Page 60 of The Auction Block

"The bar closes in twenty minutes, hon. Can I call you a cab?"

I glance up at the short woman who's been aiding me in my goal for the early morning hours. I'm thoroughly drunk.

A cab?

"Sh-ure," I stand, unsteady, grabbing the bar top for balance.

Fuck, I'm drunk. Really drunk.

I giggle. Jax is going to be pissed. Fuck him. My head's sloshy, like a bowl of Jello. I laugh again, stumbling to the bar door.

A yellow and black cab sits at the curb. I shuffle to the door, open it and fall inside. Pulling a twenty out of my pocket, I hold it over the seat. "You know who Blake Mason is?"

"Yes ma'am," the cabbie says, sliding the money out of my hand.

"You know his apartment?"

"Yes."

"That's where I'm going."

"Yes, ma'am."

I lean my head back and close my eyes as the driver pulls into traffic. Baltimore is busy at two in the morning. The cab stops often, and my head feels like water in a bottle. I clamp my hands to my temples.

Fuck, this blows. Hard liquor is bad . . . good, but bad.

"Here we are, ma'am. Do you need help inside?"

"Nope, I got this shit. Thanks."

I fling the door open and stumble onto the sidewalk. Grabbing the railing to the front door, bent at the waist, I stare up. Steps and drunk, don't mix. I stumble and fall on my knee twice but manage to get into the lobby. Using the walls to hold myself upright, I practically drag my feet toward the elevator.

"Weeee." I giggle as the elevator moves to Blake's floor.

Coming to a halt, my stomach jiggles inside. Oh, that's fucking weird. The doors open, and I trip into the foyer, catching myself on a table. I laugh.

"She's here!" Someone yells from the kitchen . . . I think.

The pounding of feet echoes through the hall, getting louder with each second. I stand straight, swaying from side to side.

Oh, this is going to be so much fun. I bet I can still throw a knife. Ha . . .

"Where the fuck have you been?" Blake snaps a few feet away. "Are you drunk?"

I laugh, running my hands over my face. "Way to notice, Captain Obvious."

"Don't get smart with me! You've worried us all half to death."

"Don't scold me, rich boy. If I wanna get smashed, I don't need your permission." I point my finger at his face.

Movement to my left catches my attention. Dresden has slowly crept too close. Trailing my thumb across my bottom lip, I grin wickedly. "Don't even think about it, Dres. You touch me, and I'll cut your balls off and throw them over the balcony."

He holds his hands up. "Lily, you're about fall over." His voice is soft and brings me up short. I shake my head, still swaying.

"Don't." I hold my hand up toward him. "I'm going to change." I stumble toward my room, slamming my hip into another table. "Fuck!"

Falling into my bedroom, I'm vaguely aware of someone behind me. I struggle out of my shirt and bra, and throw them on the floor, pulling on a sports bra. Shimming out of my pants and damn near falling over, I grab a pair of boy-shorts and slide them on.