“David just got here. I have to go,” she said and hung up on her friend.
He dumped his bag by the door and flopped into his reading chair.
“What did I do?”
“Nothing. Wren and Emily are conspiring to get into your pants on Saturday night. Taylor shut them down by saying that you’d invited her and me to the party,” Crystal said. “You are inviting us, aren’t you?”
“I planned on it. We only decided to have the party this morning, and I hadn’t gotten a chance to ask you yet,”
David said, sounding sincere.
“Sorry. That came out sounding all possessive and bitchy. It’s just that Wren made it plain that she plans to take you from me,” Crystal said.
David shook his head in disbelief.
“This is not a good look for you. You’re a strong, self-reliant woman. No man defines who or what you are; not even I could do that. And just so we’re clear, Wren is not competition. A bit of fun, yes. I just don’t see her as someone I would want a serious relationship with, though,”
David said as he massaged the back of his neck.
Crystal took a deep, cleansing breath as she focused on a spot on the floor. Then she looked into David’s eyes.
“What about Emily?”
David gave her a little grin.
“Same deal, and on top of that, I think she’s way too inexperienced for my taste,” David said and then cocked his head to the side. “And before you ask, there is someone else, Rachel Farrow. She goes to USC and has a part-time job in the football offices, and her dad is our defensive coordinator.
“I asked her out to dinner on Tuesday night,” David explained.
“Why should I worry?”
“I don’t know if you should, and if it looks like it might go somewhere, I’ll tell you.”
“Why her?”
David pondered his answer. Crystal had a hard time believing him since she didn’t know any guy would be this open about the ‘other’ women in his life. But she felt he was telling her the truth, which made her wonder why.
“The main reason is that Rachel isn’t awed by the David A. Dawson persona. There are plenty of star-fuckers out there that I could get with, but it would just be a onetime fling. She calls me on my shit and is an average girl who knows a lot about football. Basically, I can just be me when I hang out with her,” David said.
“If you’re looking for a buddy, why not go out with Cassidy?”
David barked out a laugh.
“She tells everyone who asks that she’ll be the last woman standing when I finally decide to settle down. Do I act like I’m ready to do that?” David asked.
Crystal chuckled and shook her head ‘no.’ If he were, they wouldn’t be doing this casual junk.
“Let’s study, and then you can work at making me forget all those other girls you’re seeing,” Crystal said.
David raised one eyebrow in response.
“That’s a two-way street. You better bring your A-game.”
◊◊◊
David found Nat and Alex talking when he got up the following day.
“Nat wants us to spend more money. I told her that she had to talk to you,” Alex said.
David read the situation as Alex didn’t see the point in the extra expenditures but didn’t want to tell his twin sister
‘no.’
“We’re calling it the ‘tailgate after-party.’ We want to set up part of the parking lot with a couple of food trucks, and instead of holding the party on our floor, we’ll do it on the roof. Alex is worried that us partying on the roof will out your not-so-secret oasis,” Nat said.
“How much, and what does the extra money get me?”
David asked to bottom-line it.
“A security fence around the roof’s perimeter so no drunks kill themselves, a band, and then a party planner who’ll set up and tear everything down,” Nat said and then shut up.
David saw her glance at Alex, and he gave her a little nod of assurance. It felt like the two of them had discussed how to manage him. Stating her case and shutting up was a big step in the right direction because he hated to feel like someone was trying to sell him.
“Will there be enough security to prevent party crashers?” David asked.
“Fritz is handling that. Everyone has to get a wristband and be on the list. The bands will be three different colors for the level of beverages: well, call, and premium. Bronze bands are for well drinks. They’re called that because they’re readily kept at your bartender’s well station. They are the cheapest, off-brand liquor that tastes the same as their more expensive counterparts.
“Silver bands are for drinks that are ordered by brand name, referring back to the CC and 7 in our example, are called ‘call’ liquors. These brand names are a bit more expensive, and many tend to believe it’s of a higher quality.
“A gold band will allow you to get premium brands or top shelf,” Nat said.
“I take it that they have to pay more for the higher grades of liquor?” David asked, and Nat nodded ‘yes.’
“What about the recruits?”
“They’ll get a red wristband. It will allow them a few beers and then anything nonalcoholic.”
“The party planner will provide bartenders to make the drinks and keep an eye on everything,” Alex said.
“What do you think?” David asked Alex because they’d agreed to partially fund the party.
“I just worry that people will go to the bar and get the recruits drinks. I know I would if I were them,” Alex said.
“Talk to Fritz and see what he can come up with security-wise to prevent that. I also want a huge bowl of condoms set out for when people come in,” David said.
Nat’s eyes got big. David could see rumors of Zak’s party had reached her ears, so he hastily added, “People have rooms to go back to for that activity, but I’ll hand them out to recruits just to be safe. Might as well put a bit of fun on the table for everyone.”
“People are asking if they can bring their friends. Some have heard you’re allowing football players and the like. I wanted to hear what you thought,” Nat said.
“I don’t want this to get too crazy. How about only a boyfriend or girlfriend? You and your posse know who’s dating who, so it should be easy to sort out,” Alex interjected.
“Good idea,” David agreed, “but, to be fair, figure out what Alex and I are donating, divide it by the number of people on my list and allow them to invite more if they pony up that amount per person.”
“I think we need to put an overall cap on the number of people, or this’ll get out of hand,” Nat said.
“How about we leave the details to you and your team? I also suggest you call Fritz and get his feedback on handling this. I know others he works for have held parties, and he might know of other stuff you should be doing to prevent trouble,” David said.
David made a mental note to have Greg swing by and get his Demon. He didn’t want his car anywhere near drunk college students.
◊◊◊
Chapter 38
David had a surprise when he came back from his morning run. Greg and Cassidy were waiting for him, looking nervous, with Paddy O’Malley, the fixer David had hired to help Cassidy get revenge on Knackers. Lexi had made the arrangements for Paddy to come.
“Well … fuck!” David hissed as he froze.
He quickly looked around, and Alex was missing in action.
“Where’s Alex?” David asked.
“When I walked in, he ran into his room and locked the door,” Paddy said.