I felt bad. I loved my mom so much, and I hated when she made me feel guilty, but fun was to be had and that was exactly what I was going to do; no matter what she said.

****

I took a cab to Club S because I knew that I’d be drinking and wouldn’t be able to drive. My dad was in the process of hiring a new driver. Denny had retired; my dad forced him into it because he had some health issues and it was becoming too much for him. My dad seemed to be taking his time with hiring the new driver, and I believed that it was because he couldn’t see anyone else driving him or us around besides Denny.

Aiden was standing outside Club S, waiting for me, when the cab pulled up to the curb. I got out, we high-fived, and walked inside. The music was blaring and the floor was thumping. It was more crowded than usual tonight and the girls were gorgeous. I was getting hard just looking at them. I walked up to the bar and ordered my usual scotch, and Aiden ordered his whiskey. This club had become our usual hangout over the past couple of months. The girls were smoking hot and they sure knew how to have a good time. I think if my parents knew that I hung out there, they’d be pissed. We sat at the table and kicked back our drinks. This pretty girl kept eyeing me from the bar. When I gave her a wink and a smile, she strutted over to our table and sat down next to me.

“You’re really cute.” She smiled.

“Thanks, babe. You’re pretty cute yourself.”

“Can I buy you a drink?” she asked.

“No. But I can buy you one.”

I raised my hand and signaled for Amber, our waitress, to bring us a couple of shots each. As soon as she set them in front of us, we brought our shot glasses together and then slammed them as fast as we could. After we slammed both shots, she grabbed my hand and led me to the dance floor. As I grabbed her waist, she moved her hot ass up and down my body, causing me to become instantly hard. Her dress was really short, which allowed my hands easy access to cup her bare ass. She welcomed it and threw her head back when I squeezed it. When the song changed, I led her back to the bar for some more shots, and when we approached the table, Aiden already had some hot girl sitting on his lap. The four of us drank more than we should’ve and, before I knew it, we were outside the club and I had my girl’s back pressed up against the side of the building.

“Let’s go back to your place.” She smiled as she nipped my bottom lip.

I turned around and hailed us a cab that took the both of us back to the penthouse.

“We have to be really quiet. My parents are sleeping,” I whispered as I carefully shut the front door.

She laughed as I picked her up and tried to carry her up the stairs. Needless to say, I stumbled and we both fell. We started to laugh, and I put my hand over her mouth as we got up and went to my bedroom, closing the door softly behind us.

****

“Collin, get down here, NOW!” my dad yelled up the stairs.

I rolled my eyes and went down to his office. “What?”

“You know what, Collin.”

I sighed as I crossed my arms. I knew what this was about. It was about the hot brunette I brought home last night. “Dad, calm down. She’s a nice girl.” I smiled.

“Really? What the hell is her name?”

Shit, he put me on the spot. If I remembered correctly, I didn’t catch her name, but if I told my dad that, he’d flip, so I gave her a name. “Her name is Darcy.”

“Bullshit! Her name is Renee. Ask me how I know, Collin. Go ahead and ask me,” he yelled.

“How do you know her name is Renee, Dad?”

“Because she introduced herself to me this morning when I was walking down the hall and she came out of your room, naked! Your mom is in the kitchen, ready to kill you. You’ve been out of control since Hailey left and this stops today. Do you understand me? Now get your ass in the kitchen and apologize to your mom, and maybe, just maybe, when I walk back in there, you’ll be alive.”

My head was already killing me from last night’s alcohol binge and my dad’s yelling made it worse. Now, I had to go and face my mom. The last thing I wanted to do was disappoint her, but lately, that was all I seemed to do. I walked out of the office and straight into the kitchen, where my mom was sitting at the table.

“Sit down, now!” she said with anger in her eyes.

“Mom, I’m—”

“Don’t. Don’t you dare say a word until I’m finished saying what I have to say.”

She pointed her finger at me. Something I didn’t ever remember her doing. She was pissed and she kind of scared me.

“I know you’re hurting, Collin. I know how hard it’s been on you since Hailey left, but you are way out of control. You go out every night. You come in during the wee hours of the morning, and you reek of alcohol. I don’t appreciate naked girls coming out of your bedroom in the morning. It’s rude, disrespectful, and I won’t have it in my house. What the hell were you thinking?”

As I looked into her angry, but sad eyes, I hated myself for making her so mad. “Mom, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking, and it’ll never happen again.”

“You’re right; it won’t happen again. Connor, get in here,” she yelled from the kitchen.

My dad walked in and looked at me. “Still alive, I see.”

I rolled my eyes and my head felt like it was going to explode. My mom got up from her chair and started getting the stuff out for the hangover cocktail she always made. God, I hated that shit.

“Connor, don’t you have something to tell Collin?” she said.

My dad looked at me as he sat down in the chair. “I’ve decided that you’re attending the meeting at the office this morning and then, after that, I have some things I need you to take care of.”

“No way, Dad. Today’s my day off.”

There was no way I wanted to sit in that meeting with a hangover. I didn’t get much sleep last night, and all I wanted to do was go back to bed.

“I’ve changed your day off and today isn’t it,” he said as he got up from the chair.

My mom walked over to me and handed me a glass with the cocktail in it. “Here, my darling son, drink up because you’re going to need to feel a hundred percent before you go into the office.” She smiled.

My dad sipped his coffee and, as he walked out of the kitchen, he turned around, looked at me, and then looked at his watch. “You have about fifteen minutes to get ready. I’ll be waiting by the elevator. You better not be a minute late.”