SPIN THE BOTTLE
Saturday Afternoon—The Liquor Run
Loralei gathered up Monica, Alex, and Rachel. She and the 'girls' were traveling to the city to drop off Rachel at Angie's. After that, they were going booze shopping. It had been a while since Loralei had drunk anything, and Monica said she could mix a mean margarita. I'm all up in that, Loralei thought. The girls were leaving the guys in charge of setting up the party. They weren't all that thrilled with the task, but Loralei insisted. Besides, it would give Farron something in which he could funnel his irritation. Donovan had told her about his encounter with Kara, and the poor fellow was spurned. Loralei noted that Kara's denial of Farron's advances had amused Donovan to no end. He said his brother had never failed to sink a woman he wanted, until today. Loralei shook it off as she pulled up to hers and Donovan's old apartment building. She left Monica and Alex in the car as she made her way up to Angie's apartment. As she transferred her baby from her arms to Angie's, Rachel began to cry indignantly.
"She's so attached to her mommy," Angie said as she tried to soothe the little one.
"Oh God," Loralei said, "Don't tell me that. I might start crying!"
Angie laughed. "Just wait until you have another. Then it's twice the tears."
* * *
Donovan squatted down behind the tall counter Loralei had deemed the 'bar.' There were a series of cabinets below that he was currently digging around in. He was pretty sure there was a blender in here somewhere. Monica wanted to make margaritas, and she insisted on mixing them in a blender. They had one, but he couldn't find the fucker. On the other side of him, he could hear Cody and Jake arguing over what type of music to play. Cody wanted techno, Jake rock. Farron stood back watching the other two men without saying much. He was still sulking over Kara. Not only that, but he was also trying to avoid Jake as much as possible. He was still giving him the evil eye from time-to-time. Oh this party will be so much fun, he thought.
"Shit," Donovan spat indignantly.
"You okay back there, Boss," Cody asked. "You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"
He brought himself fully to his feet and rubbed the top of his head. "I'm fine. I bumped my fucking head looking for the damn blender," he groused. "Where did she put the damn thing?"
"Did you happen to look under your bed," Cody asked suddenly. "Maybe you left it there one night while, um, experimenting."
Donovan shook his head incredulously. "Would you mind staying out of my bedroom and helping me find the damn blender?"
Farron couldn't get into the jovial mood of the room. He watched with little interest as Cody sauntered into the kitchen and began digging around in the shelves that Donovan had just looked through. He focused his eyes on Jake for a moment and noticed that the young agent was grinning at him. The grin wasn't done in good spirit. If he had to look at that for very long, he thought he might pummel him.
* * *
Kara stood back and debated with herself for an hour or more. If she intended to go to the party, she really needed to get dressed. She glanced at the clock and noticed it was almost six. She was running out of time.
* * *
After thirty minutes of constant searching, Donovan finally found the damn blender. He set it out on the counter and hoped that they enjoyed their margaritas. He was so annoyed that he was tempted to make up a boilermaker. He turned toward the front door when the women entered the house with a loud and giggling WHOOP. Still paranoid, he wondered what they had been 'whooping' about. Are they drunk already? Each woman carried in her own bag of booze. Dear God, we could serve fifty with that. They laid out the booze on the counter and Loralei stood back to admire the work done by the guys. She had asked Cody and Jake to clear a wide space in the middle of the room large enough to accommodate all the guests. She mused that they had set things up nicely for the game she wanted to play later. She hadn't told her husband what she had in mind, because if she did, he would nix the idea before it came to fruition. Tonight, by God, someone would be having sex other than her and Donovan. She was determined, damn it.
Loralei went behind the bar and was pleased to see that Donovan had done everything she had asked, including finding the blender. She approached him and bumped the side of his hip with hers. "Fellas, it's time for you to move back," she announced. "We need to give Monica some room to make up the margaritas."
Donovan looked down at Loralei with a grin. "Have you been drinking already?"
She shook her head. "Nope, not a drop. We girls had lots of fun last night and on the booze trip," she said with a wicked smile. Whispered into his ear: "They know not to touch your bottom lip."
"Loralei, I hope you're teasing. If not, I'm going to make you pay."
She flicked his hand toward him as if she were shooing away a fly. "Scoot. We have to get the drinks going."
He walked away from her, but looked back over his shoulder. "I mean it, Loralei."
"I should hope so."
Saturday Night—Party Down
The group of partygoers were gathered around the bar drinking Monica's potent margaritas. Two or three of these, and they would all be passed out on the floor. Loralei was just about to announce that the game was to commence until the doorbell thwarted her plans. A bit on the tipsy side, Loralei did a quick headcount. Wasn't everybody already here? No. Wait. She had invited Kara hadn't she? She giggled a little. It was hard to think past the tequila [tekillya]. She left her spot closest to the blender and approached the front door. She smiled a little when she saw who was behind it. Hopefully, her presence would improve Farron's mood. He sat on the couch sulking like a spoiled little boy. Of course, Kara saw Farron before she laid her eyes on anyone else. He sat alone at the end of the couch and looked as if his best friend had died. He was dressed [quite sexily] in black leather pants and a dark blue button down shirt. He wasn't looking her way at all, and she was slightly disappointed. It appeared as if he didn't care that she had shown up. Why would he, she thought. Men like him had a string of women waiting half a block down the road.
"Well hello there, Kara," Loralei said a bit louder than was necessary. "Glad you could make it. Come in and have a margarita."
At the mention of Kara's name, Farron started paying attention. Ah. The fucking prude had decided to attend the party after all. He drank her in with a hungered gaze. She was dressed in a simple sleeveless black dress. She had left her hair down, and he had the greatest urge to plunge his hand into it. Of course, that wouldn't happen, not in this lifetime. She was too much of a fucking prude. He quickly looked away and continued to stare a hole into his whiskey sour. Kara entered the room and Loralei made hasty introductions. Monica immediately began to make her a margarita. She felt a bit out of place, but everyone seemed to be nice enough. She was tempted to approach Farron, but she resisted. Although he wanted to remain on the couch for the rest of his life, Farron decided not to play that game. He had never been anything other than persistent. He slowly approached the bar, standing directly behind Kara, and requested one of Monica's margaritas. The intense heat radiating from Farron's body made Kara shiver a little. Of course, Farron was aware of that, and he smiled a little. Yes. He had an affect on her. Loralei stood back beside her husband and hid a grin behind her hand. The fireworks tonight would definitely be interesting.
Loralei stepped away from Donovan as her eyes spied an empty tequila bottle. Perfect. She grabbed the bottle and emptied the last remnants of tequila into the blender. Monica would probably be making margaritas for the rest of the night. She came around the bar and stood in the middle of the room. Curiously, the entire group focused their attention on her. "Okay," she said as she stood in the empty space on the floor. "First of all, I want to thank Cody and Jake for slaving all afternoon to move the furniture out of the way. Guys? Take a bow." Jake refused, of course, but Cody did another 'we're not worthy' thing. "I have special entertainment planned tonight, and I hope you all enjoy it. I need everyone to gather over here and sit in a big circle."
"Loralei, what the hell are you up to," Donovan asked with a smile.
"Shut up, Frank and come over."
Reluctantly, Donovan followed everyone over to the center of the room. He noticed that Kara had even decided to join in. Of course, she had had half of a margarita and was probably a little less inhibited than she was. As everyone sat down and made a haphazard circle with his or her bodies, Donovan glanced up at Loralei. She was holding an empty tequila bottle in her hand, and he understood what she was going to do. Oh man. She expected full-grown adults [drunk ones albeit] to play a game he hadn't participated in since he was a freshman in high school. He wondered if this wasn't some type of matchmaking ploy of Loralei's. Loralei took a spot between Cody and Monica and smiled when she noticed that Alex and Jake were sitting side-by-side, as were Kara and Farron. Perfect. She couldn't have planned it better. Now, if the bottle just landed where it was supposed to…
"Who wants to go first," Loralei asked wielding the bottle.
"Loralei, you can't be serious," Donovan spat from his spot on the other side of Kara.
"Come on, Boss, loosen up," Monica said. "We know you can."
The group broke up as they noticed Donovan turning red again. "Okay, I'm outnumbered," Donovan said grudgingly. "Do what you will."
"Oh damn," Cody grumbled, "Give me the bottle." He took it from Loralei's hands and laid it flat in front of him. He gave it a spin and watched as it danced crazily.
"Oh hell no," Donovan spat as the neck of the bottle landed on him. "I've done a lot of things for you, Loralei, but I refuse to kiss Cody," he said.
"Aw, come on, Boss, give us a kiss," Cody said puckering his lips.
Donovan reached over, grabbed a pillow off the couch, and threw it at Cody. "I don't think so."
"Okay, okay," Loralei called. "Settle down! Since the bottle landed on you, dear heart, it's your turn," she said as she rolled the bottle toward her husband.
He caught the bottle. "I'm going to get you for this," he grumbled. Feeling like an overgrown kid, he spun the bottle. "If it lands on Cody, I'm out of here," he griped good-naturedly.
"You don't really mean that, do you Sex Machine," Cody asked.
Loralei laughed so hard that her drunken body nearly toppled over on the floor. "Oh God, you gotta stop, Cody. You're going to kill me."
"If there's enough left when I get through," Donovan said. He watched as the bottle finally stopped. It didn't land on Cody [thank God]. He smiled a little as the neck pointed directly at his wife.
"No fair," Cody cried, "You cheated!"
"Oh, shaddup, Cody," Loralei said. She leaned over as far as she dared and gave her husband a brief kiss on his forehead. "It'll get better when we're alone," she whispered to him. She grabbed the bottle and settled back down. She gave it a spin and it stopped on Jake. "Woo hoo," she cried, "gimme a kiss, big boy."
"If I let you do that, is your old man going to kill me," Jake asked with a grin.
Donovan glanced at Jake. "No. Not as long as you don't use any tongue."
Loralei stuck her tongue out at Donovan and leaned toward Jake. She gave him a smack on the lips and rolled the bottle toward him. "Your turn, Agent Shaw."
Grinning, he spun the bottle and it landed on Kara. He wanted to shout his own 'woo hoo,' she was definitely a looker. As the two awkwardly leaned toward each other, Loralei watched with a smile as green not only entered Farron's eyes, but also Alex's as well. It's working, it's working, she thought. When Kara settled back in her spot, she saw that Farron's eyes were boring into her. I thought you didn't kiss men you didn't know, his eyes seemed to say. She looked away from his steely gaze and spun the bottle, it landed on Alex.
"No girl/girl stuff," Alex called with a giggle. She took the bottle and gave it a spin. She nearly fell over when it landed on Farron. They had broken up, but what the hell? What could a little kissy hurt?
As she leaned toward Farron to place a soft kiss on his lips, once again, Loralei noticed how both Jake and Kara tensed up. Oh wow. It was working out better than she hoped. "Okay, brother in-law, your turn."
Feeling like an idiot, he spun the bottle and it landed on Monica. "Oh damn, this is going to be like kissing the boss," she complained as she leaned toward Farron.
"It's okay," Loralei said. "He's not that bad, especially when you…"
"Loralei," Donovan spat through clenched teeth. He was trying hard to keep from laughing. Damned if the margaritas weren't getting to his head. "Don't."
"Okay, okay," Monica called. "I'm getting bored. Let's whip up some more margaritas."
"Hey," Cody called indignantly, "I didn't get to kiss anybody."
Alex smacked him on the cheek. "Better, Code-man?"
"Lots. Aw gee, I'm blushing now."
* * *
Late, Late Saturday Night—CouplingsWhile Loralei was attempting to drink Cody under the table, Kara announced she needed to leave. Since his wife was too drunk to function, Donovan walked Kara to the door and showed her out. She had walked over and didn't mind walking back. As she slipped out the door, Donovan turned toward his brother.
He jerked his head toward the door. "Go after her. She spent the whole night staring at you."
Farron gave it about five seconds of thought before following Donovan's advice. It didn't take him long to catch up to her. She had been walking back slowly, as if she had expected him to come after her. When he caught up to her, he took her arm to stop her. She turned to gaze up at him, her eyes were sparkling beautifully.
"You kissed Jake tonight," he began. "I thought you didn't kiss men you didn't know."
"I only kissed him because he didn't want to use me. You, on the other hand, seem to be the using type," she said quietly.
"How do you know what type I am? You don't even know me."
"Go to hell," she spat indignantly.
"I'd rather go to heaven and take you with me," he said softly before drawing her into his embrace [resistance is futile].
* * *
Early Sunday Morning—The Morning After the Night BeforeDonovan awoke with a tremendous cramp gripping the small of his back. What possessed him to think he could sleep on the hardwood floor without any problems? Everyone else around him was still passed out. He figured he would be the only one in the group without a hangover. From the hallway, he heard the horrid sound of someone gagging. Ugh. He stood up as quickly as his bad back would allow. He groaned when he realized he was still dressed in yesterday's clothes. He made his way down the hall and noticed that the bathroom door was opened just a crack. He smiled a little when he saw that it was Loralei making the terrible gagging noises.
"Serves you right for downing all that tequila," he said with little sympathy in his voice. Without looking at him, she raised her hand and gave him the finger. He laughed a little and dug a washcloth out of the linen closet nearest the toilet. He soaked it with cold water and leaned down beside her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders to steady her. "Come on, love, take this."
She took the cloth and sat back on her legs. She buried her fevered and flushed face into the wonderful chill and kept it there for a few moments. "If I ever want to drink tekillya again, please, please stop me," she mumbled through the cloth.
He chuckled. "Will do. Come on, let me take you to bed."
"I'm all yucky, Frank," she said. "Let me shower first."
"You need some help?"
She moved the cloth away from her face and smiled a little. "Yeah, I do."
* * *
Farron awoke suddenly, and wasn't sure what had jarred him awake. When he glanced at the vacant side of the sofa bed, he groaned. Last night, he hadn't slept alone. He had brought Kara back to the den and spent a good portion of the night making love to her. He had wanted to awaken with her still in his arms, but she had left. He dressed quickly and found himself venturing over to her house. It was quiet and dark when he stepped up and rang the doorbell. When the door came open, he wasn't greeted with Kara's beautiful face. Instead, a man greeted him.
"Who are you," Farron demanded.
"John Everett, who are you?"
"Where is Kara," he demanded.
"If you must know, she left this morning, and I'm babysitting her house."
Farron was confused. Why would she leave after making love to him? "Where is she?"
"Europe. She flew out at dawn. I'm sorry, sir, but I have no idea who you are, and what you are to my sister."
He felt an unfamiliar feeling in his chest. What was that? Was it his heart? Was it breaking? She had made love to him and then ran away. Had he dreamt it all? Had he really slept with her last night? Had he really slept with her at all? He had never felt so devastated. How could she do this to him?