet there, letting them do whatever they wanted.
I had a feeling that when it came to these three men, it was only the beginning of letting them do what they wanted.
After dinner, all five of us helped Lita clear the table and clean the kitchen. It wasn’t until everything was spic and span did Marcos say, “Ma, we’re gonna take a walk.”
Lita rolled her eyes. “Uh huh.”
Kara laughed and pressed a kiss to her mother’s cheek. “You could join us.”
Lita just shook her head, a smile on her face. “You kids have fun.”
“Come on,” Kara said to me, passing me my coat.
“Where we going?” I asked, confused.
Jason chuckled behind me; his deep cadence awfully close to my ear. I couldn’t help the shivers that ran down my spine. God damn his voice is fucking hot . “Don’t worry, we’ll protect you.” His voice was deep and sensual—erotic.
“But who’s going to protect me from you?” I glanced at him over my shoulder, watching as the big bad wolf licked his lips, his gray eyes baring into my soul, before a slow sinful smile stretched across his mouth.
“Something tells me, darlin’,” he drawled, keeping his voice low as he leaned closer to me. “That you could handle us, just fine.”
A gasp left my lips before I could I stifle it.
He winked— he fucking winked at me —making my heart pound in my chest.
“Come on, girl.” Kara pushed my coat at me, breaking the spell Jason held me under.
I blushed like a fucking schoolgirl and quickly turned to face my friend. Kara was smiling, as she tugged me forward.
I caught Marcos’s smirk, as he watched me from the door. His dark eyes tracked my movement. I didn’t know where we were going or why, but I would gladly follow them into hell.
A few minutes later we were walking through the parking lot to a spot they apparently all knew very well: behind the dumpsters, along the side of the building. “You could’ve just said we were going to smoke.” I rolled my eyes when Marcos pulled out a blunt.
“Where’s the fun in that?” Nico asked. He came up beside me and bumped his shoulder against mine.
I grinned and shrugged. “All about the cloak and dagger?”
Nico smirked. “Something like that.”
Jason chuckled softly as he settled on my other side.
My panties were soaked. Every damn time the man spoke or laughed, my fucking pussy gushed for him.
I met Kara’s gaze across from me in the little circle we made.
My friend just smiled broadly, and I knew we would be having words later, when no men were around.