“You don’t bother Zoe like Max bothers me!”
“She doesn’t require much; Zoe’s a saint.”
“My brother has to mind his own business! And so do you!”
“Yeah, keep waiting for that.”
“I’m serious, Nicholas!”
“Me too.”
“I’m twenty-three now!”
“Uh huh.”
Glaring at me, redhead temper in full swing, Lexi grits her teeth for a few seconds, then decides against telling me to fuck off. The smile returns and her posture softens. “Well, there’s no Brad, so why am I even wasting my time arguing with you about an imaginary person?”
“Why are you wasting mine by lying?”
Playfully she punches me, and it’s not soft. I weather the blow with an entertained grin as Samantha, Lexi’s younger sister, walks up, smile wide open at being so happy to see me.
“Nicholas! Oh my God, hi!”
I lift her off the ground. “I’d spin you around, Blondie, but there’s no room.”
She squeezes me tightly and kisses the side of my head before I set her back down.
Shy around my friend, she offers him a wave, “Hi Matthew. You look good.”
“Sam, radiant as always.”
Her smile shifts to the side, a single dimple poking into her right cheek. “You’ve been drinking, that’s why.”
Lexi has one, too, and it appears as she swats Sam’s arm. “You do look good tonight! I told you that!”
Matthew and I exchange a glance that we want to ditch them now. While I love my cousins, they won’t help us meet women. It’ll look like we’re taken.
He swirls his ice. “I finished off my drink and we haven’t even made it out to the backyard yet.” Politely he asks, “Ladies, want me to get you a cocktail?”
Lexi blinks at him. “No, thank you. We’re going to another party so…” She sucks her lips and glances to Samantha.
I chuckle, “Brad waiting for you?”
“No,” they say in unison.
Lexi tilts her head, “Who’s Brad?”
Samantha echoes, “Yeah, who’s Brad?”
Matthew snorts.
I hand Lexi my glass. “Fill that up and I won’t tell Max.”
She frowns, “Seriously?”
“Do I look serious?”
“You never look serious, Nick.”
“Don’t fucking call me that.”
“Oh look, when I shorten your name, you lose it!” She pokes at my mouth. “How interesting!”
Catching her finger, I wrap it around my glass, and the others with it. “Grey Goose and Pellegrino. One lime. Do that order twice, would ya, because Matthew needs another one, too.”
Samantha thrusts her hand out and he sets the glass in it, blue eyes dancing. “Thanks.”
Mumbling to each other, my pretty cousins disappear into the crowd, throwing irritated looks over their shoulders at me.
As soon as they’re out of sight I nudge Matt. “Outside. Make them find us.”
“Oh hell yes.”
We stroll into a sea of twinkle lights above countless people. I could count them, but who the fuck really cares? All that’s important is that it’s a lot, because of Billy’s extensive contact list.
Inside, the DJ is slamming dance music off his computer. The sound is projected outside through speakers mounted along the wood fence and it’s so loud that Matthew’s head goes back a little, like he was punched. “How much you think he pays the neighbors not to complain?”
“He invites them.”
“Really? Genius.”
Cocking an eyebrow, I slide slow fingers through my hair as I scan the women. “Hmm…”
Matthew crosses his arms, blue eyes narrowing at the selection. “Who shall it be?”
“So many.”
He nods, “Life is good.”
Lexi appears, hands empty, her sister carrying the responsibility, at her side. She wants me not to tell Max but then has Sam do the dirty work? I know Lex—she thinks it’s beneath her to serve me. She’s got another thing coming.
“You made Samantha carry our drinks?” I demand.
“She wanted to!”
“I doubt that. For your error in judgment—”
“My error in judgment?”
“In pawning off your duty, the deal you signed in exchange for my silence, has now doubled in subservience. You must kneel and hand me my glass.”
A sarcastic laugh explodes and she looks to Samantha. “Can you believe this guy?” Locking onto me, her face becomes rigid. “I’m not kneeling for you.”
On a chuckle I exchange a glance with Matt. His eyebrows go up. To my cousin I smirk, “Kneel or I’ll call Max right now and have him tail you. In fact, I’ll follow you myself. Hey Matt, you up for some overprotective bullshit?”
“Uh…” I punch his chest and he grabs it. “Ow! Sure, okay, let’s follow your cousin around all night. Sounds like fun.”
“That’s better.” I point to the ground. “Kneel.”
Emerald eyes flash as she leans in to insist, “I will not kneel for you, Nick!”
“Don’t want to keep Brad waiting.”
Samantha explains, thinking she’s helping, “That’s no threat to her, Nicholas! He doesn’t know we’re coming—”
Lexi shuts her up with a warning look.
Sam tries to hand me the glass.
I point at the ground. “Kneel, Alexis.”
“Don’t call me that!”
“You called me Nick.”
“No fucking way am I kneeling for you, not in a million years!”
“Kneel.”
“No!”
Pulling out my phone I pretend to dial, and she balks, “Samantha, give it to me!”
She’s careful, doesn’t want to spill even a drop in case I get the whim to force her to walk on her hands or something worse, next. She half-kneels since her dress won’t let her do more without scuffing those black tights.
“Here you are, jerk.”
“Mr. Jerk.”
“Mr. Screw-You-Jerk-Face, here is your drink that I hope you choke on.”
“You may rise.”
Huffing through her nose, Lexi storms off. Samantha hurriedly hands Matthew his drink. Giving me a quick hug she whispers, “Don’t call Max, okay?” She rushes away.
I shout, “I love you, Alexis Cocker!” right before she’s about to vanish.
Lexi pauses at the door, sticks her tongue out at me, as Sam catches up to her. “I love you, too, Nick the Dick!”
Samantha throws me one last wave and then…they’re gone.
Laughing, Matthew and I clink our full glasses and go back to scoping out tonight’s pickings.
He mutters, “Whoever shall it be?”
“My plan?”
“Yeah?”
“Two more.”
With approval he smirks, “Let’s make that happen,” and takes a sip.
CHAPTER 4
M ADISON
“O h my God, what an asshole!” I gasp, gin beginning to take hold in a big way. “First the brunette, now that redhead.
