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Her gold bangles and long necklace jangled as she fidgeted under her friend’s scrutiny.There was something strange about the way Keely was acting.Something that made Bethany nervous.Since she’d arrived at Bethany’s apartment earlier, Keely had been glancing at her in a cross between speculation and anxiety.
Bethany had been an emotional wreck over the last seven days, but Keely hadn’t appeared fazed by her breakdown.Come to think of it, since making her confession about Zach, Bethany had been less of a wreck in the last day or so.Sure, she was still shaky from her conversation with him this morning.She hadn’t recovered from that.Or from listening to the dozen messages he’d left for her since then.But she hadn’t cried since midday, and she’d carefully applied enough makeup to hide the bags under her eyes.
So, what gave with Keely?
She opened her mouth to ask her friend just that, but Keely was exchanging greetings with a skinny, trendily dressed host wearing an earpiece and clutching a leather clipboard.They exchanged air kisses and admired each other’s labels before Keely dragged Bethany forward.
“Travis, this is Bethany.It’s her pre-birthday drinks tonight, so you need to make her feel special.”
Travis held out his hand to Bethany, gave a limp handshake and raised a carefully trimmed eyebrow at Keely.“Every girl who walks through Shades’ doors is a unique little snowflake, darling.But I’ve put you in the Gold VIP room upstairs anyway.Enjoy,” he drawled lazily.“I would’ve given you the Platinum room, but some guy with bigger balls than mine has commandeered it.”He executed a perfect pout before giving a tiny shaking-it-off shimmy.
More air kisses were exchanged.Then Keely was sashaying her way into the interior of the nightclub, her pert little ass twitching in the red micro skirt she’d worn with her black backless top.
Shades was all about the lighting.One section, the first-floor bar, was lit in bold shades of green and purple, with more subdued colors of gold and silver cutting across the dance floor.
A wide cordoned-off staircase, bathed in amethyst light, led to the upper floors.On the wraparound balcony overlooking the downstairs bar, guests sipped cocktails and grooved to the sound of hip-hop blaring from the speakers.A walkway connected to an upper-level dance floor.Two girls, clearly well on their way to being hammered, danced provocatively in the middle of the dance floor.
Bethany felt a tug on her arm and followed Keely to the sitting area marked “Gold VIP.”
“What would you like to drink?”Keely indicated the touchscreen listing the various cocktails.Bethany read through the list and laughter bubbled up her throat.
“Are these names for real?”
Keely laughed.“Yep.Wanna try the Studded Reverse Cowgirl?I’m having one.”
“How about just a plain Dirty Cowgirl?”
“Chicken.”Keely clicked their order through and flung her tiny clutch onto the seat, just as Justin Timberlake started crooning about taking back the night.
Keely was a fabulous dancer with very little inhibition.And in her tiny skirt and endless legs, she was soon attracting avid male attention.When Keely urged her to join in, Bethany groaned under her breath.Refusal wasn’t an option, however.Keely had been determined all week to do something special for her birthday, and Bethany hadn’t had the heart to refuse her best friend’s efforts to cheer her up.
Their cocktails arrived, followed steadily by more drinks until Bethany’s inhibitions, heartache, and misery began to dull around the edges.They never went away, but the alcohol flowing through her bloodstream helped her believe she could finally take a breath without her heart contracting with pain.
Perhaps things weren’t as bad as they’d felt.Perhaps she could welcome her twenty-fifth birthday with laughter and pleasure, not tears and heartache.
With a whoop, she threw herself into the music.
She was popping her hips to the addictive beat of “Blurred Lines” when her gaze connected with a tall, dirty-blond-haired guy in dark trousers and a wine-colored shirt.He was leaning against the balcony railing, one leg crossed over the other and a smile on his face.There was an appreciative gleam in his eyes that made her want to smile back.
She glanced away.Beside her, Keely laughed as the long-haired spectacled guy she was dancing with murmured something in her ear.The guy looked as if he was about to spontaneously combust with adoration.
Bethany glanced back at the guy in front of her.Holding her gaze, he slowly straightened and mouthed, “Dance?”
She was about to nod ‘yes’, when a sharp tingle shot down her spine.There was nothing subtle about it.The prickle of recognition slammed through her, nearly knocking her off her feet.
Heart racing, she whirled, feeling momentarily dizzy.Keely grabbed her arm, concern stamped on her face.“Hey, are you okay?”she yelled to be heard above the music.
Bethany shook her head and turned her head sharply, her gaze darting around the ambient space.Aside from a few VIP guests who’d drifted in to join them about an hour ago, nothing seemed out of place.
And yet…
Remembering when she’d first experienced that sensation—on the first day of her Indigo Lounge trip, staring up at Zach’s office in Newark—she shivered.
Heart hammering faster, she glanced around again.All she could see were bodies moving to the music and her own reflection on the mirrored walls.Her face appeared flushed and her eyes sad and haunted.She looked away quickly, unable to face the truth that stared back at her.
“Hey.”
The guy who’d asked her to dance stood in front of her, his smile wider, his gaze expectant.From the loudspeakers, Rihanna demanded to know where some guy had been all her life.