Paul, on the other hand, had enjoyed a privileged upbringing. And at the moment his parents’ friends were all looking in his direction, their conversations suddenly silenced.

Jay paved his way through the onlookers, ready to come to his friend’s aid and assist him in removing the jerk, who was spouting lies about Holly, from the property.

“Yeah, a fucking hooker!” the drunk yelled again, pointing at Holly, who stood near the entrance to the pool house, a horrified expression on her beautiful face.

Jay glanced over to her. God, she was pretty. But a hooker? He shook his head. No way! Holly just didn’t seem the type. She was too… well, too sweet.

“Shut your fucking mouth, or I’ll shut it for you!” Paul yelled, and swung his fist.

It connected with the guy’s face and whipped his head sideways. The drunkard was catapulted in Jay’s direction. A waiter, dressed in a tuxedo, with a tray full of drinks was in his path.

“Crap!” Jay cursed and reached out, trying to pull the server out of the way, but all he caught was the tray as the drunk crashed into the poor guy.

The drunk caught himself as the waiter fell to the ground.

Wiping blood off his mouth, the troublemaker continued glaring at Paul. “Yeah, a two-bit hooker. That’s all she is! What are you paying her, huh?”

Paul looked as if he was seeing red and pounded his fists into the man in such quick succession that his opponent couldn’t even lift his arms in defense. All the drunkard could do was step backward to try to escape Paul’s unrelenting fists. But there was no escape.

With Paul’s next punch, the man stumbled over the ledge of the pool and fell in. Water sloshed over the edges, splashing onto those guests who stood too close. A collective gasp went through the crowd.

“Paul!” Mrs. Gilbert screamed.

Jay cringed. He’d known the Gilberts for many years, and he was fully aware of the fact that Mrs. Gilbert always wanted to be seen in the best light. The fact that her son was now being accused of having a prostitute for a girlfriend couldn’t sit well with her.

Paul jerked his head up to look at his mother, who glared at him and then turned her gaze on Holly.

“Is this true? Is it true what he said?”

“He attacked Holly!” Paul ground out.

It was dead silent now. None of the over one hundred guests and catering staff spoke a word. The only thing that could be heard was the sloshing in the pool, as the drunk tried to keep his head above water.

Mrs. Gilbert pointed to Holly. “Somebody remove that woman from my property!”

But Holly had already turned on her heel and was running down the path that led to the beach.

“Holly!” Paul called after her. Before he could follow her, his mother had gripped him by the elbow.

Jay couldn’t hear what she said to him in a low voice, her jaw tight, but judging by the venomous look on her face, she wasn’t pleased.

“Isn’t anybody going to help him?” Jay suddenly heard a woman ask, breaking the silence.

He looked in the direction of the voice and saw a young woman with a blond pixie haircut standing at the edge of the pool, pointing to the drunk who was still struggling to keep above water.

Nobody reacted. Jay looked to his left and right, searching for a place to set down the tray of drinks he was holding and coming up empty.

When he heard a splashing sound, he whirled his head back to the pool and watched the woman dive into it, swimming toward the drunk. She reached him within seconds and slung her arms under his armpits.

“I’ve got you. Don’t move.”

But the man kept kicking and moving his arms. Despite the drunk’s struggles she managed to hold on to him, quickly kicking her legs and maneuvering herself and the guy toward the shallow end of the pool where steps led up to the deck. She was surprisingly strong for her lean, lithe body. By the time she reached the edge, other guests came to her aid and helped her pull the man out.

This seemed to be the cue for everybody to start talking, whispering. The rumor mill was in session now. It wouldn’t take long until everybody on Long Island knew what had happened at the Gilberts’ anniversary party. Whether there was any truth to the accusations the man had hurled at Holly didn’t even matter at this point. This was welcome fodder for the bored society that came to the shores of Long Island every summer, hoping to be entertained. And tonight they’d gotten more than they’d bargained for.

The brave woman who’d rescued the drunk plopped down on the closest lounge chair, her chest heaving from the effort. She was dripping, and the fabric of her thin chiffon cocktail dress was clinging to her body, making it virtually transparent and revealing tantalizing curves. Jay wasn’t the only one gawking: she was quite a sight to behold. However, for some reason, Jay wanted her to cover up, even though by doing so she would deprive him of the sight of her luscious body, too.