Page 45 of Bad Behavior

14

Emma

Iglance at Evie, who’s completely outdone herself, wearing a dark lace two piece. Her hair is pinned up in an elegant updo, on the miles of coffee-and-cream bare skin that she shows off… she’s nothing short of stunning.

“Do I look okay?” she asks, checking her dark red lipstick out in a compact she pulls from her purse.

I grin as we cross the boardwalk by Cure. “You look like a model, bitch. Everyone is going to be staring at you all night.”

“Speak for yourself, Miss I’m Wearing Half A Minidress. That guy is going to have a freaking stroke when he sees you,” she says.

“What guy?”

“The one who asked you to this thing. I don’t think he was ready for you to show up in a black Versace dress that is so tiny, if you even lean over, we’re all gonna know what kind of underpants you prefer.”

I grin. “You know that I’m not dressed up for Brad.”

Evie rolls her pretty chocolate-colored eyes. “I know. I’m just saying…”

We get to the smooth dark glass windows of Cure, and I can already feel the vibrations from the music leaking out the windows. “Come on, I want to see what they’ve done with the place. Asher said that he was going to decorate the bar tonight.”

I tow Evie by the wrist, opening the door. Immediately, the music overwhelms me like a flood. It’s high energy club music, a persistent whub dub dub underlying various vocals. As I step into the darkened bar, I see that it’s already packed with people.

“Oooh, look!” Evie says, pointing to the decor. Asher has put up mirrors on nearly every conceivable surface, and between that and the lights, everything is flashing and reflective. There is even a multicolored and reflective DJ booth set up at the far end, by the bathrooms and the door to the patio.

“Let’s get a drink,” I say, pulling Evie toward the end of the bar.

We skirt several large groups of people who are laughing and trying to talk over the music, scooting in at the empty space at the very end of the bar. It looks like Gunnar, Asher, and Jameson are all working behind the bar.

I stand on my tiptoes to see Jameson a little better, but my line of sight is soon blocked by Gunnar.

“Holy shit,” he says, looking at me and Evie with wide eyes. “You guys both look...”

He whistles, or I think he does. It’s hard to hear anything above the music. I lean in close to make myself heard.

“Thanks!” I say, wiggling my eyebrows. “Can we get a drink?”

“Yeah. Anything in particular?”

I shake my head. “You know what I like. And make four drinks, because I need a little alcohol in my body, stat.”

Gunnar grins. “Gotcha, Emma.”

He turns to make our drinks. I see Jameson, looking tall and handsome and definitely surly as he makes drinks. He looks up and sees me, and then scowls. I roll my eyes, spinning to look around the bar. Let him see me, not caring what he thinks.

I spot Brad and a few people from my study group, standing awkwardly in the corner. It’s pretty much what I expected of the group, honestly. When Gunnar brings the drinks, I toast him.

I hand the other drink to Evie, who takes the tiniest sip. “Ugh, this is horrible. Maybe I just need a water”

“Seriously? Bitch, I got you two drinks,” I say. Tipping my head back, I drink the first drink in a few gulps. I make a face at the overpowering taste of fruit punch. It’s followed by something darker, probably whatever kind of liquor is in there. “Yuck.”

“Don’t be a baby, I’m just not entirely over this stomach bug,” Evie says. She puts her her glass down on the bar. “It just means more drinks for you. Now, where are your friends?”

I nod in the direction of the group. “Over there.”

Evie doesn’t even pause. She just strides over to them, leaving me to follow after her. She singles Brad and another guy out, introducing herself.

“Hey!” she shouts, leaning in. “I’m Evie, Emma’s roommate!”

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