Page 2 of His Little Garnet

ChapterTwo

Olivia

“It’s so loud,” I shout over the constant beat of bass that’s shaking the entire club as we make our way to the bar to order a second drink.

We’ve been here for an hour. The place is really nice. Modern. Sleek. I’m honestly having so much fun. Mostly because there’s no men to deal with. Other than the bartender and the bouncers, there aren’t many human men in the building.

I hadn’t considered that aspect when we left the apartment. Human men don’t come to Club Zoom. It’s for women only. Eleadian men are looking for women. Are none of them gay? This thought has occurred to me. Maybe they have other clubs for gay men. Clearly not this one.

I’ve seen two of the Eleadian men so far. One is currently in the middle of the floor dancing, but I can’t imagine how much fun it is for him considering he’s surrounded by women who are drooling and pawing all over him.

Yes, he’s tall and large. I suppose he’s sexy. At the very least, he’s intriguing. He has on an expensive suit. His smile is nice. But I can’t fathom why anyone would come to another planet to find a wife. It’s mind boggling.

There was a second man on the floor for a while, meandering around talking to women, but he’s disappeared. I’ve heard sometimes they don’t come downstairs.

This is fine with me. I’m having a blast with Janie. Who needs men? We’ve already danced so much my feet are hurting. I shouldn’t have worn these heels. It’s a miracle I haven’t twisted an ankle trying to walk around in the four-inch silver spikes.

Janie insisted I wear them because they go with the equally ridiculous silver dress I have on. It came out from the back of my closet, left over from a high school dance. It’s a miracle it still fits.

The dress is also rather risqué. It has long shimmering sleeves and no back. I can’t wear a bra with it. My breasts are average sized, so it’s no big deal, and the front of the dress is shimmery enough that no one can see the points of my nipples.

The biggest issue is that the dress is so short. Was it this short when I wore it in high school? Probably. I doubt I cared back then. It was undoubtedly intentional at the time.

Janie grabs my hand so she doesn’t lose me as she wiggles through the crowd to get closer to the bar.

Suddenly, we get separated when someone bonks into me from behind. The next few seconds seem like they’re in slow motion as I realize a domino of people have crashed forward from the dance floor. Unfortunately, I’m the last domino in the row, and all I can do is pray as I fall head-first toward the floor.

Instinct causes me to throw out my hands to stop my fall so I don’t hit my head. Everyone does it. There’s no way to stop myself. The moment I land, I know it’s bad. I actually hear one of the bones in my right arm crack just above my wrist a second before pain radiates up to my elbow and beyond.

For a second, I don’t move or breathe. The air is knocked out of my lungs. I’m too stunned and confused. Plus, I’m surrounded by people and in fear of being trampled.

I manage to roll into a sitting position, cradling my arm in front of me as I lift my gaze. Luckily, Janie has her arms spread, pushing people out of the way, giving me space. Doubling my luck, people actually backup. Thank God.

A man is in front of me seconds later. A human man. The bartender. I don’t know how he manages to get to me so quickly. He must have jumped over the top of the bar. And why is that what I’m focusing on?

The bartender isn’t nearly as large as any of the Eleadian men, but he’s at least a guy and bigger than any of the women around and able to get people to back up. It might be because he’s shouting, “Back the fuck up everyone.”

Finally, he’s on his knees in front of me. As soon as he sees my arm, he cringes. “Shit. Okay. Let’s get you to the front office. Can you stand?” He glances down my body.

I realize my dress is hiked so high I’m nearly giving him a show. Maybe I am. I don’t care right now. I’m in fear of going into shock. I know the signs. My dress has tight long sleeves, but I can see the slight dislocation of my radius. It’s not a compound fracture. The skin isn’t broken. Even though it hurts like hell, I’m pretty sure it’s a Colles fracture.

I take a few deep breaths, forcing myself to remain calm. I’m marginally aware of Janie panicking next to me. She’s also on her knees at my side. I’m tuning out her exact words.

Finally, I nod and glance at the bartender. He seems steady. “Help me up?”

He comes to one side of me. Janie takes the other side. They lift me by my biceps at the same time.

I wince but take another deep breath as I try to steady myself on these damn heels. Suddenly I wish they weren’t strapped to my feet. I also wish I didn’t have on long sleeves.

People move out of the way as the bartender guides me and Janie to the front of the club where we originally entered and signed waivers before coming into the main room. I’m relieved when I find myself in an office, and the door shuts behind us, cutting off the loud bass that is now grating on my nerves.

“I’m so sorry,” Janie is saying.

I try to smile at her as I sit on a desk chair someone pushes up behind me. It’s the bouncer who greeted us at the door. I think his name is John. Another man comes through the door a few moments later, letting the sound in for the time it takes to close again.

The noise is making me insane. It was fine before. Now I can’t stand it.

Ironically, there are now three human men in the room. The newest arrival is someone I haven’t seen yet. He’s older. He squats down in front of me, his brow furrowed in concern as he glances at my arm. “John, can you get some ice,” he says without looking away from me.

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