“Hi,” I said, quickly, getting into the car and out of the freezing November air. I didn’t wear more than a light sweater over my top and my chest felt like it was going to get frostbite in the tiny, satin cami. The whole car smelled like it was doused in men’s cologne. Gabe, the guy who had door duty when I went to the stoplight party, was driving and in the passenger seat next to him was another random guy from the fraternity. I couldn’t remember his name for the life of me, but he nodded in my direction.
John hopped in the back seat, getting as close to me as he could before he slinked his arm around my waist. “Melanie, the guy in the passenger seat is Brad aka Longfellow and driving is Gabe or Gonads.”
Gabe turned back in my direction. “Hey, Melanie, you sure you want to hang around with this guy?”
“Um, is this a trick question?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
Gabe smiled. “I’m just saying. If you would rather leave the bar with me tonight, I wouldn’t complain.” His eyes roamed down to my plunging neckline quickly before he turned back to the front and put the car into drive.
I caught the hint of a smile on John’s face. Looked like my outfit was a hit.
Brad pushed an ID in my face. “Here, John Boy said you’d need this.”
“Thanks.” I took the card. The girl sort of looked like me, I guess. She had brown curly hair, my same brownish green eyes, but older. Then I looked at her date of birth.
“Wait, this says the girl in the picture is 32. I’m nowhere close to that. No one is going to believe I’m 32.” My palms were sweating. I got all dressed up just to have some bouncer kick me out into the cold for a bad fake.
John shook his head. “They don’t care if it’s a fake as long as you know the birth date. They aren’t going to look that hard or even do the math. Besides, half the bouncers are Alpha Mus so you shouldn’t have a problem.” He leaned in so close I could feel the heat from his body. “And by how good you look in that top, I’m sure they won’t care about anything but how hot you are.” He kissed my cheek.
“Hey! No fucking in my car!” Gabe yelled.
John smiled, slowly turning his head to the front. “Sorry, Gonads. We’ll save it for later.”
The streets that would usually be packed with students outside smoking or walking from bar to bar were empty. Gabe parked in a parking garage not far from the row of bars that lined downtown Central. I went to open my door, but John was out and opening it for me before I could. Reluctantly, I climbed out and then John’s arm was wrapped around my waist, moving me forward with him.
I shouldn’t have been thinking about sex with John. But I couldn’t help it. We were still friends. I thought. And friends appreciated each other’s looks, I guess. And I hoped he wasn’t just showing affection to keep Gabe from hitting on me.
“One girl comes with us tonight and you’ve got to lay claim on her?” Gabe asked, walking in step with us. Brad slinked in next to him.
“Yep.” John didn’t say anything more and pulled me closer. I was actually glad for his body heat because I didn’t realize how long we’d be outside and not wearing much for clothes was a bad idea. Goose bumps pricked my skin under the thin fabric of my top.
Luckily, before I could freeze to death, we stood outside of a bar called Gatsby’s. I remembered my sister used to call the place Fratsby’s. She said it was a hangout for all the fraternity and sorority types. I guess that would make sense, since I was walking in with three very attractive fraternity boys.
The bouncer was a large guy with a neck that was thicker than his head. He barely even smiled when he saw us, but bumped fists with each of the guys, not even checking anyone’s ID. Thank God.
Gatsby’s wasn’t as much of a bar as it was a club. The dark room was only lit by strobe lights and some different black lights that blinked off of the dark colored walls. To my left was a long bar with a few half-naked female bartenders behind it. Directly in front of me was a metal railing that looked onto a sunken dance floor. There were bodies melded together dancing to some random dance mix that a DJ played from a booth above.
“Want me to get you a drink and put your jacket behind the bar?” John had to practically yell in my ear.
I nodded, not sure if I could speak loud enough for him to hear me over the music. I shrugged off my sweater, revealing the low, lace back of my cami. I looked over my shoulder and saw that was exactly where John was staring. I winked once he finally caught my eye. Two could play flirty.
John leaned forward, hooking his thumb through my belt loop before he put his lips to my ear. “I see what you’re doing and I like it.” His tongue flicked against my ear lobe before he pulled away and walked over to the bar.
It was like the Red Sea parted. Even though other people were waiting for a drink, they still made room for the hulky John. The Asian bartender stopped what she was doing and gave him a big smile. Jealousy boiled in me, but he didn’t even seem interested. His facial expression didn’t change as he handed her my sweater, nodding in my direction.
The girl’s dark eyes locked on me before her face fell and she looked back at John and put my sweater under the bar. John held up two fingers and yelled something to her that I couldn’t hear. She didn’t even look up at him as she poured some ice in a glass and pulled different bottles from under the counter.
Someone slide up next to me and then smelled his strong cologne. There I was sandwiched between Gabe and Brad. Gabe leaned down to my ear. “Hey, Melanie, can I get you a drink?”
“No that’s fine. John’s bringing me something.” I had to strain my neck and practically yell to be heard.
“Then how about a dance?” His eyes were wide and he had a big grin on his face. I wanted to know what was behind that grin because there was no way that it looked genuine.
“No. I’m just waiting for John.” I was getting a bit of a creeper vibe from Gabe and wasn’t sure what his next move would be. I craned my neck to look over the crowd, hoping to see John.
As if it was on cue John appeared in front of me and handed me a plastic glass with a tiny black straw and some sort of light brown liquid in it. John and Gabe exchanged looks before Gabe nodded in Brad’s direction and they headed over to the bar. Thank God.
“What’s this?” I tipped up on my heels and practically yelled in John’s ear.
“Rusty Nail.”
“What?” My voice was already aching.
“Scotch and Drambuie.” He took a big gulp of his own drink.
Ack that sounded disgusting but would definitely get me drunk. I tried the tiniest sip. It burned like gasoline going down. No way I’d be able to drink it, but I couldn’t be rude. “Thanks!”
He downed the rest of his drink in one gulp. I took a few more sips of mine, even though I thought I would gag. He took the drink from me, downed the rest of it and set it on a nearby table. He took my hand in his and put his lips so close to my ear, I thought he might kiss it. Not very friend-like behavior. “Now let me nail you on the dance floor.”
I didn’t know if he meant that literally or was just trying to make some sexual innuendo with the drink, but either way I let him lead me down a metal, winding staircase to a pit of human bodies. For not a lot of students in town, it seemed like the ones that were left all gathered at Gatsby’s that night. People were pushed against each other and the scent of sweat and cologne wafted in the air, almost making it hard to breathe.
Instead of dragging me into the middle of the crowd, John guided me toward the edge, slinking his arm around my waist and pulling me against the hard contours of his body.
“I’m not a very good dancer. I’m kind of awkward,” I yelled in his ear.
He laughed, the stubble on his chin tickling my earlobe. “I don’t think you could be bad at anything.”
“Try me. I’m the awkward girl who loves Harry Potter and you’re the Sex God. You’re the one that hasn’t been bad at anything that I’ve seen.”
He shook his head. “You’re too uptight, Red. I wish you would just realize how amazing you are.” His fingertips trailed down my back, resting right above my butt. “Smart. Sexy. Funny. Hell, Gabe and Brad couldn’t keep their eyes off of you.”
I snorted. “I’m sure it had more to do with what I’m wearing and the fact that I happen to be the only girl with you guys tonight.”
“You need to learn to let go. Accept things for what they are and have fun with it.”
“Whatever you say, John.”
I moved my arms around his neck, swaying to the music, but with our height difference, it was awkward to
