by M. M. Koenig
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Life of the Party
“Hey …”
I nearly had a heart attack after hearing Ethan’s voice. I steadied my breathing before peering his way. He was resting his elbows on the edge of the window, holding two red cups. He offered one to me and I eagerly downed half of it. He crinkled his brow in disapproval and took a much smaller sip of his own.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you. I was hoping you’d come inside soon.”
I finished the cup and shivered as the burn ran through me. “Sorry, I was just thinking. I’m ready for the grand tour now.”
Ethan opened the door for me and took my hand to escort me out. He kept a firm grip on our way into the house. When he opened the large oak door, I tripped into him. The entryway was spectacular, but that wasn’t what made my steps falter. There were so many people inside that it looked like a multi-block frat party. My eyes widened as the color left my face. His fingers gently caressed my cheeks to break my daze.
Ethan’s lips twitched before he said, “Ziggy started the party early. It’s a bit of a mini-reunion.”
“I see. How do you—” I cut off. Ethan raised an expectant eyebrow. I swallowed against the dryness in my mouth and continued, “I’m not going to lie so I’ll be honest about two things. First, I’m scared of what I should even say to you.”
His lips crashed into my mouth. I gasped and parted it quickly. His tongue flicked across the roof of my mouth before coming back to graze along my teeth. He nipped at my bottom lip before he pulled away, holding my cheeks firmly. His deep brown eyes sucked me in. The intensity behind them scorched my soul as deeply as they had the very first time I laid eyes on him. My body drank in every part of the love he exuded. It was like a drug for my very conflicted soul.
“Speak your mind. You infuriate me with your mouth, but it’s good.” Ethan paused when I raised an eyebrow. “Please don’t go back to having your guard up. I don’t want to go backwards,” he finished, with desperation in his tone.
I rested a hand on his cheek. “How do you afford stuff like this? Seriously, this is way over-the-top. I’m not asking to see the bottom line of your checking, but I’m not stupid either. I know you had to have spent thousands of dollars on this trip,” I stated before biting my bottom lip.
Ethan’s eyes flickered around the room until they returned to me. “The lifestyle I live and the ventures I’m invested in are from my own money that’s separate from my dad’s company, including what I’ve made legitimately,” he declared warily.
I blinked, shaking my head back and forth in utter shock.
Is he a fricken Rockefeller? What the hell?
“My mom’s family is well-off. It may not seem that way, but that’s how Yaya has always preferred it. It’s also how I want to live my life. When my mom died, I inherited a significant trust from her, and the same when Pop Pop died. Yaya encourages me to invest and spend the money on things that make me happy – within reason, of course.”
“I hope you know I don’t care about the money. I don’t expect any of the grandeur you’ve shown on this trip. I just want you,” I said, smiling shyly.
“Mia, you have me, and I know you don’t expect it. I do it because I want to. Are you ready for that tour?” Ethan asked.
Still speechless, I nodded. I was in complete shock, but then again, this was Ethan. He had been a mystery since day one. I could spend a lifetime with him and still not fully understand him. If he kept me around long enough, I was going to give figuring him out my best shot.
“Good. I think you’re going to love it. Most of these people will trickle out by the end of the night. The only people staying here for the weekend will be my friends and yours,” Ethan clarified on our way towards a red stone staircase leading to the second floor. As we marched upstairs, he bent down and said seductively, “I’d like to show you the master bedroom first. We need a moment to forget about earlier today before we hit this party.”
“Sounds perfect,” I answered, speeding up my pace.
Amazingly, we didn’t disappear for too long. Ethan took me on the tour as promised. There were six bedrooms and six bathrooms in the house. As we made our way through, we stopped off in a fully-equipped gym. We moved on to a full-size media room that contained its own theater, with tiered seating and a popcorn stand. After each of the area of the house, I kept thinking it had to taper off at some point, but it didn’t.
By the time Ethan took me outside, I was ready for another drink. The property spread on for miles, so there was an outdoor basketball court with a tennis court horizontal to it. The entire backyard overlooked the lake, with its own private beach and a landing that housed three speedboats and six jet skis. A mystical teal pool sat above it with a Jacuzzi angled towards the lake and mountains in all their glory.
Ethan satisfied my need for alcohol by taking us back to the kitchen. I stayed near the four-paned windows that looked out to the desert while he shuffled over to the island to refill our drinks. I hadn’t seen any of my friends since we disappeared upstairs. I wasn’t sure about the size of this party. I never stuck around long enough at our own parties to know the amount of people that came to them. If they were anything like this, then we were more popular than I thought.
Ethan sauntered over to me with Dom, Reece, Wade, Eli, and Kane, along with three other men. With what appeared to be his entourage around me, I had little to say about anything. The way they were all staring at me heightened my anxiety. Ethan had a full cup in his hand. I grabbed it and swallowed it in one gulp.
“Damn dude. Your girl sure can throw them back!” Wade exclaimed.
Ethan smiled adoringly at me as he ran his fingers along my blazing cheekbones. “Yes, she certainly can. I’d like to introduce my girlfriend to the rest of you,” Ethan said, pointing out the new faces. “Mia, this is Ziggy, Tristan, and Wyatt.”
“It’s nice to meet you all,” I said quickly.
I was a tad overwhelmed when they continued to stare at me with their mouths open. I gave myself a quick once-over to try and figure out why they were still gaping. I had changed into my bikini and covered it with a pair of ripped jean-shorts and a burnout tank top in pink. Everything was covered, so their expressions baffled me.
Seriously! What the hell? Why do they keep staring at me?
Ziggy shook my hand with a welcoming grin. His dark skin was flawless, with his hair buzzed halfway leaving a slight Afro. He had a flashy bandana to keep his hair out of his brown eyes. His chiseled face had scruff lining his upper lip and along his chin that spread to his ears. Tattoos covered his chest along to his arms, and his white and purple trunks hung lazily on his hips. His eyes playfully ran along my body before he released my hand and whispered something to Ethan, who shoved Ziggy away from me without warning. Ziggy patted his chest innocently as he strutted backwards.
Ethan continued to scowl at Ziggy as Tristan brought me in for a hug. He had dark skin too, but not nearly as dark as Ziggy. His black hair spiked out in every direction. His body was identical to Shane’s. The only difference was that his came with the same tattoo package as the rest of Ethan’s friends. He released me with a wide smile.
I turned to face Wyatt. He eyed me carefully before taking my hand. He squeezed it firmly before releasing it. His dark brown hair complimented his lean face. He was skinnier than the rest of the guys, but toned nonetheless. His face had stubble on it that matched Ziggy’s. Making the entourage complete, he probably had more tattoos than any of them. He glanced between Ethan and me before giving me a thin smile.
In their own ways, they had given Ethan their opinion of me. I stumbled into Ethan’s arms. The last twenty minutes had left me more than dazed. Ethan rubbed my shoulders before giving me a brief kiss. He cocked his head to the side with a playful look on his face. My eyes begged him to say something.
“I never did get you that drink, did I? Let’s go take care of that now. We have all weekend for you to get tired of these
guys,” Ethan said, shuffling us towards the kitchen.
“I might need two at this point,” I hissed.
Ethan motioned to the bottles that covered every inch of the island and counters. I found the vodka and a bottle of tonic. I did half-and-half and drank it down in a few gulps, only to refill my cup just as quick. Ethan stared at me, clearly stunned. I shrugged on my way out of the kitchen. I wanted to find my friends. He followed behind me in silence for a few steps before pinching my ass as we strode through the crowds of people.
“I can tell you’re nervous. Don’t be. It’s just new for them to see me with someone. If you keep powering down drinks, we’re going to be back upstairs very soon,” Ethan growled.
“I’m fine. I’m going to check out the party. I’ll meet you out by the pool in a little bit,” I reassured, facing him. My focus shifted when I spotted Jackson and Shane in the living room.
“Try to have fun,” Ethan requested, flashing a panty-dropping smile.
I gave him a playful shove and made my way towards my boys. Shane excused himself from the group of girls that were hanging on his every word to meet me in the middle of the room. He crinkled his brow while running a hand through his goatee.
“Some party. It makes the ones that we throw seem like amateur hour,” Shane joked.
I laughed before taking a long drink. “I was wondering if ours held a candle to something this huge. It’s amazing Ethan knows all these people.”
Shane caught my edginess and wheeled me around towards the kitchen. He grabbed some gin and soda to fill up his glass. Trey and Bri were chatting with a group of people at the edge of the kitchen when they saw us. They made their way over to replenish their cups. Bri seemed to have made the point that she wasn’t drinking tonight, because no one said a word when she went for soda. Shane nudged Trey to grab the gin as he picked up a full bottle of Sprite. He cocked his head towards the patio door.
We weaved our way through the random people to get outside. Shane led us to the basketball court and smirked before lying down in the center of it. He propped himself on his elbows and took a long drink as the rest of us joined him. We sat in a semi-circle and laid flat on our backs, staring at the endless amount of stars shining as bright as the sun on a cloud-free day. The frustration and worry began to recede as I took comfort in having my friends here with me. I got lost in the sky. Anything felt possible when you released yourself to that kind of enormity. For the first time in over a year, I wished upon a star, with every part of my heart wanting it to come true.
The four of us reminisced about our high school days together until we ran out of booze. We got up to rejoin the insanity of the party. As we neared the pool, I spotted Jackson, with a girl under each arm. He gave me an exaggerated wink that made me laugh. I looked around for Ethan but didn’t see him. I settled myself at the edge of the pool. Bri sat down next to me while Trey and Shane wandered off to refill our drinks. I rested my head against her shoulder. The drinks were slowly starting to catch up with me, along with everything else.
“How are you doing hun?” Bri asked, clearly worried.
“I’m alright. It’s been several days of intense discussion. Ethan’s still a mystery to me. Every time I feel like I’m getting closer, I get another answer that ends up leaving my head spinning. I love him like I’ve never loved before, but a lot of the things he has shared scare the shit out of me,” I confessed.
“What freaks you out the most?”
“Ethan’s life is dangerous. I’m caught up in it now. Being with him could cause even more hurt to the people I love.”
“I know you worry for us, but you have to trust that we’ll be able to handle ourselves. Somewhere along the line you’re going to have to believe that Mia,” Bri pointed out.
I exhaled heavily and revealed, “If Ethan goes through with what he has planned, it could bring hell down on him. He might not be concerned about it, but I sure am.”
“Have you talked to him about it?”
“No. He knows I’m worried, and tries to reassure me, but it’s impossible not to be concerned.”
Bri draped her arm around me. “Don’t shut us out. If you’re scared, talk about it.”
Shane and Trey returned with our drinks. They plopped down next to us and snickered as they eyed Jackson. I took a big drink of the cup Trey handed me and nearly spit it out.
Shit, that’s horrible. I have no doubt Shane mixed this drink. Trey knows better.
I glanced over at Shane, giving him a pointed look to fill me in. He laughed before taking a swig from his cup. Trey leaned over from the other side of Bri with a smug smirk. Her eyes darted between the two of them as she shook her head in disapproval. I patiently waited for one of them to speak up, because clearly they were up to no good.
“You’re so damn arrogant about your tolerance level that we thought we’d put it to the test,” Shane sniggered.
Trey started laughing so hard that Bri smacked him across the abs to shut him up. He glanced at me and said, “I overheard Ethan hounding you to have some fun. We decided to help the dude out.”
Bri sat up in alarm. Trey gave her a sheepish look as his teeth grazed his lip. She glared daggers at him to get on with it. His neck flushed while his eyes flicked from Shane to me.
“We put a little coke in there with three-fourths Bacardi 151,” Trey clarified.
Bri decked them across the back of their heads. There was no sense in freaking out about it. I’d already drank half. I put the cup behind me and gave them a nonchalant shrug. Shane nodded his head towards Jackson. Trey gave Shane an approving nod. By the looks of it, I wasn’t going to be their only victim tonight. They tossed their shirts behind them. As Trey ditched his shirt and hopped into the pool, Bri stood no chance at maintaining her frustration with him. Her eyes ogled his body shamelessly. He parted her legs and rested between them as his hands traveled up the outside of her thighs. To my surprise, Bri moaned rather loudly. Shane and I burst out laughing. Bri blushed fiercely and leaned into Trey for a quick kiss before pushing him away. Shane took a bow in our direction before doing a sideways flip towards deeper water.
Jackson had his ladies in the center of the pool. He was going between both girls with his tongue down their throats. The sad part was that neither one seemed to mind. I turned to Bri and pointed towards Jackson. She rolled her eyes for a second before pausing to take a better look. Her eyes widened and she began to laugh. I looked over and had the same reaction. Shane had slipped behind Jackson and taken his trunks from behind. He swam the length of the pool underwater and popped up in the shallow end, taunting Jackson even more by twirling the trunks around his finger.
“Give them back, you asshole,” Jackson yelled.
The chicks he was with didn’t seem to mind his nude body. Of course, he was unabashed and didn’t bother to cover himself. It was obvious the girls had no trouble turning him on. We fell into a fit of giggles as we watched our boys banter with each other. My body started to feel lighter as everything became more hilarious while I watched all the shenanigans in the pool. The party was more than buzzing and the music was phenomenal. Ziggy shocked us when he slid in next to me and Wade did the same on the other side of Bri. Ziggy ran his eyes along mine, and then Bri’s bodies. Wade did the same. I laughed and shook my head. These two were going to be fun.
“There you are Mia. Are you going to introduce us to your gorgeous friend or do we have to continue drooling over her?” Ziggy asked charmingly.
“This is my best friend Bri. My very spoken for best friend, by that guy, who’s a good friend too,” I answered, pointing to Trey, who was watching us intently.
“Mia’s right, I’m taken, but it’s very nice to meet you. Did Ethan fly you in too?” Bri asked before shaking Ziggy’s hand.
“Yeah. I live in Vegas, but Ethan insisted on flying me down here. Sin City is fun, but I can get in just as much trouble with these guys as I do there,” Ziggy answered with cocky grin.
Wade leaned
across us and gave Ziggy a fist pump. Their camaraderie was evident. This weekend was as big of a deal to them as it was to Ethan.
“I’m glad it worked out. Ethan seems more than thrilled to see everyone. I like seeing him this happy,” I said, trying not to slur my words.
Ziggy smirked. “Where’s your drink, girl? You were downing them like no one’s business earlier, but now your hand is empty. Don’t make us feel like shitty hosts by telling us that no one got you a refill.”
“It’s around here somewhere,” I chuckled, glancing around me. Bri shook her head and reached behind me to grab my cup. She held it away from me with a taunting smile. I rolled my eyes before snatching it from her. I tossed back the remainder of it and put the cup upside down next to Ziggy. “Now you are bad hosts, because it’s empty again,” I snickered.
“What was that? You don’t seem too particular tonight,” Wade remarked.
“Ah … err … this last one was coke and some 151,” I replied, licking my burning lips.
“Shit. I think you need to work off some of that alcohol,” Ziggy said mischievously.
I wasn’t sure what he meant. I glanced at Bri for some insight. Looking between the two of them, she seemed as confused as I was. Ziggy and Wade exchanged knowing smiles before pushing us into the pool. I kicked off from the bottom to find the surface. The water was warm but it shocked my system. I grabbed the ledge to catch my breath. Bri shot up beside me with a wide grin. She removed her wet clothes. I did the same. Ziggy and Wade were behind us in a fit of hysterics. Their little stunt had put quite a few eyes on us. Trey swam over to sweep Bri up in his arms for a long kiss, marking his territory. Ziggy clapped his hand on Wade’s back while whispering into his ear with a sly grin. Wade nodded with a shit-eating smile of his own before snatching a girl.
“It’s time for a chicken fight,” Ziggy shouted, grabbing me around the waist.
“Fuck yeah. You boys are going down,” Trey shouted, wasting no time in hoisting Bri up onto his shoulders.