Page 66 of Don't Call Me Sweetheart (Something Borrowed 1)

Sonora walked right up to the VIP booth, and flashed a smile at the bouncer, whose eyes widened in his dark face. “You’re—”

“Yes I am. You should have us on the guest list.”

“Of course I do. Come right in.” The bouncer pulled back the rope and stamped each of their hands in turn with a little neon yellow bumblebee. They followed him into the club as another thick-necked man took over the booth. The club was dark, with strobing lights, and women in go-go boots and silver miniskirts and bras dancing on a catwalk above their heads. A couple of shirtless guys in fedoras and metallic MC Hammer pants danced and gyrated along with them.

“Here you go. Enjoy,” the bouncer said, waving them up to a secluded table behind a roped off section.

“Thank you,” Sonora said sweetly, nodding back at Marley. Marley pulled a five out of her pocket and gave it to the bouncer, who frowned.

“What?”

“I think you’re a little short,” he said.

Marley took back her five and slapped a twenty on his palm. It wasn’t her money, at least.

The man gave her a gap-toothed grin. “Pleasure.”

Marley walked away from him and sat next to Kendall, grumbling.

“Someone flag down the server! We need shots!” Emma, an actress that Sonora had been friends with since they were both on the Mickey Mouse Club, bounced in her seat until her short black skirt was practically at her waist. Marley wanted to reach out and yank it down, but she didn’t know the girl that well.

“God, you are shouting right in my ear,” Sonora griped, before waving at Marley. “Go get us some drinks.”

“I think they have bottle service. If we wait just a minute, I can probably flag someone down.”

“Do you have to argue with me about everything, or maybe, for once, can you just do what I ask without being a giant pain in the ass?”

Sonora’s two friends giggled, and Marley felt like she was back in high school, trying to be friends with the popular kids and getting shit on again.

Marley raised her eyebrow. “Do I look like your bar wench?”

“No, you look like my maid of honor, whose sole purpose of being here is making me happy as a clam, so how about you run along and do that?”

Marley gritted her teeth and stood up, heading down to the bar on the far side of the club.

Kendall caught up alongside her. “Why do you let her talk to you like that?”

Because it’s part of my job.

“Because she’s right. It’s her last night of freedom and I signed up to make sure it goes off without a hitch.”

“Seriously, though, she is such a bitch sometimes.”

Marley grinned at her. “Only sometimes?”

“Okay, all the time, but that doesn’t mean we have to bend over and take it. One of these days, I’m going to let her have it.”

“And I will pay to see it.”

They got in line and the guy in front of them with slicked back hair and a smarmy grin said, “Well, hey there, ladies.”

“Hi,” Kendall and Marley said politely.

“Are you having a good time?”

“We just got here,” Kendall said.

“Me too. It gets busier as the night goes on. Can I buy you a drink?”