The three friends got out of the cab in front of a club where people already stood in line to get in.
“I can’t believe you talked me into coming here,” Addy said, looking at everyone in line.
“What?” Shea asked, turning back to look at her friend. “It’s not that bad. It has… an atmosphere about it.”
“Yeah, a ‘I’m gonna get killed if I’m not careful’ atmosphere about it,” Addy muttered to Brooklyn, who giggled.
“Besides, the guys said they could get us into this club ahead of the line,” Shea continued, ignoring the other two as she searched the crowd.
Spotting three men standing near the bouncer, she grinned and waved at them, standing on her tiptoes so they could see her better. The guy in the middle spotted her and grinned back. Waving his arm at the other two to follow him, the trio made their way over to the three friends.
Shea rushed over to the guy in the lead and flung herself into his arms, giving him a huge kiss. Brooklyn and Addy looked at each other with wide eyes, and the other two guys behind the couple shifted uncomfortably.
After a few moments, they broke apart. Shea snuggled next to him and faced her friends as he put his arm around her shoulders to hold her close.
“Guys, this is Adam,” she said, smiling at them. “Adam, this is Brooklyn and Addy, my two best friends and roommates.”
Adam lifted his chin at them and said, “Hey.”
Brooklyn and Addy looked at one another, then looked back at Shea and Adam.
“Hey,” Brooklyn said back in the same tone he’d used.
Addy nodded at him with a wary look in her eyes, but remained silent.
They stood near the doorway, staring at each other for an awkward moment, before Brooklyn asked, “Aren’t you going to introduce us to your friends, Adam?”
Adam looked startled, then glanced back at the two standing behind him as if he’d forgotten they were there.
“Oh, yeah,” he said. “This here is Ben, and this is Jeremy.”
Ben, who had longish dark hair and wore a brown suede jacket, waved at them. Jeremy, who had short blonde hair, looked bored and sighed.
“Oh, this is going to be a fun night,” Brooklyn muttered to Addy, who nodded.
The six of them stood around awkwardly again as Adam and Shea snuggled some more, then Jeremy spoke up, asking, “So, are we going to stand in the parking lot all night, or are we going in to the club?”
Adam and Shea jumped as if they’d forgotten where they were. Adam looked back at Jeremy and nodded.
“Yeah, let’s get in so we can get something to drink,” he said. Looking down at Shea, he added, “I’m really thirsty.”
She giggled up at him while Brooklyn and Addy rolled their eyes.
Adam and Shea led the way to the door. He stopped to talk to the bouncer, waving his arm back at the four people behind them. The bouncer looked over Adam’s shoulder at them, looked them over, then nodded, moving out of the way so they could enter the club.
Adam and Shea led them inside.
Shea looked back at her friends and yelled over the pounding music, “Wait until you see this club! It’s so cool!”
They went through a dark hallway until they came to a door. When Adam opened the door, the music, which made it hard to speak, became even louder. Brooklyn flinched at the noise, and Addy grabbed her arm as they walked through the door.
Pounding music blared through the room, shaking the floor.
“I can feel the beat coming up through my boots,” Brooklyn said to Addy, leaning close enough to be heard.
Addy nodded and pointed to her sandals, saying, “Same.”
Shea and Adam led the way around the edge of the large room. They headed toward a group of tables at the back. The tables were standing room only, and there was only one open table. The six of them gathered around it.
Addy looked around in dismay and yelled out, “There’s not much room to put our purses.”
Shea laughed and said, “The table is plenty big enough to hold everything.”
Addy looked down at the small table they’d crowded around and looked doubtful as she put her purse on it.
Another song came on, and a look of excitement came over Shea’s face.
“I love this song!” she told the others. “Let’s dance!”
Adam shook his head and bent to talk into her ear. She looked disappointed but then looked at her friends and smiled.
Holding her hands out to them, she yelled, “Come on, you two! Let’s dance!”
“What about my purse?” Addy asked.
Waving her hand, Shea said, “Don’t worry! Adam and the guys will look after it.”
Brooklyn and Addy looked at Ben and Jeremy, but they watched the people out on the dance floor. Turning to Shea, they nodded, and each took one of her hands.
She led them out onto the dance floor and found a spot open enough for the three of them to dance without bumping into the other people. Raising her arms over her head, she started to dance. She grinned at the other girls, who looked around at everyone else on the dance floor before joining their friend in dancing.
After a few songs, Shea fanned herself with her hand and leaned toward her friends.
“I sure could use a break,” she said. “I’m getting thirsty.”
Brooklyn and Addy nodded and followed Shea back to their table, where she hurried over to Adam and snuggled into his arms. She looked up at him, and he bent down to kiss her.
“Did you miss me?” she asked in a loud voice so he could hear her over the music.
“More than you know,” he said, grinning at her.
Brooklyn and Addy rolled their eyes at one another, then Brooklyn looked at the dark-haired guy who stood next to her. He had his back to her as he leaned against the table and stared out at the dance floor. Tapping him on the shoulder, she waited until he turned his head to look at her.
“Hi,” she said, smiling and leaning close to be heard. “You’re Ben, right?”
He nodded but said nothing.
Her smile dimmed, but she brought it back.
“Did you want to dance?”
He turned to look at her a little more, his gaze traveling from her face to her feet, then back again. She was glad she wore her cute halter top and miniskirt with her boots.
Shaking his head, he said, “I’m not much of a dancer.”
Her smile fading again, she nodded and said, “Oh. Okay.”
He turned back around to stare at the dance floor.
After a moment, she tapped him on the shoulder again.
When he turned around, she asked, “What do you do for a living?”
He chuckled and said, “I’m in the entertainment business.”
When he didn’t add to that statement, she asked, “Like how? Are you an actor? A singer? What?”
He smiled at her in a smarmy way and said, “I look for the, uh, talent in movies.”
She nodded, blinking in confusion.
He turned around and looked her over once again before saying, “You know, you might make it in the movie business. You’ve got the looks for it.”
“Thanks?”
She gave him a half-smile and glanced at Shea, who was too busy with Adam to notice anything around her.
“Would you like a drink?” Ben asked, leaning closer to ask in her ear while putting his hand on her arm.
After sharing an eye roll with Brooklyn, Addy turned to the blonde guy standing next to Adam. He had his phone out and was typing something on it. When he paused, she tapped his arm. “Hey,” she said. “I’m Addy. You’re Jeremy, right?” He didn’t answer, so she leaned in closer and repeated herself in a louder voice. “Hey, I’m Addy. You’re Jeremy, right?” He turned to her with an annoyed look on his face. “Yeah, I’m Jeremy,” he said before turning back to his phone. Addy sighed and rolled her eyes. Then she tapped his arm again. When he turned around to look at her with an annoyed glare, she smiled her sweetest smile at him and asked, “Do you come to this club a lot?” He stared at her for a long moment before shrugging and saying, “I come here now and then with Adam and Ben.” “It doesn’t seem to be your thing tonight, though,” she said. He shook his head, then smiled at her. “I’m sorry about the way I’ve been acting,” he told her, fully turning around to face
When Shea and Addy came out of their rooms the next morning, Brooklyn was already at the table, eating her bagel and drinking her coffee. “Hey, you two!” she called out, looking up from her laptop. “How’d you sleep?” Shea shook her head and headed straight for the coffeepot. Addy yawned and went over to the refrigerator. Pulling out a small carton of cottage cheese, she went to get a spoon and said, “I’ve had better nights. I’m thankful I’ve got the day off today.” Leaning against the counter as she ate, she looked at Shea, who was pouring coffee into the largest mug she had found in their cupboards, and asked, “What about you? How did you sleep last night?” “I didn’t,” Shea said, walking around Addy to get the creamer out of the refrigerator. Addy and Brooklyn frowned at each other. Shutting her laptop, Brooklyn asked, “Did you hear from Adam at all last night? I mean, he must have wondered where we got to.” Shea shook her head again and said, “Nothing. Not a call.
Back in their apartment, Shea finished her breakfast and got up from the table. “I’m going to take a long, hot bubble bath and try to forget last night ever happened,” she said. “I don’t blame you,” Brooklyn said, taking one last sip of her coffee before getting up to put her plate in the sink and refill her cup. Looking back at Shea, she asked, “Is it my turn to do the dishes?” She nodded and said, “I did them last night.” Frowning, Brooklyn asked, “Why do you always get that chore when it’s take-out night?” Shrugging, Shea grinned at her friend and said, “Just lucky, I guess.” “Or you’ve got really good timing, and I’m just now catching on,” Brooklyn said, threatening to throw the dish sponge at her. Shrieking, Shea ducked and ran for her room. Brooklyn laughed as she shook her head and turned the water on to wash the breakfast dishes. Once she had finished, she dried her hands and walked back to her laptop, powering it on as she sat down. She set her elbows
After the cab had dropped them off, Shea walked down the street to head to the boutique for her shopping. Addy and Brooklyn climbed the steps to the door of their apartment building and went inside. “Are you really going to do an article on those guys?” Addy asked as they climbed the stairs to their third-floor apartment. Brooklyn nodded and grinned at her friend. “I’m going to do a little research on them first, of course,” she said. “If they really are in the movie business, like Ben and Jeremy told both of us, I’m sure I won’t have much trouble trying to find out more about them.” “Do you know their last names?” Addy asked. Brooklyn shook her head and said, “But I can start with Adam. Shea told me his last name was Sheringer.” Addy nodded and said, “There shouldn’t be too many Adam Sheringers out there, even though we live in a big city.” Nodding, Brooklyn said, “My thoughts exactly.” They entered their apartment, and Addy headed toward her room. “Good luck wi
After Shea sent Adam a text letting him know they’d made it home safely, she followed it up with another, asking if they’d like to get together again. The friends giggled after she’d sent it, then Brooklyn said, “Okay. We need to make sure our plan is in order before we even think about going anywhere with these scumbags.” Shea and Addy nodded. “First thing, get the guys to agree to another date at the club,” Shea said, holding up her phone. Brooklyn and Addy nod. “Then we will all be equipped with tiny cameras to record everything,” she continued. “We just need to be able to get them on camera while they are putting something in our drinks.” “I think we’ll be able to do that,” Shea said. “I mean, it’s a big club, and if someone has to use the ladies’ room again, I think we’ll be able to sneak up behind them and catch them in the act.” The other two nodded, then Addy asked, “But what if one of them spots us spying on them?” “We can always use the excuse that we were
Addy fanned herself with her purse and leaned closer to Jeremy, saying, “It sure is warm in here. I could go for a drink.” Jeremy’s face lit up, and he grinned at her. “I’d be happy to go get you something from the bar,” he told her, winking at her. “I’d love that,” Addy said, leaning toward him with a smile. “Hey, baby, would you be a love and get me a drink?” Shea asked Adam. “I’m simply parched.” He grinned at her and said, “But, of course, my lady.” With a short bow toward her, he and his friends left the table and headed toward the bar. Instantly, the smiles vanished from the friends’ faces. “Time to put our plan into action,” Brooklyn said. Shea and Addy nodded. They moved away from the table, spreading out as they made their way toward the bar. Just as the three stepped up to the bar, Brooklyn, Shea, and Addy stepped up behind them, holding their phones so they could see the drinks. Adam took a small bottle out of his pocket, grinning at he did. He
Once again, Brooklyn was at the table eating breakfast when Addy came out of her room. “Didn’t you go to bed last night?” she asked, shaking her head as she went to the cupboard to take a bowl from the shelf. “Not much,” Brooklyn told her, taking a sip of her coffee. “I was too pumped up about the article and what happened.” A As Addy brought her breakfast to the table, she asked, “Have you seen Shea yet?” Brooklyn looked at her friend and shook her head. “She hasn’t come out of her room yet, but she usually sleeps in on weekends, so I’m not too surprised she’s not out yet,” Brooklyn said. “Plus, I’m sure she’s upset over what happened last night.” Just then, the door to Shea’s room opened, and she came out, fully dressed. “Hey, girls!” she said as she saw her friends staring at her from the table. “What’s on the agenda for today?” Brooklyn and Addy looked at one another, then back at Shea, before Brooklyn said, “Uh, I’m working on my article today.” “And I’m goi
“Well, you look lower than low,” a voice said, snapping Brooklyn out of her reverie. “Everything okay?” She’d been leaning forward on the counter, propping her chin upon her fist, as she thought about the drama of the last couple of days. Deep in thought as she stared at the wall in front of her, not seeing anything. She didn’t see anyone step in front of her, blocking her gaze until the figure spoke. Straightening, she gave a sheepish grin to the dark-haired woman with pale skin and brown eyes standing in front of her. With her hair pulled back in a ponytail, she wore a pair of denim shorts and a white t-shirt with a gaming logo on it. Multicolored tennis shoes completed her outfit, and she looked at Brooklyn with concern on her face. “Sorry about that,” she told the woman, smoothing down her apron and shaking her head. “I was, I mean, I had, I mean, what can I get for you today?” The woman grinned at her and said, “I’ll take a chamomile tea with honey. I’ve had a rough tim