“I don’t know, peanut butter. Are we, like?” The smirk I’d been holding back finally surfaced.
“Come on.” Reese slid a couple fingers down the front of my jeans and started pulling me. “It was nice to see you guys.” She smiled back at Mel and Brittany as if it was normal to lead me around by my crotch. Actually, it was.
“Did they really just pretend they were together to show us up?” I asked once we were inside.
“Does it matter?” Reese was back to hating me. “That’s what we were doing.”
“No. I just didn’t want to talk to Mel and it got out of hand.” My excuse was lame, but they really did seem more pathetic than us for some reason.
“Right. Whatever.” Reese began to stride away from me.
“You should be thanking me.”
She stopped dead. “Why?”
“Because right now Mel is the loser and you got the one thing she never could.” That sounded conceited and arrogant. It was.
“Please tell me you’re not referring to yourself.” She waited for me to deny it. “Oh, God. You’re serious.” The guys walked up in time to hear the last part.
“Nice show, you guys,” Derek commented. “Mel must be dying right now.”
“Why?” Reese demanded.
“’Cause she always wanted Coop,” Derek said like it was common knowledge. “But after you and Mel broke up, Coop never spoke to her again.”
“Well, they spoke plenty under the bleachers.”
“Shut up, you guys.” I said. “And, by the way, someone could have told me that Melanie Hendricks was Mel Tricks.”
“You didn’t know?” Ryan was looking at me like I was crazy.
“Cooper doesn’t pay attention to names,” Reese shot at me.
“Would you two please shut up?” Derek asked. “Let’s just go in the theater and watch the movie.” They took our silence for affirmation.
*
Below us, the revelers covered the backyard in a swaying mass of eveningwear. It felt like we were adults instead of just playing at it. Even so, the scotch in our heavy glasses and the suits couldn’t change us. We were children drinking and dancing, filled with that feeling like life is real and heavy and amazing when in reality we were horny and stupid and enjoying every second of it.
Music reverberated up so that it seemed like the house was shaking, not just the bone and muscle housed in my chest. Ryan turned to me, lifted his glass to his lips, and smiled.
“Pretty happy with yourself aren’t you?” I said.
“Fuck yeah.” Ryan lowered his glass to the railing of the balcony. “Why does booze always taste better when it’s stolen from Christopher?”
I sipped mine and thought a second. “The sweet taste of revenge?” I mustered every bit of cheesiness I could.
“Yeah, that’s probably it.” He laughed. “You seen Reese yet?”
“No, why?”
“I almost locked her in her room when I saw the dress she was going to wear.”
“Slutty?” A girl could dream. “Skimpy? Sexy?”
“All of the above. Well, maybe not slutty.” Ryan appeared mildly concerned. “I hate when people check her out. She is my sister, you know?”
“I’m pretty sure she can take care of herself.”
“So I can’t be protective?”
“Yeah, I guess,” I said. Seeing my sister talk to teenage boys drove me up the wall, probably because I knew what they were thinking.
My attention turned back to the crowd beneath us. The makeshift dance floor took up most of the space not occupied by the pool.
“I think I’m going to join the masses,” Ryan said.
“Have fun.” We saluted each other with our glasses and he let himself inside. It was rather boring on the balcony alone so I trailed after him. Austin found me on the stairs and immediately dragged me outside to dance with him.
“You’re looking very dashing.” He had to shout to be heard over the music.
“Thanks.” I glanced down at the pale gray suit and dark blue shirt I was wearing. I was looking pretty dashing. “You ain’t so bad either.” Austin was his usual immaculate, gorgeous self in a very fashionable, but not overly trendy suit.
I didn’t mind dancing with Austin even though I hated dancing with girls. It was too distracting with chicks. After five minutes tops, I would want to fuck the girl, and that lacked certain decorum.
“Have you checked out Reese?” Austin unknowingly mimicked Ryan.
“No. Is she totally smokin’?” Reese had to be.
“Even you won’t be able to resist her.” He grinned like he knew too much. I cupped his elbow and led him into the house.
“Why are you smiling?” I asked once we were out of the fray.
“I’m not.”
“Oh, yes, you are.”
“Very sensitive tonight, sweetness,” he said.
“Austin.” I had to focus. “What are you thinking in that twisted mind of yours?”
“You need to get laid.” That smile was back. Instead of explaining further, he sauntered off.
*
“Down here.” I led the girl down a hallway on the forbidden side of the house.
“I thought we couldn’t go down here.” She didn’t seem too concerned. What was her name? Kristy? Katie? Something like that.
“Don’t worry about it.” I opened the door to Christopher’s office. It fit him perfectly. It was dark wood and leather and totally lacking imagination, a designer’s idea of masculinity that fell short. The desk was perpendicular to expansive windows, and behind it stood the now virtually empty liquor cabinet. Surprise, surprise, there were no bookcases. Christopher wasn’t the type to read.
I tossed my jacket in the direction of the desk. She started kissing me. All tongue. No lips. Not great. So I backed her up until we landed on a previously unused and perpetually uncomfortable couch. I already had her dress up around her waist and her almost sexy panties hanging off one ankle. The leather of the couch creaked as I slid to the floor. My ears were filled with the deafening rustle of her skirt as it was dropped over my head. It allowed me to forget the unlocked door and the hardwood beneath my knees because there was only that sound and the feel of soft thighs encasing my head, the smell of teasing girl, and smooth anticipation.
With the first touch of my tongue, she shifted forward. Her hand settled on my head urging me further with light pressure. I circled, teased, brought her to the edge and away again without thought. This was what I did and I did it well. In my cocoon of fabric, I couldn’t hear her so I was guided by the twitch of her muscles as she neared release. Juice dripped down my chin slowly, exquisitely.
Suddenly, I was yanked back and to my feet. The rush was gone, replaced by a second of fear, then anger. A boy, or maybe a man, stood before me. The jacket he was wearing was slightly loose on his frame, like it was made for someone else. His tie was terrible. It was tied too short making the knot fat and exposing the lower buttons of his shirt. His breathing was laborious to match mine, but without the benefits.
With the back of my hand, I wiped off my face. My lips and chin were drying already. Experimentally, I opened my mouth, moved my jaw a bit. He watched this display with revulsion.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he asked.
“You want me to give you some pointers?” My manufactured confusion was lost on him.
“Baby, leave her alone,” the girl on the couch protested. Her dress was pushed back down, but one of her heels, a small purse, and her used underwear were still scattered across the floor.
“Don’t fuckin’ talk to me.” The boy didn’t even look at her. “I asked you a question, bitch.” He punctuated this with a shot to my shoulder.
I stepped back to absorb the blow and remained silent. I didn’t have to answer to this punk.
“What? You can fuck my girlfriend but you can’t talk?” Uh-oh.
“I didn’t hear her complaining.” It was the truth. I wasn’t responsible for
their issues.
“You assaulted her.” His shouting sounded crazy in comparison to my even tone.
“Don’t give me that shit. I didn’t assault anyone.” There was serious effort involved in ignoring his bait. I’d still throw down though if that was what he was looking for.
“She’s not a dyke.” He didn’t need to add the “like you are.”
“That’s not really for me to judge.”
“I said she’s not a fuckin’ dyke.” He stepped up so our chests were almost, but not quite touching. As if proximity would change my opinion of his girlfriend.
“Back up, kiddo, or I’m gonna drop you like a bad habit.” To facilitate him, I planted my hands on his chest and pushed back. The desk stopped him from falling.
The door next to us opened and I made a mistake. Instead of watching the guy in front of me, I stared at the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. Ryan and Austin were right about the dress. There was a splash of deep blue over golden brown skin and then there was a fist connecting with my stomach.
I indulged myself with enough time to fill my lungs before I punched the fucker back. In an instant, Carson was hauling him backward and Reese was in front of me. She was pretending to stop me, but she didn’t have to try hard.
“Hey, stop it,” Carson said. “Everybody cool down, all right?”
“Yeah, fine.” I wasn’t even that heated up. Just annoyed.
“Whatever. Let me go.” The boyfriend shrugged Carson off.
“All right. I think it’s time for you to go,” Reese told the guy. She kept a cursory hand on my shoulder as she turned to look at him.
“That bitch attacked my girlfriend,” he protested loudly.
“No, she didn’t, baby,” the girl finally spoke up.
“Listen to your girlfriend,” I advised him a little unnecessarily.
He moved too fast for anyone to stop him. He tackled me and we slammed into the wall. Actually, I slammed into the wall. Behind me, I felt the drywall give way. The girlfriend screamed. Carson picked the kid up unceremoniously and dragged him out of the office. The girlfriend watched them go looking all distraught and shit.
“Fuck, Coop. Are you okay?” Reese rushed over and pulled me up.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.” But she wasn’t even looking at me, just staring at the wall. It was going to be a bitch to fix that. I turned to check out the hole. It was six inches wide at least, but instead of the dark hole with wood beams that I was expecting, I saw the glint of gold.
Chapter Nine
“Get her out of here, Reese.” I stepped in front of the hole so the girl couldn’t see.
“Yeah, okay.” Reese’s face was a mixture of confusion and slow comprehension. The girl looked even more baffled as Reese led her out of the office and hopefully out of the house. I locked the door behind them and started pacing, looking everywhere except that hole. There was no way. I just imagined it. When there was a subtle knock at the door, I jumped.
“Who, uh…” What followed who? “Who is it?” I asked.
“It’s me.” Reese.
“Are you alone?”
“Yeah, of course.” I could feel her glaring though the heavy wood.
It took me a minute to unlock the door and open it. The second Reese was in, I locked it again. We stared at each other, both waiting for the other to look at the wall.
“Are you okay?” Reese cautiously turned me around and brushed off my shirt. Anything for a distraction.
“My shoulder is kind of sore.”
“Unbutton your shirt.” Her heels clicked on the floor as she walked to the windows and pulled the curtains closed. Without the bright lights set up outside, the room was nearly dark. Only a small lamp on the desk afforded any light. Clumsily, I started unbuttoning. Reese pulled the shirt from my pants and finished opening it. Meticulously, she pulled it off my shoulders and pushed aside the ribbed tank top I was wearing to examine my back.
“I’m sure it’s fine, Reese.”
“You’re going to bruise.” Her fingertips traced over my skin. I could feel goose bumps raise on my back and arms. “Why did you let him hit you?”
“I didn’t expect the tackle.”
Reese pulled my tank top back into place. “Maybe, but you should have expected the first hit. The one we walked in on.”
“What were you doing here anyway?” I took the shirt she handed me and slowly put it on.
“We were getting more alcohol.” With a twitch of her wrist, she pointed at the liquor cabinet. “Why did you let him hit you?” She was relentless.
“I didn’t let him.” I unbuttoned my pants to tuck my shirt back in. Reese wasn’t looking at my face anymore. Her gaze was lower. Much lower. “I just got…distracted.”
“Oh,” was all she said.
“Should we?” I waited for her to say it.
“Look at the wall?”
“Yeah. There’s no way.”
“Right, yeah. It’s probably some electrical unit or something.” Reese could always be counted on for logic.
“Or something. Yeah.” My stunning intellect shone through.
We slowly turned and looked. It was so not an electrical unit. I pulled away some of the drywall. Reese reached in and, with a loud clunk, extracted a gold bar.
*
Ryan was sprawled in an armchair. Reese and I were on the couch. We all had big mugs of coffee to compensate for the fact that it was six in the morning and we hadn’t slept.
“Did you guys have a good time?” Ryan pulled his St. Christopher necklace out of his shirt and slid it back and forth on the chain.
“Uh huh.” I blinked through gritty eyes. Sleep wasn’t in my near future.
“Yeah.” Reese’s long eyelashes drooped.
“You both seem kind of out of it.” He was way too observant. Reese shot me a look and I nodded toward the stairs. We couldn’t talk there. At least five other people were asleep in the rooms surrounding us.
“Come here, Ryan. We want to show you something.” I stood and started for the stairs. It didn’t take the twins long to follow me.
“What’s up? Where are you taking me?”
“Just wait,” Reese said. At the door of Christopher’s office, she handed me the key. Where she’d been keeping it in that dress, I’d never know.
“Guys, this is a little weird. Is this about the fight last night?” Ryan slouched against the doorframe while I unlocked and pushed open the door. We filed in and Reese locked the door again.
“Whoa. Hole in the wall,” Ryan remarked casually. “Guess we’ll have to patch—” He walked closer, examined it, then turned back to us. “You’re fucking with me.”
“I found your money.” It was supposed to be funny. It wasn’t, just weak.
“We wanted to tell you last night, but we thought it was best to keep it on the down low,” Reese offered in explanation.
Ryan slumped to the couch. “How much is in there?”
“We don’t know.” Reese perched on the arm of the couch next to him.
“What are we going to do?” Ryan knew we didn’t have any answers.
“No idea.” I was just along for the ride.
“Who else knows?” He was straight up shocked, but at least he was thinking.
“The girl I was with might.”
“Kristin,” Reese supplied. At least someone caught her name.
“Let me guess.” Ryan looked at me half proud and half annoyed. “Her boyfriend isn’t too happy.”
“She didn’t tell me she had a boyfriend.” That sounded pathetic.
“Any chance she’ll tell him and he’ll want to teach us an expensive lesson?” He really tried to not sound like an asshole.
“I think you’re giving the girls Cooper hooks up with way too much credit,” Reese said.
“Fuck, Ryan.” I ignored Reese. “I don’t think she even saw, but I don’t know, okay? How about being happy I found your money?” They just glared. “Right. What’s the plan?”
“Let’s see how much is in there,” I said. “Make sure it’s worth it.”
They seemed to think that was a good idea. Ryan went to get a couple hammers from the garage. Then we started to pull the drywall down. Reese said it made her hands hurt. I didn’t see how that was possible. All you had to do was put the hammer in the wall and pull. It was messy as hell.
“There better be a lot in there. ’Cause I am so not cleaning this up.” I wasn’t too worried. We’d already removed quite a few feet from the wall and more gold was still visible.
“We’re doing all the work. If it needs to be put back, Princess Reese can do it.”
Reese looked up at the sound of her name. The midnight blue dress she was wearing was pristine. Ryan and I were head to toe white powder.
“Maybe you should have changed clothes,” she said.
“Fuck you.” Maybe I was a little cranky.
“Okay, I think we can start pulling the bars out,” Ryan said to shut us up.
“All right.” I set my hammer down. Ryan started handing me bars one at a time so I could stack them on the desk. “These are fuckin’ heavy.”
“Don’t you watch movies? Of course they’re fuckin’ heavy.” Reese picked one up off the desk. “Oh my God. How much do they weigh?”
“Why don’t you do some research, princess?” I leaned over and turned the computer in front of her on.
After all of the bars were out of the wall, Ryan and I started counting them. Reese was super helpful. She kept updating us while we counted.
“What’s a troy ounce? How do you convert that to pounds? I think this website has today’s gold prices. Why is it listed for New York and London? I don’t see how the price in Singapore is going to help me.”
“Reese, would you please just shut up?” I asked after I lost count at twenty again.
“Ryan, she’s being mean.”
“Reese, I love you,” Ryan said. “But if you don’t shut up I might kill you.”
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