“Tash!” she yells and waves. There’s a slight weave in her step. When she sees me, she gets the look on her face she always does. I stuff my hands in my pockets and suppress a grin. I already know what’s coming.

Violet can’t deal with my name. Miller shortens my last name to Balls—it’s kind of an inside joke, which he’s not allowed to share with anyone or I’ll kill him—and her whacked-out brain changed it into something dirty. Although, I guess given my reputation with women, it’s not all that far out there.

Violet stops about three feet away from us. She closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths. The empty glass she’s holding shakes. After a few more seconds she opens her eyes and smiles. “Hi, Randy,” she says through clenched teeth.

“It’s killing you, isn’t it?” Usually there’s some thrusting action that accompanies the articulation of my name.

“You have no idea. It’s guaranteed I’m going to say something embarrassing tonight. So far I’ve only accidently referenced Alex’s dick once.”

“Oh, God,” Tash stifles a laugh.

Violet holds up a reassuring hand. “It’s okay. I don’t think my grandmother caught it; she’s not wearing her hearing aids. I’m keeping everything crossed that I can control my mouth for the rest of the night, but it’s not my strong suit.” One of the waiters comes by to take her empty glass. Violet takes a new drink from his tray and holds up a finger so he doesn’t leave. She gulps it down in one swallow, hands the glass back, and reaches for another.

“Violet, baby, there you are.” Alex comes up behind her and snatches the glass away before she can get it to her lips. “Here. You should try this instead.” He folds her hand around the new glass and acknowledges us. “Hey, guys. Glad you could make it. Natasha, you look stunning.”

“Ooooh! What’s this?” Violet holds out the champagne flute. The concoction is pink, with little berries floating in it. A toothpick threaded with candies lies across the top.

“Charlene said you’d love it.”

Violet takes a sip and smacks her lips. She’s definitely drunk. Tonight should be interesting. “This is awesome. You’re the best, baby.” She runs a hand down his chest.

Alex catches it before it can go too low. “Anything for you, gorgeous.”

She leans into him and clutches his shirt, pulling him down. He gives us an apologetic look, and that’s before she says, louder than she probably means to, “Tonight I’m gonna ride your dick like we’re at the Calgary Stampede.”

“Shh,” he mutters. “We can talk about that later.”

“Right. Shh!” She puts her finger to her lips. “Speaking of riding things…” She lets go of Alex’s shirt and points at me. “You might want to find Lily. She is a hot tamale tonight. If I wasn’t marrying this sexy piece of ass, and I didn’t love his monster cock as much as I do, I might be interested in her. Except she’s a girl. So I’m not. But there are a bunch of horny guys who are.” She turns to Alex and cringes. “That was too far, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah, baby.” He nods. “You saw the line and bulldozed right over it.”

“I told you this party wasn’t a good idea. We need to elope.” She guzzles the rest of her drink. “I need another one of these.”

“Let me take care of that for you.” Alex takes the glass and puts an arm around her. “I’ll catch you guys in a bit. Make yourself at home.” He steers her away as she grabs his ass.

Tash and I look at each other. “I have a feeling this is going to be an interesting night.”

“You can say that again,” Tash agrees.

Lance is still missing, so we make our way through the crowd. I’m on a mission to find Lily, especially after Violet’s report. Though she’s drunk, so she might be exaggerating. I don’t see Lily anywhere inside, so I shoot her a text telling her I’m here and ask for a location.

As Tash and I step out onto the deck in the backyard, her heel catches between two boards. I catch her before she can go down.

“Oh, crap! These shoes were a stupid idea.”

“You’re fine. I got you.”

She puts a hand on my shoulder and twists around so she can see what’s keeping her locked to the deck.

“Damn it. It’s really stuck!” She jerks her foot a couple of times.

“Let me see if I can get it.”

Just as I bend down, I spot Lily. She’s wearing a little blue dress, her lean legs on display. It reminds me of her figure skating outfits. It’s light and flowy, covering everything and not enough at the same time. And fucking Kirk is talking to her. He’s a dog.

I hold onto Tash’s ankle and tug. Her heel slips free, and her elbow comes up fast. I don’t have enough time to react. She connects with my nose.

“Ah, fuck!” I grunt and fold forward.

“Oh, shit!” Off balance from the unexpected freedom, Tash stumbles into me, her drink splashing on my shoe.

I’d like to care, but my face is throbbing, and my eyes are watering, so the drink isn’t nearly the issue it would be otherwise.

“Are you okay?” Tash takes my glass and sets it on the deck.

I’m surprised I was still holding it. All I can do is make a groaning sound.

“Do you have words?” She takes my face in her hands. “Randy?”