“Just two?” Jack frowned. He yelled across the room at his brother, “You're getting cheap, bro!”
“Sam” just grinned at him from the bar where he was talking with Noah.
“What are we calling him anyway?” Jack asked.
“Sam,” I told him, picking up a couple of empty drink cups. Jack laughed.
“Oh, I bet he loves that. Sam was the name of his girlfriend in middle school.”
“She was not my girlfriend!” “Sam” yelled at Jack, unfortunately sounding exactly like a middle-schooler.
“Right, that's why you cried-- ouch, man!” Jack stopped his teasing as Owen smacked his arm.
“I know it's your party, but I don't want you two to brawl again. Especially over that. Leave it,” Owen warned. Owen's blue eyes darkened as he stared Jack down. Jack glared at him for a moment and then shrugged.
“Rematch?” Jack asked, changing the subject. The tension in the room lightened again as they started up a new game and the sound of gunfire filled the “Man Cave.”
As I headed back to the bar, three more men came into the basement. Dean gave them each the evil eye as they passed under his careful watch, but they just came in like they were used to him. They joined the group on the couch, filling the fourth spot and starting to shout and laugh.
Noah and I started getting busy. The newcomers wanted drinks, and luckily they weren't all girly Noah specialties. Two local girls, Lana and Rosie, came in with platters full of food and began wandering around the room offering up the tasty treats.
It was a real party now. I grinned at Noah as party-goers kept coming up to the bar and requesting drinks. Noah and I worked in tandem as if we had always worked together. It was almost like we were dancing behind the bar. I would reach for the ice, brushing up against him as he went to open the chest for me. We'd reach for matching bottles on the shelf, our fingers caressing for a brief second. Every touch sent electricity crackling over my skin.
“Can you make me a Climax Cocktail?” I called out to him. He shot me a naughty grin.
“Anytime, Izzy,” he said with a wink. “But I'm going to need more whipped cream.”
Several of the guests lau
ghed, getting in on the naughty drinks and starting to make up their own to keep us busy. I could have sworn they started looking up drinks on their phones just so that they could ask for them and have us shout them across the bar at one another.
“Izzy, can you get me a Redheaded Slut?”
“Sure, but I need to give these guys some Blue Balls first.” That one got a nice chuckle from my male audience.
“Screaming Orgasm and Between the Sheets. And the Slow, Comfortable Screw are ready.” Noah managed to keep a straight face, which was better than I was doing.
“Sit on My Face, Panty Dropper and a Gin Tonic,” I called out, glad for the normal drink. The patrons all turned and looked at Logan as he picked up his non-dirty named drink.
“What? I like Gin and Tonics,” he said with a laugh.
It was getting later into the night, and things finally started to slow down again. The TV held most of the crowd's attention. A huge whiteboard displayed a chart with everyone's names in a tournament bracket. It hung on the wall behind the couch, and the various teams were yelling and cheering on their teammates and friends. Unfortunately for me, “Sam” had decided not to play and didn't have his name on the board.
“You want to tell me what 'Sam's' real name is?” I asked Noah as we tucked empty bottles into a very full trashcan. It was all top-shelf liquor, and I didn't even want to think about how much money had been drunk by the party-goers.
“That would be cheating,” Noah said. “And as much as I would like to save you from a date with him, I am not a cheater.”
I leaned back against the wall. Noah's black shirt fit him perfectly. It accented his muscled arms and chest and made the blue in his eyes pop, even in the neon lights. I wished for a moment that it was his name I was trying to learn. If it was a date with him that was the penalty, it would be worth losing the money.
Sandcastle Kisses: Chapter 3
“Noah, have you seen Dean?” “Sam” said, running up to the bar. “Paul's being an ass and harassing the caterers. I need a little backup.”
I glanced at the empty stairs. “He had to take a guest out to throw up. I thought he'd be back by now,” I answered.
Noah was already walking out of the bar, anger flashing in his eyes. I felt a shiver run through me. I was glad I wasn't the one he was headed toward with that expression on his face.
I followed “Sam” and Noah upstairs and into the foyer with the main stairs to the rest of the house. Paul had his meaty fist wrapped around Lana's slender arm, and she looked terrified.