Page 25 of Little Monster
I laugh. “Well, I guess we’re both having salad, then.”
Once the moment has passed, I risk a glance at Dex, but he’s not looking at me. He’s focused on his menu, his blue eyes narrowed and a subtle furrow in his brow.
Why did he come to my defense like that? Does he actually mean what he said, or is he just so fed up with Lucas today that he’s looking for any excuse to lay into him?
His eyes flick up to mine, and a thrill goes through me. I hold his gaze for one, two, three seconds, then offer him a small grateful smile. He doesn’t quite smile back—not fully—but the tiny upward twist of his lips is enough to send my heart racing again, so I tear my gaze away and take another drink of my caramel apple martini.
I didn’t reallywanta salad for dinner, but as far as salads go, it was delicious; even Sebastian seemed to enjoy his. I ordered sweet potato fries on the side, and I’m especially grateful I did, because the martini is already hitting me hard, and I’m hoping the carbs will soak up some of the alcohol.
When we’ve all finished our meals and the waiter comes back around, I quickly dive into my purse and pull out my wallet, determined not to make the others think I just want to mooch off them. Sure, this dinner alone might make it impossible to put any money in my savings account this month, but it’s not like I eat out with rock stars every night.
Dex notices me pulling out my credit card, and a weirdlook crosses over his face. He looks... confused, maybe? But as soon as he notices me staring, he wipes the expression clean away.
Reaching into his back pocket, he pulls out a slim gray wallet and removes a thick black credit card. Without a word, the waiter sweeps by to take it from him, and Dex tips his head at me.
“I’m happy to pay for my dinner,” I say, but Dex just shakes his head.
“You’re our guest. It’s my treat. Except for you.” His gaze cuts to Lucas. “You’re paying next time for being a dick.”
“All right, all right.” Lucas runs a hand over his buzzed blond hair and gives me a shy glance. “Sorry, Nora.”
“It’s all right. I get that a lot.”
“Really?” Jordan says beside me. “That’s fucked-up.”
I give a little shrug. Talking about this is always a bummer, so I’d rather just avoid the topic and drink another martini.
“Okay, what’s next?” Sebastian asks, rubbing his hands together like he’s about to do a magic trick.
Next?I didn’t expect there to be anext.
Jordan and Alisha glance at each other, then say in tandem, “Velvet!”
I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never been there; Velvet’s a sexy nightclub where the who’s who of LA like to hang out, or so the tabloids have led me to believe.
“What do you say, Nora?” Alisha looks at me with gleaming brown eyes. “You wanna go dance?”
Over her shoulder, Dex meets my eyes and flicks his lip ring, and looking at the sharp cut of his cheeks under the dim restaurant lighting, there’s no way I can say no, no way I can walk away from this, fromhim, without finding out what’s waiting on the other side.
This is bad.
“Let’s do it,” I say.
The girls squeal with excitement as I drain the rest of my martini.
I have a feeling this is going to be a night I won’t soon forget.
chapter 10
THERE’S NO WAY I’M TELLING anyone this, but I’ve never been to a nightclub before, let alone a celebrity haunt like Velvet. I’ve got butterflies in my stomach as we walk to the back entrance of the club. I assume the bouncer recognizes the guys, as he lets us in with nothing more than a glance. And as soon as we step into the dark hallway, it’s like entering another dimension.
A girl checks our coats and bags, and she must see high-profile celebrities all the time, because she barely bats an eye at Loaded God Complex. Then Alisha is taking me by the hand and leading me through a doorway and up a flight of stairs, and as we climb, the volume of the music increases.
“The bottom floor is for regulars,” she says, leaning close so she can speak into my ear. Her breath smells like cinnamon sugar, and it sends goose bumps across my skin. “Celebs use the top floors. Come on.”
She continues guiding me up the stairs, and the bass gets louder, thrumming through my veins and into my chest. My heart wants to pound in time with the music.
When we reach the top of the stairs, another bouncer stops us.
