Rebound, Boundless Series, Book 1

Chapter Twenty Six

I was awakened by the sound of Matt's phone ringing. He stirred next to me. I moved away from him to fetch my phone so I could check the time. It was after eleven in the morning. Matt sleepily grabbed his phone and answered it. I listened as he greeted the caller. He turned onto his back and put his arm over his eyes, shielding him from the sunlight peeking through the sheer curtains. I'd forgotten to close the light-blocking drapery on the wall of windows in his primary bedroom.

"I just got in." He responded to the caller. "That's today?" Matt paused as he listened. "Man. I'm jet-lagged. My girl is here. Can't we reschedule?" I tuned in to his claiming me as his girl.

Internally, I shrieked with glee.

"Well, then I'm bringing my girl." I suddenly got nervous.

Where is he planning to take me?

I nervously wondered what would be happening.

"What time? Where?" He hummed in understanding.

"We'll be there at 6. Everyone better be on their best behavior tonight with my girl around. And make sure everybody tells their hens, especially yours, to include my girl and make her feel part of the group." He paused.

As much as I tried to eavesdrop and hear the other caller, I couldn't. I sat up as he continued to listen to the other end.

"Yeah, later!" Matt hung up, sighed, and placed the phone back on the side table.

"Fuck." He whispered.

"What's wrong?" I asked, hoping he would explain the call.

"You told me you were going to cook for me, but that was my friend reminding me of an event. I forgot I'm scheduled to have dinner tonight with my friends. We have dinner at least once a month. We can't miss our get-togethers unless it's an emergency. I have to go to dinner." He turned to look at me. With a hopeful gaze, he said, "I'd like for you to join us."

My first thought was excitement. Meeting his friends was a relationship milestone. As the notion sank in, anxiety over not being able to measure up to them waved over me. I paused to think about my readiness to meet his friends. I needed to know more about them. I decided to ask, "Who am I meeting?"

"Well, there are four of them. There's Brady. He's dating the blonde you thought was my girlfriend. He's a corporate executive. He's a bit judgmental and aloof, so don't take anything he does or says personally. There's Kent. He travels for his business. He's based between Boston and Las Vegas and Miami. Lark is the youngest one of us. He was in our year in school. He's a genius and skipped ahead a few grades, ending up in our class year. His parents thought he was mature enough to go away to boarding school, but they didn't consider how much he'd be taunted, so we protected him. He used to be so awkward, but now, he changes women more than he does his underwear. Stay away from him and Kent. They like brunettes with curves, like you." He said, pulling me to him, kissing my neck. His hand went from my waist down my hip and thigh.

"You said there were four. That was three. Who's left?" I prompted.

"That would be Zipper. His real name is Kevin Zipperer, but we just call him Zipper. Everyone does. He's an attorney. He's usually the life of the party. He's extremely funny and can work a room. My best buddy. He's like a brother. We were roommates in school. He has a fiancée, being the most monogamous out of the bunch. Other than me, of course." He gave me a kiss in confirmation.

"His fiancée is Jenna. They've been together for a couple of years. I thought they'd get married by now, but I think because of my divorce, he got cold feet."

"What about the girlfriends of the other two? What do you know about them?" I asked out of a need to gauge how I would fall in the hierarchy of the group.