Page 34 of Promise Not To Fall

1 part Grey Goose® L’Orange

½ part Cointreau1 part fresh lemon juice

1 part simple syrup1 part muddled clementine1

½ parts sparkling wine1 mint spring

Muddle clementine sections with lemon juice. Add remaining ingredients. Shake with ice until chilled. Strain into a Collins glass and garnish with a mint sprig and clementine rind peels.

With dreams of tropical drinks and the best sex of my life, I wake up to Jake kissing my forehead and then slipping quietly out the door. Like he hadn’t been there at all. Curling into my overly fluffy pillows I plan on stealing, his memory feels burned into my head and skin.

Once Jake is gone, even hours later as the warm Bahama sun filters through my room, I still feel his touch, his grip on my skin, and taste his kiss. That’s when you know it’s a good night, when you’ve been fucked thoroughly. But as I’m lying here, that’s when I realize how much alcohol I’d consumed. Not only do I have a hangover from hell, I’m thinking I might not ever drink again. Probably a lie, but it’s looking pretty good about now.

My theory on not drinking lasts about an hour, and then I lie in bed until nearly noon and contemplate what my approach will be tonight. You’d better believe I’m going back there.

Rylee barges in my room not long after that. “What up, bitch?”

“Calling me a bitch doesn’t make me want to get out of bed,” I mumble from under the pillow over my head, blocking out the light that hurts my eyes. I rip the pillow from my head. “How’d you get a key?”

“The maid you pissed off let me in.” She’s now sitting on the bed.

“What an asshole. She should be fired.” I roll over and cover my head again. “Can we do spa day another day? I’m not sure I can actually move.”

“What happened to you last night?” She grabs up my ripped dress from the floor.

Removing the pillow, I sit up and smile, my cheeks heating. “Only the best night ever.”

“Nice. Do tell.” She stares at me, waiting, knowing I tell her everything.

“I met a guy last night.”

Her eyes widen. “Look at you….” She seems pleased. “Who is he?”

“Bartender,” I reply, feeling the burn on my cheeks. I shouldn’t be embarrassed, and I don’t think the burn is from embarrassment. I think it’s from anticipation that maybe I might have sex with him again. Like tonight.

“Nice.” Her approval’s evident. “Can he get us free drinks?”

“Why? You get free drinks here.”

Rylee shrugs. “Ready for our spa appointment?”

I don’t really want to go, but I suppose I need it. I’m in pain from Island Boy. And pleasantly so.

I can’t wipe the smile off my face or take my limp away as I throw on my yoga pants and tank top, not caring what the rest of me looks like. This isn’t normal for me. I’m the girl who spends exactly twenty minutes in the shower every morning. Starting with my hair, I wash everything evenly and then rinse… and then start the process all over again. Some might call that obsessive-compulsive disorder. I call it being precise and complete. I also, though no one knows this, will blow-dry my hair evenly on each side and brush it for three minutes. I’m very weird. I think I qualify for a twelve-step program since I’ve admitted I have a problem… admitting I have a problem is Step 1, so I’m well on my way to some sort of recovery. And I do like completing organized lists… only eleven more steps go to!

As we enter the elevator, Rylee wants more details on my night, claiming hers was uneventful.

“He did tequila shots off my vagina area when I asked if I could lay on the bar.”

Rylee gives me that look. The one that says,yeah, right. “You, Kendall Landon, laid on a bar? Did you wipe it down with sanitizer first?”

“No. I was amazing last night,” I point out, proud of myself. “It was like I was an entirely different person. And incredibly drunk.”

Another strange look is thrown my way. “I don’t even know what to say right now.”

“Don’t judge me. I was on a mission… a mission to try every drink on the menu—and the bartender.”

Rylee holds up her hands, palms facing me, laughing lightly. “Oh, I’m not judging you by any means. I’m actually really freaking proud of you.” Inside the elevator, she presses her back to the mahogany wood, smiling. “I never thought you’d do something like that.”

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