Page 70 of Grave Obsession

“What crawled up your ass?”

“Starvation mostly.”

Jackie rolls her eyes so hard, I’m surprised they don’t get stuck like that.

“You’re not you when you’re hungry,” Jackie jokes.

“Exactly, so play something good to distract me.”

Something glints in Jackie’s eyes as she plugs her phone into the car stereo system. "The Bad Touch" by Bloodhound Gang starts to thump and Victoria’s over exaggerated singing and dancing pulls me from my sullen mood immediately.

∞∞∞

The music thrums through my body, accompanying the liquor in my blood. My thoughts are non-existent as the three of us sway to the electronic beat. This is the third club Victoria has pulled us into on the strip. I didn’t even know something like this existed in the heart of the city. Clubs line both sides of the road, separated by restaurants sporting 'Open Late' neon signs, cute little shops and a large hotel smack dab in the middle of the downtown scene. I don’t know the name of this bar and I’ve stopped caring. Jackie is overprotective as shit, scaring off any guy that tries to latch onto us like a starving, horny leech. So, I’ve just let myself live in the moment.

I wonder what it would be like to come to a place like this with Lennox? Would he press his hard body up against mine as he directed my hips along to the beat? What would Ghost do? An alcohol fuelled giggle slips out at the thought of my masked stalker in amongst the throng of bodies. I remain unheard by my companions thanks to the boom of the bass. The thoughts of my men mix and twist into a dirty fantasy that has me aching for them. The influence of the liquor making me bold as I pull out my phone. I half expect Victoria to snatch it from my hand, claiming friends don’t let friends drunk text. But, she’s too busy playing tonsil hockey with Jackie to notice, so I seize the moment. Opening my messages with Ghost, I see an unread message from him before I send my own.

Ghost:

Always.

His words bring a smile to my face and a warmth to my core. The need to ask him where he’s been tugs at me, but I ignore it. I’d rather see what happens after I ask him this question.

Mallory:

Would you ever have a threesome?

I don’t wait to see if a reply comes in. I check the time then pocket my phone. I see that it’s just after 1 am and I have to pee. Best to go now before we start the walk back to the hotel Victoria booked for us as a surprise. We didn’t end up at the mall today. Instead, we had dinner and a few drinks at the swanky hotel restaurant before hitting the town to walk the streets and check out all the funky stores. To say my feet are killing me is an understatement.

When I first saw the hot tub in our shared room, I thought, “there’s no fucking way I’m getting in that with two other women.” Now, it’s calling me to soak my exhausted body. I don’t remember the last time I was this active. The thought of Ghost chasing me through the woods slams into me and the longing returns.

The line for the bathroom is hellishly long, so to kill the time I pull out my phone and call Victoria. Not wanting to walk right up to them and rudely interrupt, I figured this was more appropriate. I can see her across the club as she pulls her phone out, how she hears it is impossible to fathom. She must see my name on the screen as her eyes jump to the place that I was last seen. I’m not there and I can momentarily see panic in her eyes, wondering where the fuck her sheltered best friend wandered off to. She raises the phone to her ear.

“Where the fuck are you, Mal? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I’m in line for the bathroom.” Her eyes dart this way and she visibly relaxes when she spots me. I raise my arm and wave like a flailing lunatic, earning me an annoyed look from the girl to the right of me.

“Why are you calling me?”

“Because I thought it would be rude to just yank you and Jackie apart by your hair," I joke.

“Oh.” I'm sure I can see her face redden in embarrassment from here.

“Yea... Are you two ready to go?” I watch as Victoria turns to Jackie, her mouth moves and Jackie nods.

“Yeah, we’re ready. Why don’t you just pee back at the hotel, it’s like, a minute down the road.” I’m hesitant because my bladder is screaming at me but I concede. We step out into the fresh night air and for once I’m happy Victoria wasn’t goofing. I can see the hotel just down the street. Jackie separates from us and heads down the road in the opposite direction.

“Where is she going?” I ask Victoria.

“To pick up our food.”

“Should we go with her?”

“Nah, she wanted a moment alone to recenter herself.” I have never related to Jackie more than right now. Victoria links her arm with mine and starts to pull me towards the hotel.

“So, did anything happen with that cop from a month ago? I haven’t heard anything since he offended you by making a sleazy joke.”

“Ugh, where do I even begin?”

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