Chapter Twenty-Seven
Home Part Two
I’d barely got Boo and I settled in bed when my phone rang.
After Lottie’s third act we al left Smithie’s. Daisy was too drunk to drive so she left her Mercedes at Smithie’s, one of Marcus’s men came to get her and Shirleen grabbed a ride with them. Since I was in the ‘hood, I caught a ride with Lee who came in one of the company’s Explorers to get Indy, Tod and Stevie. Roxie was designated driver for Jet and Al y.
We al hugged and told each other we loved each other, waxed on about how great the night was and that we’d be best friends forever for about ten minutes before Lee grabbed Indy and my upper arms and steered us to the Explorer.
They dropped me first (if you can cal Lee walking me to the door and making sure I got safely inside “dropping me”) and they took off. As I watched out the window, Indy, Tod and Stevie waved at me as Lee drove.
I weaved a bit and giggled to myself, cooing to Boo,
“Mommy’s drunk! ” as I walked to the bathroom, washed my face, slathered it with moisturizer, changed into a nightgown and Boo and I climbed somewhat gracelessly up into the bed.
Then the phone rang so I grabbed it.
“Hel o,” I sang happily (okay, more like drunkenly).
“Go set your alarm,” Vance said in my ear.
“What?”
“Bobby just cal ed me, told me you got home, Lee walked you to the door but you didn’t set your alarm. Go set it.”
“Okay,” I said, again happily (yes, more appropriately drunkenly) and scooted to the end of the bed.
I took the phone with me and held it to my ear as I jumped down, stumbled a little and muttered, “Shit,” before giggling.
Throughout this there was silence in my ear. Then, “Are you drunk?”
Shit.
“Um…”
Vance was an alcoholic. I was a social worker so I knew al about alcoholics. Stil , I’d never read a book about how to deal with one when he was your shit-hot boyfriend (actual y, I was pretty sure I had but I was forgetting in my drunken state what it said).
Therefore I stayed silent after my initial “um”.
“How drunk are you?” Vance asked as I made it to the alarm keypad in the living room.
I didn’t answer intent on the task at hand. I punched in some numbers and the keypad started beeping angrily.
“Whoops,” I said and narrowed my eyes at the keypad.
“Jules,” Vance said in my ear.
“Quiet, I’m concentrating,” and I was.
I heard him chuckle.
“Quiet!” I demanded.
His amusement stil came at me as I punched the right code in and the alarm stopped beeping.
“Did it!” I announced as if I’d just cracked the code to the security system protecting the Hope Diamond.
I started walking back to the bed as Vance asked again,
“Al right, Princess, now tel me, how drunk are you?” Oh wel , honesty, Auntie Reba and Nick always told me, was the best policy.
“Five cosmos drunk,” I told him.
“Five?”
I decided to fib by omission and leave out mentioning the shots when I started up the steps to the bed platform and cracked my head against the hal ceiling.
“Ouch!”
“Jules?” Vance said in my ear.
“Okay. It’s okay. I’m okay. Everyone’s okay,” I declared as I shoved myself in the opening and col apsed on the bed.
Vance was laughing again.
“You aren’t mad?” I asked.
“Fuck no. Five cosmos drunk means you’l stil be drunk when I get back.”
“Is that good?”
“Yeah, Princess, it’s good.”
“Why?”
He didn’t answer, he just said, “The skip was wanted in C Springs. I’ve just processed him at a station there and I’m passing the Academy now. I’l be home in a little over an hour.”
“Okay,” I replied happily (this time more happily than drunkenly).
“Take off your underwear.”
My breath caught and I went instantly sober. “What?” I whispered.
“Go to sleep without any underwear.”
“Vance,” I was stil whispering.
“Princess, do it.” His voice was silk and it slid through the phone and across my skin like it was alive.
“Okay.” Yes, stil whispering.
“See you soon,” he said.
“Okay.”
Disconnect.
I laid there a second, wondering if I could sleep without my underwear. Considering the fact that I was seriously turned on, I figured I wouldn’t sleep anyway so I took off my underwear, turned off the light and settled in, cuddling Boo and waiting for Vance.
In about two minutes, I was asleep.
*
I was yanked off the edge of the bed with hands at my ankles. I let out a surprised gasp, Boo went flying, I landed hard on the floor and an arm came around my waist while a hand went over my mouth.
I stared up, thinking (or, more like hoping) I’d be seeing Vance, but in the darkness I saw Hector Chavez.
I screamed against his hand and started struggling.