Tomorrow would be our last day at Zeep and we would finish putting all the sounds down. Marcus had booked another studio where he would mix the music and I wouldn't be required for that, except at the end to give final approval to the finished products. Caz seemed in particularly high spirits, but I must have had a sad look on my face because she suddenly said, 'Why don't we invite a few people back to the house for a swim and a nightcap?'

  'Do you think that's a good idea?'

  'Well, I do,' she answered, 'because my work on the tracks is complete. But you've got your vocals to do tomorrow so if you'd prefer to delay one day I'll understand.'

  I looked at her and she seemed to be imploring me, with her eyes, to go along with her plan. 'Hey, why not...' I said with a laugh, 'but let's keep it small. I'll probably go to bed pretty early, anyway.'

  She wrapped me in a hug and kissed me... on the lips. She grinned at me and said, 'Good girl,' then ran to Carla and Ryan, threw her arms around their shoulders as she pushed in between them. She said something to them and they both smiled and nodded "yes". I watched as Caz said something else to Carla, she nodded and grinned then produced her own phone and proceeded to make a call. Then Caz went to B.J. and Nick who were walking with the new guy, Josh, and they all seemed happy to be on-board. Lastly she went to Ashley and Mike and asked them, they too nodded, "yes" and in the space of thirty seconds Caz had organized her party.

  As we drove home Caz was busy on the phone. I'd never seen her so motivated. Firstly, she called her local liquor store and ordered a stack of cold beer, a case of chilled champagne and ten bags of ice to be delivered immediately, and left at the front door. Her next call was to someone called, "André" from whom she ordered a rather large quantity of high grade grass to be delivered, you guessed it, immediately - this time to the back door and placed in a pot plant containing a small lemon tree. As no credit card details changed hands I gather Caz's credit is good with both businesses. When she put her phone down I smiled at her and she grinned back.

  'Why do I get the impression you really need this party to happen?'

  She smiled. 'It's been a while... I feel the time is right. My girl, Sasha, is back and ready to be a normal girl again. Your songs are sounding amazing,' she grinned as she said that, mainly because my face was looking skeptical. 'Trust me girlfriend, I do this for a living. I know when a monster is about to be born. It's time to let off some steam, pop a valve... and a few other things, too,' she gave me a weird look.

  'You're starting to worry me, Caz. Have you been taking anything, today? I mean, things of a pharmaceutical nature?'

  'No Baby... I'm high on life. And you should be, too. This is your time,' then she laughed out loud.

  I looked across the car and pulled a face at her.

  She kept laughing, but when she saw the way I was looking at her she added, 'I was going to say - "let your hair down".'

  We arrived at the house first and as Caz drove into her garage the others were pulling up out the front. I went through the house and opened the front door to find a stack of alcohol boxes and a large pile of bagged ice stacked neatly near the entrance. As each person came up the path they took a part of the booty inside with them. Caz came struggling out of the laundry with a huge plastic tub which she took out the back and placed near the pool. On the way back she retrieved a small plastic bag from one of the pot plants and went into the kitchen. The champagne had Laurent-Perrier on the label and Caz stored as many as she could in the fridge and got me to take the rest out to the tub. Ryan had already opened the ice bags and half filled the tub with the contents. I carefully placed the six bottles of champagne into the tub as B.J. piled beer into the opposite side.

  It was a beautiful balmy night and a gentle warm breeze caressed our small group as we lounged around and laughed and let the alcohol smooth the edges off our day. It didn't take long for the bag of weed to be introduced to our party. The next addition was one of Caz's acoustic guitars and then mine suddenly appeared. The smoke, the booze and the music flowed and before long we were all singing and laughing and joking. I guess an hour had passed when Caz came and squeezed in beside me on the sun lounge I'd claimed. She put her arm around my shoulder and leaned close. 'There's a big, big surprise coming for you any minute now,' she whispered into my ear, her voice was a tiny bit slurred.

  'What is it?' I asked, excitedly. My voice might also have been a little slurred.

  She looked at me and shook her head. 'If I told you... it wouldn't be a surprise.'

  I had to wait another ten minutes before my surprise arrived. My first clue was the doorbell rang and Caz said with a big grin, 'That will be your surprise, Baby. Go get it.'

  I climbed awkwardly out of the lounge and made my way to the door. I was more than a little stoned I noticed as I walked in a slight zig-zag pattern down the hall. I was trying to work out what Caz could have bought me, particularly at this time of night. More booze, maybe?

  I opened the door cautiously, and my head shot back in surprise when I saw who it was. My mouth gapped open. He was beaming at me, even in the dim light his teeth shone like a row of marker-beacons at sea on a moonless night. He was wearing a black shirt and trousers and without his teeth announcing his presence he would be almost invisible.

  'Sasha..' he purred at me in a deep resonant rumble that I not only heard but also felt in my chest. 'you are a sight that I couldn't wait any longer to see.'

  'What are you doing here, Zeddy? And where are all your... people?'

  'Tonight, it's just you and me,' he smiled and took a step towards me. He gripped me by the shoulders and pulled me to his body, then he wrapped his arms around me. It felt so right, so comfortable, so safe with his large bulging arms protecting me. I felt powerless as he leaned in and kissed me on the mouth. I didn't kiss him back, but I didn't pull away, either.

  When he finished I said, 'You didn't answer my question.'

  He gave me a suggestive look, then said, 'If you invite me in I will tell you.'

  I clearly wasn't thinking well with all that I'd consumed over the past hour or so. I separated slightly from his body and stepped back inside. He followed but kept at least a small part of his body touching me as we cleared the doorway. Once inside, he pushed the door closed, then he kissed me, a second time. It was a shorter kiss than the first one and I think I kissed back this time.

  'You and I are going to do it.' he said, giving me the full on Zeddy smile as his words came out.

  At that particular time I could think of nothing better I'd prefer to do. 'Here?' I asked, stupidly.

  He shook his head slowly but his eyes never left mine. 'No,' he purred. 'Tomorrow, at the recording studio.'

  Then it registered what he was talking about. Shit! Stupid fucking weed has made me look like an idiot. 'Are you saying you're going to do the duet with me?'

  He nodded. 'Tomorrow.'

  'Is your phone broken?'

  He smiled that damn smile at me again and things got real loose below my navel.

  'I had to be near you. I needed to be able to smell you when I told you.'

  I was trying to process what he said when his lips came down on mine again. His arms were wrapped around my back locking us together with his body molded against mine. I could feel his excitement. He lifted his face from me. 'Take me to your bedroom.'

  I began to move and he eased back to allow me to lead the way.

  Suddenly a shout came from down the hall. 'Hey! You've been gone so long I thought you'd been abducted.' It was Caz and she was coming towards us at a pace.

  I stopped and I felt Zeddy continue to pressure me in the direction of my bedroom.

  'Hey Zeddy... Great to see you again. Were having a little party out the back. Come and join us.'

  'We'd love to,' Zeddy said to Caz in his deep voice, 'but Sasha and I were just going to discuss how we're going to do our duet... in private.'

  Caz had joined us now and she put her arm around me. 'That's a terrible idea,' she said, and she actually jerked me out of Zeddy's embrace. She laughed as she gave me a hug. 'Come out to the party, Zeddy. Sasha's had a really big day and she's in no state for the two of you to practice your vocals right now.'

  'But Caz, it's what we both want to do.' Zeddy's tone had become a little less warm and he said each word like it was a separate thing.

  'Yes, I know it's what you want to do, Zeddy. But we have guests and it would be rude of Sasha to leave them at this time.' She gave Zeddy a big smile. 'Do this for me, Zeddy. I went along with the favor you asked me, I let you tell Sasha your big news in person, now you owe me one. Come back to the party and lets all have a nice time.' She began to lead me away.

  I felt like a slave-girl being bartered and fought over by a pair of possessive landholders. I looked at Zeddy and his eyes implored me to go with him, but Caz kept going. I knew she was right, she was taking me in the direction I should go, but if she would just ease up her pressure... just a bit, I would willingly go the other way.

  'I don't feel like partying,' Zeddy shook his head and said with finality, after I'd been taken way beyond his reach. He grabbed at the door and pulled it open. 'I'll see you tomorrow, Sasha. We'll do it then.' The look he had on his face could be described as steely. He stepped out into the night and the door slammed shut behind him.

  I looked at Caz. She looked at me. 'You're welcome... No need to thank me,' she said.

  I didn't.

  Chapter 19

  Cathy Bullock

  'Brandy..! Where the dickens are you? She yelled and the effort required to do that hurt her early morning head. 'Get your backside down here and eat your breakfast before it gets cold.'

  'You've gotta keep a tighter grip on that kid of yours, Cathy. He might be only seven, now, but trust me he'll be a teenager before you know it, and then the shit will really hit the fan.'

  'Thanks, Arnie,' she replied, sarcastically. 'I'm getting parenting lessons from a guy who's only claim to success in that area is that his fourteen year old daughter hasn't got herself knocked-up... yet.'

  He glared at her. 'Leave Tannie outta this. She's doing just fine, unlike your...'

  'Hey. Big fella. There you are,' Cathy said, cutting Arnie off mid-sentence when Brandy suddenly appeared in the doorway. 'What kept you?'

  'Tannie wouldn't let me use the bathroom.'

  Cathy nodded. 'Yeah. Well, you're here now, get yourself up on that stool and get those scrambled eggs into you, we leave in ten minutes.'

  As Cathy made her way out of the kitchen, she said, 'Is the bathroom free, now?'

  'Yeah, Mom.'

  'You've gotta cut Tannie some slack, Brandy,' Arnie said to the boy as he climbed onto the stool, 'teenage girls need their private space.'

  'Yeah,' he replied without looking up. Tannie had already explained that to him, just a minute ago. His arm still ached.

  Cathy locked the bathroom door and took a small packet out of her pocket. She wiped the side of the hand basin clean with a towel, then she poured the white powdery substance out of the packet and onto the flat surface. She used the flat square end of the toothpaste tube to force the powder into a neat line then she retrieved a small straw from her other pocket and proceeded to snort the line she'd made into both her nostrils.

  Her head exploded and she blinked rapidly as the cocaine collided with her neurons. She shook her head like a wet terrier until the ecstatic feeling subsided enough for her to take back control of her body. She examined herself in the mirror and mouthed the word, "Wow", then she splashed water over her face and towel dried both it and the side of the hand basin.

  Fifteen minutes later she and Brandy were on Interstate 94 and heading for Brandy's school. Cathy was always glad to get this part of her day out of the way, the round trip only took her forty minutes but in that time she knew that Arnie and Tannie would be gone and she'd return to a peacefully quiet home where she could finish cleaning the house and then take a short nap. Come lunchtime her fun would start when her neighbor, George Hollis would call in for a visit. Actually, he wouldn't call in, he would sneak in. George and Cathy had a system, if she was alone in the house the blind in the back window would be completely closed. If it was open George would know not to climb over the fence that separated their properties. Cathy enjoyed his visits immensely for two reasons: George was a very handy lover and he always brought her a small packet of that special white powder that had become an essential part of her day.

  George had told her it was coke, but lately she was beginning to wonder if it might be something else; it had a different taste and smell now, and the hit it gave her varied from day to day. Maybe he was mixing something else in with the cocaine? She made a mental note to confront him with this today - after she'd had her fun, of course. That way if he got mad and yelled at her, he'd have a full night to get over it. Cathy had no intention of ruining this sweet deal, it was the only way she could endure the rest of the day with her moronic slob of a husband, Arnie, and his prize-bitch daughter. George was also married. His wife, Betsy, was a successful real estate saleswoman who provided well for George, and unknowingly for Cathy, also.

  George called himself a semi-retired actor who made a small amount of money running acting classes from his home in between very infrequent actual acting jobs. It sounded better than actually admitting the acting world got on just fine without him. Cathy and George had begun their little joint adventure about ten months ago. There was never any mention of formalizing the situation. Arnie and Betsy, might have their suspicions that things were not as they seemed, but no one could be bothered to make any changes. Life in Ann Arbor was laid back and settled. But... that didn't mean it needed to be boring.

  Cathy looked in the rear-view mirror and examined Brandy as he played a game on his hand computer. She loved the little guy, he was the only thing in the world that meant anything to her. As she looked at him the Suburban she was driving drifted close to the car beside her. The driver honked at her and she brought her vehicle back into line, subtly giving him the finger out the side window. Rude bastard. Brandy had looked up from his game when the guy honked but was now back giving it his all. She smiled at his resilience and nature. Brandy was insatiable for knowledge, he loved reading and had long ago moved from kids books to ones more suited to teenagers and even adults. That caused problems as he was always asking the meaning of words that sometimes, even Cathy, didn't know. A smile crept onto her face as she remembered the time he had asked her what masturbation meant. He was only six and a half and a proper definition seemed to be more problematic than helpful, so she'd told him it was when someone was "enjoying themselves in a very special way". At the time she felt quite good about the way she handled it. That was until the teacher called her into school, demanding to know if she needed to notify "Children's Services" of a potential situation. Apparently Brandy had written an essay on what he did on his weekend. His teacher was concerned about his Saturday afternoon that was apparently spent in the backyard, masturbating with his stepfather.

  Cathy chuckled to herself at the memory as she drove on. Suddenly, flashing red lights filled her mirror accompanied with flashing headlights and a "woop-woop" of a police siren.

  Cathy carefully indicated and pulled to the curb.

  'What's happening, Mom?' Brandy said, anxiously behind her.

  'It's nothing, sweetheart. Just a routine check.'

  She watched in her mirror as two cops got out of the unmarked police car and walked either side of her car. The one on the driver's side tapped on her window with his knuckles. She noted his other hand rested on his gun, which he had unclipped. As she wound the window down she glanced at the cop on the passenger side; he had his gun out and was holding it level with his chest, but it was pointing towards the ground.

  'What's the problem, Officer?'

  'License and paperwork, please, Ma'am.'

  She leaned over to her handbag and as she did the other cop brought his gun up and angled it into the cabin of the car. It wasn't pointing at her but it would only take a small adjustment for that to happen. She extracted her license and then the paperwork from the glove-box. She made a point of only using her fingers.

  'She could hear Brandy quietly sobbing in the back. 'What are they doing, Mom?'

  'Nothing, sweetie. It's routine.'

  The cop took her papers back to his patrol car. A minute later he returned. 'Out of the car, please, Mrs Bullock.'

  'What? Why? What's going on, Officer?'

  'Out of the car, Ma'am. I won't ask you again.'

  Cathy unbuckled and climbed out. As she did Brandon screamed, 'Mom! What's going on?'

  'Stay calm, Son. We need to have a chat with your mom.' the Officer said. 'We'll just be in front of the car. Don't worry, you're fine.'

  The Officer led Cathy around the car away from where any other traffic might be a problem. His partner joined him and presented a Breathalyzer to her. 'Blow into this until I tell you to stop. Please Ma'am.' His tone was distant, almost mechanical.

  Cathy did as requested and after a few seconds, he said, 'Stop ma'am.'

  He examined to small screen and then put the machine down on the hood of her car. He held a small plastic strip out to Cathy. 'I need you to lick that exposed area, Ma'am.'

  'What the hell is this all about? I wasn't doing anything. Just driving my kid to school, I wasn't speeding. Why are you harassing me?'

  'Please lick the test swab, Ma'am,' he repeated. He sounded pissed at her. 'I won't ask you again.'

  'What if I refuse?'

  'You'll be arrested and taken back to the station for blood tests. Just lick the swab, please Ma'am.'

  Reluctantly, Cathy did what she was told. Now she was seriously worried, it had been less than half an hour since she had used drugs. Her only hope was that they hadn't gone into her system, yet.

  The other officer had taken the swab back to his car and, presumably was doing a test with it. As she watched she could see him on his radio, talking and nodding as he did. He got out and came back to her.

 

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