Page 2 of One Night

"Need another drink?" Alex asks, pointing to my cup, which is still half full.

"No thanks. I'm good. So you go to school at Townsend?"

"Yeah. I'm a senior, or I will be in the fall." He finishes his drink.

"What's your major?"

"Business," he says, seeming completely uninterested in the topic. He wants sex, not someone to talk to. "You sure you don't want another drink?"

He wants me to drink up and get drunk so we can move this along.

"I still have some left," I say, holding up the cup.

He nods, and his eyes go to my breasts again. I'm wearing a sleeveless button-up blouse and the silky fabric clings to my chest. It's tucked into my short skirt, which Alex has taken note of, his eyes now skimming down my legs.

He's smiling, so obviously he likes what he sees but I'm not feeling the same way. I'm not feeling anything for him. Not even the tiniest spark. It's not like there's anything wrong with him. He has a good-looking face, bright blond hair, and pale blue eyes. I'm sure plenty of girls find him attractive, but not me. I'm not into blonds, despite being one myself. Maybe that's why I don't like them. I want something different. I tend to go for guys with dark hair and dark eyes, so this guy? Not at all my type. Add in the skinny fingers and the fact that he won't stop leering at me and wants to get me drunk, and I feel the sudden need to get away from him.

"I need to find my friend," I tell him. "But I'll see ya around." I walk off and he doesn't bother to follow me. He knows he wasn't getting any.

Glancing back at the dance floor, I see Megan and Todd grinding against each other to the slow pulsing beat of the music. I'm surprised they haven't found a room by now. When Megan likes a guy, she moves fast. A few weeks ago I went to a club with her and she hooked up with a guy ten minutes after meeting him. I admit he was hot, but hooking up after knowing him for ten minutes? That's crazy.

And yet, I was oddly envious of it because it's so unlike anything I would ever do. A one-night stand? Never had one and probably never will. Although...I'm not completely opposed to the idea.

I've never told anyone this, not even my best friend, Kira, who lives back in Michigan, but the truth is, I've fantasized about having a one-night stand. Not the kind where I'm so drunk I can't remember it the next day. And not the kind that's instigated by some overly aggressive guy like Alex who doesn't care who he's with as long as he gets sex. No. My fantasy is that I meet a guy I instantly connect with and have major chemistry with and we do it without any thought or reservations. We act on pure instinct, like those scenes in the movies where two people meet and have such a strong attraction to each other that they throw caution to the wind and act on their urges.

Unfortunately, I'm not good at throwing caution to the wind. There's always this part of me holding me back, telling me not to do it. I fight that part of me and yet it always seems to win out.

Maybe that's why I keep hanging out with Megan. I'm hoping her free spirit will rub off on me. So far it hasn't, but I recently promised myself that before the summer ends, I'll do at least one thing that's outside my comfort zone.

This promise was inspired a few weeks ago by a girl in my speech class. She talked about seizing the day, going after what you want. I'm sure the rest of the class thought the speech was cheesy and a total cliché but I actually found it inspiring. Although I'm very rational and realistic in my everyday life, I also have a dreamy, head-in-the-clouds side, so that girl's speech ignited a spark in me, inspiring me to go for it. To do something I've always wanted to do without letting my rational side stop me.

"Amber?" a girl says from beside me. I turn and see it's Reese, a girl I worked with last March at the women's business expo downtown. We were both volunteers at a booth for an organization that promotes women in marketing. We're both marketing majors but at different colleges.

"Reese." I smile, happy to see someone I know. "How have you been?"

"Great! How about you?"

"Good. Just finished a week of finals so I'm exhausted."

"Yeah, me too. You heading home for the summer?"

"No, I'm staying here and working and taking a couple classes."

She glances behind her. "Well, I just wanted to say hi. I'm here with my boyfriend so I should probably get back to him."

"Yeah, okay. See ya later." I was hoping she'd stick around so we could talk.

"Sorry," a guy says as he bumps into me, trying to squeeze through the crowd.

People keep bumping into me. I should go stand somewhere else but there aren't any open spaces. Looking to my left I spot Alex with a girl. He's still got that looking-for-sex smile and so does she. Well, there you go. A match is made. There's someone for everyone, at least for a night.

Maybe I should leave. The only two people I know here are hanging out with their guys and I'm feeling awkward standing here by myself.

As I contemplate this, my eyes wander to the front door.

And that's when I see him.

Tall. Dark hair. Dark eyes. A strong jaw and pronounced cheekbones that give him that pretty boy, model look. Like a rich, prep school boy. He steps into the room, his eyes scanning the crowd. His eyes are brooding. Mysterious. Hot.

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