Hed tried every guest bathroom he could find in the house, but at a party with more than five hundred revelers, they all had long lines. So hed snuck up to Jaspers private wing, the one area that was off limits to guests, which meant it was also the one area with an available toilet.

Even in his drunken, uninhibited state, part of him worried that Jasper would kick him out of the guest house he was letting him stay in if he found him up here. It wasnt a ridiculous concern. Jasper Otis was a notoriously volatile guy, and as a billionaire dozens of times over, he could afford to be.

But when you have to go, you have to go. Thats how Cord found himself stumbling past the mahogany doors into Jaspers private wing and clumsily tiptoeing through the mans massive bedroom toward the closed door that he desperately prayed hid a bathroom. If it didnt, he was going to be reduced to using a trash can.

He pushed open the door, turned on the light, and almost cheered out loud when he saw the toilet. He hurried over and relieved himself just in time, though his aim wasnt perfect because of his unintentional swaying. Then he moved to the sink to wash his hands. As he dried them off, he glanced in the mirror and saw the large shower behind him. It was about the size of a sauna and even had a marble bench built into the back wall.

Then he noticed something else. At first, he doubted what he was seeing, maybe because the room was spinning slightly. But when he squinted, it was still there. Lying on the shower floor near the bench was a woman, wearing just a bra and a long, black skirt with a slit up the side. She looked like shed passed out. That wouldnt have stunned Cord. Jaspers parties were infamous for all kinds of wildness: live bands, endless booze, copious amounts of drugs, bikini-clad young women, and occasional orgies. So seeing a half-naked woman crashed out in a shower stall wasnt as shocking as some might think. Seeing her like that in Jaspers shower was.

Cord called out to her quietly to see if he could rouse her, but she didnt respond. She was lying on her back, which could be a choking hazard if she threw up, so he peeked through the glass to make sure she hadnt. He saw nothing other than a reasonably attractive woman in her early forties. She was no bikini girl, but at Jaspers parties, it took all kinds.