ChapterOne
Olivia
“You look perfect, Livy. Let’s go.”
I glance at my roommate’s reflection in the mirror as she sets her chin on my shoulder and grins. “I’m not at all sure I want to look perfect. This is a crazy idea.”
Janie rolls her eyes. “It’s going to be fun. Stacy and Marigold went last weekend, and they had a blast.”
“Uh huh. They can only say that because they actually returned.” I’m leery about this plan to visit Club Zoom. I have this feeling, and I hate it when I get a feeling. I’m usually right, which means I should listen to my intuition.
Janie grabs my hand, trying to tug me out of the bathroom. We’ve shared this tiny apartment for three years while we worked our asses off to get through nursing school. Finances have been tight, but we just finished our last exam this afternoon, and we both have jobs lined up at the local hospital.
On the one hand, a giant weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I’ll finally be able to start paying off my student loans, and maybe we’ll be able to afford a bottle of wine with a price tag over five dollars.
On the other hand, I seriously have a feeling about tonight. I’m pretty sure a trip to Club Zoom is not our best choice. My skin keeps prickling.
Janie rubs my arms. “I hate it when you get those goosebumps. Nothing is going to happen to us. Stacy said the place was jammed when they went. Wall to wall women all trying to get a glimpse of these massive Eleadian men. It’s more fun than a strip club. I’ve heard all of them are over seven feet tall and proportionately broad. Sex on a stick. There’s only like six or eight of them at the club this month. It’s not like they choose a woman every night. Most nights, hundreds of women go home disappointed.”
I narrow my gaze at her. “I don’t care what the statistics are. You know how my luck runs.”
Janie giggles. “Yep. Been there. I put twenty tickets in a raffle and never win. You put one ticket in the basket, and they call your number.”
“This isn’t the kind of raffle I’d like to win,” I point out. “I’ve worked hard to get my nursing degree. I don’t want to throw it all away and move to another planet.” It sounds preposterous when I say it out loud.
Janie shrugs. “I figure the chances are about one in a million one of us would get chosen by a sexy buff alien, but if it happens, I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Earth is kind of boring,” she jokes.
I reach for my lip gloss. I’ve already applied it twice, but I’m stalling. Is my mascara all right? What about my eye liner? I rub my lips together and take a deep breath. “Okay, but if one of these sex gods approaches us, you’re taking him. I’m staying right here on Earth where I know people and recognize the food.”
“Deal.” She tugs one of my long brown locks of hair. I’ve done the best I could with it tonight. It’s the kind of hair that’s boring. Not straight. Not curly. That in-between waviness that doesn’t want to curl or straighten. For some reason Janie loves it.
“You better not renege on me,” I warn her as we leave the bathroom and step into the living room.
She chuckles again as she grabs her purse. “We’re simply going out to have fun, let loose, have a few drinks, and dance. Hopefully we’ll get some good eye candy as a bonus. What can possibly go wrong?”
I pause at the door to look around our apartment. Why do I get the distinct feeling I’m never going to see this place again?
I take a deep breath and turn toward Janie. “You’ve got my ID, right?”
She pats her purse. “Yep. We can’t get in without it.”
“Okay. Let’s do this.”