Page 14 of Promise Not To Fall

“Yeah.” It’s unreal how quickly I’m sucking these delicious bastards down. I need to drink this next one slower.

I offer Jake a smile, trying to keep myself under control. It’s hard. I mean, look at him. “So what, are you, like, really an island boy or something?”

“Parents are from Baton Rouge,” he says, reaching up to retrieve a bottle above his head. It’s then, my friends, I’m rewarded with the utterly fantastic view of about three inches of Jakes tight and toned stomach.

Oh, mother of God.

Look at those lines and that hair leading to the downstairs. Oh, yeah, follow the trail, baby. I try, but don’t get far. It disappears into the band of his black underwear, which I can clearly see the first half inch of. My thoughts are basically,I’ll spread my legs now. Take me. Tie me up. Pull my hair. Spank me. And actually in that order, please.

A few images of him naked swirl in my head, all great and worth remembering.

Hey, now. At least eye-fuck the guy with some dignity, I tell myself.

“…and we moved here when I was two.”

Shit. He was talking to me all that time? My glossy eyes meet his. “What?”

He gives me a confused look. My hands begin to get clammy, and my heart starts to race. “Sorry, where did you say you were from?” A silent moment passes between us, and I begin to wonder if I’ve pissed him off by not paying attention. If someone would have done that to me, you better believe I’d be upset. “Sorry. I tend to zone out when I’m drunk, and your stomach distracted me.”

Surprisingly, Jake laughs. “I was born in Baton Rouge. Moved here when I was two.”

I attempt to focus on him, squinting with determination. “I’m horrible at picking up men.”

“Try that guy.” He points to Surfer Boy, who’d just walked past me.

When drunk, I don’t think quite as well and take on pretty much any challenge handed my way. In college, I once drank an entire fifth of whip cream vodka because Rylee told me I couldn’t do it. Yeah, well, I did and regretted every sickly-sweet vomit session I had that night in the ER, where I eventually ended up with alcohol poisoning.

“Let me see.” I take the challenge immediately and hop down off my stool. I literally attempt to pick Surfer Boy up.

Surfer Boy grins. “Oh, I like a girl with muscle,” he says, winking at me as I hold him in my arms.

“I’m impressing myself right now.” I keep my balance and grip on him.

Then I drop him. Flat on his ass. He lands on the wooden planks of the floor with a thud.

All of us start laughing.

“Get off the floor, Nash,” the man who delivered my food earlier says, shaking his head in obvious amusement.

I point at the man. “Who’s he?”

“My dad. Owns the bar.” Then Jake points to Nash, who’s dusting off his shorts. “That’s Nash. He kind of just showed up one day and never left. Works here now.” As I take a seat back on my stool, Jake relaxes against the counter, leaning toward me again. “He’s like a stray cat. We don’t even pay him.”

“You do too pay me.” Nash gets up and walks back to the other end of the bar to the same girls he was with an hour ago. I have a feeling that when Nash said he was paid, it’s in pretty girls and not actual cash.

Jake’s eyes find mine with some twinkling satisfaction. “It’s still pretty early. You hittin’ the town tonight?”

“I’m not hitting much of anything these days.”

“Mmmm, dirty….” His voice lowers to a roughness I find very pleasing. “I always say a dirty mind is a terrible thing to waste.”

The way he watches me makes my knees shake and takes the air from my lungs. He literally gives me chills. “I think I’m going to stay right here. I want to try everything on the menu.” My eyes sneak to his. “Includingyou.”

His jaw tightens. He swallows. And then he gives me this look, one that knits his brow together. Maybe he wants that too? I can’t tell. But I’m drunk so I can’t tell much of anything.

Awkward silence envelopes me. “Or maybe I try out surfer dude. Whatever.” I flick my hand toward the wall of booze. “So, what’s next, Jay?”

He clicks his tongue and tips his head, as if to say he doesn’t agree with me shortening his name. “It’s Jake.”

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