“Oh no you’re not.”
The losing group has to skinny dip in the lake, and Chev is determined it’s not going to be us. I for one don’t mind a good skinny dip, but I’m also very competitive so I’m not willing to go down without a fight.
Alice’s leg goes out just as she gets in front of Chev by a smidge. Suddenly, I’m flying over Chev’s shoulders as she trips, landing on the grass with a thump. It knocks the wind right out of me, and I hear Chev curse as Alice and Faye run right past us, reaching the rug and cheering at the top of their lungs.
I push to my feet, putting my hands on my knees as I glare at the two women doing a happy dance. Chev stands up tall, panting and red, all of us so drunk I don’t know how we didn’t end up hurting ourselves, and she reaches for her shirt, pulling it over her head. Not taking her eyes off the women, she undresses until she’s standing naked, then she stretches her arms out and does a twirl.
I laugh, clapping my hands, and then I too take my clothes off.
“God damn, woman,” Chev says, throwing her hands on her hips. “If I had a body like that, I’d be naked all the time.”
I roll my eyes, blow Alice and Faye a kiss, and then run toward the lake.
My mind-assumed power far outweighs my actual ability and I slip and fall as I go to take a giant leap. Instead of soaring into the lake, I fall down and roll off the side, thumping and crashing until I finally end up in the water. It takes a lot of gasping and gurgling for me to get to the surface, and when I do, I’m coughing with lungs full of water.
Well, that was graceful.
“Ladies, what’s going on here?”
Dante’s voice has me ducking down low in the water, as if that’ll do anything to conceal me if he flashes his light over here.
“Ah,” I hear Faye mumble. “Just enjoying a few drinks.”
Chev comes up from underneath the water, yahooing and screaming, thrilled with her epic jump.
“Is someone in the water?”
That’s Enzo’s voice.
Oh crap. ‘
We’re in big trouble now.
“Ah, yes,” Faye answers.
Footsteps come closer to the lake and a flashlight shines over the water at Chev. Enzo’s voice booms out, “Out.”
Crap.
We’re in trouble.
I’m pretty sure there was a rule somewhere that we weren’t meant to swim at night alone, but you know, I can’t be sure ... I don’t remember as I was too hungover that day.
Chev points a finger, and if she could see my glare, it would eat her right up.
The flashlight moves and lands right on me, and I give a sheepish smile as Enzo walks closer, until he is just above. “What the fuck are you doin’?”
“I was just ... saying good evening to the fish.”
Faye giggles from the surface.
“Get out.”
“One small problem,” I point out. “My clothes are over there.”
Enzo’s brows go up in surprise. “You’re skinny dipping?”
“We lost a bet.”
“Well, now you’re going to pay for that bet. Up you get.”
Oh, he wants to play it like that, does he?
Very well.
I climb out of the water, covered in mud and god knows what else, and I stand straight and saunter right past him. Dante’s eyes move over me, and a small grin appears on his face. Chev does the same, until both of us are standing there, buck naked, in front of two very pissed off men, well, one at least. I smile at Enzo, tipping my head to the side. “What now, cowboy?”
He flashes his teeth with warning. “Put your clothes on.”
“No sir, I’m covered in mud.”
“Then we’ll fix that.”
He steps forward, reaches for my arm and then jerks me, pulling me toward the large building the restaurant is in. We reach the outside of it, he lets me go and walks over, taking a hose and turning it on. “Oh hell n — ”
I’m cut off by a blast to the face, right in my mouth. I cough and splutter, waving my hands around as if that’ll do anything to stop the water spraying at me. Enzo hoses me down like a naughty dog, and only when I’m standing, dripping and pissed, does he stop. The others are here now, too, all our stuff packed up and Chev has her clothes on. How come she didn’t have to get hosed down?
Oh right, she didn’t run her big mouth.
“I’ll take this from here. Escort the women back to the cabins. We’ll deal with them in the morning,” Enzo orders Dante.
Dante nods and Faye gives me an ‘uh oh’ expression before disappearing after him. I stand, still naked, staring at Enzo who is holding my clothes in his hands now. “Are you going to give those to me?” I mutter.