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No joke, it’s a college comedy movie.
Jake, my favorite DJ, really pulled out all the stops tonight. Honestly, I have no clue why he’s still in SH. He could be, should be, spinning at EDM festivals. Every song he picks, mixes, or creates is just what the crowd needs to keep them moving, blood pumping, jumping.
And it gets my blood pumping a bit, too. More than a little.
The thrill of making all these people happy, of knowing I put this all together… No, I don't really like the people who are here. No, I don't love the behavior of drunk people when they get out of hand. And no, I don't let myself get out of hand, either. But there’s something about being the go-to gal, making shit happen…
It’s a little like a drug to me. The high of pulling off a massive undertaking, details, SO many moving parts.
Todd and so many others, we’ll call them ‘friends’, for lack of a better word, would tell me I’m uptight. I have too many rules. Myra always laughs at my little notebook.
So what?
Rules and organization keep my cluttered brain from overloading, going full depression zone-out like I did the first year I got to Sanctum Harbor and flunked out of my senior year of high school. Restarting my life was too much. But I finally got my shit together, got my GED, and got my ass to college. Even if it has taken seven years to get here.
And now I am about to graduate with my bachelor’s degree in business in a few weeks, and it will all be worth it. Proof of concept, unlocked.
I squeeze past a couple grinding in the middle of the living room on my way to grab more vodka. The look on her face is honestly kinda hot as he bites her earlobe, thrusting up under her skirt, gripping her ass. For a split second, I wonder what it would be like to indulge at one of these parties.
Find a pretty boy with washboard abs and go to town on him.
However…
Rule Number 2. No hooking up at parties I host. Not a hard sell, as long as I stick to not drinking. Being sober, you really see how much of a sloppy mess it is. That, and I could never cut loose like that in front of other people, especially these people, drunk or not.
Don’t get me wrong, I like sex. But just like dancing, I am way too in my head in a crowd to ever enjoy performing for an audience. And speaking of an audience…
I see a pair of beady eyes watching from the back hallway.
“Finally!” As much as I don’t want to talk to this guy again, Todd’s been bugging me every few minutes about when the “goods” are going to arrive. Nodding to him as I pass, I usher the dealer into the laundry room that I’ve turned into a makeshift storeroom for my backup booze. Once we’re inside, I push the door over, making sure I can get out easily. I hate the idea of being alone with this creep, but it’s the only place quiet enough to talk.
“Thanks for coming.”
“No sweat. The kind of cash you promised makes it hard to pass up. This party’s no joke.” His voice is off-putting, way too deep and smooth. It clashes with his sunken cheeks and eyes, his yellowed teeth. At least he dressed discreetly, a hoodie and a cap. Not that his age and face wouldn’t be a dead giveaway that he’s not one of the party’s attendees.
“Yeah, well, I took a risk giving you that deposit. You have the… um…”
He laughs at my discomfort. “Heh, yeah, I got everything you could want. Gotta say, that took some balls coming down to Wharfside. Especially with how much fun you asked me to bring.”
I nod with more confidence than I feel.
“Now you know what kind of gigs I do. Plenty of… customers.”
“Damn straight. Maybe even a few new individual clients I can add to my roster, if they like what I got, ha!” Those shark eyes twinkle, but his smile falls away as he shifts gears. “Just need…” His voice drops, still too cool, throwing me off. His eyes tell me he’s calculating, not a guy who gets into his own stash. Uncle Tommy always told me to watch the eyes, ignore the appearance.
Which is why I felt like I could trust that he’d show up instead of taking my five hundred bucks and bailing.
A shiver slips down my spine as he stares at me, waiting with his hand out. “You get the 4500 now, puts us at half, and the other 5k by the end of the week. That’s what I do with all my people.”
There’s an awkward pause, and I pray that I didn’t just overstep my bounds, but I have to be firm. I won’t get the rest of the money for the party from Todd until sometime this next week. Everyone else knows I always pay up.
This guy will have to learn to trust me.
“Hmm. Yeah, I’ll take that. Only ’cause you clearly seem to know what you’re doing, and I can tell we’ll do a lot of business with you in the future.” That yellowed grin makes me want to gag, and I let him take the cash, careful to avoid his fingers touching my hand.
“So, the product?” God, I sound like a stupid kid trying to buy drugs.
“Don’t worry about it. I got my girls out there mingling. They’ll get everybody who wants it hooked up. Have to keep things lowkey, you keen?”
