by Jessica Snow
That was one thing Kat had instantly liked about Liam—his boldness. His eyes moved wherever they pleased. The way he had been watching her all night reminded her of the nameless man’s hungry stare, but it was warmer, more relaxed...it didn’t make her feel like something he wanted to devour. Instead, it made her feel wanted, not as predators want but as men do.
They continued to dance to song after fast-paced song, grinding against each other with an unbridled passion. Before long, Kat found herself tiring. She wanted to take a break, but Liam seemed filled with energy, looking like he was in no mood to slow down. She was afraid to disappoint him. It’s not every day a guy this hot shows interest in me, she thought.
Finally, when it felt like her back was about to give out, she cried, “I’ve got to take a break!”
Liam’s face sunk into a frown of disappointment as he watched her wipe the sweat from her brow. “Okay.” He nodded over at the crowded bar. “I’ll go take a leak and then I’ll meet you over there.”
Kat smiled with relief. “Deal.”
A minute later, Kat sighed as she collapsed into one of the vacant chairs at the bar, quickly signaling a bartender to bring her a pina colada. She was dying of thirst.
“Holy crap, girl!” Liz’s voice said behind her. “Who the hell was that sexy hunk you were dancing with?”
Kat turned around and eyed her friend. Liz’s once nicely done hair was thrown about in disarray, her eyes bloodshot from one too many drinks. She was grinning, though, and some man she had apparently liked a lot had smeared her lipstick.
It took her a moment to reply. “His name is Liam and don’t ask me where he came from because, hell if I know. But he’s got great timing, and I like him.”
Liz shook her head in disbelief. “And here you were moping and complaining about no guy coming up to you. Now you have the hottest guy in here dry humping you.”
Kat smiled. It was true. She hadn’t seen a single guy inside The Den that could hold a candle to Liam’s sexiness.
Liz tossed a glance down at Kat’s sweat-covered thighs, which were chafed from all the rubbing together.
“With the way he was grinding on you, I don’t know how you didn’t start screaming in tongues.” Liz shook her head. “Girl, he is on fire! Are you going to get his number?”
The bartender was back with Kat’s drink. She quickly paid the man a ten, letting him keep the change.
She took a long sip, savoring the fruity taste along with its refreshing chill, before replying to Liz. “I certainly hope so.”
“Well if you don’t, at least get it for me.”
“Bitch please,” Kat replied playfully.
The two talked for several more minutes about who would be driving them home before Liz disappeared back into the crowd in search of her dancing partner. She gave Kat a final thumbs-up as she went.
After Kat had downed the rest of her drink, she felt refreshed and ready to dance again. She looked around the bar and quickly spotted the tall Liam making his way back to her. But he was no longer smiling, and she hesitated as she opened her mouth to greet him.
“I have to leave,” announced Liam as he came up to her. There was something different about the energy surrounding him now. He seemed irritated.
Disappointment flowed through Kat’s limbs. “Why?”
Liam looked off to the side, his brow knit. He looked almost stressed out suddenly. “Something came up.”
Something came up? Give me a break! We were just getting started! What bullshit is tearing him away now? There was no reason to get angry. It was pretty much a given that a guy like Liam was either taken or he had a bevy of women lined up, despite whatever he may have said to the contrary.
Still, Kat could not help but feel upset and it was hard to keep it from showing on her face. “Okay,” she muttered, some of her frustration leaking into her tone.
Liam gently chucked her under the chin. “Don’t be sad. We will definitely see each other again.” Handing her a white card with gold writing etched on it, he parted with, “Call me.”
Then he vanished into the crowd of moving bodies, leaving Kat to stare at the number on the card. Some of her disappointment evaporated. She quickly tucked the card into her purse. She would decide whether to call him once she had less alcohol in her system—and some sleep.
Chapter 5
Standing off by herself near the heavily-ornamented fireplace in Daisy’s two-story home, McKenzie sipped slowly at the fizzy beer in her red solo cup as she watched groups of kids chatting over semi-loud rock music and some who were firing up joints.
With the way things were going, it wouldn’t be long before someone attempted the usual teenage fuckery by starting a dangerous dare game.
As McKenzie had expected before agreeing to come to the impromptu party, she was not having one ounce of fun. What made things even worse was that she and Annabelle were dressed in their club wear dresses, looking like prostitutes, while mostly everyone from their school was dressed casually.
While she had dressed up to get attention, it was for the sole intention to get noticed by the older guys that were sure to be at The Den and not by boys from her school. That was Kenzie’s thing. She liked older guys because they were more mature. All the boys at are her school were so stupid and were more likely to make fun of her for her lack of bra size than be interested in what was between her ears—or in her heart.
Those needle dicks over there are probably making fun of me right now, she thought as she eyed a group of teenage boys that kept glancing over her way and whispering amongst each other. I don’t know why I agreed to come.
That wasn’t to say that all older guys were not guilty of wanting one thing—young snatch. But usually, McKenzie could spot those types from a mile away.
“You don’t look like you’re having much fun,” said a deep voice.
McKenzie whirled around, nearly spilling her beer all over her dress. “Oh, Hi Zack.”
Zack Lilly was one of the few boys McKenzie could tolerate at her school. He was also one of the school’s star athletes that could give Annabelle’s pushy boyfriend a run for his money. His hair, which he wore spiked up with gel, was a very light blonde, almost white. With striking sea-blue eyes, a proud nose dotted with freckles and a chiseled jaw, he was very handsome indeed. He was dressed casually in some blue jeans and a sleeveless gym shirt that showed off his well-defined biceps. A pleasing spicy scent wafted to McKenzie’s nose as he stepped closer, indicating that Zack had splashed on some cologne before leaving his house. Funny how she’d never noticed how attractive he was before. Though it might have just been in comparison to the idiots that made up most of the rest of the boys in their class.
She waved a hand dismissively, not wanting to whine. “You’re wrong about that, buddy. I’m positively drowning in fun.”
Zack chuckled. “It certainly looks like you came dressed for it. Is that club wear?”
McKenzie groaned. “Ugh. Don’t remind me. I was supposed to be going to have a night of fun at The Den, but Annabelle’s boyfriend chose to let us know after we picked him up that he couldn’t go.”
Stuffing his hands into his pockets and looking out over the chattering crowd, Zack muttered, “That sucks.”
“Tell me about it.” McKenzie leaned in close to Zack’s ear and pointed discreetly at the boys who had been eyeing her all night. “Tell me something Zack...are those dick brains over there making fun of me? I saw you talking to them a little while ago and even then, they were giggling at me.”
Removing his right hand from his pocket, Zack scratched at the hair on the back of his neck, his cheeks turning red. “Nah. They’re not.”
“Seriously?”
“They think you look hot actually.” That was a new one, and she blinked at him briefly. He offered a small smile. “As do I.”
McKenzie was halfway through a sip of her beer when what Zack had said registered, and she almost choked on it. She turned to regard the handsome jock susp
iciously. “What did you just say?”
Zack looked her straight in the eyes, offering a little half-smile. “I said I think you look hot.”
McKenzie froze, unable to believe it. While Zack was a friendly acquaintance, he had never given a hint that he was attracted to her in any way.
“Gee, thanks, Zack,” said McKenzie a moment later when the astonishment had passed. “Now I know you must want something.”
“Yeah, I kind of do.”
McKenzie rocked back on her heels. Zack was being awfully forthcoming. “Hit me with it then.”
Zack took a deep breath, looking like he was about to explode from anxiety.
She blinked at him curiously. What the hell is wrong with this guy?
“McKenzie, I—”
“Bring out the moonshine!” someone shouted.
They both looked up, startled. Cheers went up from the other teens as a group of excited boys brought out several containers of clear liquid from Daisy’s kitchen. Dressed in a white cut-off top and a red skirt, her long blonde hair pulled into a side-ponytail, Daisy herself oversaw the operations, ordering the boys to set the strong alcohol on the coffee table in the middle of the living room.
“Who’s going to go first?” someone shouted.
Erick jumped up from his place on the couch beside Annabelle and pounded his chest. “I will.”
The boys began cheering Erick on as someone handed him a cup. Emboldened by the cheers, he jumped over to the table beside the party’s hostess, an eager grin on his face.
With a sweet smile cast at Erick that was sure to piss Annabelle off, Daisy gingerly picked up a container of moonshine, pouring a generous amount in his cup.
“Down it in one gulp Erick!” some guy in a red Polo shirt shouted. “Show us how much of a beast you are.”
“Yeah, Erick!”
Cheers went up from the boisterous crowd of teens as Erick slowly brought the cup to his lips and everyone leaned forward with anticipation, eager to see his reaction to the pungent alcohol.
At the last possible second, Erick pulled his lips away from the rim of the cup.
“Wait, I have an idea,” Erick said.
McKenzie saw Josh cup his hands around his mouth and shout, “Pussy!", as the crowd jeered and booed.
“Calm down bitches!” Erick roared. “I’m not pussin’ out. I just want to play a game of challenge.” The guys quickly quieted, and Erick cleared his throat. “Yeah, so anyway, let’s play a game of challenge. Rules of the game are; I challenge one of you bitches to a drink-off. The first one who folds loses.”
Several jocks roared with delight, calling on Erick to challenge them first, while the girls all began whispering amongst each other, speculating on who would be likely to drink Erick under the table.
“Sounds like a great game, Erick,” proclaimed Daisy once everyone had quieted down. “Who will you challenge first?”
Erick’s eyes swept around the room before settling near the fireplace.
“I challenge Zack.”
Beside McKenzie, Zack shifted on his feet, his jaw clenching. He was reluctant to leave her, McKenzie could tell, but she also knew if he turned down Erick’s challenge the other boys would never let him hear the end of it.
“Don’t do it, Zack,” McKenzie uttered under her breath. “It’s likely to end very badly. Who cares what those dickheads think.”
“I gotta,” he whispered back. After a moment of tense silence, he straightened, a confident smile spreading over his face. “Alright, Erick. I accept.”
Everyone began cheering and jumping around with excitement at the imminent battle.
Zack strolled over to the table and was promptly handed a cup from someone in the crowd. Giddy with excitement, Daisy slid off her perch and quickly scrambled to pour Zack moonshine.
When she was done, the two jocks eyed each other with a challenge, their cups poised inches away from their mouths.
“Ugh, I can’t watch this,” McKenzie muttered, scooping up her cup and heading for the back yard. It was almost deserted in the cool of the evening but still done up for the party. Fairy lights stretched in rows along the fence, offering a pretty view as she stepped out. She wandered back and forth on the patio, sipping her beer as the yelling rose and fell inside.
I’ll just wait it out outside here. Maybe get one more beer once they’ve calmed down with this drinking contest crap.
She found herself wishing that she had stayed home. Zack was a neat guy, and maybe she could catch up with him at school, but he wasn’t worth dealing with all of this. Why did I let Erick talk me into going with them to this shit show? She could hear laughter inside, and vomiting, and the occasional crash of something breaking. It’s like Lord of the Flies in there.
Finally, she reached the bottom of her beer cup. She had a nice, mellow buzz on, and wanted to build on it a little. It wasn’t like she was driving. So, after hesitating a little, she made her way back inside for a refill.
The place was a mess inside. Both the losers and winners of the contest had gotten completely plastered, with over a dozen of them hurling, collapsed on the carpet or drunkenly ranting to their friends while running into things. Most of the rest of the teens were daring each other to drink what was left of the stuff. She looked around for Zack, frowning a little. She would have liked to continue their conversation before she started looking for a ride home with someone way more sober than Erick had to be right now.
She was headed for the bar when Erick spied her and yelled to her from his seat by the fireplace. Brows drawing together, she walked over, wondering what he wanted.
“Hey, what’s up?” he grinned up at her.
“Just looking for Zack, we were talking. I wanted to say goodbye before I left.”
“Aw, you’re leaving? Come on, the party’s just getting started!” He was smiling a lot, but weirdly he didn’t seem as plastered as she had expected. His smile faded into a thoughtful expression. “Anyway, Zack’s in the can, we were talking together when he kinda needed to unload all that moonshine in a hurry.” He laughed a little. “He should be back soon. You can wait here with me if you want.”
“Okay.” She hesitated, then sat down on the raised hearthstone a few feet away from him. He had a couple of drinks with him: ordinary beers now, in those red party cups.
She licked her lips. “You know what, I’ll be right back. I need to get a refill.”
“Here, take the one I got for Zack, no one’s touched it. We can get him another when he gets back...if his stomach can take it.” He laughed again.
She looked down at the drink, then shrugged and accepted it from him. She took a tentative sip; it tasted oddly salty. “Did you spit in this?” she asked, eyeing him.
He just laughed. “Nah, of course not, it’s just shitty beer.”
She stared at him a moment, then shrugged and kept drinking.
Ten minutes later, she was half done with her second beer and Zack still hadn’t shown up. “I really hope he didn’t get too sick,” she fretted slightly.
Erick smiled and shook his head. “Nah, he’s probably fine, just too drunk to find his way back. I’ll go look for him. Just chill here and save our seats, okay?”
She nodded, shrugging. “Okay.”
She sipped her beer and people-watched. It was very hot in the house. The beer tasted too damn salty, especially down near the bottom. She finally set the cup aside with a few inches of beer left, too disgusted to keep drinking. Waiting was getting boring. God, she was tired. She felt light-headed. She could just fall asleep right here. But she fought to keep her eyelids open, figuring that if she passed out like an idiot from two beers at Daisy’s party, she’d end up with dicks drawn on her face.
It was hard to keep her eyes open. The salty taste from the beer clung to the inside of her mouth. The dizziness increased. She felt like she was floating. Suddenly, with a dull, distant sort of alarm, she realized that she could barely move. She tried to speak, to call out, but her tongu
e felt numb and her lips moved in slow motion, with no air behind them. What’s wrong with me?
A while later—she couldn’t tell how long—a tall figure made its way towards her. “Jesus, you’re fucked up,” Erick’s deep voice said.
She stared up at him mutely, thinking Please just get me out of here. I don’t feel well. But nothing came out of her mouth.
Strong arms wrapped around her waist and lifted her up from the floor. McKenzie felt flooded with relief as he started carrying her through the crowd. She was finally going home. Things would be okay. And tomorrow she was starting a new life. There would be no more going out to stupid parties and drinking again. Ever.
They began moving through the house. Still dizzy, McKenzie had no idea where Erick was taking her until he started up the stairs at the end of the hallway.
Wait, this isn’t the way out. She fought to say something and finally managed it. “Erick,” she moaned. “Where are you taking me?”
“Shhh,” Erick shushed. “Everything is going to be alright.” His voice was soft, but there was a cold note to it that she didn’t understand.
Her vision blurred. Everything went away for a while. She fought to open her eyelids again and found that he was standing with her in a darkened bedroom filled with stuffed animals. McKenzie’s alarm grew. “What’s going on?” she mumbled, trying to make out her surroundings.
“Shhh.” Erick tossed her on the bed, a fresh wave of dizziness running through her as she bounced on the mattress. She stared up at him in dull shock as it suddenly dawned on her. She didn’t feel drunk. She felt drugged.
That salty taste in the beer Erick gave me! Her eyes widened. “No—”
“Shut up,” he muttered as he bent over her. Her vision blurred again, and when it cleared she found him climbing on top of her, one hand shoving her dress up.
McKenzie’s eyes widened with surprise. “What are you—?!”
He clamped a firm hand over her mouth, muffling her cry. “You package yourself like this, you little slut, you gotta figure a guy’s gonna unwrap you.” He grinned as he looked down at her, seeming to have sobered up impossibly fast. “Told you we were going to have fun tonight. Now you’d better find a way to lie back and enjoy it because this deal is going down.” Erick’s free hand began caressing her thigh roughly as his lips found her throat.