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I sighed.

“Are you going to get out or not,sugar?” The man with a thick redneck accent questioned me, a little impatient.

“Yeah…” I whispered and opened the door at once. Now there was no going back.

I had agreed with Hayley, the redhead from the dating app, that I would meet her inside the bar. And she warned that she would be wearing a denim jacket. I gave my fake ID to the security guard, who checked it three times — and was very suspicious — before letting me in.

Despite being a very discreet building on the outside, inside it looked like one of RuPaul’s sets. Bright, colorful and outrageous. There was something in me that refused to like places like that. It was too exaggerated.

My eyes looked around the place and it didn't take long for me to capture a redhead in a denim jacket sitting at the bar. She seemed chilled there, laughing with the bartender. I walked over and pulled out the chair next to her, sitting down.

My hands were shaking a little.

“A martini, please!” I asked the boy who was there and he immediately went to prepare what I ordered.

“Princessdakota?” The redhead asked, looking at me carefully. And only after that I could look at her.

“Yes…” I whispered and a wide smile filled her lips.

“Tell me you're at least 18,cutie” asked the woman, who was probably around twenty-five.

“Yes I am.” I didn't have the patience for these things. I wasn't stupid, I wouldn't get involved with someone of legal age when I was a minor. I knew that would be a scandal, I didn't want that kind of thing in my life.

“Can I see your ID?” She asked, suspiciously. “The real one.” She asked, giving me a sly smile.

I snorted and handed her the piece of paper that proved I was at least 18 years old. And Hayley seemed relieved.

“Alright... Kendra...” my name drummed across her full lips as her hazel eyes proceeded to stare at me with desire. My order was placed in front of me and as soon as I pulled out the card, Hayley stopped me from swiping it. “Everything you consume is on the house” she declared. “For today.”

“I think the owner might get mad.”

She smiled, convinced.

“I am the owner of the bar.”

And just like that all the thoughts about talking about the over-the-top decor got stuck in my throat. I wouldn't open my mouth to say anything about it.

“Cheers!”

Hayley lifted her beer and gently touched it to my glass.

“So...” I sipped my martini while she started to talk. “What's a pretty girl like you doing in a city like Belinda?”

“I go to college at Belinda Stone.”

“Ah...” She stopped to think for a moment and then looked at me again. “And part of the Venenum team, I suppose.”

I felt my cheeks heating up. I didn't want to give too much information to a stranger for free, but maybe it would be good for her to know that I would be missed if she was a psychopath looking for her next victim.

“Yes. I twirl and jump, to put it simply” I admitted.

Hayley laughed.

“Yeah, and how can I say, to put it simply, that, um, this makes you much hotter than normal?” I felt my cheeks flush.

She wasn't shy about hitting on me, and in parts, I loved that. I had never experienced anything like this, so I was surprising myself by liking the direct way she handled things.

Before I could respond, “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls started playing and the energy of the bar seemed to completely change with people singing along the song at a higher volume as they joined together to dance in the center.