Running Away With You (Running #3) (16 page)

“Evan, stop playing.  We’re late enough as it is,” I warn him.

“I know what you need, my love.  Turn around.”  I do as I’m told and I can see the two of us in the reflection of the mirror.  He removes a necklace from his pocket and places it around my neck, fastening the clasp and freeing my hair.  He places his hands across my middle and rests his chin on my shoulder.  I’m much closer to his height with my high-heeled boots. I reach up and run an experimental finger across the delicate white petals of the flower pendant.

“Evan, it’s beautiful.  But what’s the occasion?”

“I just thought you should have this.  It’s a white gardenia.  I told you I wanted you to carry the gardenia on our wedding day.  This way, you can carry a piece of it with you every day.  And with every day that passes, we are another day closer to our wedding.”

“Mrs. Juliette McGuire,” I state proudly, gazing at our reflection.

W
e pull up to Marcus’s home and Evan makes me wait in the car for him to open my door.  His mother raised him to be such a gentleman.  How this man could have gone all these years without ever having a serious relationship is beyond my understanding. 

Evan takes me by the hand and leads me to the front door, his huge hand dwarfing mine.  After just one knock, Camilla swings the door open.  She takes one look at us and calls to the others, “It’s them!  They’re here.”  She motions for us to come in.  “Thank God!  Where have you been?  Everyone else got here over an hour ago.”

He leans in close to Camilla’s ear and whispers, “We got a little ... distracted.  Once she gets started, there’s no stopping her.”  He smiles his million-dollar smile, full-on dimples.

Camilla looks up at him, eyes wide.  Her cheeks flush with embarrassment.  “Oh.  Yeah.  Well, why don’t we just ... ?  I mean, everyone’s in the back.  Playing.  Poker.  They’re playing poker, not just playing.”  Camilla is flustered.  It’s so sweet.  I think Evan likes to embarrass her on purpose.  It’s hard to get that kind of reaction from Emmy or Reese.

Camilla leads us to the great room in the back of the house.  She’s got a beautiful open kitchen/dining room/living room floor plan.  Her dining room table has been transformed into a poker table, complete with slots for chips and cup holders.  Seated around the table are Emmy, Adam, Marcus, and Reese.

The rooms are filled with the sounds of laughter and classic rock tunes playing in the background.

“Look who finally decided to show up,” Emmy teases.  “You’re late.  We started without you.”  She gets up and rushes up to greet us.  “I heard today sucked balls.”

She gives Evan a big kiss and a hug. “But Adam told me how well you kept your shit together.  I’m so proud of you!  Will you let me make you guys a drink?”

Emmy leads us over to the wet bar in the kitchen.  “Ladies first.  Name your poison, Jette.  What’s it going to be?”

I look across the lineup of bottles covering the countertop.  Everything’s there – rum, vodka, tequila, whiskey, brandy, and all sorts of mixers.  Marcus even has a fully stocked wine cooler. 

“How about a Three-Legged Monkey?” I ask.  One of our favorite things to do when we used to work behind the bar together was challenge each other to make obscure drinks.

She puts her hands on her hips and pouts. “That’s not a real drink!”

“Sure it is.  Go ahead, ask the house mixologist.”

“Markie?” she calls.  “I have a difficult customer.  Will you take over?  Pleeeeease?”  Emmy hops back over to her seat beside Adam and practically curls up in his lap.

“So, Jette, what did you order that ran off one of my best bartenders?” he teases.

“Just a simple drink, really, only three ingredients.  Ever hear of a Three-Legged Monkey?”  I can see him searching through the recipe cards in his head.  When he thinks he’s found it, he smiles. 

Evan leans back against the counter, pulling me to lean against him as he wraps his powerful arms around my waist.  Watching Marcus make a drink is like watching a magic show, and I have the best seat in the house.

Without a word, he lifts the bottle of Crown Royal and shows it to me.  I nod and he pours an ounce into the mixing glass.  Next he passes his hand from bottle to bottle until he settles on the amaretto.  With a few flips and turns, he adds an ounce to the glass and replaces the bottle.  The last ingredient is pineapple juice.  Marcus slaps on the shaker and tosses the combo into the air, catching it right side up effortlessly.  He opens the two parts just enough to strain the drink into a rocks glass and serves it to me proudly.

I take an experimental sip and proclaim, “This is pure perfection, Marcus.”  It’s true. 

“I’m glad you like it, boss.  So, what’ll it be, Mac?  I’d like to get back to the game and try to win back some of my money from Sparky.” I guess Adam’s nickname is catching on.

“I don’t know.  Why don’t you surprise me?” Evan asks him.  I can feel him grinning.  There’s something primal within men that make them want to constantly challenge each other.

“Oh, okay.  I see how it is.  Your fiancée tests my memory and you test my customer service skills.”  He looks Evan up and down, sizing him up and judging his mood.  “Let’s see.  We know you have expensive tastes, but nothing too fancy.  You’re here to relax and let off some steam after a pretty crappy day.  I’ve got just the thing!”

First he pours some rum and triple sec into a glass of ice.  He opens his cabinet and finds a special hidden bottle of cognac.  The bottle is ornate and it screams refinement.  Marcus adds a generous amount of the fine brandy, and then finishes the drink off with a splash of sweet and sour mix. 

Evan seems impressed.  He lifts the glass to his nose before taking a small sip.  “Oh, yeah!  This is good.  What is it?”

“Between the Sheets,” Marcus explains.  “I thought you’d like it.”

“Well, as usual, you’re right.”

Evan and I take our drinks and join the others gathered around the table.  There are two empty seats next to Marcus and Camilla.  Evan holds out a chair for me to sit down.  When he joins us, he pulls his chair close so our knees are in constant contact.  I crave his touch and this little connection makes me feel warm all over.

“So, what are we playing?” Evan asks.

“Dealer’s choice.  Hundred-dollar buy-in.  Put up or shut up.”  Adam’s rack is filled with chips – a lot more chips than the others.  I know they’ve been playing for a little while, and by the looks of things, I’d say Adam is killing it.

“Hundred dollar buy-in?” I repeat.  “Seriously?”

Reese rolls her eyes.  “Yup.  We’re not playing for nickels anymore, Jette.  This isn’t college and we’re not playing for beer money this time.”

“Well, I don’t carry that kind of cash around with me,” I tell her.

“I’ve got this covered,” Evan tells me.  He pulls out his wallet and flashes a wad of cash, mostly twenties.  He quickly counts out ten bills and passes them to Marcus.  He doles out our chips and now we’re ready to play.

There’s an empty seat beside me.  I scan the room, taking inventory and ask, “Hey, where’s Derek?”

“He’s on his way.  He had to run a few errands first,” Camilla explains.  “He should be here any minute now.”

“Well, before you deal the next round, I have to ask the girls for a favor,” I announce.  “Evan and I are going to a charity ball next weekend and I need your help.  I need to go shopping for an evening gown.”

“Shopping?  I’m in!” Reese calls.  “What kind of a charity ball is it?”

“It’s the Unicef Snowflake Ball.  We’re going to the Grand Ballroom at Cipriani Wall Street.  It’s a black tie event.”

“And Juliette’s first red-carpet event.  I want her to look her best, so everything is on me, girls.  Make a day of it – lunch, spa, whatever you need.  She has my Visa Black Card.”

“Oh, my God!  This is
so
exciting.  Do you know who’s going to be there?” Camilla asks.

“I know Katy Perry’s going to perform.  But I read on the internet that Danny Glover is getting a humanitarian award, so he’ll be there.  Celebrities like Selena Gomez, Uma Thurman, and Adrien Brody will be there too.”

Camilla is so excited she can hardly get the words out.  “Oh.  My.  God.  Do you think Selena will take Justin Bieber?  That would be incredible.  Take me, please?  We’ll buy you a big dress and I’ll hide under the skirt. No one will ever know I’m there.  I’ll carry your purse.  Whatever you need.”

Evan just shakes his head.  “That little ass better
not
be there.”

“Oh, Camilla, I wish I could take you.  I wish we could all go.  I won’t know anyone there.”

“I almost forgot to tell you, Juliette.  I got a call from Joey Griffin yesterday.  He cleared his schedule.  He and Maggie will be joining us at our table.”  He puts his arm around my shoulders and traces tiny, invisible circles with the pad of his thumb.  I like spending time with Joey and Maggie.  Night After Night with Joey Griffin doesn’t tape on the weekends, and I know how much he values keeping a low profile.  He and Maggie don’t do a lot of red-carpet events.  I’m glad they’re making an exception.

Emmy is practically jumping out of her seat.  “Well, I want to go too, but not to see Bieber.  I want to see Adrien Brody.  Jette, promise me that if you see him, you’ll text me a picture of his tight little ass.”  Adam looks down at Emmy, giving her the evil eye.  “What?  I can’t help it if he makes my panties get all bunched up.”

He pulls her closer. “I thought I was the only one allowed to get your panties in a bunch.”

“You are, but Adrien’s on my list.  He’s number eight.  Remember?”

“Number eight?” Evan asks.  “What the hell does that mean?”

“Well, Evan, I hate to tell you, but for a long time you were number six on my list.  It’s my ‘Freebie List’ – the ten people I’d be allowed to have sex without getting into trouble.”

“What do you mean, ‘were’?  I’m not on your list anymore?”  I think he’s actually disappointed.

“Hells, no.  I’ve been in the bathroom after you, big guy.  The bloom fell off that rose a long time ago,” Emmy explains.  “But don’t worry, you’ve been replaced by Charlie Hunnam.  I couldn’t leave your spot open.”

“Who the hell is that?”

“You know, Jax from Sons of Anarchy.  I needed someone with an accent and he’s from England, so when a spot opened up, he slid right in.”  She giggles.  “Pun intended.”

“You know he’s just a guy right?  And that means he burps, he farts, and he takes a shit just like the rest of us,” Evan reminds her.

“Yeah, I know, but when
he
does, it smells like orange blossoms and peppermint sticks.”

“Adam, did you know about this list?”  Adam nods his head and shrugs his shoulders.  “Is there anyone we know on the list?” 

Again, he nods.  “Yeah.  Kaepernick is on there.  I figured we could introduce them.  That would be the quickest way to get him off that damned freebie list.”

“Don’t be so judgy, Mister Man.  Or I might be forced to tell them who’s on
your
list.” 

“I don’t give a shit who’s on Sparky’s list, as long as it’s not me!” Evan proclaims.

Once the laughter dies down, Marcus instructs Adam to deal.

“Okay, guys.  Seven-card stud.  One-eyed jacks are wild.  Ante up.”

Everyone tosses a chip into the pile and stealthily checks their hidden cards.  I have two diamonds, so when it’s my turn, I call and toss in another chip.  David used to organize games in the dorm’s lounge at school all the time. He was a real card shark.  I never won much, but I always enjoyed playing. 

The next round of cards leaves Evan with a pair of fours and Adam with two face cards.  The rest of us have nothing showing.  Marcus tosses his cards in disgust and leans back in his chair. “Fold.”

Evan’s foot is tangled with mine under the table.  During the next two rounds of bets and dealing, I’m left with little more than a pair of tens. 

Emmy looks at her cards and pouts. “Why do you keep giving me these crap cards?  I fold.”

“I’m sorry, sweetie.  Let me make it up to you,” Adam tells her, pulling her playfully onto his lap as she giggles with delight.

Camilla shakes her head and folds, leaving me to battle Evan and Adam.  They each have two face cards showing, along with a pair of fours and sixes respectively.  Either could have a hidden three-of-a-kind.

When the river card is dealt, I end up with a pair of aces and tens.  Trying to decide whether or not to fold, I look at Evan, and he’s running his hand through his beautiful mop of chestnut hair.  I know exactly what that means.  He’s nervous.  He has nothing.  I raise the bet to ten, and both Adam and Evan take the bait.

There’s nearly a hundred dollars in the pot right now.  My pair of tens showing is the highest, so I have to show my cards first.  As soon as I uncover my pair of hidden aces, Evan throws his cards on the table.  One down, one to go.

Adam is smirking, and that’s not a good sign.  He adds a pair of sevens to his pair of sixes.  “Sorry, Jette, but this little card right here,” he turns over a one-eyed jack, “gives me a full house.  Dealer takes the pot.”

Damn.

“Hey, Sparky, do you like beating a bunch of girls and taking all their money?” I ask him.