by LL Meyer
In the past couple days, I’ve told myself a few times that it can’t possibly get any better, that I’ve reached the maximum amount of pleasure that he can force my body to produce. Yet somehow, he’s still pushing me higher and higher. Maybe this time it was the tequila that magnified the incredible feeling of him feeding himself into me. Or maybe it was the angle. Or maybe I’ve become a crazy slut who apparently likes my ass slapped while being held down. But since I’m still drunk, I’ll leave the inner reflection for another day.
Dane went back downstairs right away, saying something about college kids drowning in his pool. This makes me giggle. He thinks I think he was joking, but I know him now. He’s such an adult. A real-life, level-headed, super-hot, orgasm-inducing adult.
I let myself float along on my cocktail of tequila and endorphins a little longer, enjoying the just-fucked feeling inside of me. The idea that I may fall asleep, leaving Dane alone to deal with my friends, finally gets me on my feet though.
My bikini bottoms are out of the question because my ass is red, so I pull on a pair of capri leggings and decide I have enough confidence to wear them with just my bikini top. Normally I would never walk around with my ass hanging out of anything, but with Dane and Jason here, I have nothing to worry about. I can attract all the attention I want.
I make a pit stop in the bathroom and bemoan the state of my braids. Unwinding my hair, I brush it out and put it up in a ponytail. I decide I like my new look – tanned and glowing. I sigh. Glowing on the outside, glowing on the inside.
I mosey my way back downstairs and outside. Everything is how I left it: loud and drunkenly obnoxious. But I’m done with that now. There’s only one person I’m interested in. My eyes search him out and I find him sitting in his spot beside Jason with a beer in his hand, watching me. He smiles and it sets my heart aflutter.
My progress toward my goal is interrupted by Bryant who has a real downer of an expression on his face.
“Hey,” I say. “You okay?”
He’s not that much taller than me, so his concerned expression is right in my face.
“I’m fine. The question is, are you?”
My eyes dart to where Dane is sitting. “I’m really good,” I say dreamily.
“Are you sure about that?”
His negative tone of voice grates on my nerves. “Why wouldn’t I be sure?”
“I saw them both disappear – together.” He says it like it has some kind of hidden meaning.
“So?”
“So they both went upstairs after you did.” When I don’t react, he adds, “At the same time.”
“What are you saying, Bryant? You think I let them both fuck me?”
The alcohol is making me brave, and my attitude surprises him.
“No!”
“Well, what, then?”
“Nothing, I guess,” he says slowly.
I start to walk away, but he calls me back.
“Hey, Lil. Don’t get too careless. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”
The meaning of his words eludes me without all my brain cells firing. Does he really think they’re both doing me and they’re hurting me? Or that they’re going to dump me? Or what? I don’t care. I just keep walking, though a bit of my high has been erased now. Jerk.
Arriving in front of them, I’ve got my hands on my hips.
“What’s wrong?” Jason asks. “Didn’t get what you needed inside?”
There’s innuendo slathered all over that. I glare at him. “Inside, I got exactly what I needed. It’s this outside stuff that’s no good. I need a drink.”
Dane snags my arm and pulls me onto his lap, snuggling me close. “I bet Jason will get it for you, won’t you, Jase?”
“I bet I’d do a lot more than just get her a drink,” he laughs. “What do you want, beautiful?”
I smile at him. He called me beautiful. “Tequila.”
“Yeah, that’s all gone. You’ll have to pick something else. Rum and coke?”
I tense right up. “No!” I say it with too much vehemence and Jason’s looking between me and Dane cautiously.
“Then, what would you like, my sweet Lily?” Dane asks soothingly enough to wash some of the disgust away. “How about a beer?”
“Kay,” I say, suddenly so tired; the sun, the tequila, and the stress of the day finally catching up with me. Taking a deep breath of Dane’s neck, I close my eyes for a moment.
When I open them again, I’m in bed with Dane sleeping peacefully beside me. I lift my head to look at the clock and get shot with a bullet of pain through my brain. 5:49 a.m. What?! I groan internally. I haven’t drunk that much since my very first month at school. And I passed out and left Dane to deal with my friends. Isn’t that on some kind of list of ways to lose a guy?
Telling myself I deserve the agony, I roll off the bed and go into the bathroom, where my stomach lurches. Do I need to puke? Ugh. I do.
After my stomach has stopped trying to turn itself inside out, I rest my head on the door of the vanity from my spot on the floor. But I feel much better now. My mind even considers the idea of coffee, and of course once that’s in my head, I can’t shake it.
Heaving myself off the floor, I pee, and then brush my teeth and my hair, pulling it back into a high pony. I’m still in my bikini top and leggings, so I quietly dig around in my stuff in the closet to find my hoodie without waking Dane.
Down the hall, I see Charmaine and Josh passed out in one of the spare rooms. That Dane and Jason would let them stay puts a bit of a bounce in my step as I head downstairs. My warm feelings are quickly obliterated, though, when I get to the kitchen. The sight almost makes me want to throw up again. Their pristine kitchen has been reduced to an obscene mess. The countertops are littered with crap, and beneath the blender is a disgusting, glutinous film of margarita mix, and my bare feet are sticking to the floor. The sink is overflowing with everything from napkins to plates to soda cans to half-eaten pieces of pizza. And the smell of stale beer from the bottles and cans littered all over the place is repulsive.
I start to work immediately. My worst fear is that the white countertops are porous enough for the mix to stain them. Thankfully the white stone proves tougher than it looks. In the end, it takes me over an hour of sorting, scrubbing, and loading the dishwasher to finally relax enough to make myself a cup of coffee.
The sun is shining, so I decide to take my cup outside into the early morning air. I stop short when I find the French doors are not even closed properly. Wow, I really must have missed some party. On the other side of the doors, I find more horror. Almost every surface of the wicker patio furniture on the porch is covered with pizza boxes and takeout containers, and again there are more beer bottles and high-ball glasses half-filled with old drinks.
But I’m going to need my coffee before I can do any more, so I sit in a lounge chair by the pool and let the caffeine and the sun recharge me. Before I’ve finished half my cup, I’m surprised to see Charmaine come out. I smile at her as she approaches.
She looks pretty hungover, but she manages to return my smile. “I saw you from the window,” she says, gesturing up at the house.
“How are you even awake yet?” I ask.
She laughs weakly as she sits on the chair next to my feet. “I can’t sleep in a strange bed.”
“Not even with Josh?”
“I guess not. So, hey, I wanted to tell you that I was sorry.”
I purse my lips. “Sorry for what? Tricking me into having a party at a guy-I-just-met’s house? A guy who I really like?”
She nods, chagrined. “It was Bryant’s idea. I guess none of us took it seriously. But this guy seems to be really into you.”
She says it like it’s a bit hard to fathom.
“And,” she continues with a smile, “he’s way good-looking.”
“I know,” I agree with a huge smile of my own.
“And this house is crazy, isn’t it?”
I nod. “He loves this house.
We have a lot in common that way.”
She tilts her head. “You like nice things?”
“No, silly. Architecture.” She has a blank look on her face, making me roll my eyes. “My major?”
“Yeah, I know that. But Jenna told me he didn’t go to college.”
“So? He flips houses for a living.”
“Come on,” she says condescendingly. “Working construction isn’t the same as being an architect.”
I laugh. “You think he has all this by ‘working construction’?” How have I never noticed what a bitch she is?
She shrugs it off. “Anyway, you should enjoy it while it lasts.”
The fight in me drains with her words. “Yeah, I guess. But he does seem to really like me,” I say in an attempt to convince us both that this isn’t all going to be gone soon. “He told me that he loves me.”
“Shut up!”
“I know. God, Char, and I’m totally in love with him, too.”
“Wait, did you tell him first?”
“I . . .” I think about it. “Maybe I did.”
She scoffs. “Guys will say anything to get you on your back.”
My heart sinks. “You don’t think he meant it? But I was already on my back.”
She giggles. “Slut.”
I bite my lip. “It’s true.”
“Is he good in bed?”
“Yes! I mean I only have Parker to compare him to, but he’s incredible.”
“Parker? You mean you haven’t slept with a single guy since eleventh grade? Why the hell not?”
My shoulders bunch in a nervous shrug. “I just never found anyone worth the effort.”
“You’re pretty pathetic, you know that?” she says with an eye roll. “So, are you going to be a bridesmaid?”
And with that, the conversation turns to her wedding. The irony of her accepting a brush-off answer is not lost on me. She’s never really tried to be a good friend to me, not since . . . well ever, I guess. I think back on how she ditched me in twelfth grade, and the memory makes me sigh sadly.
After listening to her prattle on about the wedding for a while, I ask her if she’s going to help me clean up. Then, like I knew she would, she’s suddenly making excuses. If you ever want to get rid of Charmaine, suggest cleaning something.
Jason finds me about an hour later, gathering beer bottles into a big garbage bag.
He looks a bit bleary-eyed as he gives me a questioning smile. “What are you doing?”
I look up at him, feeling hungover, tired, and a bit depressed. “I don’t want him to be mad at me.”
He raises his eyebrows. “You think he’d be mad at you for this . . .” He looks around. “Did you clean everything?”
“Except the pool,” I say dejectedly. “Do you know who threw the pizza in, so I can kill them?”
He laughs quietly. “Forget this, beautiful. Let’s go find Dane.”
“But he’s still sleeping.”
He scoffs as he holds out his hand to me. “That lush needs to get his ass out of bed.”
His hand is warm and reassuring around mine as I follow him back into the house. “Should we bring him some coffee?” I ask. “He’s pretty cranky without it.”
His lips twitch into a grin. “Good idea.”
While we’re waiting for the coffee to brew, Charmaine comes in with Glory. “Hey, Lil? We’re leaving now.”
“Okay,” I say coolly. I’m still pretty bummed about our conversation.
Glory looks at Jason adoringly. “Thanks for the party, Jase.”
Her use of his nickname turns my stomach.
“Yeah, sure,” he says with a bit of disdain.
She looks hurt. “You’ve got my number, right? Call me sometime?”
“Yeah, sure,” he says again, but it definitely sounds more like, yeah, right.
“Lil,” Charmaine says. “Don’t forget that I won’t be around much anymore.”
I nod. “Yeah, I know.”
“Have you decided if you’re going to give notice on the apartment or not?”
I shrug. “I still have a couple of weeks to decide.” I haven’t wanted to deal with the fact that since Charmaine is graduating, she’ll be moving out and that I have to either find a new roommate or a new place. Thank goodness our landlord lets us pay month to month instead of making us sign a lease.
“Okay, well, see you later.”
She grabs Glory’s arm and pulls her from the room.
“You want to show them out?” Jason asks.
“I’m sure they can find their way.”
He laughs. “Did something happen with your friends?”
I pull Dane’s coffee away from the machine and grab the sugar bowl. “Nah, I’m just mad about them showing up here, that’s all.”
Once Dane’s coffee is ready, we head toward the stairs. “Jason?”
“Yeah?”
“If I spill on the carpet, can we tell him that you did it?”
“Sure,” he says with a laugh. “I’m always willing to take one for the team.”
Dane is hauling his butt back from the bathroom when we go in. He flops himself down on the bed with a groan.
“How could you let me drink that much?” he grumbles at Jason.
“Hey, you’re always the responsible one. It’s good for you to let your hair down once in a while.”
Dane lifts his head and spies the coffee in my hand. “Oh, thank you,” he says as he crawls up the bed to the headboard. I pass him the cup and then sit cross-legged beside him.
“You’re welcome.”
“You owe her more than a thank you,” Jason says, sitting next to me. “She cleaned everything while we were sleeping.”
I shush him. “He hasn’t even taken his first sip yet.”
Dane swallows and then turns an accusing eye on me. “You didn’t, did you?”
“Everyone was sleeping. I did it to pass the time,” I improvise.
Jason laughs. “Well, that’s what happens when you pass out hours before everyone else.”
They razz me some more and then fill me in on what happened later. The big gossip turns out to be that Dane tossed Jenna’s boyfriend in the pool, who then insisted on leaving, but Jason wouldn’t let him drive so they had to take a cab. Their chatter lifts my mood and after an hour or so I’m lying between them drifting back to sleep, feeling more comfortable with two people than I ever have in my life.
I wake to the feel of Dane’s chest pressed up against my back, his arm wrapped possessively around me. But my nose is pressed up against something and my hands are twined around what feels like an arm. It turns out to be Jason’s bicep and my nose and forehead are pushed into his shoulder. I’m warm and content and I refuse to move or examine what exactly I’m doing.
Drifting in and out of sleep, I finally come-to completely when Jason detaches me from his arm to get up. He goes into the bathroom and Dane stirs with the noise.
“What time is it?” he mumbles into my hair.
“Almost eleven.”
“You hungry? It’s Sunday, let’s go for breakfast.”
He passes Jason on the way to the bathroom. “You coming for breakfast?”
“Yeah,” he grumbles, heading for the door.
While Dane’s in the shower, I scrounge through my clothes to find something to wear, but it’s officially all dirty. After my shower, I’m reduced to wearing my shorts and T-shirt from yesterday. But as I’m blow-drying my hair, I console myself with the fact that I only wore them for a couple of hours.
Dane comes into the bathroom, still looking pretty green around the gills, and watches me put my mascara on.
“You okay?” I ask him with a smile.
He heaves a dramatic sigh. “I won’t die if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Good to know.”
“Are you ready to go?”
“Yeah.”
Jason takes Jenna’s car, and we follow him in the Audi. Soon we’re near home-home and my already
hungover body is assaulted with a dose of unwanted negativity. It’s not that this neighborhood holds bad memories for me, it’s . . . okay, I’m lying. The truth is I hate being here, which is ironic considering Jason and I grew up in suburban paradise. Too bad this paradise dredges up shit that I’d rather not think about. I wonder what Lily thinks of the mature trees lining the streets, the immaculate lawns, and the borderline mansion-sized houses. I’m pretty sure she didn’t grow up surrounded by so much privilege.
Jason pulls into the driveway and we park on the street and wait as he goes in the house.
“Jenna lives here?” she asks curiously.
I guess it doesn’t strike her as a place where a twenty-two-year-old college student would live.
“Yup. So did Jase and I. That was his house,” I say, pointing to the right where we’re parked. “And that was mine.” I swing my hand to the other side.
She smiles at me. “When you were little?”
“Yeah.” I smile back. Those are better memories.
She leans forward to look at my parents’ house. To tell the truth, it looks a lot like Jason’s parents’ house; like every house in this neighborhood.
“Did you go to elementary school somewhere here? I bet both of you were so cute.”
I snort. “More like shit disturbers.”
She laughs. “I bet. Did you meet in kindergarten?”
I shake my head. “I lived here all my life, and Jason moved in when we were two or something. We’ve been together ever since.”
A cocky look of amusement flashes on her face. “You’re like an old, married couple.”
My scowling at her is interrupted when I spot Sandy coming across the lawn and I’m forced to swallow down a further measure of aversion. Sighing, I push the key forward to open the passenger side window. “I’m going to apologize in advance for this, Lil.”
Lily follows my gaze and watches Sandy approach. Whenever I see Jason’s mom, I’m always struck by how much both of her children take after her. Somehow, Paul just ended up as a sperm donor, because the kids’ facial features are all their mother’s; Jason even got her blue eyes and blond hair.
“Oh, you must be Lily,” she says with a broad smile when she reaches the car. She looks like she was about to leave for the gym.
