CHP 6

Carmen’s POV

After several back and forth, I eventually allowed Millie to talk me into wearing something that was too sexy and revealing for my comfort.

“Your cleavages and thighs are not even out and you are whining this badly,” Carmen teased. “How did we even become best friends?” She asked me with a giggle.

“Above the knee is too short, Millie,” I tried to reason with her even though I already knew that it was pointless.

“Let’s just go. We are running late,” she said.

We got into our waiting Uber and Millie gave him the address. 

On our way there, Millie kept typing on her phone, and I was certain that she was chatting with her boyfriend. I looked out through the window and allowed my thought to drift back to a certain handsome hockey player. 

About a month and a half ago, if anyone had told me that I would be managing THE Chase Maddox, and even stayed longer on the job, I wouldn’t have believed it, but here I was, doing my absolute best. 

And then a kiss happened.

It was even more insane because I enjoyed it and I wanted more. I couldn’t stop thinking about how my body had felt against his solid and firm chest. Those years of being in the game and working out really did wonders to that body of his. 

Before the kiss, I was just his manager trying to make sure that I didn’t get fired, but right now, everything seemed to have changed.

The kiss had changed everything, and I was already dreading to see Chase the next day.

“We are here,” Millie told me, jolting me out of my reverie.

I followed her out of the cab and she paid the fare.

“I still have a job, Millie, which means that I cannot stay longer than two hours,” I cautioned her.

I had my purse with me, which contained my key and some money for an Uber, and she knew that I wasn’t playing around.

“We won’t be in there for up to two hours,” Millie assured me.

Then she took my hand and dragged me into the party. The moment we entered, I felt as though my ears had been taken away from me. Hiphop music was booming too loudly, and I wondered how anyone would be enjoying such noise, but then again, everyone wasn’t like me, and they couldn’t be.

“Come with me to the bar!” Millie said loudly.

“Too loud!” I told her.

We were literally shouting at the top of our lungs but still couldn’t hear each other. 

“What did you say?” Millie stopped to ask me.

“The music is too loud!” I told her.

“This is a party, Carmen, not a hockey game!” She said.

Then I let her lead me through the throng of people dancing, bodies touching, and some of them, lurking at the corner, and touching each other. I was disgusted. This wasn’t my first party, but prom wasn’t as wild as this. Most of them had to still be in college or something, because they looked really young. The girls were scantily dressed, but they also seemed comfortable in what they were wearing.

Including Millie.

I almost collided into someone because I was looking around, and after the near accident, I had to stop staring and concentrate on where Millie was taking me. Before I knew it, we were out of the room where the music and dancing and alcohol were.

“I thought you were taking me to the bar,” I reminded Millie.

Here was a little less noisy and filled with loud noise, so Millie and I didn’t have to shout before we could hear each other.

“You complained of the noise,” Millie said.

Just then, two guys of about Chase’s age came out from an inner room, laughing loudly.

One of them went over to Millie and kissed her square on the lips, and I immediately knew that it had to be her boyfriend, Jason, whom she had been dating for only a few months. He seemed like a player to me, but then again, he was Millie’s choice, and she always liked guys like Jason.

“Jason, this is my best friend and part-time roommate,” Millie said.

“Is there a word like that?” Jason asked, exposing his silver-plaited teeth as he smiled.

Millie nudged him.

“Behave yourself,” she reprimanded him playfully. 

“I am sorry,” he said and raised his hands up in surrender.

I had to admit that he was a bit playful and funny.

“Carmen, this is Jason, my boyfriend,” Millie introduced.

I extended my hand for a proper handshake, but Jason did a courtesy bow, causing Millie to chuckle, especially when she noticed my slight confusion.

“Stop being a menace, Jason,” Millie scolded again.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Carmen,” Jason said.

“Likewise,” I said, but that might as well be a lie.

Other than the fact that he seemed playful and jovial, there was nothing more to him, and I liked to take my time before judging anyone’s character or personality.

Then he beckoned on the other guy he had come in with.

“Rudge, you should meet Millie’s best friend, Carmen,” he said. “She works for Ice King,” he added.

“For real?” Rudge said, his eyes budging with astonishment.

He extended a hand for a handshake and I took it, and it lingered there before he let me.

“It’s so good to meet you,” Rudge said.

Now, I couldn’t tell if he was saying this because he only heard that I worked with Chase Maddox, of which I wasn’t even comfortable with because I didn’t think that Millie would have told her very recent boyfriend about it.

I threw her a reprimanding look and she nudged Jason in return.

“You look beautiful, Carmen,” Rudge said, drawing my attention back to him.

“Thanks,” I said, not knowing the best response to give.

“Let’s grab some drinks,” Rudge offered, but there was already something about him that just didn’t seem to sit well with me.

“No, I am with…” I turned to say that I was with Millie, but she and Jason had completely disappeared, leaving us alone in that room.