“Smile guys,” Roni said as she began to take the photos.
The guy dancing with Charlee pulled her closer, whispering something in her ear.
“Hector, the fight’s over now,” Roni said. “You won, remember? Now can you please smile for me? And I need you to look this way.” She lifted the camera to her face again.
Hector turned to the camera with a quick smile before turning back to Charlee on the dance floor. The guy was obviously taking advantage of the loud music to continue leaning into her neck area and speak closely into her ear. From her body language, Hector could tell she wasn’t digging it. The more he leaned in, the more she pulled back.
“Hector!” Both Noah and Abel said loudly.
Hector snapped out of his murderous thoughts and turned back to them. “What?”
“Turn this way, burro!” Abel said with a frown. “She asked you three times. What’s wrong with you?”
Noah and Gio shook their heads but laughed like they always did when Abel called him that. Roni winced, promising she was almost done. As soon as she was, Hector marched over to Abel’s side and held him by the arm before he could walk away to schmooze. “You know everyone here, right?”
Abel turned to him then glanced around. “Just about, except for your friends.”
“Who’s that?” Hector started to point at the guy with Charlee but dropped his hand when she looked up in his direction and nearly caught him pointing. “Fuck,” he said, turning in another direction.
“What?”
“Nothing, don’t look over there.” He tugged at Abel arms, attempting to turn him in a different direction.
“Over where?”
“Just shut up!” Hector squeezed his brother’s arm before glancing in her direction again. She wasn’t looking his way anymore, but the horny asshole she was dancing with was at it again, pulling her to him even as her hand lay flat on his chest, defensively keeping the distance between them. The song wasn’t even a slow one.
Hector let go of Abel’s arm and started toward them.
“Where you going?” Abel asked.
Ignoring his brother, Hector kept walking, already fisting his hand, slowing only when the song stopped. He stopped abruptly when they separated and watched them walk off the dance floor. Someone bumped into him from behind. Hector turned around ready to push whoever it was off him then frowned when he saw it was Abel. “What the hell?”
“You're the one who stopped all of sudden. What’s your problem?” Abel said, frowning right back at him then glanced in Charlee’s direction. “Who is she, and why do you look ready to kill that guy she’s with?”
Hector attempted to tone his adrenaline-pumped mood down. “Not ready to kill him.” He lied. “She’s a friend, and she looked like she might need some help. That’s all.” He took his eyes off Charlee, Drew, and the two guys with them, who were all headed back to where Walter and the other guys were and turned back to Abel. “You know him?”
“Nope,” Abel shook his head. “But I think I saw that other guy with him walk in with the D.J’s crew.”
Great. Hector turned back to Charlee and the guy. That’s all the D.J’s guests ever showed up for at these things. They couldn't care less who or what the parties were for. They were just there for the free booze and to try to get laid. “Figures.”
“What figures?” Abel asked.
Hector turned back to Abel again. His brother had his usual imposing expression going: the one he always wore when he was on to Hector. “Nothing,” Hector tapped Abel on the arm, “I gotta get back to my friends.”
He started to take a step away when Abel caught his arm. The music was so loud Abel had to lean in. “No trouble, right?”
Hector pinched his brows. “No.” Then he smirked. “Did you see me in the ring today? No one’s starting trouble with this guy.”
Abel didn’t even flinch nor return the smile. “I’m not worried about anyone starting trouble with you. You’re the one I’m worried about.”
Hector glanced back at Charlee just as both guys walked away from her and Drew then turned back and smiled at Abel. “Dude, I’m not like that anymore, remember? I’m all grown up now: mature, responsible, and all that shit.” Finally he got a little smirk out of his uptight brother. “Relax, I’ll be cool.”
At last free to walk away, Hector grabbed a beer at the bar before heading back toward Walter, who stood just feet away from Charlee and Drew. The feeling of ease only lasted so long, because as soon as he got there, he spotted the two guys on their way back from the bar on the other side of the room double fisting drinks.
If Hector really wanted to be an asshole, he’d card them, even though he wasn’t twenty-one yet either. This was his party, his damn gym. He could call the shots. But then Charlee and Drew weren’t drinking age either. Walter had mentioned she was about their age—nineteen. It’d be too obvious if he carded the guys but not the girls they’d bought drinks for.
He eyed the guys as they walked by them and stopped where Charlee and Drew stood. Hector didn’t miss it: Charlee’s surprised expression when the guy tried to hand her the drink. “Oh, thank you, but I said I was okay. I’ve had enough.”
The guy held it in front of her. “You’ll be fine with one more. C’mon, you can sip it.”
Charlee glanced at Drew before taking it with a strained smile. Hector turned to Walter, trying not to sound as irritated as he felt. “See what happens?” he whispered. “That should’ve been you out there dancing with her.”
Walter frowned but said nothing. Instead, he glanced in Charlee’s direction before taking a sip of the purple drink he was having. Hector had seen it earlier when the waitress brought it to him with a kiwi slice wedged on the rim and an umbrella. Even Walter’s fruity looking drink was annoying him now. “What is that?”
Walter looked down at his drink and lifted it. “It’s called a Fruit Tingle. You wanna try it? It’s good.”
“No, I don’t wanna try it.” Hector didn’t even try to hide the disgust. “You couldn’t just order a beer?”
“I don’t like beer,” Walter said, looking down at his drink again. “What’s wrong with this?”
Hector lowered his voice, but even then couldn’t hide the annoyance in his words. “Because you’re here to try and impress her, not stand there hiding behind your girlie drink while someone else dances with her.” Hector shook his head. “Fruit Tingle? Seriously? You hold your pinky out when you drink that too?”
Walter started whispering something back, but Hector didn’t hear any of it. He was too busy trying catch what Horny Toad was saying to Charlee. With the music so damn loud, it was hard to catch every word. The good thing was she held her drink in front of her strategically so the guy couldn’t lean in as close as he had on the dance floor, giving him no choice but to speak loudly.
“It’s really cool. I have a sound system in my front room, and since we don’t use the dining room, we have a pool table in there instead. My roommate’s gone tonight. We’d have the place to ourselves. I can show you how to play pool.”
Charlee smiled but shook her head. She was further away and spoke softer than the guy, so Hector couldn’t hear what she said, but based on what he was saying now, she’d obviously turned him down.
“That’s too bad,” the guy said. “Well, you at least have to dance a few more with me.”
Charlee shook her head again, saying something that was inaudible to Hector, but she looked uncomfortable. “Go ask her to dance,” Hector whispered at Walter, reaching for his drink.
“What? No!” Walter pulled back his drink before Hector could take it. “She’s with that guy.”
“Trust me.” Hector whispered a little more urgently. “That guy’s annoying as shit. She’ll thank you.” Walter shook his head again defiantly, the panic already all over his face as if Hector were going to force him.
“C’mon just one more dance,” the guy said, reaching for Charlee, who seemed almost as alarmed as Walter.
No shit she looked alarmed. The guy was a pushy ass. Hector was glad she didn’t seem willing at all to get back on the dance floor and have him pushing himself on her again. To make things worse, the song playing now was a slow one.
“Damn it, Walter,” Hector whispered through his teeth. “If you don’t ask her, I will.”
Just looking at Walter’s annoyingly terrified face, Hector knew Walter wasn’t going to. Glancing back in Charlee’s direction, he saw the guy had repositioned himself on the other side of her so he could now lean in again close to her ear. There was no way Hector could hear what he was saying now, but one thing was clear from the way she kept pulling back away from the guy’s face, Charlee was as uncomfortable as she had been on the dance floor.
“Here,” He handed his beer bottle to Walter roughly. “You’re seriously gonna have to man up. You should be doing this.”
Who was Hector kidding? There was no way Walter would do what he was about to. He took the few steps to reach Charlee and smiled at her, ignoring the guy. “Dance with me?” Without waiting for an answer, he took her drink and handed it to the asshole. “Hold this.”
They both seemed stunned, but neither said a word, and to Hector’s relief, she didn’t say no or protest his taking her hand in his as he walked her onto the dance floor.