Chapter 18

11 p.m. Friday

Regan unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned over to kiss Andy as soon as he stopped the car. She didn't care that her butt was in the car's side window and anyone walking past could see. She took the opportunity to run her hand up the leg of his shorts and play with his dick – which had lost its erection during the drive.

Elizabeth Pena and Paul Manley were the first people to greet the couple as they walked up the house where the party was being held.

Elizabeth wrapped Regan in a hug while Paul offered his hand to Andy.

"It's good to see you again," Paul said sincerely. "I'm glad to hear you're coming to school with us next fall."

"Thanks," Andy replied. He was a bit in awe of Paul Manley. First off, he had landed the hottest girl in school and managed to keep her. Paul was a year ahead of Andy in school but they had known each other when Andy was on the baseball team. Paul had been the star pitcher and shortstop while Andy had played left field. Like Elizabeth, Paul had been class president his senior year and was the top student in his class.

In short, he was popular and friendly – everything Andy Drayton wasn't when Paul left for college.

Elizabeth let go of Regan and immediately pulled Andy into a hug.

"I'm so glad you two came out," she said. She wasn't hosting the party but she was the unofficial hostess at every party she attended. Still, it was the first time in Andy's memory that she'd hugged him.

Paul had moved across to shake Regan's hand.

"I've heard a lot about you," Regan said.

"I was about to say the same to you!" Paul replied with a good-natured laugh. "Elizabeth has been bending my ear for a week about how she landed a cool roommate. She told me I was going to have step up my game if I expected her to spend time with me next semester."

"Oh, I doubt you're in any danger," Regan said. "If she starts hanging out in the room too much, I'll stop bathing or something. My roommate this year did that just to piss me off and I can tell you, it works."

Paul was laughing and shaking his head when Elizabeth let Andy loose. She shifted over and put her arm around Paul's waist – just as Regan did the same to Andy.

Elizabeth looked at what the new couple was wearing and then glanced at Paul for a moment.

"We're going for urban hip hop," Regan said with a laugh. "Andy said all I was missing was a bandana."

"I think you look hot," Paul noted. Andy saw him jump a little and figured Elizabeth had tickled him. "Sorry, that came out wrong."

"No, you're right," Andy said with a nod. "She does look hot – but she always does."

"See?" Elizabeth said. "That's how you make a girl swoon. Thank God Andy will be around to give you some lessons next year."

Paul laughed and leaned over to kiss Elizabeth on the cheek.

"Uh, look, before you two go in," Elizabeth said in a serious voice, "this is a little bigger than the last one you brought Regan to."

"I noticed that," Regan said as she looked around.

"A lot of college guys are back for the summer," Paul said. "All the high school kids know you're with Andy so they won't be a problem. Some of the guys in their 20s who still think they're 17 might be."

"What he's trying to say is that, uh, given your lack of experience in these types of situations, it's best if you're with one of us most of the time," Elizabeth clarified. "We'll stick together as a group. The older guys probably know Paul and the younger guys know Andy. That means almost everyone knows not to fuck with us. But, well, guys are assholes."

Regan glanced at Andy and saw him frowning as he looked around at the people outside of the house.

"I was just offering a warning," Elizabeth said when she noticed Andy's look. "It'll be fun. Admit it, the last time you two came to a party was a blast."

"The whole night was a blast," Regan said. "And if some guy gets fresh, I'll kick him in the nuts or break his nose. Ask Harmony Wentworth if you think I'm kidding. Still, I agree with the safety in numbers idea. This is really no different than when we all go out for a night next semester. We'll look out for each other and now is as good a time to start as then."

Elizabeth directed Regan to a group of girls who were standing around an open fire dancing and Andy started to follow. Paul motioned for him to stay behind.

"I'm glad you and Regan are coming to Stanford," Paul said again. "I was a little bit worried about Elizabeth being there by herself."

"She'll be fine," Andy said with assurance. Elizabeth Pena would be the queen wherever she wound up.

"I'm not so sure," Paul said. He looked around to make sure that Elizabeth and Regan were occupied. "College is going to be different. She's not going to be special there. She's going to be like a hundred other freshman girls on the campus. That's the thing that got me, man. I left Eisenhower as top dog, you know. I got to Stanford as low turd on the crap pile. Suddenly, I wasn't the best at anything I used to be the best at and I had no one I really knew to help me make the transition. I'll be around, sure. But I have my own classes to worry about. Besides, a boyfriend or girlfriend really isn't the best person to deal with ego crises. She's talked about you a bunch over the past few months – mostly about how she couldn't believe you were dating Erin Cooley – and she's talked about Regan a lot since you brought her around a few weeks ago. I just worry that Elizabeth is going to experience anonymity for the first time and it's going to really hurt her in a way that I can't fix. Having someone she's friends with is going to make it a lot easier for her. And I remember you from baseball. You're a good guy. That's why I didn't worry when Elizabeth starting telling me about all the things you'd do at school."

He punched Andy lightly on the shoulder to show he was kidding.

"I'll look out for her," Andy promised. "I know she'll do the same for me and Regan."

"Thanks," Paul said sincerely. The guys headed over toward the group of girls but they didn't make it. Elizabeth and Regan saw them break free and headed in their direction to meet them halfway.

"Skanks," Elizabeth muttered under her breath.

"They want to have a wet T-shirt contest," Regan put in. Andy and Paul both looked over to see if they might have already started.

"Pigs," Regan said, shaking her head. At least she was giggling.

"Hey, yeah," Paul said. "Elizabeth mentioned something about lingerie and pillow fights in the dorms. I just wanted to let you know my room will always be available if you want to move it there."

In a move that seemed choreographed but wasn't, Regan and Elizabeth both crossed their arms beneath their breasts and stared at their boyfriends.

"You know what?" Elizabeth said. "Fine. We'll agree. But first, you and Andy have to put on Speedos and wrestle for us."

"In baby oil," Regan added.

"In baby oil," Elizabeth confirmed.

Andy looked over at Paul and shrugged.

"I'm in," he said.

"Yeah, me too," Paul told the stunned girls. "I was willing to put on a Speedo and wrestle a grizzly bear in baby oil to watch you two swing pillows at each other in your bras and panties."

"Definitely," Andy agreed.

"You are both terrible!" Elizabeth said. She couldn't help but follow along when Regan burst into laughter. "Seriously? A grizzly bear?"

"Oh yeah," Paul said with mock sincerity. "If you offer to go topless, I might be willing to strap a beef steak to my butt while I'm at it."

"Come on, Regan," Elizabeth declared, trying her best to keep up the façade of anger. "I need to be away from these two."

"God, you know it," Regan said. She made no pretense of being angry. Instead she was trying to catch her breath from laughing so hard. "Pigs."

"That's us," Andy said with a grin.

"Oink," Paul added as he bumped fists with new friend.

"Those two," Elizabeth said as she and Regan went into the house to find a bathroom and something to drink.

"They'll keep us on our toes," Regan agreed with a laugh.

"So what's up with your clothes?" Elizabeth wondered. "I mean, I know you don't go to Eisenhower so that must have come from Andy's closet."

Regan looked around and directed Elizabeth to an unoccupied corner. She lifted up the leg of her shorts until the bottom hem reached the top.

"Are you... ?" Elizabeth asked, her eyes wide.

"Commando," Regan said in a whisper. "Top and bottom."

"Why?' Elizabeth asked, looking around to make sure no one else saw.

"My panties were too wet to wear," Regan admitted with a big grin.

"So you guys were... ?" Elizabeth asked.

"Just, you know, oral," Regan whispered. "My God! That was amazing."

She practically sang the last word in the sentence.

Elizabeth let out a frustrated sigh.

"Hey, the whole reason we decided to come tonight instead of staying in bed," Regan said, twisting the knife a little, "my mom has rented a suite at the Renaissance tomorrow. She said the only one left was the Ambassador Suite and that has like four rooms. I was wondering if you and Paul wanted to, uh, watch over things for us. We'll be there for like five minutes around eight o'clock and then we won't be back upstairs until after midnight. And even if we are, we won't be going into any of the rooms but our own."

"Are you for real?" Elizabeth asked.

"Well, yeah," Regan said with a shrug. "Andy mentioned that you and Paul both have siblings at home so I thought, you know, it might be a way for you to ... get away."

Elizabeth gave Regan another hug.

"Thank you!" she said. "Paul hates my dork brother and Chuck won't leave us alone for two seconds – not that my parents would permit us to be alone for more than that long. His brother and sister are still young – 14 and 15 years old. They want to do things with us when we're there. I thought we were going to have to revert to doing it in the backseat of a car."

"You can always come out to visit me once I'm home for the summer," Regan told her. "Mom will get bored of playing at wife and mother soon enough and she'll disappear for weeks on end. Dad works downtown at her investment firm so he'll be gone until five or six every day. You can come out, swim a little and have some private time with your guy. I know I plan to have as much private time with Andy as I can. You would not believe the way he made me feel."

"I've heard stories," Elizabeth admitted.

"Oh, really?" Regan asked, doing her best to imitate Camille's Tilted Head of Inquisition.

"Girls talk," Elizabeth said with a trace of embarrassment. "Erin talks more than most. She said he has a really nice tongue. I mean, she acted like she was the first person in the world to ever have that done to her. She is such a skank. You know, she's going off to L.A. after graduation. She wants to be an actress. I'll lay you $50 against a Popsicle that she'll be shooting porn before Christmas."

"She better get over her aversion to blowjobs first," Regan said, perhaps a little louder than she meant.

"Seriously?" Elizabeth asked, taking Regan by the arm to direct her to the drink table. The guys in there all watched and were disappointed when they picked up a four sodas.

"Andy said she refused to even consider the idea," Regan confirmed.

"To hear her talk, there isn't a sex act known to man that she hasn't perfected," Elizabeth said.

Regan shrugged.

"Well, outside of sucking a dick, maybe she has," she said with a smile. "There's a girl at my school like that – only I think she's telling the truth. Her dad is a movie producer in L.A. and I know she got booted out of a prep school when she was 12 because she was caught having sex with another student – a female student. She's the one who always takes a different guy to the 'Cock Rock' and invites everyone to watch."

Elizabeth shook her head in confusion as she tried to piece together a sentence that made no sense to her.

"The 'Cock Rock'?" she wondered.

"Oh, Andy didn't mention that?" Regan replied as they walked back outside to find their guys before a low-grade skank made a move on them. "It's a knoll where we can ... have some alone time. The girls worked out a system of ribbons to let the rest of the group know if it's OK to come and watch them ... screw. I took Andy there last weekend."

"Andy went to somewhere called the 'Cock Rock'?" Elizabeth inquired. "I just can't see that."

"I didn't tell him what it was until we were there," Regan admitted with a blush.

"And you invited people up to watch ... whatever went on last weekend?" Elizabeth pressed.

"God no!" Regan said. "My school is like your house. There is no way to be alone with anyone for more than a minute or two unless you take them on a trail that leads past our athletic fields. I wanted to have a private picnic with Andy so I took him up there. I made sure to hang a black ribbon on the tree. That means no trespassing. We were completely alone up there."

"Good," Elizabeth said. "But where did you go this evening?"

"His apartment," Regan said.

"With his mother home?" Elizabeth asked, aghast at the concept.

"No way!" Regan answered. "She went on a date with Andy's dad tonight."

Elizabeth grasped Regan's arm and pulled her to a stop.

"Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait! Wait!" she said almost frantically. "His dad ... the Duke of Whatever ... is in town? Why didn't I know that?"

"He's the Earl of Smithfield," Regan said in a calming voice. "He just got into town yesterday. I wasn't sure if Andy wanted anyone to know so I kept it quiet."

"And his mom is on a date with him?" Elizabeth asked. "I thought ... you know ... he ran off and left her when she got pregnant."

"That's not what happened at all," Regan said. "Look, Andy or I will tell you the whole story but we need to get back out there. You can't leave guys like Paul and Andy alone for too long. Those bimbos will have them judging the wet T-shirt contest if we're not careful."

"I can't believe he hasn't told me about his dad," Elizabeth said. "I mean, we talk for hours every day. Is that why he's going to Stanford now? Is it because his father wants him to go?"

"It's because of what you did," Regan said as she directed Elizabeth to where Andy and Paul stood talking. "Andy's relationship with his father is still in the early stages. He is determined that he will never go to England even for a visit. Evan came over here for the express purpose of getting to know his son – but it had the added bonus of letting him see Camille again. He didn't leave her. He wanted to marry her – before she found out she was pregnant. But she had the same problems with Evan's title as Andy has with my family's money. I think both of them are taking a fresh look at the situation now."

"I've just always liked Andy so much," Elizabeth said. "I mean, he was my first crush in middle school."

"Oh?" Regan asked. She knew Andy had always looked at Elizabeth as a shining star. She hadn't realized that Elizabeth had once felt the same way. She stopped for a moment. The guys were in sight and that was enough.

"If he had worked up the courage to ask me to the Christmas Dance, well, I'm not sure he'd have been on the market for you to catch," Elizabeth said with a small smile. "Even when he just sort of disappeared into mass of people in middle school, I'd make it a point to talk to him as often as I could. Did he ever tell you how we met?"