Xanda hopped out of Howie's car and walked briskly towards her front door. She tossed it opened and laughed when she saw Howie trying to give Nick dances lessons.

"Sorry man, you're just too big to do it." Howie stated as he shook his head in disbelief. "Jealous much?" Xanda joked while laughing at the boys. "Jealous? Nah. Good things come in small packages." Howie replied. "Don't ever say that to any chick if you ever want to get laid again, k?" Xanda laughed. "Hey, where's AJ?" Nick slurred. "He's AJ, Nick. She probably tossed him out of the car the minute he tried anything." Howie explained as AJ walked through the door. "Hey man, what took you so long?" Howie asked while AJ tossed himself onto the couch. "He got held up." Xanda giggled. AJ glared at her before turning his attention toward Howie and Nick. "Woah man, you look..." Nick started to say. "...flustered!" Howie finished.

Howie turned his attention toward Xanda and looked her over. She seemed harmless but he knew better than most that no one was ever what they appear to be. "What did you do to him?" Howie smiled. "I'm impressed!" Nick stated while pointing to AJ. Howie turned his attention to his friend and noticed that AJ was leaning over to his left trying to cover something. "AJ?" Howie sang out. "Go away, man. Don't you have some girl waiting for you at home?" AJ snapped causing Nick to laugh. "She tore you up!" Nick shouted with a laugh. "Hey AJ, look at the ceiling." Howie laughed. AJ flipped the guys off as Xanda laughed at him. "Like I said, pay back's a bitch."  "I'm not sure I wanna know what he did." Howie laughed. "I do!" Nick shouted. Xanda shook her head and walked into the kitchen to make a few more drinks for the guys. AJ stood up and followed her. "I wonder what happened." Nick whispered as he leaned closer toward Howie. "I didn't even notice what happened!" Howie laughed, his memory non-existent. Little did AJ and Xanda know but Howie and Nick had finished off a bottle of Absolut. "You didn't see AJ's neck? She tore it up! I've never seen a neck that purple before." Nick quietly laughed.

"You coming to help me?" Xanda asked as she tossed the empty bottle of vodka into the trash. "Maybe." AJ mumbled. "Sorry 'bout your neck." She smiled sympathetically. "What'd you do to it?" AJ asked as he felt the left side of his throat. "Let's just say that it looks like Dracula's Daughter paid you a visit." AJ grinned. He felt like he was in high school again. "I'll just have to get you back, won't I." He said in a deep, husky voice. "You did." Xanda turned around and pulled her shirt up. AJ's eyes bulged before he laughed again. Xanda handed two drinks to AJ and turned around to grab the other two. "You bruise easily." He commented. "No, you suck hard." She replied while walking out of the kitchen into the living room.

Howie and Nick were laughing hysterically over some stupid story when they overheard Xanda. "Pick up your chin, Howie and put your eyes back in their socket, Nick." She commented, putting down their drinks on the coffee table. "Suck hard?" Howie quoted. "Um, there's more to it. You just heard that wrong." Xanda stammered while AJ groaned. "You're diggin' yourself a deeper hole." He stated. "Shit. Fine. Here is what we're talkin' about." Xanda used the courage that the alcohol had given her and lifted up her shirt to show off the lovebites that AJ had left all over her chest. "DAMN!" Nick shouted, admiring her breasts that were visible through her sheer bra more than the hickeys. AJ glared at Nick and pulled Xanda's shirt down from the back. "Protective, aren't we?" She joked while watching him pound the drink in his hand. "No, you're just giving Nick a hard-on."

In the distance Xanda could here her cellphone ringing and groaned. "Think you three can behave while I'm gone?" She asked as she ran towards the stairs. "Yes, mother." Nick whined while Howie laughed. AJ watched Xanda closely as she walked up the stairs before turning around to see why Howie and Nick were so quiet. "What!?" He asked when he noticed that Nick and Howie were smirking at him. "She's got you whooped!" Nick laughed. AJ rolled his eyes while Howie nodded in agreement. "No girl has got me whooped. Yeah she's cute and yeah I'd have my way with her if she wanted but whooped? I don't think so." Howie sat on the couch while thinking about what he wanted to tell his friend. "Do you think you two could have something?" Nick nodded his head wanting to know the answer to that question as well. "I don't know her." AJ defended. "My god guys, I just met her! It's purely sexual." Howie shook his head and sighed. "Man, you said that you're trying to change. Maybe you should start now." AJ groaned and sat down hard on the couch. "I am changing but it's hard." Howie had seen AJ go from one woman to the next like they were candy. He had tried in the past to commit to one woman at a time but each time his appetites for the things he couldn't have had left a trail of broken hearts. Commitment was not something he was good at. "Some words of advice if you want any relationship to work. Take it slow." Howie said. AJ grinned at the good intentions of his friend before looking at the staircase. "I'm gonna go see what's taking her so long."

AJ walked upstairs and found Xanda sitting on the top one, leaning against the wall with her arm over her eyes. "Oh give it a rest." She stated. "John, Keely gave you what you deserved. After all the crap I went through last year with the baby and everything, you still don't get it, do you?" AJ coughed slightly so Xanda was aware of his presence. "Hey AJ." She whispered, patting the empty space next to her on the floor. "Just forget it. I don't want to get into it with you. Thank you for allowing me to move out here because now I'm away from you. Stop calling, stop writing unless it has something to do with the firm. Bye." Xanda clicked off her phone and banged the back of her head against the wall. "C'mon, let's go downstairs. Ignore all that crap he put you through for just a little bit." AJ stood up and held out his hand for Xanda. After she stood up AJ lifted up her chin to look into his eyes. Without realizing it, he pulled her to his body for a comforting hug. "C'mon!" Nick whined from downstairs. "We're comin'." Xanda stated. "I'm sure you are." Nick said causing Howie to throw a pillow at him.

The four friends continued to joke throughout the night until the sun started to rise. Xanda noticed that Howie had fallen asleep and Nick was close to it. "Movie?" She asked Nick while AJ was using the bathroom. "Sure. Watcha got?" Xanda walked over to a box in the corner and tossed a movie at him. "The Breakfast Club?" Nick questioned. "Sure!" Xanda replied. Nick looked her over before holding the movie out to Xanda. Ten minute into the movie Nick had fallen asleep. Xanda giggled as she walked upstairs to get Nick and Howie a blanket. She was standing on the second shelf of the linen closet trying to reach the blankets that were on top when she felt warm arms wrap around her waist. She stepped down and turned around to face AJ. "Get those down for me." She sweetly demanded. AJ pushed her aside and grabbed the blankets. "Damn!" He coughed when thick dust started to fall. "They've been in there for a year." She shrugged as she walked back downstairs. AJ followed her and watched quietly as she tossed them into the dryer, hoping to separate the dust from the blankets. "You're staring at me." She noted as she stood in front of the dryer with her arms folded across her chest, her back to AJ. "Sorry, you just drive me crazy." He blurted out. Xanda turned around unable to comprehend what he meant. "I don't know you but I want to. There's just something about you that makes my hair stand on end." Xanda walked closer to AJ and put a hand on each side of his face. "The feelings are likewise, trust me."