Page 103 of Vicious Sentiments

We’re in front of a four story matte black building. There’s a red velvet rope that secures at least a hundred people in a line that seems to wrap around the building. I feel awkward standing here and would like to just take our place at the back of the line. Why would the limo driver pull us up in front anyways?

“I got it!” Marney cheers and pops out of the back, straightening her dress.

Dillon huddles her in front of him and Cape does the same to me. Julian leads the way but instead of going to the back of the line he steps up to a bouncer with dreads and sunglasses who is manning the doors.

Julian whispers something, and the man steps aside to let us through. I gape at the line behind us as I teeter inside. Cape’s hands are planted firmly on my ass cheeks as he pushes me forward. I expect it from Cape but I’m salivating, waiting for Julian to touch me the same way.

Even this morning, Julian didn’t take it upon himself to kiss me on the lips and still stuck to my cheek. I’m trying to be patient but I realize I’ve wanted him since he handed me that milkshake on the drive to Florida. I may not have known it at the time, but now I do and all that desire is becoming retroactive and I feel desperate for it.

As we walk down a long hallway, music starts the thrum around us. Just the bass at first, like a force vibrating my bones, and then more treble, electricity mixed with voices.

Marney slips away from Dillon and grabs my arm. “I’m so excited! Have you ever been to a club? This is the most exclusive club within five-hundred miles. Oh my god, I wonder who’s going to be here!”

I force a smile, my nerves getting the better of me. Up until this point, I hadn’t conceptualized that we were going into a nightclub. I’ve been so distracted by Dillon and excited by what’s to come with Julian and Cape that I’ve been just going along, happy to have this moment.

We come up to a door that can barely contain the chaos inside. Julian turns and pushes his back against it, dipping his head and smiling at me.

You got this,he mouths, and just knowing that he knows how I feel comforts me.

“Stay with me.” Dillon grabs Marney’s hand and pulls her away from me, and then we are in the thick of it.

There are bodies everywhere. They come together forming one moving entity in the flashing lights. Beams of green, blue and purple slice through the air. There’s balconies above that feature the same thing, full of people dressed to the nines, if you would call it dressed—most of the women are barely covering their nipples or the bottom of their ass cheeks—and swaying to the beat, drinks with glistening ice cubes and fun colored liquids in their hands.

For a moment, my heart thuds rapidly to the beat and everything closes in on me. I desperately try to focus on feeling Cape’s chest against my back and keep my eyes trained on the hand that Julian has outstretched behind him. I know I should take it but that would mean losing contact with Cape.

But before I know it, we are cordoned off into an elevator and thebass is the only thing that penetrates it. A man in a suit presses a button for us and up we go. I’m truly surprised that no one is making a fuss about a thirteen-year-old being in the club, or even me, but I guess with enough money and exclusivity, anything can be pulled off.

We’re led to a private booth in a corner that still has a view over the entire club below, and there are buckets of ice on the table with expensive-looking bottles of alcohol.

When the man leaves us, Marney immediately pulls me from Cape and drags me to the rail. She bounces up and down.

“I can’t believe I’m here!” Suddenly her phone juts out and she snaps a selfie of us that I barely get a chance to smile for. “All my friends are going to be so jealous. Do you know how hard it is to get in here? Even one of the Jenner sisters was turned away. Oh my god! Is that Tom Holland? Look!”

She points to the second level and I have to squint. The guy does bear a resemblance as he kisses the neck of… Zendaya? Woah.

I lean into her ear. “How much did this cost?”

With her eyes still on the celebrities she makes a face. “Mmm, I know better than to tell you that. Julian warned me. But—” She turns to me and hugs me. “—it’s your birthday!! Don’t think about it.” She lets go and beams up at me.

“Do you think we can get to the second floor?” she asks, clutching my arm and pulling me with her.

Marney is like a little paparazzi, snapping pictures of anyone she thinks is important. I have to give her credit though, she doesn’t accost any of them. Dillon stays right by our sides, following us around like a security guard, and I make an attempt at telling him sorry. He shakes his head and waves me off with a smile. I loosen up a bit about his presence, maybe he’s not so bad.

Or maybe that’s the purple drink in my hand. I have no idea what it is, Marney got it for me, something she desperately wants to taste,and while I would let her try it, since she doesn’t seem like she actually wants alcohol but is just curious, Dillon never leaves our side. I don’t want to get his feathers ruffled if I can avoid it.

Cape and Julian stick to the booth. Wherever Marney drags me I can still arch my neck and get a glimpse of the top floor corner. They’ve both ignored the bottles on the table and instead are drinking an amber liquid in short glasses. They don’t seem to mind the laps I’m making with Marney, even though my feet mind, and look to be talking between themselves.

At some point—three purple drinks later?—Marney has me dancing on the floor with everyone else. And yes, I’m actually dancing. It’s hard not to when everyone’s bodies are moving in rhythm and the frequent bumps from other people force me into it. Marney is having a blast. She grabs my hands and makes me twirl her. Even Dillon is swaying to the music and bobbing his head, a protective hand always hovering behind Marney’s back so no one can dance against her.

When we’re sweaty and panting, we finally make our way back up to our spot. Cape and Julian stand when we approach, and as I shimmy into the booth to rest my feet, Cape grabs me and pulls me onto his lap.

When I turn to look at him there’s something feral in his eyes and they linger from my breasts, up my chest and to my throat. He leans in and breathes. I feel his tongue slide down my neck, tasting the shiny sweat that dots my skin. He makes a groaning sound, and I feel something firm spring to life beneath my ass.

“You taste so fucking good,” he says, and I blush, looking to see if Marney has witnessed the inappropriateness. But she’s leaning over the rail. It’s Dillon who is looking at us, a fist clenched at his side.

When our eyes meet he shakes his head with a frown that looks like he’s truly hurt and turns away.

“Time to go,” he says to Marney.

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