Page 50 of The Bitter Words

We toast to an awesome night and the three of us watch as the ball drops on a TV that’s on the wall beside the bar. Leon has the sound off because he’s got rock music playing out of his state-of-the-art sound system.

The clock strikes midnight and I give Livianna a sensual kiss, locking in my promise. She pulls away almost breathless and her twinkling bloodshot eyes shine my way.

I move closer to her face. “Are you high?”

“Only a little.” She glances at Leon. “Happy New Year, Leon.”

Hmm. It’s interesting that she smoked weed.

“You too.” He motions to the large sea-blue suede couch. “Let’s take this over there and relax now that there are no time constraints hindering us.”

“Okay.” She strolls to the space he pointed to and relaxes against the cushions. “Callum, come sit next to me.”

“You don’t have to ask.” I follow her and snuggle into her as soon as I do. I whisper in her ear, “You smell good, Lily. I can’t wait to be alone with you.”

She quietly laughs. “Soon enough. First, I want to hear what you two have been doing.”

Leon sits on one of his chaise lounge chairs. “We were going through some of the demos Cash sent over last week.”

“Yeah, we decided which ones would be best to start with.” My pulse speeds up. “Leon thinks any of them could be a hit.”

“That’s awesome.” She kisses my cheek. “You’re going to be a rockstar before the end of the year.”

“He’s got the chops for it.” Leon places his champagne glass on the table in the center of the room.

“That he does.” Livianna takes a huge drink, finishing her bubbly. She puts her flute down next to Leon’s.

“You two know how to make a guy feel special.” I throw back the rest of my drink and get rid of my glass just as they have.

“Speaking of feeling good, how would you two like to experience a high like no other?” Leon’s gaze flits between us.

My chest tightens and my throat closes. Livianna’s been trying so hard to stay away from drugs. Hell, so have I.

She squeezes my knees with her gaze on Leon. “What do you have in mind?”

Her question has me jerking back and analyzing her. Why the sudden change of heart?

“Lily, we’ve been trying to stay clean.”

She widens her eyes and gives me direct eye contact. “As you can see, that’s no longer the case. I’m already a little baked. It’s New Year’s Eve and I’m sick of being bored. Let’s just live and have a good time.”

My heart rate kicks up and my stomach spins. As much asI enjoy my time with her and creating music, there’s a part of me that wishes I could let go of the stress of my daily responsibilities and leave my worries behind.

I address Leon. “If the lady wants to have some fun, who am I to stop her?”

“There’s the spirit.” Leon grabs our glasses and retreats behind the bar. “The best part about what we’re about to do is its effects are out of this galaxy.”

“What’s it called?” Livianna joins him on the opposite side of the counter.

I push off the couch and stroll up to her. She pulls out a stool and I help her into it. I slide into the seat next to her.

Leon pours more Dom Pérignon into our flutes. “Floating V.”

“That’s the name of it?” I rest my arm on the back of Livianna’s chair. “I’ve never heard of it.”

“That’s because it’s a new designer drug.” Leon does something behind the bar, then lays three white capsules on the counter. “I have a good friend who’s a chemist and he’s been trying out different formulas. He only offers his products to those who can afford them.”

“Meaning it’s expensive.” My guts twist. I hate owing people.