by Adam Kunz
“Have you guys been smoking?” he asks and then his focus returns to Nia. “You’re driving us.”
“Shh,” Emma, Nia, and I all try to quiet him.
“I’m clean, Tee. I’m playing the part of DD tonight,” she states. “Emma and Laney, on the other hand, may or may not be flying on a magical rainbow carpet as we speak.”
“Jealous,” Colton murmurs under his breath.
Out of my peripheral vision, I notice a beer being slid in front of me. Looking over, I’m met by Jared’s striking emerald eyes. Even through my haze, those beauties are like a beacon of light through a thick fog, they’re so bright.
“Thought you might want one,” he says while nudging the beer closer to me. “I took a gamble and got you one of those Sugar Plum beers. Hope you like it.”
“Sounds good, thanks,” I reply, trying to keep a straight face.
“No problem,” he says with a tip of his glass before backing away.
“Are you not going to follow him?” Emma probes with an eyebrow quirked.
“Huh?”
“That was an open invitation if I ever saw one,” Nia interjects.
“An open invitation? To follow him to the pool table?” I ask.
“Uh, did you see him bring any of us a beer?” Nia asks.
Tee chuckles. “I don’t know about you all, but I’m actually a little hurt he didn’t bring me one.”
“Well that just means you can fetch us all drinks, babe,” Nia teases with a poke to his side. He rolls his eyes and asks to slip by so he can head to the bar.
As I get up from my seat to let Tee through, I have to grab the edge of the table to balance myself. “Shit, Emma, what was in that pot?” I ask, feeling the buzz even more after downing some beer.
“You’d have to ask Noah. It’s his stuff, but he never buys tainted weed,” she assures me.
From the billiards room, I hear Jared call my name. Nia and Emma nod their heads in that direction with wide eyes while Colton seems preoccupied on his cell, probably messaging Trevor back and forth.
“Told you so,” the two of them say together.
I laugh. “I know I’ve said this before, but the fact that you guys can say things almost at the same time, kind of freaks me out.”
Nia places her hand on my arm and moves closer like she has a secret to tell me.
“Yeah, Nia?”
“Remember ... clay orgasm scene,” she murmurs.
“Seriously?”
“As a heart attack,” she replies with a smirk. “Oh, and here.” Nia pulls out a tiny pink glass bottle and sprays two spurts around my neck area. It smells very flowery and causes me to gag a little. “Hey, it’s better than smelling like you currently do.”
“Uh-huh,” I cough out.
“Now get going. You don’t want to keep his pool stick and balls waiting too long,” she says, and then hands me a piece of cinnamon gum.
“Good idea,” I reply, snatching up the gum before popping it into my mouth.
Throwing back another swig of my beer, I attempt to walk as straight as I can to the back room. Before I enter, I unzip my jacket and discreetly adjust the girls, making sure they’re at their perkiest. Doing a quick breath check and toss of my hair, I round the corner to see a poised Jared readying to take a shot. Noah’s in the middle of chalking up the tip of his pool cue when he announces my presence. Jared pans over to me while sliding his stick forward, and misses the cue ball completely.
“Swing and a miss,” Noah declares, giving Jared a pat on the back. “Looks like I better go grab us some more brews so you can concentrate. I know my stunningly good looks are throwing you off your game.”
Jared laughs off Noah’s comment while giving him a playful shove.
“Go easy on him, Laney. I think he’s got it bad for ya,” Noah whispers as he passes by. He sends me a wink before taking a drink from his beer.
After making my way around the table, I set my glass on the little shelf that houses the pool cues. I stumble and catch myself on the edge of the table, but it seems like Jared didn’t notice.
Good thing I put the glass down first because that had the potential to be disastrous.
Bracing myself on the pool table, I watch him while he prepares to retake his shot.
“Ever play before?” he inquires, moving his pool stick back and forth between his fingers while concentrating on the cue ball.
“Only a couple of times.”
He pauses before taking the shot and raises up from the table. He plants the base of the pool stick on the ground beside him, grasping it with both hands, and sends me an inquisitive look. “Okay, show me what you got,” he says, holding out the pool cue for me to take.
I smirk at him. “You want me to take your shot for you?”
“Yep. I want to see what I’m up against.”
I move to stand in front of him, chest to chest, and I grab hold of the stick just above his hand. “I’ll take that challenge.”
“Good,” he replies after letting go. “That’s interesting perfume you’ve got on.”
I giggle nervously. “Yeah, I think I got some of Nia’s overspray when we were in the bathroom earlier,” I reply and realize that may have been a little too much information. His cocked eyebrow from my response makes me want to curl up and die, so I quickly direct my focus to the pool table.
Bending down to be at eye level with the cue ball, I place the pool stick between my fingers positioned right in front of it. Sliding it back and forth, I begin to gauge my shot, but not very well due to the haze fogging up my head. I release a slow breath, trying to concentrate, and push the stick forward. Jared reaches out and snatches up the ball from the table before I connect with it.
“That shot’s too easy,” he laughs. “Try this one instead.” He places the white ball at the other end of the table and points to the solid purple one lying near the middle of the table. “See if you can make that ball into the right corner pocket.”
“All right, you’re on,” I reply with a bit of sass.
Jared moves to stand behind me as I set up my shot. I sense him hovering right there, his body generating heat against my backside. He bends down next to my ear and whispers, “You’re holding the stick too tight. You might want to loosen your grip a bit.”
He trails his left hand down my arm and rests it on top of mine, easing my stranglehold on the pool cue, and sends goose bumps spiraling everywhere. His right hand wraps around mine as well, and we both begin moving the stick back and forth together in a smooth motion.
“See how it slides through your fingers effortlessly when you lighten up?” His voice is so close to my ear, it melts me to the core. My nipples harden underneath my lacy pink bra as an ache begins radiating through my nether regions.
“Yeah,” is all I can get out while staring into his mesmerizing eyes.
We spend a moment just gazing at each other before Jared decides to lean in and test the waters. Moving in close to my mouth, he teases my lips, but then pulls away to see if I’m fine with where this is going. When I don’t resist, he smirks and moves back in for a kiss.
“Hey, weekend fuck buddies,” Noah calls out and ruins our little moment. “We’re all heading out.” A slightly inebriated Emma is clinging on to him, echoing his sentiments.
“Really, you guys? Way to kill the mood,” Jared shouts back.
Noah chuckles. “We do what we can, my friend. Now, come on. You’ll have plenty of opportunities this weekend for your sexcapades.”
“Real classy, Noah,” I say, sending him a glare.
“Oh, you know you love me,” he replies, a wide grin plastered on his mouth.
While traveling along the narrow road leading up to the rental property, we find ourselves surrounded by the picturesque vision of a forest at night, drizzled by winter. The ride, however, has been anything but picturesque. The snow-covered road with its sporadic potholes has accentuated how shitty the van we’re in really is. With every bump, the vehicle sh
akes, and I can’t get past this bad feeling in the pit of my stomach that the van’s about to fall apart.
As we round the bend, the outline of a vehicle parked on the shoulder catches my eye. I can’t help but freak out when I see it, wondering if Robbie’s inside watching out for us. That thought is intensified when we pass it and the headlights flash on as the car begins rolling onto the road. My worried eyes never leave the vehicle as it continues to tail closely behind us. I feel Jared place his hand on my shoulder, which causes me to jump before turning to face him.
“You all right?” he asks, his puzzled look meeting my concerned one.
“That car back there ... it’s following us,” I reply, making everyone turn to look out the back window.
“I think you might be getting a little paranoid,” Emma says, making the gesture of smoking pot with her fingers when she talks. The moment she says that, red and blue police lights beam into the van, followed by the chirp of a siren.
“What the hell? I was only going, like, twenty,” Nia says, whipping her head around to glare out the back. “Good thing I didn’t have any drinks at the bar, huh, babe?” Her glare shifts to Tee.
He shrugs and says, “Hey, don’t blame me. You wanted that drink. Would you say no to you if you were in my position?” She just rolls her eyes at him.
Nia slowly pulls the car off the road and throws it in park. She groans and asks Tee for her purse and the van’s rental agreement.
I watch as two people exit the car behind us and approach the van. A young woman dressed in a green and tan uniform comes up to the left side of the vehicle, and a similarly dressed male heads up to the driver’s side. A knock on Nia’s window with the tip of a flashlight has her scrambling to roll it down.
“Evening, officer,” Nia says in a polite tone, but there’s a hint of frustration behind it as well.
“Evening, folks. You can all relax, we’re not here to bust ya.” Nia breathes a sigh of relief as the man lets out a small chuckle. “Do you by any chance have a Laney Matthews with you?” he asks. Everyone looks at me with confusion written all over their faces.
“Uh, I’m Laney,” I reply, leaning forward toward the driver’s seat. His flashlight beams on my face, causing me to squint. He quickly moves it away.
“Hello, Laney. I’m Deputy Miller with the Holden Ridge Sheriff’s Department, and the officer over there,” he says, gesturing to the woman standing by the opposite window, “is Deputy Randall.” She sends us all a casual wave. “We were sent here by Sheriff Marks to watch over this property during your stay. His daughter, Danielle Reed, informed us of your situation, Miss Matthews. We’re not here to interfere with your plans. We just wanted to introduce ourselves and let you all know that we’re here if you need us. We’ll also be on the lookout for any suspicious persons or vehicles on the property. ”
“Thank you,” I reply, not really knowing how to feel about all of this.
So much for patient confidentiality.
He tips his hat toward me. “Our pleasure, ma’am. Here’s a card with all the numbers you’ll need in order to reach us. It has our car phone and both of our cell numbers, as well as the direct line to the sheriff’s office. Please don’t hesitate to use any of them. With it being the holidays though, it’s best to call our cell phones first since the office is understaffed, and there’s a chance you might not get ahold of anyone. Welcome to small town living,” he chuckles.
“Thanks, we’ll definitely be in touch if we need to,” Nia says, taking the card from his outstretched hand.
With that, both of the deputies return to their car and drive away.
Nia pulls back onto the road and continues toward the house. “Well, that was interesting,” she comments and then glances at me through the rearview mirror. “Hey, isn’t Danielle the name of your therapist?”
“Yeah. I mentioned our plans for this weekend in our last session. She offered to do this for me, but I said it wasn’t necessary. I guess she thought otherwise.”
“As long as those two don’t interfere with our festivities, I’m cool with them keeping an eye on the place,” Noah interjects.
A fork appears in the road ahead of us with a sign posted in the space between both routes. It reads:
Welcome to Crystal Ridge
According to Nia, there were four houses to choose from in the area. She went with the largest one that sleeps ten people and sits on two-and-a-half acres of land.
“So, which way do we go?” Nia asks Tee, who’s using the navigation feature on his phone. He groans while tapping the screen in frustration because it’s failing to update with our current position.
“I’ve got full bars. I don’t understand why this piece of shit is acting up. It worked fine a minute ago,” he answers with a huff. “Hey, can someone plug in the address real quick and see if you can get it to work?”
“On it,” I announce, pulling out my phone as Nia puts the car into park and waits for further directions. After I input the details into my navigation app, it immediately loads with no hiccups at all and brings up the map.
“Turn left at the fork and continue for three miles. Your destination will be on the right,” the computerized female voice sounds from my cell’s speaker.
“Left it is then,” Nia says, putting the car back into drive and veering toward the correct route.
The three remaining miles seem to last forever, especially since Nia’s driving ten miles an hour. She’s worried she might hit an animal or something if she drives too fast. She’s such a cautious driver, and it’s kind of funny to hear Tee constantly reminding her of this fact.
“Is that where we’re staying?” I ask as we near the end of the road, leaving the confines of the forest and entering a snow-covered clearing that surrounds the house. “It’s absolutely gorgeous.”
The two-story Plantation-style home boasts stately white pillars and a sprawling porch more fitting to a southern home than one here in the northeast. The grand features of the house and its spacious scale make it a wonderful sight at night. The scene is so beautiful that it resembles a painting. There’s also a nice-sized barn nestled off to the side, its front illuminated by the light hanging above its doors.
“This place definitely makes up for the shitty ass van,” Colton says with a chuckle.
“Agreed,” Emma chimes in.
Tee laughs. “Alright, enough with the van insults. We got here, didn’t we?”
“Barely,” I hear Colton mumble, which causes me to snicker.
As the vehicle comes to a stop, I immediately pull open the door to escape the death trap, and taste glorious freedom. Stepping outside, I draw in a deep breath of cold, fresh air, which causes my nose and throat to tingle. This air is one of the many reasons I adore visiting the countryside. Not only is there usually less pollution here, but it’s also secluded and surrounded by nature.
A swift, frigid breeze blows past and causes me to clench my jacket tightly around my frame. While trying to keep the shivers at bay, I stare up at the large house towering over us and smile, even though it’s giving off a slightly ominous vibe at night. Secretly, I’ve always wanted to stay in a place like this-one that’s hauntingly beautiful.
“Let’s hurry and get our stuff inside. It’s fucking freezing out here,” Tee calls out as he starts distributing everyone’s bags from the back.
Taking my duffel from his hands, I pull out the handle and set it on the ground in order to roll it up to the front door. I find it difficult to maneuver through the snow, so I decide to sling it over my shoulder instead and carry it the rest of the way.
“Would you do the honors?” Nia asks before tossing me the keys to the house.
“Sure thing,” I reply, continuing my trek up to the front door, keys in hand.
The stairs leading up to the porch moan under the weight of each of my footsteps. I stop short of the front door to see a welcome mat with a picture of a white picket fence and the word WELCOME written in a flowery script.
Unlocking the door, I push on it, but it barely budges. I put a little shoulder into it, and after two more tries, I send the door flying open. The interior of the house is breathtaking and even more stunning than the outside. There’s a spacious foyer leading to a staircase up to the second floor. What appears to be a living room is to our right, and a huge kitchen sits off to the left. Dark wood floors seem to span the whole first level with random ornate area rugs placed about.
“How much did you say this place cost to rent?” I ask Nia as she enters behind us.
Tee scoffs. “You don’t want to know,” he says while patting me on the shoulder. “The girl must really love you to shell out this much money. Hell, I’m her boyfriend and I’ve never received this kind of treatment.” His smirk lets me know he’s kidding.
“Technically, I didn’t pay for anything. Dad’s credit card did,” Nia replies, dropping her bags at her feet. “Besides, I think we all kind of needed this break, so why not splurge a bit.”
Tee wraps his arms around Nia and squeezes her gently. “I know, baby. I was only messin’ around,” he says and then places a kiss on her neck. “Want to go upstairs for the second part of my punishment?”
Nia gives him a quick swat on the chest as she lets out a giggle. “I guess we could turn in for the night. And maybe get an early start tomorrow,” she mentions, facing the group.
When no one seems to have an issue with it, she turns her attention solely to me.
“Are you going to be okay?” she asks, fighting to stay near me against a persistent Tee, who’s tugging at her waist. “I know we were supposed to room together the first night.”
“Yeah, don’t worry,” I reply. “You should humor him and go.”
“You heard the lady, humor me and come. We’ve got the master,” Tee announces while dragging a still tittering Nia along with him up the stairs.
“So, there are four rooms left,” I say, looking around at everyone.
“We’ll take the one next to the master bedroom,” Noah begins. “Someone has to give Nia and Tee a run for their money in the loud sex department.”