Reed was nervous.

She stood in front of her colorful closet, wrapped in a towel, freshly showered, a tabula rasa, so to speak. She saw the yellow shirt Duncan had suggested and took it off the hanger so she could lay it on her bed. It was a little more form fitting than she preferred, but Duncan liked it, and for some reason that still mattered to her. She chose a white skirt to go with it, and the open weave flats. She didn't want to wear heels tonight—she didn't want to risk falling, and she didn't need any reason to feel bigger or taller than she was.

It never failed; no matter her age, or how many she attended, parties made her anxious. She didn't even like to go to church functions with Sam, and she'd known most of those people all her life.

"Come on, don't be such a baby," she muttered to herself as she got dressed. After that, she only had to put a clip in her hair and put on some makeup.

Great. It was only 4:30. The guests were told to arrive after 5:30. The bartender probably hadn't even arrived yet.

"Knock knock," Duncan called through the door. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," she answered, looking around. She sat on the edge of the bed, trying to look relaxed and casual.

"Look at you," Duncan said with a laugh. "You look so tense and expectant, like a girl at a ball waiting to be asked to dance." He plopped down beside her and nudged her shoulder with his own. "Relax, no one's here to judge you, they're here to judge me."

Reed looked at him. He was wearing a blue linen shirt, unbuttoned casually low to show quite a bit of his toned chest, along with jeans that fit him just right.

"Yeah? You look great, so no problem there," she countered, fiddling with her blouse.

"You think so? Thanks," Duncan responded, pleased. "You look absolutely delightful as well, don't take on so." And to him, she did indeed look completely beautiful and alluring. Her hair hung in soft waves down her back, the yellow shirt clung to her body, accentuating her curves, molding sweetly to her breasts and waist.

He quickly brought his eyes back to her face, which looked radiant as well.

Reed smiled at his words, making her look even more stunning to him.

"Thank you," she said, her voice soft. She let out a hitching breath. "Let's get this over with, then." And she rose from her place on the bed.

"You're just going to a party, not marching off to face a firing squad," he encouraged. "I know, let's get you a drink, I'm sure the bar's been set up by now."

"Sounds great, let's go." Reed felt Duncan's hand on her back, and realized how much she'd missed being touched by him. She sighed to herself.

Ten minutes later, with a drink in her hand, Reed felt marginally better. She wondered how Duncan would introduce her to people. She certainly wasn't his girlfriend, not recently, anyway.

The guests began arriving shortly after, and Reed was introduced to a bewildering number of people as "a very good friend of mine."

Nancy arrived in a very short mini dress that showed off her miles of legs and superb tan.

"Hello, Reed," she said, leaning in to air kiss her cheek. "You're looking well."

"You too," she responded, which was no less than the truth. Reed sighed again, knowing she could never look like Nancy, slim and elegant, expensively casual.

"There you are," Duncan called walking over. "Come, I want you to meet someone." And he bore Reed away, leaving Nancy standing alone. She looked after them, her gaze inscrutable, and it occurred to Reed that Nancy didn't know of her estranged status.

"Reed, this is one of the friends I was telling you about," Duncan said, extending a hand to a man in a Hawaiian print shirt. "Robby, this is Reed."

"Hello, Reed, I've heard a lot about you," Robby said, extending a hand. He had pretty blue eyes and a contagious smile.

"I was telling Reed that not many of the people here could actually be considered my friends," Duncan explained. "Robby is the exception," he continued to Reed. "He's played guitar on my last two tours and albums, and he's probably the first person I'll play my new songs for."

"Yes, it's true, I know Duncan very well, warts and all," Robby responded cheerfully.

Reed laughed. "Not a lot of warts," she said, and Duncan looked at her, pleased.

"Robby, long time no see!" Nancy's voice cut into their conversation, and Reed was happy to see a momentary look of irritation flit across Robby's features before he turned to hug her with a measured smile.

"I've been around, where've you been?" he countered as he released her.

"Oh, you know, Dunc keeps me pretty busy," Nancy responded, hugging Duncan around the waist.

"Hey, that's not fair, you've basically had the summer off," Duncan responded.

Reed noticed that he didn't put his arm around her.

"You're right, you're right, not since I took Reed clothes shopping," Nancy quipped, winking at Reed.

Great.

Duncan bit his lips together before carefully stepping out of Nancy's embrace, quietly removing her arm from his waist.

Robby smoothly ignored Nancy's words, refusing to rise to the bait.

"Why aren't you wearing any of the things we got for you that day?" Nancy continued. "Walmart, was it?"

Reed swallowed. "Target," she corrected. "You took me to Target."

"Target, that's right," Nancy repeated with a nod. "So?"

"She didn't like them," Duncan interjected, and he did put his arm around Reed, pulling her well within his personal space. "She got herself all new things, though, no worries."

Robby did a good job of covering his confusion. "Great," he agreed.

"So, dude," he continued, "when are you going to play some of your new stuff for me?"

"Who picked out what you're wearing?" Nancy went on as if Robby hadn't spoken. "It's a bit, um, showy, isn't it? Though I'm guessing nothing really looks subtle on you."

Duncan spoke before Reed could. "Dammit, Nancy, you always do this. The minute you get more than one drink in you, you start confronting the women in my life, and I'm damned tired of it."

Reed realized that Nancy was a little off center, eyes a little slow to focus, speech a bit wobbly.

"Okay, let's just take everything down a few degrees," Robby suggested. "We're all friends here, this is supposed to be a social occasion, right? Let's just relax."

"Wow, sorry, didn't mean to offend anyone," Nancy said. "I just made a perfectly reasonable comment about how women Reed's size probably can't wear a lot of 'subtle' outfits, that's all."

Duncan stared at Nancy, eyes wide. "I don't fucking believe you! Stop. Just stop."

Nancy looked at Reed, eyes narrowed. "Sorry, I didn't realize there were so many fragile egos around, so many people with no sense of humor."

"My sense of humor is just fine, when I'm around funny people," Reed answered evenly.

"Ooh, nice one!" Robby gave Reed a crooked grin.

Nancy turned on her heel and left without another word.

Reed turned to Duncan. "Your friends are so nice," she intoned, totally deadpan.

"She's not my friend, she's my employee," Duncan corrected, shaking his head. "Though maybe not for much longer."

"Oh no, please don't fire her, not on my account," Reed begged. "I can handle snarky women, I've been doing it all my life."

Duncan looked at her and his gaze softened. "Okay, if you say so."

"Well, this is already the most interesting my week's been," Robby said, draining his drink. "I'm getting another, you two want anything?"

Reed asked for another whiskey sour, and Robby returned within minutes with a fresh drink for her. "Thank you," she said, gratefully accepting the proffered glass.

The liquor was giving her courage, making her feel warm and comfortable. She thought she might not throw up from nervousness anymore, thankfully.

As Robby and Duncan continued to talk, the group around them grew to include more people, and Reed was content to just stand and listen, an accepted member of the throng. Eventually one of the men next to her asked, "What do you do? Are you in the business?"

Reed shook her head. "No, I'm—I'm Duncan's friend, his houseguest for the summer."

"Oh, you're the one who was in the accident? Then lost everything in a fire, I heard something about that."

Reed laughed. "Yes, that's me." She held her hand out. "I'm Reed."

He accepted her handshake. "William," he responded.

"And what do you do?" she asked.

"I do distribution, I'm with his label." He smiled. "Don't make me tell you about it, I'll bore you to death. In fact, why don't you tell me more about you while we hit the buffet?"

"There's a buffet?"

William tilted his head toward the deck. "Just a small one, outside. Come on, follow me."

He led her to the deck, where, sure enough, there was a small table laid out with fruit kebabs and satay sticks.

They remained outside with their food while Reed told him she was trying to write a novel. "Sorry, my story's just as boring as yours," she joked.

"Not at all, at least it's sincere, something you have a passion for."

"I don't know about sincere, but there's definitely passion. It's a romance novel," Reed admitted.

"Ooh, smutty?"

"The smuttiest," Reed answered, nodding. She finished her drink, and William gallantly brought her another.

"Don't bring me any more after this," she begged after she thanked him for the drink. "I'm really starting to feel them."

"But that's what a party's for, to let your hair down a little," William answered, taking a sip of his own drink.

"Reed! There you are."

Reed turned to find Duncan approaching, looking distractingly good.

"Yes, here I am," she answered with a laugh. "Why? Did you need me for something?"

"No, no, just wondered where you were." Duncan put his hand on her back, sending a jolt of electricity through her body. She leaned back as far as she dared.

Duncan looked at her and swallowed, and Reed could see the flush creeping up his neck, even though it was nearly dark outside.

Duncan had gone in search of Reed as soon as he noticed she was no longer at his side. When he saw her outside, standing inordinately close to William Something from distribution, his stomach lurched. She was leaning into William as they spoke, and Duncan wondered if her breast was pressing into his arm. Jealousy flared in his body in conjunction with desire, and he crossed the deck nearly at a run, calling her name as he did so.

"Can I borrow Reed for a moment?" he asked William. "I just need to show her something."

"Of course," William answered, though he looked less than pleased.

Duncan led Reed around the corner of the house, where the bougainvillea grew huge and rambling, covered in scarlet blooms.

His lips crashed into hers as he pressed her against the side of the house, leaning with his entire body. His put his hand on her neck, plundering her mouth with his, searching for her tongue with his.

"Jesus, I've missed you so much," he murmured against her mouth. "So much. I've been miserable."

"Me too, me too," Reed assured him as she kissed him back. Her hands cupped his butt as she pressed him into her as hard as she could.

He put a hand under her skirt, sliding it up her round hip, making her moan. His other hand was yanking on her shirt, exposing her pretty pink bra.

He lowered his head to kiss the tops of her breasts, and to bite her nipples, right through the lace cup.

Reed spread her legs as best she could while remaining standing, and Duncan moved her undies to the side so he could put his hand on her sex, feeling her excitement.

"So wet for me, so wet," he groaned. "Want to fuck you, right now, yeah?"

"Yes, please."

They undid his pants together, laughing as they got in each other's way, then he was pushing into her as she wrapped one leg around his hip to give him better access.

"God, feels so—" Duncan muttered as thrust, over and over, bracing himself against the walls of the house.

The fact that anyone could come walking around the corner and see them somehow made everything more exciting. Duncan could see her soft breasts bounce between them as he rocked into her, looking so sexy in the evening light.

"Shit, gonna come already," he moaned into her neck. He put a thumb on her and pressed, hoping she was close.

"Harder, harder," she begged, her lips touching his ear.

He felt her clenching against him as her orgasm rolled over her, her hands clutching at his biceps at the same time. She hoisted her leg even higher, and he grasped it as he felt his own orgasm coiling in his belly.

"Wait, wait!" A sudden thought stopped her, mid thrust. "You're  not wearing anything!"

Oh my god.

He pulled out of her just as his first spasms overtook him, and Reed quickly slid down the wall to take him in her mouth. He pushed into her mouth so hard her head hit the wall.

"Shit, sorry, but Christ, feels so fucking g-good—"

Reed nodded and pressed him to her as hard as she could, taking all of him, sucking until she was sure he finished. She swallowed as she rose to face a Duncan who was gasping for breath.

"Wow, that was amazing," he breathed with a grin as he leaned into kiss her.

"I agree," she answered with a nod. "My legs are so wobbly I don't know if I can walk."

"Well, let's get cleaned up and straightened out before someone discovers us," Duncan suggested as he tried to pull her shirt up to cover her bra.

A few minutes later they walked back around the bougainvillea, hoping they looked reasonably pulled together.

"There he is," someone called. "Where did you disappear to?"

"Nowhere, just showing Reed the sunset, is all."