Mark leans forward with a groan and shakes his head, watching the waitress—I think her name is Amanda? Amy? It doesn’t matter—walk away with a hungry look.
“Shit Mark,” I chuckle, taking a drink and nodding towards her, “You need some help getting your jaw up off the floor or what?”
He and Dawson both share a laugh, and he shakes his head with a sigh, leaning back on the couch. We’re in the VIP section of course so all of our drinks are brought to us and we’ve got our own private seating area-- leather couches and a private server.
“No way, man, she came over here for you, not me. Besides, I don’t think she’s really my type, to be honest.”
Dawson snickers and looks at Mark like he’s got three heads, rolling his eyes and taking a shot from the tray that the server brought over.
“What- Tall, leggy brunettes with killer curves aren’t your type? I think what you mean to say is. She’s out of my league, and I don’t want to embarrass myself by getting shot down in front of my friends.”
Dawson and I share a laugh at that and Mark just waves it off with a chuckle, shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders.
“Maybe, maybe not. Either way she came here for Riker, not for me. And we’re here to celebrate the man’s engagement, so I’m not about to leave you two to fend for yourselves.”
“Right, because we need so much help to get pussy in this place.” I snicker, rolling my eyes. “It’s practically a guarantee here. Speaking of…”
I nod towards the entrance to our VIP area where a few girls are strolling over, all with heated smiles and swaying hips, their eyes locking onto mine.
“Hoo boy,” Dawson sighs. “Here we go. Riker, you’re on buddy.”
I’m about to tell him to mess off when sure enough, the three women approach me, one of them coming to stand directly between my thighs, hands on her hips. She gives me a look up and down and then leans forward, sliding her hand up my thigh.
“Well here there,” She purrs, winking, “My friends and I thought that maybe you’d like to buy us a drink and take us home. All of us.”
Her friends giggle behind her and I take her hand off of my thigh with a sigh, shaking my head with a grin.
“Thank you, but no thank you, ladies,” I say with an apologetic smile, “I’m engaged to be married. But I’m willing to bet that my friends here would take you up on that offer.”
The one standing in front of me scoffs as she looks at Mark and then Dawson, and then back to me with a smirk.
“You don’t go to the club to have a one night stand with Riker Lord, only to leave with one of his tag-alongs instead. That’s like going to a restaurant because you’re craving prime rib and ordering a hot dog instead. Besides,” she adds with a wink. “You being engaged isn’t a problem for me.”
“Wow, ouch, lady.”
Mark is laughing and Dawson is just shaking his head, downing the rest of their drinks as I turn back towards whatever her name is, and sighing with a smile.
“Suit yourself, but your choices are a hot dog or empty-handed. And while me being engaged might not be a problem for you, it is for me. Beat it.”
She looks me up and down again with a shrug and then turns back towards her friends, waving them along.
“Come on, ladies, let’s go. I’m pretty sure I saw some potential over on the dance floor.”
They leave, the VIP area then, prattling on about how excited they were to talk to Riker Lord, even if it was just to be rejected. I shake my head with a chuckle and then look back at Mark and Dawson, who are looking back at me in disbelief.
“Riker are you serious right now?”
“What?” I ask incredulously, shrugging. “I’m not sure what you were looking for me to say there. I suggested you two, but clearly they weren’t interested.”
“No, that’s not what I meant,” Mark says with a cocked brow and a laugh, leaning forward, “Dude what’s happened to you? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you turn down three women, especially not all at once.”
“Sure, but I’m engaged, remember? Isn’t that the whole reason we’re out celebrating?”
I laugh and Dawson nods with a shrug, chuckling as he waves the waitress over for more drinks.
“Sure it is Riker, but any other time you’ve had a woman you’ve just, you know… it didn’t matter. You could have still gone with the three of them you know, love them and leave them.”
Their comments finally sink in, and suddenly I realize that these two—two of my best friends—don’t think I’m capable of being faithful to a woman. It’s a hurtful thing to discover that people think that little of you, and the fact that this is apparently the reputation I’ve set myself up for, sucks. The thing is I really like Jane, and as much as that both surprises me and makes me nervous, I can’t deny it anymore. And suddenly, sitting here in a club with these two no longer seems appealing, so I get up to leave.
“Hey Riker, where are you going?”
“I think I’m gonna call it a night fellas,” I say with a smile, tossing a few bills onto the table, “But I had fun. Thanks for the night
