Bluebeard’s wife

"I like yours," I said, taking her extended hand and letting her lead me toward the living room. "They're curvy. Mine are just sticks."

"You make the perfect little schoolgirl," she said, wrapping her arm around my waist as we went into the room. She whispered in my ear, "John is going to love it."

I smiled. I hoped so. There were already six other women there, all dressed up, except for one. I was amazed that Kelly had convinced them all to wear lingerie, but she had-the woman had incredible powers of persuasion when she wanted something There was a cheerleader, a cat woman of some sort, a long-legged exotic-looking girl with dark hair that came to her bottom dressed like a belly dancer, and two women wearing teddy-stocking combinations, one black and one pink.

The woman who hadn't dressed up was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt with a shiny white pentagram in the center. Goth all the way, with her dark makeup and short dark hair and motorcycle boots. She looked up when I came in, making a face at my outfit.

"Chris' sister," Kelly whispered. "I had to invite her. I didn't know she'd come."

"Well, this is everyone… except our hostess with the mostest," Kelly remarked.

"Who wants a drink?"

Everyone's hand went up, and Kelly had us all follow her out to the kitchen, where she had laid out wine and snacks, and I started helping her by mixing daiquiris and pina coladas in the blender. I didn't know any of the other girls-people from Kelly's work, or her mommy's group, at least that's as much as I could gather from the conversation. The goth girl sat on a stool where I was throwing ice into the blender, sucking on a cherry still attached to its stem.

"So, what's your name?" I asked her.

"Collie," she said.

I did a double take. "Like Lassie?"

"No, like the goddess of death and destruction," she countered, rolling her eyes.

"Ohhh, Kali," I said, laughing at my mistake. "The one who wears skulls around her neck and carries a big knife?"

The girl looked surprised. "That's the one."

"Good namesake," I said, pouring a splash of rum into the blender. "Your mother give it to you?" I couldn't imagine Chris' mother ever naming a child Kali.

"Colleen," the girl said, rolling her eyes again. "But I like Kali."

"I like it, too," I replied, turning on the blender and talking over it. "So are you in college?"

"Yeah, sophomore year," she said, talking over the blender, too. "You?"

I laughed, turning off the switch and pulling off the lid so I could start pouring drinks. "I finished college eons ago."

Kelly came up behind me, her hip rubbing up against mine. "No drinks for you, missy,"

she said to Kali with a wink. "You're not twenty-one."

"Oh, come on," I said, sliding a daiquiri across the counter to her. "Pretend we're in Canada. Besides, if she's going to have to put up with us old folks dressed in lingerie all night, she better start drinking now."

Kali laughed, picking up the daiquiri and taking a sip.

The doorbell rang and Kelly went to get it. The daiquiris were soon dispensed and half gone, and I started working on making more. Kali helped me, going to get more ice from the freezer.

She tipped my hand a little while I was pouring the rum, making more splash into the mix. "Hey!"

"Come on, old girl," she said with a smile. "Let's make it interesting."

I snorted. "Hey listen, I'm not that old."

"I noticed," she said, putting another cherry into her mouth and sucking. I flushed, pouring another set of drinks.

Kali reached above my head and opened a cupboard, taking out two shot glasses. She sat back on the stool and poured rum into each, sliding one across to me.

"This is how you do it," she said, tipping her head back and drinking the shot, making a little sour face at the end. I watched, fascinated. The most I ever drank was wine. She nudged the other glass toward me. "Now, you."

"I don't know," I said, my fingers touching the little glass. She winked at me, digging for something in her pocket. I lifted the glass to my lips.

"Fast," Kali advised. "Just swallow."

That's what I did, the alcohol burning my throat. I choked a little, gasping.

"Awesome." Kali grinned, taking the glass back and pouring us each another.

"Now, let's do this one together. You ready?"

"Okay." I picked up the shot glass, my chest warm already from the alcohol. Kali counted, one, two, three, and we drank the shot together, looking at each other with silly grins and watering eyes.

"What's your name?" Kali asked me.

"Tara," I replied, watching her fill the shot glasses again.

"That's quite an outfit, Tara," she said, raising her glass to me and waiting for me to do the same. I did, flushing at her compliment. I was already starting to feel buzzed.

"Thanks. It was all Kelly's idea," I said and she was counting again and we were drinking some more, but somehow there was more rum in the shot glass in front of me.