Page 459 of Hate Mates

I steady my stance but the giggle falls from my lips. A giggle? I don’t giggle; I’m not one of those girls. Or maybe I am, but just never given the chance.

As we reach the end of the line, I look up at the huge doorman and smile sweetly, he shakes his head as he lifts the red rope to let us through. “Have a good night, ladies.”

“Why thank you.” To my ears I sound appreciative but from the smirk the doorman gives me and the tug on my arm from Stacy, I’m guessing I sound as pissed as I’m feeling. I wave to the doorman and shuffle my feet along in small steps to catch up with Stacy. Once we’ve paid the entrance fee, we go through the double doors into a huge lobby, there’s a staircase leading up to the first floor, some restrooms and two other sets of doors. I stare at the decor. The name fits this place well. The red carpets and gold tones set it off. It’s grand, alright. A coat store stands off to the side and while I stand here and gape at my surroundings, people walk around me, bumping my shoulders left and right. I’m pulled along again as we go through the next set of doors, nodding at the next doorman in thanks.

The music thumps and a heavy scent fills the air as we move through the large space, it’s not too full right now and there’s room to breathe as we find a spot at the bar. We order our drink of choice, a vodka with lemon and lime for me and gin for Stacy. Then we move away from the bar and find a spot near the dance floor. There’s some dance tune on, and in my drunken haze I can’t even make out what it is, but the tune is amazing. My body moves to the music as I sip my vodka through a straw.

“Ah man, I need to dance.”

Careful not to spill my drink, I make my way to the dance floor. I turn to make sure Stacy is behind but she’s still standing there looking on, smirking at me. “Come on… Pleeease?”

Her eyes roll but she starts to move forward, and in my excitement, I spin back around but clumsily collide with a hardbody. “Oomph.” My hands press against the wall in front of me in the hope I don’t faceplant the ground. As my eyes flicker open, I’m mesmerized. A suit clad body stands firm with his hands gripping my biceps. Man, he smells so good. His scent clouds my senses, and all I can think is, Gabriel never smells this good. The drink spills over my hand and brings me back to my senses, but his shirt is wet beneath my palms. I admire his form, dragging my gaze up his body until I reach his eyes. When I say man, I mean God. I can’t tell much in this light, but shit, his eyes are stunning. They're bright blue and his hair is the darkest brown, almost black. The glass slips from my fingers, hitting the ground, but I can’t tear my eyes away from his face. There should be a law about looking that good. I also seem to have lost the ability to speak.

“Are you okay?”

The baritone in his voice rumbles over the music as his hands cup my shoulders to keep me upright.

In my daze I hear Stacy’s voice at the side of me. “Fucking hell, Ari. What are you doing?”

“I’m so sorry, she’s a little tipsy.” She apologizes for me because I’m still mesmerized.

“Don’t be.” He says kindly.

As his eyes roam over my face, his perfectly shaped lips grin and his brows lift. I glance down at his shirt before working my way back up. “I am so sorry about your shirt.” My voice has a breathy intonation.

“It’ll dry. What’s your name?”

“Aria.” I breathe huskily.

Looking around him, I see two mountains of men flanking him. I shrink back and manage to bring myself to my senses. “Let me get you another.” Before I can decline, his thumb and finger snap and one of the men steps forward. “Get the lady whatever she’s drinking.”

“You don’t have to do that.” I shake my head, trying to get my point across. His eyes tell me he’s not going to take no for an answer, and I relent almost too easily. “Vodka with lemon and lime, please.”

“You heard the lady.” The man behind him nods, and he leans over to say something to him and then to the other. “Aria, how would you and your friend like to spend the evening in VIP.”

“Shit, seriously?” My eyes go wide, almost like they're about to pop out.Way to act cool.

I hear his laugh over the music. “Yes, seriously. Let my man escort you.” His hand touches mine and he lifts it to brush his lips across my knuckles. A shiver runs through my arm, and a lopsided smirk appears on his mouth. He leans back and releases my hand at the same time. It’s like everything moves in slow motion, but then with a swift nod he walks away with one of the guys in tow and the other waits for us. “Follow me, ladies.”

Stacy and I look at each other, an excited squeal breaks through our lips and we push through the crowd, following him closely. The guy makes a path for us and we manage to keep up. I’m amazed how the crowd parts for him, and I’ve suddenly forgotten how sore my feet are.

The guy shoves the door open and holds it for us, passing another bouncer as we slip through. We get to the end of the short corridor to find stairs. Oh no, not stairs. Suddenly my feet are screaming at me again.

By the time I’ve reached the top, my feet are throbbing. I’m ready to take my shoes off again. Somehow though, I’m not sure it’s a good look in VIP. Stopping at the next set of doors, I clutch the doorframe, curling my toes in the pointed part of my stupid shoes. I stretch them back out before following the guy with no name into the smaller area. My eyes haven’t gone back to their normal size since that man stopped me from falling. But as I look around me, I can now see this is a different kindof clientele. We’re brushing shoulders with the elite. Stacy and I share another glance and the guy shows us to a table. “Your drinks will be with you shortly.”

“Thank you.” I call after him but he's already walking away.

“Oh my fucking God. Look at this place.”

“Wow, your clumsiness really did pay off this time.” Stacy chuckles.

“Yeah, and I don’t feel as tipsy now.”

“Good, because look…” she nods her head for me to look over my shoulder and I see a bottle of champagne in a bucket, two flutes and a dish of strawberries being brought over.

“Those aren’t for us.” I turn back around and sit comfortably in my chair and watch as the waiter walks past. “It would be nice though.” I bounce my eyebrows at my bestie.

The waiter walks around the table and smiles, “Ladies. With compliments.” he places the tray down, takes the bottle from the bucket and pours the bubbly into the flutes on the tray before placing a napkin down in front of each of us and places the glass down on top of it.

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