Lauren and Steve entered the front door. Max welcomed them in. Music was pumping on the sound system behind him and Lauren could hear the people chatting and clinking glasses. Beth and Max always through the best parties.
"Hey, come on in," Max beckoned.
"We bring gifts!" Steve brandished the bottle of red wine in his hand.
"Good good!" Max walked backwards through the hall towards the main party area, "Come on through."
He led them through to the kitchen. It was filled with other party guests, most of which Lauren had never met.
"Just stick the bottle down there next to the others," Max waved a hand at a sideboard filled with various different bottles of wine and spirits.
"This is Andrew..." Max introduced.
"Hi!" Andrew waved at the couple and went back to his conversation.
"The guy Beth's talking to is Lee," Max indicated his wife who was chatting to a young black guy.
Beth and Lauren had been friends since school, and that's how the couples knew each other. Beth had married Max, and now her belly was swollen with a child. Motherhood definitely suited her as she looked so much more relaxed than she had previously.
Beth and Lee both said hi.
"Is Cindy here yet?" Lauren asked the group.
Cindy and Lauren had also been friends since school. Best friends. Their near identical physiques and long honey blonde hair had earned them nickname 'the terrible twins'. Though really it was only Cindy's behaviour that was bad; she seemed to have a new male admirer every week.
"I haven't seen her," Max turned to his wife, "you?"
"Not yet," Beth looked to Lauren. "She said she's meeting someone first."
"I know," Lauren nodded, "she wants me to meet him. Her new guy. Have you met him?"
"No. But I don't think he's her guy, not yet anyway." Beth explained, "I get the feeling she's not slept with him yet, so don't say anything to ruin it."
"No of course not," Lauren smiled.
"Hang on," Max interjected, playing the good host, "let me take you up to the coat room so you can ditch your things."
They walk upstairs, and enter the spare room.
"Just throw your things down on the bed," Max pointed to the pile of coats already spread out on the bed. "Careful with that door, the handle's screwed, don't let it close."
They party for a bit.
Cindy entered, her arm interlocked with a well built black guy's.
"Lauren, this is Marcus, Marcus, Lauren," she nudged Marcus forward.
"I've heard a lot about you," Marcus bowed.
"All bad I hope," Lauren winked.
"Come," Cindy took hold of her friend¡¯s shoulders, "girl talk."
They moved out of Marcus' earshot.
"Oh my god," Cindy flapped her hand near her face as if she was about to faint, "isn't he the hottest?"
"Cindy, I had no idea!" She had to admit she was impressed this time. Marcus was way better looking than the string of losers she normally paraded around with. And sexy too.
"I know!" She continued to flap. "Gorgeous. I totally hope to hook up with him tonight. I've been plotting for weeks now."
"You're not together?" Lauren asked.
"Not yet, but I hope to change that tonight," she winked. "God, imagine him sticking it in you!"
"Cindy!" Lauren blushed.
"Have you ever been with a black guy before?" Cindy raised an eyebrow.
"No I haven't."
"God it's good," Cindy closed her eyes in reverence. "They can go all night like sledgehammers. I won¡¯t be able to sit down for a week!"
"You can't say that!" Lauren was shocked, "It¡¯s a bit of a stereotype isn't it?"
"Well," Cindy winked, "here's hoping some stereotypes are true."
They party some more. Lauren catches Marcus' eye a few times but was shy of him because of what Cindy said.
Lauren remembered she left her cigarettes in her coat pocket and went to find them.
Marcus was already in the room looking for his weed. The window was open and a gust of wind blew the door shut.
Lauren tried the door to find the knob rotated uselessly. It could only be opened from the outside.
"Damn! Locked in" Lauren told him.
They sat down on the bed.
"Cigarette?" She offered him the packet.
"You've got tobacco, I've got the weed, lets roll up a joint. You smoke weed?" He asked.
"Yes, well I used to. My boyfriend doesn't like what it does to me," she flicked her blond hair over her shoulder.
"What does it do to you?" Marcus started rolling up a joint.
"I get all flirty with other guys," She winked at him. "If I start flirting with you, just slap me, okay?"
"Here," he passed the finished joint to her and she took a drag.
They smoke for a bit in silence. As she hadn't had weed in over a year, it was having quite an effect; and this weed was very strong.
"Ever done a blow back?" Marcus passed a fresh joint over to her.
She took a puff, "What's that?"
"Here, let me show you," He took the joint back from her.
He took a puff and blew it into her mouth.
"For a minute I thought you were going to kiss me," Lauren was coy.
"I see what you boyfriend means," he smiled at her.
"Another one?" He put the joint near his lips indicating another blow-back.
