“So we’re basically going to be sober in a club half-full of drunk people and scantily-dressed girls tryin’ to score with an older guy?”
Luce smiles devilishly, unzipping a pocket of her bag and pulling out a blue stamp. “Or we’ll be in the drunk half.”
My lips twitch. I can’t help it. “And how the hell did you get that?”
“Leo works there. He borrowed this one last weekend knowing we’d want to go at some point.”
“Your brother is a pain in the ass, but he has his uses.” I grin.
“He sure does.” She grins back. “Just, er, if Mom or the others ask, we didn’t drink, okay? She has this thing where she doesn’t mind me drinking if we’re in the Grove, like at Rock’s, but anywhere else she gets a bit loopy. She’ll kick Leo’s ass, and yeah, he’s a douche, but he did do this for us.”
“I ain’t gonna tell her.” I laugh and get up. “I know your mom – she’d probably talk Leo into changing jobs or something.”
“You know, I thought it would be harder than this to get you out.”
“Why?” I ask, even though I know the answer.
“You’ve barely spoken to anyone for two days, Kia. You pretty much disappeared off the face of the Earth. I thought you were shacked up with Reese at first…” I shoot her an amused glance, and she shrugs, continuing, “Hey, girl, I wouldn’t blame you if you were! But when he said you weren’t and told me what happened with your dad, I got worried.”
“I’m a big girl, Luce.”
“Yah, but you’re also my best friend, and it’s my duty to pull your head from your mopey ass and put a smile back on your pretty little face.”
“Then why the hell are you sittin’ on your ass on my floor instead of getting ready?”
~
Dayton Creek is the next town over from Harlan Grove, but it’s about ten times larger than our little hole. The only thing we have they don’t is the High School, which both towns share. Otherwise, if you need anything, Dayton Creek is the place you head – and that includes weekend entertainment. It’s all newer, shinier, and more expensive than what we have in the Grove.
Which isn’t a huge deal. Except when it costs you eight dollars to walk through the damn door of MIXX. Eight. Freakin’. Dollars. Someone needs to tell the owner of this place they’re in a small town in Alabama, not in New York or Vegas.
“This better be worth it, Luce,” I grumble as she stamps my hand with the club’s logo. She stamps her own hand after and tucks it back into her purse.
“It will be. I came last weekend.” She grins, and it makes sense how she managed to convince Leo to get the stamp.
“And how much did he want for stamping your hand then?”
“Fifty,” she mutters. “Bastard.”
I laugh and let her lead me over to the bar where I can see Leo smiling charmingly at girls as he serves them. They’re practically falling over themselves for him, and I purse my lips to hide my smirk. Leo is lapping up the attention, smiling and laughing, but that’s all they’ll get out him.
He comes across a total playboy, but he’s the total opposite. Like his sister, he believes in true love and waiting for it.
Unlike Lucas and Liam.
He hands them their change and turns straight to us, much to their disappointment. Luce rolls her eyes, leaning forward on the bar.
“Two mojitos, please.” She smiles.
“Do you have a stamp?”
The smile drops from her face as we both hold out our hands, Leo smirking the whole time. He turns and makes our drinks.
“Listen,” he leans in close when he puts our glasses down. “I break in thirty minutes. Meet me by the DJ then. I need it back. If anyone sees it you’ll get banned.” His eyes stray to me. “Both of you.”
Luce nods. “Okay.” She hands the money over and we take our glasses.
The pounding music and strobe lighting fills every inch of the club. It’s not that late yet, but MIXX is already full. Bodies grind against each other on the dance floor. Groups of people sit on the red and black leather seats, drinking and talking amongst themselves.
We walk up a curved staircase to a platform where there’s a spare table, and take a seat on the red seats around the table. Neon lights flicker above the table, and we both sip at our drinks.
“So who owns this place?” I ask Luce.
She shrugs a shoulder, her red hair the same shade as the chair. “No one seems to know, which is odd for around here. Rumor says it’s some old guy who runs successful clubs in New York, Vegas, and L.A., but I searched for MIXX and this is the only one in the US. It’s not a franchise or a chain of clubs, and the name is copyrighted. If it was a big shot dude, I doubt he’d use a new name.”
“Right. He’d use the known franchise to bring people in.”
“Exactly, which makes me think it’s a newbie that doesn’t want their name attached to the business in case it all f**ks up.”
I look out at the crowded club, the lines at the bar and the dance floor that looks even busier than it did five minutes ago. “Yeah, looks like business is real tough,” I drawl sarcastically.
Luce snorts. “It only opened a week before you came back. It’s still new and shiny. New and shiny makes it interestin’, until everyone gets bored of it and it becomes just another place to hang out on a weekend. Then we’ll see how successful it is.”
God bless her and her business degree.
She sinks the last of her drink and looks at my empty glass. “I’m gonna go get another before Leo breaks. Another?”
I nod silently and hand her the cocktail glass.
She slips off into the darkness of the club, and I cast my eyes out over the club, totally wrapped in my own thoughts.
“Surprise.”
I jump, my hands flying to my chest as I look in the direction of the voice. Hazel eyes and a cocky, lopsided smile greet me, and I relax.
“What the hell are you doin’ here?” I exclaim.
“Leo called. Said you and Luce were gonna be here tonight, drinking, and he didn’t like that he couldn’t keep an eye on you.” Reese eyes comb down my body, from the skintight, Aztec-patterned material of my peplum top, to the short black skirt and black peep toe heels. When they reach mine again, they’re heated, wanting. “And I’m glad we decided to come out,” he says as he slides in next to me.