The volleyball continued, and the laughter between the three of us lifted my wilted spirit. I forgot how fun these two could be. Jen occasionally appeared when she felt Patrick was getting way more attention than her.

This was the part that made her not one of my favorites. She was a number one attention seeker, but Pat loved her.

The two sitting in the pool's corner didn't move one bit. They kept whispering to each other like two teenage girls.

Then the shooters flowed.

Don't get drunk, Cass. You're stupid when drunk. You make horrible mistakes, and say shit that requires written apologies the next day.

I got to see what sort of player Jackson was. He flirted the crap out with some of Em and Harold's lady friends, even Jen, and she didn't hold back.

I laughed when I remembered her "your age" comment and wondered if she aimed it at Jackson. Meaning that it didn't matter if she was with Pat or not, she wouldn't think twice if Jackson wanted more from her.

Most of the people here were at that stage where you could smell the oxytocin, dopamine, and serotonin. Many knew it as happy hormones. I called it horny hormones.

They kept flaunting their curves in front of Jackson, and he was playing the game, hard. I hated when good-looking guys were like that. There was always another one in the pond. Philip was like that, too. Not that you could put Philip in Jackson's league. Philip was like a Picasso against Jackson being a Michael Angelo.

I didn't want to go down that road again and Jackson wasn't one-night stand material either. I could only imagine how difficult it was to get over someone like him. But I have to admit, Philip was far from my thoughts when my eyes flickered to Jackson whenever he laughed. His entire face lit up, and he had one of those laughs that came from his soul. It makes you want to laugh with him, even if you didn't know what the joke was about.

"C-a-a-a-s-s-e-y!" Harold sang.

"What?" I yelled back, and they both lifted their empty glasses.

I laughed. "I'm not your barmaid or server. Flaunt your eyelashes at one of the single girls. Wait, you are married, ask your buddy to do that, that blonde over there looks like she would get everything you ask for and put it on a silver tray."

"Don't be like that," Harold said.

"Get out and go pour your own damn drinks. You should pour ours, for crying out loud."

"You tell 'em, Cass," Em yelled.

"Oh, so you are on Cass's side?" Harold teased Em.

"Hell yeah. When Jackson is here, you only have eyes for him. So Cass and I will take our room. You two can sleep on the couch."

"What are you two going to do in your room?" Jackson wanted to know.

"Something you won't be able to handle," I replied, and Em threw back her head and screamed her laughter.

I giggled at the raised eyebrow look on Jackson's face. Man, he made that look so hot.

"Is Cass making you excited, babe?"

"I'm not a pig, babe," she yelled back at Harold.

"You are my piggy."

Pat and I snorted the way he made that sound so flirty, and Em blushed.

"He still makes you blush," I said.

"Yeah, he makes my blood boil too." She took a sip of her wine.

Jackson called the blondie and Pat chuckled as she skipped to them. "You weren't wrong with that one."

"I work at a hotel, believe me, I'm fluent in body language."

"I bet she would put herself on a silver tray too."

I laughed and held out my hand in the air for him to slap.

I would too, but I didn't say that out loud. That I was thinking it told me I had way more than enough alcohol in my system and that it was time to go to bed.

My gaze flickered over to Jackson, who was still cooing to the girl crouching behind him. They were going to grab each other and he would kill my fantasy.

I downed my glass and put it on the floor. I got up.

"Where are you going?"

"I had enough. I'm going to sleep. Thanks for hauling my ass out of the room, but I'm pooped." I bent down and kissed her on her temple.

"Babe," she begged with a pout, and Pat laughed.

I gave her my raised eyebrow look.

"Sorry, you are not a pig, but please don't leave me here alone with these horn dogs."

"One is your husband. You are part of that orgy. I'm not. I'm going to bed and I'm going to lock my door." I walked away.

"Cass!" Harold yelled, but I didn't turn around or acknowledge him. I basically ran for my room.

I heard him yelling my name again before the music drowned him out.

Safely inside my room, I locked the door and fell on my bed.

I looked at my phone and had like fifteen messages from Philip, still begging. It has been a month already. When was he going to accept that it was over?

I couldn't believe this guy's behavior. He basically told strangers just how he truly felt, or was he that hard up for stranger sex. I gave him enough, so why wasn't I enough?

The depressing feeling returned and weighed like a ton in my gut. I hated the loneliness that came with breakups and the feeling of worthlessness when your partner cheated.

I didn't understand what was so amazing about cheating. Where was the thrill in that? Why were people like that? Didn't they care about the one waiting for them at home?

Were they really that stupid to think we would just keep on forgiving and forgetting? My mother was right when she said, 'once the trust was broken, it was over.'

I missed Philip, but I could never trust him ever again. Rather now than years down the line when there were babies involved. It was not fair to kids.

A loud knock on my door made me jump in bed.

"Cassy!" Harold's voice came from the other side.

I cried playfully. "I'm done, Harold. Good night."

"C'mon, don't be like that."

"No, I'm tired. Please?"

"It's not even twelve."

"Go play with Em. Leave me alone."

"Open the door, Cass." He hammered some more.

"No," I yelled and laughed.

"Open or I'm going to open it for you."

"I will love to see you try."

"Okay, fine," he said and then disappeared.

What was with him? Fuck, Em was going to think he was in love with me or something. Some guys were so stupid.

A few minutes later, another knock came on the door. "One last time."

Em's laughter came from the other side of the door and I relaxed a bit.

"Go away!" I yelled. They were idiots.

"Okay, I warned you."

The drill against the lockset made me cover my ears.  What the hell is wrong with this guy? I won't have a door tonight.

A few more fiddles and the door opened.

Jackson filled the entire doorway. He was bigger than Harold. He blew away the dust on the drill and gave me a grin that turned my insides to goo. I wasn't emotionally strong enough to deal with this guy.

Harold walked in first, followed by Em, who fell on my bed and wrapped her leg around me. "C'mon, you can sleep later."

"You are going to fix that door. I'm not sleeping with a door that can't lock." I looked at Harold.

Harold shrugged. "I didn't open your door."

"Then your buddy, seriously, there are plenty of willing chicks down stairs you can harass. Harass your wife, I need my beauty sleep."

"You are beautiful enough, c'mon, you never party with us," Em begged too.

"I was there the entire night. Believe me, the Oxytocin got way too much for me."

Em laughed as Patrick sauntered in. He looked at the gaping hole where the lock used to be. "You seriously broke into her room?"

"Yup, I'm not safe anywhere," I answered on behalf of our locksmith.

"Come party with us. Get up," Harold whined.

"No, I'm tired. I'm thirty, not thirteen."

Jackson laughed as he leaned against the door. He was a semi giant. I didn't think he was that big, at least a head taller than Harold, and Harold was a huge guy.

"Please, I'm begging you. If the girls know you are missing, they are going to stream into my room." I looked at Jackson.

"I don't care."

"I do. I'll never get them out. So go. And put back my door."

"You are a party pooper," Em yelled and got up from my bed.

"Yeah, I'm old. We'll see what you are going to spin at thirty."

"It's seven years from now. You act as if you are 50."

"Yeah, a breakup will do that to you."

"Praise the Lord that you left him. He was an idiot, Cass, and didn't deserve you."

"Oh, says the guy who couldn't stop fist pumping him and laughing at all his jokes."

Em laughed.

"Yeah, I had to get along with him, for Em's sake. She loves hanging out with you."

"Awe, you really did that just for me." Em melted.

"Babe, for you I will get the moon." Harold fluttered his eyelashes at her as Jackson was busy fixing my door.

My insides melt at how lucky Em was.

My eyes flickered to Jackson. He could seriously make a girl's heart beat faster. His fingers worked so fast, as if he had done this a million times before. I could only imagine how many doors he unlocked before tonight.

"Fine, sleep, party pooper." Harold got up while Jackson tested out the door. Everyone left, and then he closed the door after Patrick and locked it from the inside.

"Awesome, it works."

"Great, thanks for that," I said.

"Yeah, I'm not going anywhere."

I could hear Em's protesting and Harold's laughter in the hallway. Jackson chuckled.

Oh, crap!

I have to break up this chapter it's why it's ending so abruptly. Sorry about that. What do you guys think of this one so far. Oh man, this Jackson really goes for what he wants. Let me know in the comments.