He looked energized, his vivid blue eyes sparkling rather than piercing through me. “Are you around Monday?” He asked me.
“Sure, I can be. I’ll look at my schedule when I’m home and shoot you an email.”
“Yes, stop talking business to her, we’re here for leisure.” Carter admonished him.
“Here for pleasure. Who’s here for pleasure? Surely not Miss Serena Ripley.” Oh God, here he came. Smith Henderson and his smart ass mouth.
“Not for yours.” I snipped.
“But maybe for the others. Oooh you little raver you.”
I scowled.
He elbowed me. “You know you love me, everyone loves me. Would you like another drink, Serena? I see you’re standing with an empty glass which is completely unacceptable. Unless you're me and avoiding alcohol. Your suitors want firing. He whisked a glass as a waiter and tray passed him. “There you go. Now, Carter. Do you have anything for me, or do I have to go to the faucet?”
“There’s soda in the refrigerator.”
“Thanks.” He flagged down a waiter. “Soda, please.”
“You couldn’t walk to the refrigerator? It’s only there.” I pointed.
“No, because then I would have had to leave your side and I’m not going to do that.”
“Is he always this annoying?” I asked the others.
“Yes.” They all said in unison.
Smith looked offended, and I laughed.
While they chatted, I watched the four of them. Half the time they didn’t even finish their sentences. They were so in tune, all four of them. Totally like close siblings. I envied their friendship. I’d never been part of any clique, never had a large group of friends. You could see they had each other’s backs, something very rare for a place full of money, power, lies, and deceit. But for all of their conversations, they kept including me. There would always be one of them talking to me. I don’t even think they noticed. I felt wanted.
Then someone jumped in the pool and it broke up their conversation. “Whoop, I’m going in. Anyone joining me?” Smith was off, and Jayden followed.
“The party boys.” Carter said.
“Are you not going in?”
“No. I prefer the sea.”
Carter and Flynn introduced me to some other residents of Carbon Beach. Some were friendly, others barely gave me a cursory glance. I didn't care, I had no interest in most of them either. They left me talking to a couple who were celebrity Interior Designers who seemed nice.
As it got later, and the sky darkened, the house was illuminated with so many different lights, and the mood changed. Anyone who wasn’t a party-type left, with the exception of Flynn, who took a seat on a couch and sat nursing a beer. Heavy drinking occurred. I would hazard a guess that if I went to one of the other rooms, there’d be lines being inhaled. Clothes came off and people were jumping naked into the pool.
I walked over to Flynn.
“Do you want me to take you home?” he said.
“No. I’m fine. I’m not ready to leave yet anyway.”
“Seriously? I’m only here to make sure Smith and Jayden don’t do anything they’ll regret.”
“Are you always the father figure?” I asked him. “Because you’re not their father. Maybe you should let them fuck up. It might help them grow up.”
“Yeah. I did that once. Didn’t end well.” Flynn’s face darkened. “I’m going to get another drink. You want one?”
“No.” I replied. “I want two.”
Later while Flynn was waylaid by two women asking how much he charged for his photography, I decided to do a little reconnaissance and slipped back upstairs. Sure enough there were people doing lines in the office, and one of them was Cynthia. I snuck my cell phone from my purse and snapped a few pictures for when I was no longer undercover. They were all too high to notice.