Reckless Abandon(69)

I turn my head to the side to avoid the banana hammock from coming anywhere near my face. The stripper sits straight up and I am instantly relieved, thinking the show is over, when he does a mock push-up over my body and then pretends he is penetrating me.

“Okay, that’s enough!”

I push my hand out and shove him away. Rising from the bed, I push past him, ignoring his fake hurt look—puppy-dog eyes, a stuck-out lower lip, and hands over his heart. When Leah pushes a twenty into his G-string, all is forgotten and he moves on to his next victim.

“You’re a good sport.” Lisa pats me on the back and hands me a drink. It’s pink, girly and just what I need.

“Yeah, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Crystal asks, helping me readjust my halter-top. “Aren’t you glad I told you to wear pants!”

I take a sip of my Cosmo and release the straw. “Thank God. I would have died if he did that while I was wearing a skirt!”

“Now that you got that over with, let’s dance!” Crystal beams and the three of us dance to the Calvin Harris song playing. It’s nice having Crystal and Lisa here. Turns out they were in need of a girl’s night.

Looks like I did too.

My life was always about music and perfecting my craft. I did go to a few keggers and house parties in high school. But not all the time. More often than not, I had a competition or recital to go to. Then in college I met Parker, who shared my passion. Instead of getting rip-roaring drunk, we went to dinner, art galleries, and the theater. My time in Pittsburgh was about culture. It was what Parker and I wanted to do.

I can’t say I never had fun. When I was back home, I was at the bar with Leah. Before she opened McConaughey’s, she worked there as a bartender when it went by another name. Amstel Light was my drink of choice and I sang along to the silly karaoke tunes.

My Pittsburgh life and my Cedar Ridge life were complete opposites. When I was home I could let go. Leah and Luke were always getting me to do crazy stuff with them. But when I went back to Pittsburgh, I morphed back into the polished violist. It seems the longer I stayed in Pittsburgh, the more I lost the fun me.

My arms rise above my head as I dance, getting a little closer to Crystal and moving to the rhythm of the music. The beat is traveling from my fingertips down through my hips and into my toes. When you dance, you not only hear the music but you feel it. Maybe it’s the pink elixir working through me but I am feeling it—and it feels great.

The other girls, including Leah, join Crystal, Lisa, and me on the dance floor and the seven of us dance, forming a circle. We dance for a few more songs, twirling each other, some girls rubbing up against another in an attempt to be sexy and others just dance and enjoy the company. Exhausted, we all take a spot on the bed.

“This is the best night, ever!” Leah says, swaying slightly with her words. She has easily drunk double the amount I have. She turns to Crystal, her finger losing traction in the air, “You are awesome! I’m so glad Emma found you!”

Crystal puts her arm around me, “I love Emma. She’s amazing!”

“That,” Leah says with a hiccup, “is very true. My sister is amazing!” Her words rise in a high pitch at the word amazing.

Lisa and I exchange a look at my sister’s obvious intoxication. She’s not in the danger zone, just yet. I’ll make sure she doesn’t get too smashed. Right now, she’s giddy drunk.

“What is it like living in Manhattan? Is it like Sex and the City?” Jessica asks.

“Yeah, do you, like, hook up with guys all the time?” Kimberly directs her question to Crystal and me. She learned earlier that Lisa is married.

Crystal and I both scrunch our noses at her question. “No.”

“Emma does not do one-night stands. She’s a good girl,” Leah says, leaning to the side before catching her weight and righting herself.

I take a big sip of my drink, trying not to think about the last time I was with a man.

“Except for the *,” Leah adds and I nearly spit my drink out.

“Leah.” My tone is reprimanding. When I told her Crystal and Lisa were coming tonight I asked her not to mention Asher. No one at the school has any idea what happened this summer. Perhaps Leah is tipsier than I thought. I’m giving her a serious scowl, telepathically reminding her of our conversation.

“What *?” Lisa’s interest is piqued.

Shit.

“No one.” I shoot the Ohio girls a similar look to the one I am giving Leah, but no one seems to be getting the hint.

Suzanne leans forward, not noticing that her necklace I dangling into her drink. “The one who spent their entire trip pretending to be a ship captain and bedded her in every port along the Amalfi coast.”

Huh?

“That’s not exactly what happened—”

“Oh, are you talking about the guy from Italy?” Kimberly joins in as I offer Leah a death stare. “Emma, you are so lucky he didn’t turn out to be some crazy person and dump you in the ocean.”

“Could you please not—”

“Or given you a disease,” Suzanne adds. “You know how those sailors are.”

I throw my head into my palm at the realization my blabbermouth sister told all of Cedar Ridge about my Italian rendezvous. At least they don’t have their facts straight.