Trust No Bitch: Part 3

Alice Jenkins

It's quite remarkable the things that go out the window after a few too many shots of vodka: abstention towards more, wariness, self-restraint, standards. Tommy Haynes from over the other side of the room looked even more attractive than he had 15 minutes before, and the fact that Vanessa was trying harder than ever to cosy up to him, running her hands through her lush, brown hair and laughing wildly, was infuriating to Alice. Go over there, the alcohol said, go over there.  Had she been in her right mind, she probably would have just rolled her eyes, called it a night and returned to her hotel room. But she was not. And so instead, she did exactly as the alcohol said, throwing what was left of her drink down her throat and stumbling over to where Tommy and Vanessa were stood speaking. Subtlety nudging Vanessa out of the way, she locked her gaze on to Tommy's.

"Well hello..." She slurred, her eyes glistening manically, Vanessa appearing embarrassed, but rolling with it all the same.

"Alice! I was wondering where you'd got to." She said with a tinkly laugh, wrapping her arm around Alice's shoulder.

"Hello again, Alice." Tommy said, nodding his head. "Enjoying the evening?"

"Not really." Alice replied with a shrug. "It wasn't a voluntary arrangement, if you see what I mean. Queen bitch over there..." She cupped her hand to her mouth like a school child whispering a secret in the playground, and then pointed in her mother's direction. "Would be pissed off if I didn't. She's going to murder my little brother for not showing up. It's all keeping up appearances, you see." Then seeing Vanessa's horrified face, she began to laugh. "Have I said too much?" She asked, feigning innocence.

"Not at all," said Tommy as Vanessa grimaced apologetically. "Continue..."

"Well, personally, I'm just here for the free beverages. Oh!" Alice grabbed another drink off the tray of a passing waiter. "Don't mind if I do." She added, Vanessa baring her teeth in what was clearly supposed to be a smile and letting out an unmistakably false laugh. She opened her mouth to interrupt, probably to suggest that Alice had had enough to drink already but Tommy cut across her.

"You know what mate, I'll have one too." He said grinning at the waiter and taking one himself, before letting his eyes fall back on Alice, who was smiling at him suggestively as she sipped on her champagne.

"Tommy, why don't you take me out into the corridor and show me some of your, uh, playing techniques?" She asked, still looking intently at him. The alcohol was telling her that she wanted to be smothered by the smell of his fresh cologne and to have his lips all over her body. Whether or not that was what she actually wanted or not, she wasn't sure but she sure as hell could not be bothered to work it out, especially when everything inside her brain was moving around so uncharacteristically slowly.

"No, no, Tommy, come with me, I can introduce you to-" Vanessa tried but Tommy waved her off.

"Nah..." He drawled, sliding an arm around Alice's shoulder and leading her away. "I've done all my networking for this evening, I'll see you around Vanessa, okay? And tell your mum that we'll be...uh..." He smirked as Alice began to convulse with laughter. "We'll be, uh, about." He finished, Vanessa standing there looking for once in her life rather gormless, before turning on her heel and stomping off. Tommy gestured back over his shoulder to the spot where Vanessa had just stood, "Is she okay?" He asked, Alice tottering on ahead.

"Yeah, she's fine, probably gone off to find my mum..." Alice murmured, waving her own hand towards the general direction in which Vanessa had sauntered off. "Whoops!" She cried, the movement throwing her off balance, Tommy catching her arm as she began to giggle hysterically again.

"You're hammered, aren't you?" he asked, grinning. "How much have you had?"

"Absolutely no idea" Alice replied, throwing her arms up exaggeratedly.