Nicole let go of my arm and we each sat on either side of James. As we sat down on the couch, I realized that the acoustics were set up so that it was actually a lot quieter on the couch than anywhere else in the club. We could actually hear each other talk here.
Nicole sidled up next to James. “This is amazing!” she said, looking around the club and pressing her leg against his.
James shrugged. “It's not really my scene, but it's fine. I prefer something a little more intimate.” I thought of his little coffee shop, and also the little concert room he had in his apartment. I knew that that was what he liked best.
She looked around. “Well, this is definitely my scene.”
Just then, a cocktail waitress came up and asked what we wanted. I was about to ask for a menu but James spoke up before I could. “A bottle of Grey Goose and a bottle of Dom Perignon, please.” The cocktail waitress nodded and quickly moved away.
Nicole looked intrigued. “So, are we doing shots, or what?”
James laughed. “No, they'll bring us orange juice and cranberry juice to mix with it.”
Nicole nodded her head. “So, I told you all about my major in the limo. What do you do, Mr. Millionaire?”
James looked back at me, realizing that I really hadn't told her anything about him during the semester that we had been in school together. “Millionaire, huh?”
She gestured to our private space. “I've seen you post about your company. I figure you've gotta be pretty rich if you're able to afford all of this.”
He smiled and shrugged. “Well, maybe if you count my 401(k).” I giggled to myself. I doubted he even had a retirement account at his age, but Forbes put his net worth at well over a billion dollars. “It sounds like you already know a lot about me.”
“So, tell me something I don't know about you,” Nicole persisted. Her eyes were going to get tired if she kept batting her eyelashes at him like that. James looked back at me. I could tell he wanted to say something to me, but that he couldn't.
Just then, the cocktail waitress and a friend returned with two trays. One had the vodka and juices with some small glasses, the other had the bottle of champagne and some champagne flutes. Without a word, the waitress poured us three screwdrivers- orange juice and vodka. She handed us each a glass.
“Allie, would you give us a toast this time?” James asked, lifting his drink up.
I looked at the drink, then looked at the two of them. I was on the spot, and I knew it. “To family,” I finally said, unable to come up with anything else. I wished I had something better.
“To family,” the two of them echoed. I lifted the glass to my lips and took the smallest sip I could. It was strong, too strong for me to drink and feel safe. I'd have to pour it out and pour myself just an orange juice as soon as I could.
Nicole downed the rest of her drink in one gulp, then hopped to her feet. “Come on, James, let's dance.”
I bit my lip, but as James looked at me, I put on a fake smile and nodded anyway. I couldn't let him think that I was pining so bad for him that I'd stop him from dancing with Nicole. He already knew I had been mopey. I didn't need to give him any more ammunition to tease me with later. He smiled and said, “We'll be back in a minute,” then stood up.
Nicole grabbed his hand and began to lead him out to the dance floor. Luckily (or unluckily), I had a view of the whole dance floor where I was. As soon as they made it to the dance floor, James had his hands on her hips. She began to sway to the music, putting her hands all over his shoulders and chest as she moved. Again, I found myself admiring her body and, at the same time, hating her for touching James.
I quickly set my drink down on the table and filled up a new one with just orange juice. It sucked sitting here watching them. Seeing her hands on his chest, rubbing against him was enough to drive me mad. I wanted those to be my hands. I tried to think of something I could do that would make her stop, or at least make me stop having to watch. I could go out there and dance myself, either with the two of them or with some other random guy. I could drink myself to oblivion. I could tell Nicole that James had an STD.
I sighed. I wasn't going to do any of these things.
Suddenly, Nicole turned around and started grinding her ass up on him. His hands were still on her hips, but she took one and brought it up her body. I knew that she was in very good shape and that it was probably fantastic to rub up her side like that. She lingered a little bit near her breasts before bringing his hand into her hair. Her fingers scrunched his hand into a ball, meaning that the slightest extra movement would pull her hair.
I knew how she worked. It was classic Nicole. That hair was the end of most men's inhibitions, and it was the last thing I wanted to see. Once she did that, most men where in her bed in an hour. I knew because we shared a room.
I grabbed my purse and started toward the door. I still had some of the money that James had given me in Boston and I'd find my own way home, even though I knew it would cost me a fortune. I just knew I couldn't stay here for even one more minute. I'd go crazy if I did.
I almost made it out of the main area before I felt James' strong hand grip my arm. “Where are you going?” he yelled over the music.
My face paled as I turned to face him. I thought about being evasive, but with how loud I had to yell to be heard over the music, I knew I had to be direct as possible. “It's fine that you don't want me. It's whatever. But don't expect me to sit here and watch your foreplay with Nicole.” I turned to leave again.
Just as he had in the hallway outside his dorm, he spun me back to face him. “I didn't fly hundreds of miles to fuck your roommate, Allie. I came to talk to you.”
I felt my eyes tear up, felt my knees shaking again. I just wanted to go home, back to my dorm room, so I could relax and try to get over him. Again. But the iron grip he had on my arm wouldn't let me go. And a part of me didn't want him to.
I didn't know what to say, but he spoke up for me. “Look, just have a seat on the couch. I'll let Nicole know that you feel sick and that we have to go, okay?”
I nodded, already feeling the tears running down my face. I felt like an idiot. He smiled at me, that charming smile that made everyone love him, then released my arm. I slowly walked back to the couch while he disap