Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Epilogue
Bloody Mary
Prologue
Kat
2009
I swirl my drink carefully, trying to get the vodka to magically blend with the viscous, overly concentrated orange juice. I take a sip and gag at the potent spirit sitting stubbornly on top. Note to self to pour vodka first next time if I’m still too lazy to get a spoon to stir it properly.
Juniper laughs at my gagging from the opposite end of the couch, where she throws back her screwdriver like she’s been pounding them for 20 years. She’s a year younger than I am, but had taken to the acrid taste of alcohol like a fish to water.
“You look like you’re going to throw up every time you drink that,” she teases me, finding absolute delight in the faces I’m making. I can’t blame her, because I’m sure I’ve never looked uglier in my life than while I’m choking this down.
Before I can respond cleverly, Erik appears before me and goes down on one knee chivalrously to hand me both a spoon for my drink and a joint. What a prince, I think as I incline my head coquettishly and accept both gifts while balancing the drink between my knees. I lean clumsily over to kiss his lips in appreciation when I realize my blouse has dipped slovenly into it.
“Shit,” I cuss, leaning back to assess the damage, thanking the heavens that I hadn’t decided to don the white blouse I’d originally eyed for the evening.
“You could take the shirt off,” Erik says, raising an eyebrow, with a smile playing at those sensuous lips. “Get the spot out.”
“Blech,” Juniper exclaims as I waggle my eyebrows as best as I can while I take a drag off the joint.
I let the smoke linger in my lungs as I hand the joint back and slump back into the couch. “This couch is trying to eat me, I swear,” I say as I exhale.
“I think my brother is trying to eat you,” Juniper laughs, and I turn my head to see Erik attentively sitting closely at my side, stroking my hair. I look at him fondly. What a fox. Thick, wavy blonde-kissed hair, expressive eyebrows, piercing blue eyes and those lips. My god, those lips. My stomach leaps when I remember that tonight is the night we'd decided to finally seal the deal.
I become acutely aware of how his fingertips feel as they softly trace down my face and shoulder and the pot is making it feel like it’s the height of eroticism. Afraid my lust is visible to Juniper, I force myself to sit up and reach for my purse, and manage to stay upright after I’ve clutched it.
“Mario gave me something special for tonight,” I say as I search for the little baggy swimming in with lip glosses, receipts and crumbs. Victoriously I pull it out and shake it at them, cringing apologetically when unidentified food stuff flies off onto the floor.
“Do we really need that too?” Erik asks, his voice tinged with a bit of disappointment.
“I thought it would be fun,” I shrug, feeling stung. “We don’t have to, but how often are your parents gone all night?”
“Count me in,” Juniper yells too loudly and then laughs at herself.
I try to scrutinize his expression, but feel too cloudy to make sense of it. He just shrugs and lays back on the couch again, face impassive once again.
Maybe I should be sober for our first time, MY first time, but the allure of heightening the experience, alone in this house is tempting. Plus, it’s not as though I hadn’t done everything else with him besides the final act. With Juniper eager, I realize it’ll be hard to talk her out of it now. She’s an experimental girl and is even more excited to have her parents away. They are quite strict and she is hungry for new experiences, and I feel a twinge of guilt for being in their house and encouraging this behavior.
“We can’t all take this and then leave her alone to go have sex,” Erik whispers in my ear, and the hairs on the back of my neck raise pleasurably at his hot breath.
“Kayla is here,” I argue in hushed tones. “Juniper will be fine.”
“Care to share your thoughts with the rest of the class?” Juniper laughs from her perch.
Ignoring her, I whisper back to Erik, “Let’s do this, hang out and enjoy it all together for a bit and then you and I can head to your room.” I give my best impression of a flirtatious smile, hoping to sway him, but he still looks hesitant.
“I can hearrrrr you,” Juniper sings. “Come on, Erik. Let’s have some fun and THEN you can go deflower my best friend.”
Erik turns beet red and then throws his hands up in exasperation before grabbing the bag and popping the pink, little pill. “Sometimes I hate that you two are friends.”
I know my face registers shock at him taking the pill so suddenly and I nod and pop the pill as well and call Kayla in. I toss the bag at Juniper, who doesn’t hesitate at all before swallowing hers.
Kayla saunters through the 18th century, grandiose archway to where we are installed on the plush living room couches. She is puffing on her own pipe and swirling her drink as she sits next to me on the couch.
Kayla is the possessor of a sphinx-like beauty. She’s cool, confident and enigmatic, and always has been. She walked the halls of elementary school like a queen, and she hadn’t slowed her roll now in high school either. She managed to rise above all
