Chapter 9 Drinking Games
I woke to the sound of Rick’s voice in the hallway and a small warm spot in the bed where Lily had obviously only recently left.
I slung my legs over the edge and forced myself to get up in the waiting darkness.
Taking a few seconds to come to my senses, I finally shuffled into the connected bathroom.
I washed my face and brushed my teeth. Feeling more alert, I headed for the sitting room.
Wandering down the hall to the sound of voices coming from the sitting room made me happy.
However, what I saw when I got there ripped that mood right out of me.
Jack was sitting in a pair of boxer briefs and a t-shirt, and it was obvious that he and Mya had made the most of their quiet time as well.
His neck was marked, and there were fresh nail marks at the side of his thigh.
Mya was still asleep, and Lily was close to Jack on the sofa, but they weren’t actively touching each other. More like completely relaxed in each other’s company and Lily hadn’t seemed fazed by the fact that Jack was half undressed.
Lily glanced up at me when I entered the room. An affectionate smile instantaneously spread across her face when her eyes met mine.
“Hello, honey, did you have a good nap?”
I nodded and looked over at Rick, who was sitting with his leg crossed with his ankle resting on his other knee.
His arm reached along the back of the sectional sofa where he was sitting, opposite of where Lily and Jack were sitting.
Rick glanced up at me with a raised eyebrow indicating he expected me to make an issue out of the cozy scene between Lily and Jack.
Or he may have been wondering himself what the deal was because Jack was married to his niece.
I learned long ago that the caveman technique of claiming my woman where Jack was concerned was futile.
A more subtle approach was necessary. Remaining calm, I walked across the room and sat down next to Lily, then lifted her across my knee.
Lily squeaked in surprise and gave me a sexy smile, her face reflected complete trust regarding what I was doing.
I planted a soft kiss on her lips and tongued at the seam of her closed mouth.
Lily giggled and pulled her head back to look at me.
I dragged my mouth away and leaned back to look at her fully aware that both men’s eyes were on us.
“I did. I was out of it for a while, did you sleep okay?” I traced her face with my finger and ran it down her nose before trailing it along her lips while I listened to her reply.
“I did. I was flat out until Rick knocked on the door. He woke Jack up as well. We were all down for the count.”
I was relieved when she explained how long she’d been up because if I’d had too long to think about it I would have begun to imagine her and Jack alone in his underwear and why he was in that state of undress with her.
Before I could think more about it, there was another knock at the door. Rick sat staring at me, and I looked down at Lily. Jack commented he wasn’t going to the door in his underwear in case Mr. Frost pecked his balls off then Rick chipped in.
“I don’t do doors. Never know what crazy fucker is on the other side. It might be a fan.”
Jack started laughing loudly then had a coughing fit before finally challenging Rick on that, “Seriously? A fan? We’re in the middle of fucking nowhere, Rick.”
Jack had no real idea other than the stories we’d shared with him, but I’d had fans who have hidden in the box of a bed, and been delivered to my room in suitcases. I’d even found one knocking on my hotel room window seven floors up, and that was long before we were at the status we’re at now.
Lily stood up and pulled down the hem of her red sweater. She bit her plump bottom lip, her eyebrows bunching together and stared at Rick as if he’d grown a unicorn horn.
“I’ll take my chances,” she smirked before she began heading down the hallway.
Rick’s eyebrows disappeared into his hairline, and he stared at me shaking his head with a disappointed expression on his face.
“You call yourself a man, and yet you’ll let that sweet girl answer the door in the woods? It could be a fucking bear out there you moron.”
Jack and I belly laughed at Rick because we knew he was trying to get a rise out of me, and I wasn’t in the mood to bite.
“Well, the only reason you didn’t answer was because you know it wouldn’t be pussy, Rick,” I replied, turning to smirk at Jack.
Jack chuckled and gave me a high five. “Good one, Alfie.”
Rick shook his head and smirked knowingly. “Already had that at my door. Dita had to leave to do her job. That’s why I’m sitting here.”
Before Jack or I could respond, Dave and Emily walked into the sitting room, and Rick spoke to Dave like he was his long lost brother.
“Dave, thank fuck you’re here. Any ideas for entertaining a musician in the middle of a fucking forest?”
Dave’s face lit up, and he wobbled slightly on his feet at the sudden attention from Rick because according to Jack, Rick Fars was Dave’s idol. Dave worked as a sound engineer and M3rCy, Rick’s band was his all-time favorite band.
Looking a little awestruck at being put on the spot, Dave looked to Jack then blinked silently as if to say, ‘Did he just say that?’
He looked back at Rick. “Sure I do. What about a drinking game?”
Rick perked up and straightened his back in his chair.
“Sounds like a solid plan. Where’s the alcohol?”
Placing his hands on his knees, he pushed himself upright and began wandering down the cabin hallway to the room Mya and Jack were sharing. He knocked and opened the door when he heard nothing on the other side.
“Mya, get your ass up and out here, honey. We’ve got a night of drinking and debauchery planned. You won’t want to miss it.”
Dave, Jack and I were trying to find the alcohol when we heard an approaching snow mobile outside. Emily peered out the window and relaxed.
“It’s that Dita woman again,” she said calmly.
“Is that so?” Rick glanced over and gave me a salacious smile.
No sooner had she spoken, Dita entered through the front door dragging with her an insulated box. Rick pounced to help her before he came and stood beside me folding his arms, still checking her out.
“Dinner.”
Dita smiled warmly at us before making eye contact with Rick and blushing.
She looked away and began to empty the stainless steel box, placing the foil cartons on the kitchen counter.
She stopped to turn on the oven and Rick was instantly by her side; alcohol was momentarily forgotten while he acted like a domestic God.
Lily smirked knowingly at me, and I knew it was Rick’s intention to make another play for her.
“Do you have dessert in there or are you dessert?” Rick asked in his thick Southern drawl.
His thinly disguised attempt at flirting with her attracted the attention of the others in the room.
Jack snorted and bit back a grin at his corny pick-up line.
Rick raised an eyebrow in silent challenge letting Jack know to mind his own business.
Jack shook his head and walked away in the direction of his bedroom.
Mya still hadn’t made an appearance from her ‘nap’.
“No dessert, only me,” Dita said seductively and with a completely innocent expression on her face.
Rick glanced at me sideways before closing the space between them and slipping his hand around her shoulders.
“Dita. You are all the dessert I need, darling. You’re as sweet as a peach,” Rick responded grinning wickedly.
I knew his chances of a replay would be successful when she placed a soft hand over his forearm that was draped around her neck. For a second, they held each other’s gaze then he took his arm back and Dita once again turned her attention to preparing the food without hesitation.
With Dita’s help, Jack found the alcohol.
“Damn, there’s enough alcohol in this place to induce more than a few comas.”
I strode over to see what the fuss was about, and he wasn’t exaggerating.
The room situated next to the main seating area had a stainless steel double fronted fridge with an ice dispenser.
Inside was an assortment of imported beers, white wines ranging from dry to sweet, and Champagne.
Next to it was a long floor to ceiling glass cabinet packed tightly with spirits and liquors.
On the far wall, a darker alcove area was decked out like a small cellar full of red wine and on closer inspection they came from vineyards all over the world.
Cody and Lennon arrived just as Dita was arranging the hot food on the huge table. Chicken, pizza, shrimp, steak and salmon, baked potatoes, coleslaw, salad and sweet potato wedges were a welcome sight; I was starving.
Each of us had at least two glasses of wine with dinner, and we were pretty relaxed by the time Rick and Jack disappeared into the ‘drinking den’, as the room containing the alcohol had by then been renamed.
When they reappeared, they were each carrying a bottle of tequila, a bottle of gin and two bottles of white wine.
Jack went back and returned with a bottle of Galliano, some vodka and a bottle of twelve-year-old malt whiskey.
When he started going through the cupboards, I thought he was looking for glasses, but eventually he produced a large glass jug and poured half the bottle of vodka, gin, whiskey, Galliano and some wine into the jug.
“Forfeit, jug,” he explained and then set it on the coffee table in the middle of the lounge.
Mya and Lily made everyone another drink, and we all sat on either the sofa or floor, on pillows.