“Ouch!” I slap my hand over my arm. “What was that?”
He holds up his yellow dart, looking sheepish. “I poked you with my dart.”
“Jeez, Daniel, that hurt. Not even funny.” I rub the sore spot.
He frowns at the point of his dart. “I’m sorry. I must have pricked you too hard.”
I force myself to relax. “Just…don’t do it again, okay?”
He draws me into his arms. “It won’t happen again.”
I let him hold me for a minute because the contact feels really good. When he releases me, I have to catch myself on a nearby table. My balance is off. I must be still experiencing the effects of the drink. We play one round and then another. My aim is terrible and I hit the wall more than I hit the dartboard. Daniel makes a few jokes about how he hopes I never have to compete in the Hunger Games.
By the third round, my mouth is strangely dry. I reach for my water bottle, but my hand misses and knocks it over. “Oh crap. Sorry.”
I hear the girls giggle behind me. I fall to my knees and look for something to mop up the floor with. My shirt. My shirt is absorbent and already wet. Besides, the fabric is really bothering me. Actually, all of my clothes are starting to irritate me. My bra feels too tight and the elastic of my underwear is digging into my skin. The threads of the hem of my skirt scratch my thighs every time I move. I should take off my clothes.
“That’s a good idea,” Daniel agrees.
I must have said that out loud. “My clothes are bothering me,” I confess.
“Yes, let’s take off our clothes!” one of the girl shouts from the sofa. I hear a rustling of fabric and then more giggles.
“My head is stuck,” one of them chirps.
“Why don’t you two help each other out?” Hugh suggests.
I push to my feet, bracing myself against Daniel’s shoulder. Zoe tugs Nadine’s top off and throws it at Hugh. He drops it to the floor and strolls over to the sofa.
“I should go,” I tell Daniel. I have a good idea what’s going to happen between the three of them, and I don’t really care to watch.
Daniel tugs me against his body again, wrapping an arm around my waist. His physical response to the scene unfolding in front of me is unmistakable.
“Where’s Reed?” I turn abruptly. The tingling between my legs makes me think of him. “I need him.”
“No you don’t. You’ve got me.” Daniel grinds himself slowly against me.
“No.” I jerk out of his grasp. “I’m sorry, Daniel. I don’t think…I’m not…” I raise a hand to my head and shakily push it through my hair. Need is pulsing through my blood. I can hear my heartbeat, loud and fast, in my ears. I force myself to concentrate. “I need Reed.”
“Jesus, you stupid bitch. Just close your eyes and enjoy it.”
His voice isn’t nice anymore. It’s cold and annoyed. He yanks at the bottom of my shirt. I bat at his hands but my movements lack coordination and he’s got my top off before I can protest.
“How’s it going over there?” I hear Hugh say. His voice is close. Very close.
“She’s just rolling. I gave her some molly. She thought I pricked her with a dart.” Daniel sounds delighted with his trick. I try to swing out a fist but my arm is too heavy.
Hugh pauses. “Dude…You think you should be doing that with Ella Royal? I thought we were going to stick with out-of-towners after the thing with Savannah’s cousin. No good to shit where you eat.”
Daniel snorts. “The Royals can’t stand her. She’s not going to say anything. She’s trash. Trumped-up nobody made me work for a week.”
He cups my face and it feels so good. I wish Reed was here and that it was his hand.
I moan his name.
“What’d she say?”
Daniel laughs. “I think this chick banged both Easton and Reed.” He roughly fondles my boobs and the contact draws another groan from me.
“Shit, she’s horny,” Hugh gloats. “Awesome. Can I have her when you’re done?”
“Sure. Let me do my thing and then she’s all yours.”
“How loose do you think she is? Heard she’s had a lot of action.”
“Don’t know yet. Can’t get her damn legs open.” He pushes me down onto a chair and thrusts a knee between my legs.
“Why not give her a little coke? That’ll wake her up.”
“Yeah, good idea.”
The pressure disappears as Daniel gets up and stalks over to the counter. I watch with alarm as he rummages through a drawer.
“Where does Farris keep that shit…I thought it was here…Oh, maybe the fridge.”
I hear muffled voices from outside the pool house. “Ella…seen her…Daniel…pool…”
“Reed.” I force myself to get to my feet. “Reed.” I stumble past the two girls who are busy kissing each other.
“Hey, hold up.” Daniel slams a drawer shut and races over to me, slapping his hand on the door before I can pull it open. “Where you going?”
“I need to leave,” I insist and grab for the doorknob.
“No you don’t. Come back here.”
We fight for the door. Daniel has something sharp and shiny in his hand. “Hugh. A hand please,” he calls.