Page 6 of Sinner's End

She is giddy at the idea of getting in before everyone else with her A-list card. It makes her feel special, the preferential treatment. I would rather wait outside in the cold night air freezing my underdressed ass off, hoping to never gain entrance.

“Emma,” the burly bouncer greets with a toothy smile. “Who’s your little friend?”

I have never seen the same staff twice. They could be rotating their places and I just miss it every time but my guesswould be that the staff turnover here is high. I know I wouldn’t be able to work here for any extended amount of time.

My sister giggles in a pitch so high it makes me want to rip my ears from my head. When did she become this irritating creature beside me? When did I start to dislike her this much? I miss the days when we were joined at the hip, doing everything together and sharing all our secrets. Now, I spend as little time with her as possible.

“She’s my sister.” Her eyelashes flutter as she gazes up at the bouncer. “How does it look inside?”

“Same old, same old,” he says and chuckles. “Dancing, drinking, all the fun things we know we shouldn’t be doing but can’t live without.”

Emma bounces up and down in her sparkly, powder pink minidress, her boobs nearly popping out the top. The bouncer has his leery gaze glued to her cleavage, and I want to gag.

“Why don’t you ladies head inside?” he mumbles, pushing the door open. “Have fun.”

The moment my heels hit the tiles I know this is a bad idea. I swear the walls whisper secrets at me. My skin is crawling at the thought of staying here a moment longer. A deep base reverberates through me, seducing me. There are people everywhere, bumping and grinding on the dance floor beneath strobe lights. I watch as men and women shimmy up against one another, hands touching, lips tasting. It’s beautiful chaos.

Some are dressed casually, while others are dressed for Halloween. Cats, vampires, and what looks lie a mummy mingle with the other patrons.

“What are you staring at?” Emma shouts in my ear.

I shake my head before focusing my attention back on her. “I need a drink.”

“That bar,” she yells with a broad smile, pointing in the direction she means before stepping away from me.

“Emma,” I say harshly, pulling her back by her wrist. “Don’t disappear on me tonight.”

“Don’t be a baby,” she jests and I want to slap some sense into her. “You’re a big girl. Now, let’s party!”

With her hands thrown above her head, I watch her shimmy between the writhing mass of bodies on the dance floor as she makes her way to the bar.

Skirting around the dancers, I make my way to one of the two bars situated in each of the back corners of the room. It is a lot more opulent inside and I keep finding new details to marvel at.

Mana keeps the inside of the place immaculate, unlike the outside, and every time I step foot in here it seems he has updated or changed something. The bar itself is sturdy, made of dark cherry wood, and polished to gleam and reflect the strobe lights. The barstools are covered in black leather with high backs and I am more thankful than words can express to find one available.

I rarely wear heels or dresses, both of which my sister has coerced me into tonight. She tried to get me into a canary yellow minidress but I was able to work my way into something more my style. Black. I tug the dress down my thighs as I take the last available seat and wait to be served.

The man behind the bar is tall and muscular, though not bulky, with wavy blonde hair. Dressed in black pants with a deep purple button-up shirt and black tie, he seems a little out of place. His sleeves are rolled up to exposed muscular forearms covered in colorful ink.

I definitely haven’t seen him before.

The man gives me a sexy grin as he approaches and my heart does a little flip before I realize Emma is right beside me. Of course he wasn’t admiring me the way I was him. How stupid can I be? A man like that is much better suited to someone likemy sister. The pretty one. The one all the men look at while they overlook me.

“Kaleb,” she purrs seductively but he doesn’t even spare her a glance as he stops in front of me.

“I haven’t seen you here before.” His voice is deep and smooth. “What can I get you to drink, gorgeous?”

“Just a beer. In the bottle,” I say, shoving my shock aside.

He nods before turning to my sister. “Your usual?”

She nods before turning to glare at me as he moves away to get our order. “What the hell, Addi? I’ve been trying to get into Kaleb’s pants for months!”

I return her glare as my beer is placed on the counter. I don’t respond to her asinine accusations. It’s not like I was trying to get his attention. Besides, he is a bartender. It’s his job to flirt.

A man whistles from the other end of the bar and Kaleb waves him off as he leans across the bar top, slate gray eyes focused fully on me.

“Tell me your name.”

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