I was a mess.
“Okay,” I capitulated.
“Yes!” she whooped. “You’ll love it, don’t worry.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I’m sure I will.”
Getting dressed was stressful. What did a girl wear when she was going out to see a man she wanted to fuck but wasn’t going to fuck because she was under a ridiculous, self-imposed celibacy rule, and also because he was her roommate’s brother?
Complicated.
I settled on a short nude sheath with high heels in the same color and obsidian studs in my ears. My hair I left in a wild mass that fell over my shoulders and back.
“Wow!” Amy’s mouth dropped open when I emerged from my room. “You look…wild and untamed!”
“Is it too much? It’s been a while since I hit the clubs.”
“Are you kidding? It’s perfect.” Amy was wearing a cream minidress with a glittery gold band around the hem. Her hair was in a messy bun and gold hoops dangled from her ears. She looked sweet, but also club appropriate.
“Looking like this though”—she gave me a knowing look—“it’s going to be hard to convince anyone you’re cel
ibate. Might even be harder not to, you know, fall off the wagon.”
I laughed. “I wasn’t addicted to sex before, you know. I can do without it, and I’m not in danger of becoming an insatiable nympho even if I do hook up with someone.”
She stuck out her tongue. “I have a feeling this is going to be an exciting night.”
I didn’t say anything, but yes, I was excited. The thought of seeing Jason had me on edge, though I was determined that nothing would happen between us, especially since he’d left me in the lurch for two weeks. However, I did want him to see me looking like sex on legs. I wanted to see him regret every minute of the past two weeks that he hadn’t spent trying to convince me to let him make good on the promise of his kiss.
I sighed. That fucking kiss still made me catch my breath whenever I thought about it.
“I’m ready,” I told Amy.
She looked at her phone. “Uber is one minute away. Let’s go.”
The club wasn’t very far away, so the ride was short. There was a long line of people outside, but Amy led me straight to the door and grinned at one of the bouncers. His face split into a smile and they caught up for about a minute then he let us in.
Inside, there was an eerily quiet anteroom, and beyond it, through transparent but soundproof glass, I could see the mad crush of people inside the dimly lit club. We neared the doors and they slid open, the modern, catchy sound of loud club music enveloping us immediately.
“Wow!” I could feel the loud beat inside my chest, and it made me want to let go of all my inhibitions and just dance.
Amy looked at her phone. “Colin is up in VIP, come on.”
I followed her past all the writhing bodies on the dance floor and up the stairs. The club lights in the VIP area made it hard to see the faces, but knowing the club’s reputation, I guessed there would be a couple of famous people here and there.
“You’re here!” We reached a table and Colin got up to greet us. He gave Amy a long, drawn-out hug then hugged me too. “Jason was here,” he said. “He had something to discuss with his partner, but he said it won’t take long.”
“His partner?”
Amy nodded. “The guy who runs this place. He’s the one with experience running nightclubs. His old nightclub went bust and Jason helped him start this one.” She shrugged. “Jason is the money guy, and he supplied the name, obviously.”
“Obviously.” Wild, like him. Being here, with the loud music and thrumming beat, I felt like a wild thing.
“Come on, sit.” Amy patted the space next to her on the padded leather horseshoe seats. I joined her and almost immediately, someone came to take our drink orders. Before the beverages even arrived, Colin and Amy had become so engrossed in each other that I started to feel like a third wheel.
I wondered where Jason was.
My drink arrived and I downed it then got up. “I think I’m going to go down and dance.”