The black bikini I was wearing under my sundress had been for Saul. It was the most revealing one I owned and I had bought it weeks ago, wanting to get out of my comfort zone. I’d never managed to do that though. The idea of wearing this in front of others made me consider going back home and changing.
There was a knock on my window that startled me. I jumped then turned to see Drake standing there grinning. My leaving would be difficult now. Deciding to suck it up, I opened the car door and climbed out.
“You were having deep thoughts,” Drake teased.
“I, uh, thought I forgot something,” I lied.
He didn’t believe me. It was obvious by his amused expression. “Uh huh,” he replied. “You forgot the redhead. She’s invited to the party too. Anytime she wants.”
Party. There was a party. Not what I was expecting at all.
“She doesn’t like blow jobs,” I told him.
He looked devastated. “Damn.”
“Can’t win them all.”
Drake grinned at me then. “I like you. You’re hot and you’ve got jokes. Smart mouths are sexy as hell.”
I wasn’t sure if I should say thank you or not.
“Get the fuck away from her,” Saul said with a growl as he walked down the stairs to meet me halfway. He was scowling at Drake, and I realized he was serious.
Drake held up his hands. “My bad. Sorry, man. Didn’t see you.”
He wasn’t helping things. Saul’s expression turned threatening.
Drake finally realized it and nodded. “Not joking. Got it,” he said, backing away as he reached the top step. Then he went inside the house.
Saul put his arm around my shoulders and kissed my temple. “Hey,” he said, although the gruffness hadn’t left his voice completely.
“Hey,” I replied unsure of his mood. Did something happen today to upset him or was he truly that upset over Drake talking to me? Instead of asking, I decided to get his mind off it and change the subject. “So, there’s a party?” I asked.
He glanced down at me as we walked inside the house. “Yeah.”
We headed toward the living area and voices and he didn’t elaborate but then he rarely ever did.
“Whose coming?” I asked, realizing I knew very few of his friends from the last party I attended with Rio.
He shrugged. “The regulars, maybe a few extras.”
Man of few words.
We walked into the living room and I took in the scene. Drake was on the U-shaped sofa with a beer between his legs, yelling at some game on the television. On the other side of the sofa was a guy I hadn’t met but I did remember seeing at the last party. Beside him was a blonde who was on her smart phone typing something. The guy laughed at something that happened on the television and Drake cursed.
Rio came walking inside from the balcony and he nodded his head when he saw me. We hadn’t talked since yesterday and I hoped he was dealing with everything better today.
“Benji! Fix me a drink,” Rio called out and I turned to see Benji behind the bar with a shaker and martini glasses.
“You want a fucking martini, pussy?” he asked.
“God no. Just a Jack and coke,” he replied. “Pour up that girly shit for Genesis.”
“What the fuck am I making the first book in the Bible a cocktail?” Benji asked.
Rio rolled his eyes. “Genesis is the girl here with me, dumbass.”
“Jesus, who named her?” Drake asked.
Benji burst out laughing. “Maybe Jesus did!”
It took Drake a minute to realize what he meant then he started laughing.
“Gangs all here,” I said to Saul.
He gave me a crooked grin. “Lucky us.”
“Is Saul fucking smiling? What the hell is that?” Benji asked, and I turned my head to see him coming in our direction with a martini and a Jack and coke.
“He will do that shit all night as long as she’s around,” Drake called out.
Saul didn’t appear amused. He moved his arm from my shoulders and put his hand on my lower back. “You want a drink?” he asked me.
I started to say no but decided perhaps a drink would help me tonight. I looked at the martini that Rio was taking from Benji. “Maybe one of those?” It sounded like a question and it kind of was.
Saul moved and led me over to the bar with him. He picked up the shaker and then poured what was in it into a glass. “What the fuck is this drink?” he asked Benji.
“Dirty martini. Add an olive,” he told him.
Saul took an olive and put it in the glass before sliding it to me. “Thanks,” I said as he grabbed a bottle of beer from the ice bucket.
“Don’t thank me yet. It may taste like shit. I don’t know what’s in it,” he replied.
“Vodka mostly,” Benji replied.
I looked at it, wondering if maybe I should have gone with something else. How much vodka was in this? I didn’t ask for fear of sounding like a dork.
“Come on,” Saul said and led the way down to the balcony door.
Rio was at the pool with his date. She had just gotten out of the water and was walking toward him dripping wet to take the martini he had brought her. The back of her bathing suit did not exist I realized when she turned her back to us.
“Want to swim?” Saul asked me and I thought about my bikini. It didn’t seem so bad compared to Rio’s friends. At least most of my butt was covered up. It was the little bit that wasn’t that had me nervous. I looked down at the drink in my hand. Liquid courage.
“After I drink this,” I replied then took a sip. It was a miracle I didn’t choke. I didn’t know what Benji had been shaking up with the vodka because I tasted nothing but vodka. Possibly a hint of olive but that was it.
“Bad?” Saul asked, and I lifted my gaze to see him watching me.
I shook my head and he laughed.
Unable to keep from smiling, I added “Maybe a little.”
He took a drink of his beer but continued smiling. I turned to look back at Rio then and saw the girl was looking at Saul. She wasn’t just looking; she was checking him out. I couldn’t blame her. He was hard not to look at. Especially when he was smiling.
I took a bigger drink of the martini. I was going to need it and possibly more.
Saul took my hand and led me over to the teak lounger that was wide enough for two and had a table for drinks on each side.
“Where’s the music?” Drake’s voice rang out.