“Do you think we could tune down the music a little? It’s too loud for Jake to sleep.”

Sherry’s words were like a cold shower.

Madison let go of her and went to the stereo system one of the guys had just turned on. Against protest, she lowered the volume. She raised both hands in a gesture of defeat. “Sorry, guys, but Sherry’s son is sleeping next door.”

“Shit, Mad, even in the facility my granny lives in, there’s more action,” Ryan complained while handing the woman beside him the half-empty bottle of vodka.

“Good to know where you hang out when you’re not with us.” Madison headed back to Sherry, who seemed lost standing alone beside the buffet table.

“You hungry?” Madison asked quietly.

Sherry shook her head.

On closer inspection, Sherry looked pretty pale. “Hey, Mike,” she called toward the couch. “Would you make some room for Sherry?”

Mike was gazing up from his conversation with Jason. “C’mon,” he mumbled and pulled Jason with him. After going to the cabinet where Madison kept different sorts of alcoholic beverages and taking a bottle of something, they both sat down beside the floor-to-ceiling window and kept talking as if nothing had happened.

When Sherry seemed hesitant to go over and sit down, Madison took her cold hand, walked her to the couch, and sat. “See? That’s better. Wanna eat or drink something?”

“A glass of water maybe.”

After the episode at her grandmother’s, and what she had learned about Sherry, she didn’t try to talk her into drinking something alcoholic. Instead she just nodded and walked off.

As she was pouring some water into a glass, one of the girls rubbed against her from behind like a cat in heat. “Hi,” she purred.

Madison’s body reacted immediately, sending heat between her legs. Without thinking, she half-turned to wrap one arm around the girl’s waist.

Then it hit her. What the hell was she doing? Sherry could probably see them, but even more importantly, everybody else could. Someone in love wouldn’t behave like that.

But glimpsing into the living room, she realized that nobody seemed to be paying them any attention. And Phil was talking Sherry’s ear off.

The woman in her arms started nibbling on her neck, and all of Madison’s bodily fluids went south.

No!

She pushed the slut away and said in a surprisingly determined voice, “I’m with Sherry. Find someone else.”

At the same moment, Sherry looked over her shoulder, clearly searching for her. Her eyes screamed “Help!”

Phil was probably trying to interrogate her.

With the water glass in hand, Madison squeezed past the slut and reached the couch within seconds. “Here, honey.” She gave Sherry the glass and sat down between them.

“Thanks.” Sherry didn’t seem to mean only the water.

“Your sweet pea here just told me that it wasn’t exactly love at first sight for her.”