The air around me grows chillier, my pulse kicks higher, and I’m five seconds from confessing all my sins.
Suddenly I’m dropped into a pile of sand, and not two seconds later, a wave threatens to carry me out to sea.
I push my palms into the thick, soft sand and drag myself to my feet before the water steals it from beneath me, running up and out as far as I can, only to trip over something, slamming onto the sand once more.
My chest rises and falls rapidly, and I wait for the assault.
For hands to bound around my neck or hips.
For something far worse I may never want to wake up from.
But I get nothing.
The weep of the night’s waves echoes around me, not a hint of another’s presence with it.
With shaky fingers, I slowly reach up, and once I have the fabric in my grip, quickly tear it from my head.
I blink several times for my eyes to readjust, swiveling my body around in the damp sand to find I’m completely alone, nothing but the hint of taillights in the distance. The panic dwindles, my eyes snapping to my hands, and my shoulders fall.
A hair tie.
My hair tie, stretched around my wrists.
Pathetic, Jameson.
Teeth clenched, I angrily tear the tape from my mouth, surprised when it too slips off nice and easy, leaving behind a bit of a greasy residue.
With a heavy glare, I whip around, staring up at the sea cliff, and what do you know, the power suddenly kicks back on in Cali’s house, the pool, once again, illuminated with LED lights, the music reaching my ears in the barest of tones.
A growl escapes me as I wrap my arms around myself, the coastal breeze freezing my saltwater-covered ass, and start back up the hill. The wind chooses to blow a little with my every step taken, and the tape I tossed to the side rolls up, covering the back of my ankle.
I kick the thing away, only to pause when the gleam of the ocean hits it just right.
My head tips slightly and I take a quick glance around before bending to pick it up. I shake off the excess sand and drag it closer, squinting at the floppy piece of shit.
Right across the front, written in big, bold, and, of course, red letters are two words that probably shouldn’t make me laugh, but one flies from me before I can stop it.
With a shake of my head, I crumple their little love note in my palm and toss it in the bonfire on my way back to Cali’s house.
Inside, it’s as if nothing happened and nobody realized I was gone. They’re drinking and talking and laughing like normal. And there’s no point in making a scene or drawing attention to myself by calling everyone out on their lack of awareness, so I don’t.
I’m the dumbass who let herself get dragged out of the party, carried down the hill, and tripped over a fucking log that Cali and I probably put there last night.
So, I pour myself that next round I was trying to avoid and bring the sweet treat of a drink to my lips. As I scan the room, I’m fully aware the three who popped in late were the first to leave.
With me dangling from their hazardous hands.
I scoff, watching the bubbles fight their way to the top of my glass, the words those guys felt the need to feed me dry on my tongue.
It’s ironic to serve me with a tip that plays like a boomerang, only able to head in my direction if it initiated from theirs. Or vice versa—the ‘who leaped first’ is unimportant when two people end up at the bottom of the Pacific. All that matters is the key fact that led them there. They both jumped.
To be aware I was staring means one thing and one thing only.
They were staring, too.
Jules giggles as she climbs from Dax’s car, flashes him her ass through the open window, and then makes her way toward us.
“You’re almost an hour late.” Cali bites at the straw stuck between her teeth.
“It’s called stamina, my friend.” Jules walks up, and together, we spin, headed for the restaurant. “You should try to find you a toy who has some.”
“Please, I don’t have time for all that. Quick to the punch is more my style.” Cali wiggles her brows, pausing in front of the door rather than reaching for it herself.
Not three seconds later, it’s opened for us, the greeter, I always remember by his perfectly slicked hair, revealing himself on the other side.
“Ms. Marino.” The man smiles at Jules with a small head bow. “Your table has been prepared on the patio.”
He holds a hand out, ushering us past the group still waiting to be seated.
“Thanks, Korbin, Mimosas to start us off?” She smiles.
“Already on the way, Miss.”
She blows him a kiss and we head out to the best seat in the house, right against the glass, overlooking the highest peak of the cliff.
Jules and Cali pull out their phones, snapping quick selfies for social media and tapping away while I watch the waves as they curl over the rocks below.
Farther out, I spot several surfers making their way in with the tide. They’ve likely been out there grinding since four this morning, and here we are, barely alive at a quarter to ten like a bunch of brats.
Or teenage girls, I guess.
Speaking of barely alive...
The waiter arrives with a large glass pitcher that no doubt holds their best-stocked champagne and freshly squeezed orange juice.
As he sets three glasses down and prepares to fill them, I decline mine.
“Miss?” He frowns from me to Jules, assuming he did something wrong.
“Sorry, but can I have a hot latte instead?”
“Of course, Miss. What flavor would you like?”
Pushing back in my seat, I shrug. “Surprise me.”
He hesitates a moment, as if he heard me wrong, but when I nod, he bows, quickly disappearing inside the restaurant.
Once we order, it’s no more than fifteen minutes and our food is brought out.
“So, should we park at the south end of the plaza, make our way down to the other end, and have valet cart us back to the car with our bags?” Cali pushes the last bit of egg whites around her plate with a fork.
“Makes sense to me, we’re going for clothes, not jewelry and handbags.”
“Speak for yourself.” Jules grins. “I could use a new pair of earrings.”
Cali smiles, but shakes her head. “Jameson is right, besides, if you wanted to look at jewelry, you should have invited Dax to come with.”
“So true.” Jules tops off her glass with a giggle.
I can tell by the end of breakfast, today is going to be a freaking marathon. These girls are tipsy and ready to max out their cards, with today’s limit anyway. If I would have joined them, they would have gone for refill after refill, and we’d be ditching my car here, waiting for Cali’s car service to arrive and head back to one of our houses, our shopping trip forgotten in favor of flirty ‘fun.’
Once we’ve paid and are leaving the table, the waiter brings me a second latte to go and we’re off to do some damage at the South Coast Plaza.
It takes less than fifteen minutes to arrive, and we’re walking into the center within twenty.
“Oh, I was going to ask about the party Wednesday.” Jules pulls her phone out, checking her lipstick in the camera. “Was anything missing after the power went out?”
My drink freezes at my lips as I look from Jules to Cali.
Uh, yeah. Me.