A Little Bit Naughty ( Tahoe Nights 1)

She had a blurry memory of the three guys at the bar and a very large bear.

The only thing she knew for sure was she had to pee right away. Her bladder was filled like a water balloon and ready to burst.

After what seemed like a solid fifteen-minute pee, Janice walked out to the kitchen area. The scent of coffee filled the dark air. She took a cup from the small cupboard and poured some coffee. She figured having it black would clear her head of the foggy haze still looming in her mind. There was a flickering light in the living room area from a fire burning. She was puzzled because she didn’t remember making coffee or starting a fire.

“How are you feeling?”

She nearly jumped out of her skin, hearing a voice speak from the darkness, and almost ended up wearing the hot coffee she’d just poured. The chair in front of the fireplace turned and there was Aaron, sitting in her bathrobe.

“You doing okay?”

“Well…I’m basically naked with a cup of coffee in a dark house and don’t remember anything, so I’d have to say no. My head is pounding like a damn drum. What the hell happened?”

“I think my T-shirt looks good on you.”

She sipped her coffee and looked at Aaron. “Why are you wearing my bathrobe?”

“Because you threw up on my Armani suit. I don’t remember seeing anyone throw up that rainbow of colors quite like that before. By the way, cosmopolitans and roofies are a bad combination.”

“Roofies?”

“Yep, those guys spiked your drink with a roofie. They could have taken everything from you and done anything they wanted to you. You wouldn’t have remembered a thing.”

“Jesus.” She gulped. “All I remember is seeing you talking to a woman and getting a little jealous. Then there was one guy that was flirting with me and bought me a few drinks. No wonder they hit me so quick. I was feeling really woozy. Who was the bear I saw?”

“Bear? Oh, you mean Leslie.” Aaron smiled. “He’s a friend of mine. Used to be an All-Pro offensive lineman. He’s as big as a house and stronger than a bull, but the nicest guy in the world unless you piss him off. He’s gotten me out of a couple of jams before.”

“Sounds like your Mother-person has a soft spot for football players.”

Aaron turned and looked back at the fire. “Yes, she does. She helped Leslie out of a really bad pain killer drug habit, and he became her bodyguard. Everyone knows if they fuck with Mother, Leslie will come pay a visit. The man shows no mercy when it comes to people messing with her. A few people have ended up missing.”

“Good guy to have in your corner.”

“Oh yeah, but you don’t want to be on his bad side. So, are you feeling a little better?”

“Actually things are getting less fuzzy and just blurred now.”

Aaron moved over in the chair and motioned for Janice to sit with him.

She cuddled up to him comfortably, staring into the flickering flames and smiling. This was nice.

“I’m sorry you had to come be Prince Charming and rescue me. I saw you were working.” She was too exhausted to feel much of anything.

“I was? Oh no, that was Mother. I was talking to her about a few things. It’s okay.”

“I can pay you if you want. I know you could be out working or whatever, and I had another run of luck today. It’s why I was out celebrating.”

Aaron sighed. “No, I came here on my own. For some reason I just wanted to relax tonight.” He paused. “Actually, I am going to charge you.”

“For what?”

“The cost of dry cleaning my suit and car upholstery.”

Somebody’s sleeping in her bed…

My Favorite Mistake

© 2010 Karen Erickson