I chug down the remainder of my wine.
Our fake IDs aren’t necessary here, but I’m thankful they don’t bother to card us. It makes me feel more grown, more like a woman, more on par with Aiden. It gives me the confidence to go to the club and flirt with every guy to take my mind from him. No one owns me; I can do whatever I want.
It’s not like Aiden will ever find out anyways.
“So where is this club?” I look down the dark street while Ashley fixes her hair and smooths down her dress, putting my hand out to hail a cab.
Ashley grabs my hand and leads us down the sidewalk. “Just a few blocks over.” She claps as we make our way through the dark streets.
I stumble, trying to keep up with her long legs. How does she walk so quickly in heels? I glance down at my black stilettos, a thin strap wrapping around each ankle.
A long line wraps around the front of the club, but Ashley heads for the front door.
“What are you doing?” I watch the line speed by at a dizzying pace as we rush past.
“Seeing if we can just go straight in.” She winks as we walk up to a huge bouncer, who scans us both, a sleezy smirk spreads across his face.
“Welcome ladies.” He undoes a silk ribbon from a post and ushers us in. The thumping of music, flashing lights and fog fill the night as the steel door opens.
I drag Ashley to the bar, needing to forget Aiden and the pain in my chest. The bartender greets us promptly, and I look over at Ashley. “I’m drinking tonight. Order whatever will get me absolutely wasted.” I may be overreacting, but I thought he really liked me, but now that I know another girl is within reach it makes me feel like he’s a player. But he said I was his? What if that was just dirty talk?
She shoots me an odd look, but a wide smile plays on her face before she slides Aiden’s black card across the black countertop. “Tequila, double shots. Keep them coming and open us a tab please.”
The first shot hits me hard, and I’m thankful we ate earlier and had a nice walk to settle my stomach. My throat burns, but after the second shot, a soothing warmth spreads to my stomach.
“Calm down, tiger.” Ashley jokes as she slides a third shot out of my reach.
I pout. I notice a man dressed in a suit watching Ashley from across the bar. His head is tilted to the side, as though curious.
“Don’t look now but someone is eyeing you,” I murmur as I reach for the shot, downing it before Ash can stop me.
“Who?” She asks, thankfully not turning around because he’s making his way towards us.
“He’s walking over here. Act natural.” I fumble, trying to quietly flag down the bartender. I need another drink.
“Ashley Walters?”
Now that the man is closer, I can see his features better. He looks sweet, not covered in tattoos, with a hint of scary but very sexy.
Why am I thinking of Aiden right now?
I study the guy. He’s tall but not as tall as Aiden.
Why am I comparing him to Aiden? I need more alcohol.
“Oh my gosh! Ricky!” Ashley screams, jumping into his arms and pressing a kiss to his cheek.
I spot a small metal name tag on his suit. I guess he works here.
Ashley pulls me close. “Em, this is Ricky. He is Aiden’s only friend.”
Seriously? Why is he freaking everywhere?
They laugh but I can tell Aiden probably doesn’t have many friends.
“What are you doing here?”
He gestures to the name plate. “I work here?”
“I didn’t even know you lived here!” Ashley leans against him, the alcohol clearly taking effect. I get lost in my own mind while they catch up, tilting my head to my left I note a figure looming nearby. His dark eyes are trained on me for a moment, I shift in my seat uncomfortably. He’s young but I can’t tell if he’s checking me out or if he has ulterior motives. I know Aiden told me after the incident at the penthouse to always keep a watchful eye out. So, I turn my body back towards Ricky and Ash, trying to ignore the bad feeling in my gut.
I watch Ricky pull out his phone and tap on it. After a while, he shrugs and shoves it back in his pocket. “Do you ladies want a VIP booth?”
We turn to each other before nodding our heads eagerly. We giggle as he takes us upstairs and into a private room. There’s a leather couch with a table in the middle. A silver bucket filled with ice sits on the table and a champagne bottle sweats on top.
“I’m not going to ask how you got in here, but just be careful tonight, okay? If you need anything, come find me.” He looks at Ashley intently, caressing her cheek.
She twirls her hair, her signature flirting technique, and nods.
Ricky corks the bottle for us before he walks out, sneaking glances at Ash a few times.
“He is wayyyy cuter than I remember,” Ashley gushes as she turns to me.
“It’s probably the alcohol, but I agree, he’s cute.”
We laugh as we pour the bottle of champagne into long-stemmed glasses.
With half the bottle gone, we stumble onto the dance floor. My vision is blurred but I find myself swaying to the rhythmic beats.
Time moves so much faster than normal, and before I know it, I’m grinding against someone, his strong arms grip my waist as we sway back and forth. I catch a glimpse at the guy behind me. He looks nice. Curly brown hair and blue eyes smile at me as I continue getting lost in the rhythm.
I feel a loss of contact, but before I can turn around, the strong arms return and they’re tighter around my waist. He slinks his arm around, hugging me from behind.
I look down and see a familiar trail of ink on tanned skin.
“What the fuck are you doing?” A familiar husky voice asks.
Ten
Iturn around slowly, meeting a set of fiery, emerald eyes. Aiden’s face is set in a deep scowl as I look at him inquisitively.
Did he lie about the meeting tonight? Has he just been out partying?
I look around for the guy I had been dancing with and find his body on the floor. People are staring in our direction.
What did I miss? What just happened? Most importantly, why is Aiden here?
His scowl turns into a cocky smirk. “Surprised to see me?”
I nod slowly. “Ho…how did you…find me,” I slur.
His brow furrows. There’s no amusement in his tone. “Are you drunk?”
“No.” I lie but I stumble on my heels.
Aiden steadies me, heaving an annoyed sigh before guiding me to the bar.
The bartender places a shot in front of me within seconds.
I go for it, but Aiden slides it down the bar top, causing it to spill over the black surface. He’s going to get us kicked out.
“Chill, Aiden,” I slur.
“If you hand her one more sip of alcohol, I will fire you for overserving customers.” His voice is stern and laced with venom as he eyes the frightened bartender.
How can he fire him?
Aiden looks intimidating as he crosses his arms. “On a better thought, how much did you serve her?”
“Mr. Scott, I…I didn’t–”
He cuts him off with a wave of his hand. “Did you even check her… Fuck it, you’re fired. Get out of my sight.” He beckons another bartender, who quickly makes his way to us, and demands, “Water.”