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 her. “I had a rough day at work, so I wasn’t in the mood to come out tonight.”
He glanced at Adam making out with Shea, then looked back at Addy.
“He convinced me to come, saying Shea had two pretty roommates that would be here tonight,” Jeremy continued. “I hoped it would take my mind off of work.”
“What do you do for work?” Addy asked.
He glanced toward Ben, who was deep in conversation with Brooklyn, and said, “I work with Ben and Adam.”
“Doing what?”
He glanced down before asking, “We work in the entertainment business.”
Addy nodded with a doubtful look on her face.
Then he looked her over, from her face to her feet and back again. She felt self-conscious of her strapless top and miniskirt and shifted so that the table covered more of her lower body.
“You know, you could be in the movies,” he told her.
She nodded, then said, “Thanks, but it’s not my thing. I’m more into fashion.”
Looking her over again, he said, “Such a shame. I think you’d make it big.”
She smiled at him, shaking her head.
He leaned in closer and asked, “Would you like a drink? You look thirsty.”
Before Addy could answer, Adam leaned in and said, “That’s a great idea. I know I could use a drink. How about you, Shea?”
Shea nodded and fanned herself again.
“A nice cool drink sounds good about now,” she said.
“How about you let us guys go get you ladies something to drink?” Adam said, looking around the table.
Brooklyn and Addy looked at each other before nodding.
“We’ll be right back then,” he said. Turning to Shea, he added, “Don’t miss me too much.”
She smiled at him and said, “I can’t promise that.”
Brooklyn and Addy rolled their eyes at each other once more.
The three guys left the table to head to the bar, weaving in and out of the people. The three friends watched them go. Then Shea turned back to Brooklyn and Addy.
“Are you two having a good time?” she asked. “Isn’t Adam the best? How are his friends?”
“If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to the ladies’ room,” Brooklyn said. “Nature calls.”
She made her way toward the toilets, passing the bar along the way. She saw the three guys huddled together as they waited for their turns to order the drinks.
On the way back from the toilets, Brooklyn saw the bartender put their drinks in front of the guys and walk away. She was making her way toward them to help carry them when she saw each guy reach into his pocket and pull out a small container. She watched in horror as they dumped the contents into one glass in front of them, leaving the other untouched.
After witnessing the guys putting something into their drinks, Brooklyn turned away before they could see her and hurried back to the table.
“Yay! Brooklyn’s back!” Shea said, throwing up her arms and grinning at her friend as she neared the table.
“What’s wrong, Brooklyn?” Addy asked, seeing the worried look on her friend’s face.
Brooklyn reached out and grabbed both of her friends by the arms to pull them close to her.
“Whatever you do, don’t drink the drinks the guys are bringing us,” she told them in a low voice.
“What?” Shea asked, pulling her arm away.
“Don’t drink the drinks!” Brooklyn said. “Switch your drink with the guys’ drinks, but drink nothing! I saw them put something in one drink, but not the other.”
The smile fell off of Shea’s face, and she asked, “What? Are you sure?”
Brooklyn nodded and said, “I was going to help carry the drinks back to the table when I saw the guys put something in them.”
Shea and Addy looked troubled, but before they could say anything more, Brooklyn nudged them and said, “Here they come now. Act natural!”
She pasted a smile on her face as Ben walked up to her and handed her a drink.
“Thanks,” she said and put it on the table.
Ben frowned but said nothing. He took a sip of his drink as he glanced out at the dance floor, then set the glass down.
Jeremy handed a drink to Addy, who smiled as she took it. She also put it on the table without taking a drink. Jeremy took a sip but held on to his glass.
Adam gave Shea her drink, then held his up to her. She took it from him and clinked his before putting the glass up to her lips.
Looking over his shoulder, she gasped and asked, “Isn’t that Vince Sherman?!”
Adam, Jeremy, and Ben all turned to look. Jeremy set his glass down as he craned his neck to look.
“Where?” Adam asked, looking back at Shea. “I don’t see him.”
“There,” Shea said, pointing into the crowd. “Right beside the girl with the bright pink hair.”
He, Ben, and Jeremy moved away from the table to get a better look. Shea gave Brooklyn and Addy a look before switching her drink with Adam’s. Brooklyn and Addy did the same.
Adam looked back at Shea and said, “I don’t see him. Are you sure he was there?”
Shea looked in the direction she’d pointed and frowned.
“I swore he was there a second ago,” she told the guys. “Sorry about that.”
Ben and Jeremy moved back to their places and picked up their drinks.
“I thought you girls were thirsty?” Adam asked, taking another sip of his.
“Actually, we’ve got to use the ladies’ room,” Shea said, picking up her purse and looking at Brooklyn and Addy.
The two women nodded and picked up their purses as well, following their friend as she walked away from the table.
Instead of going into the toilets, Shea kept walking until they were outside the club. Then, without saying a word to the other two, she flagged down a cab.
“Come on,” she told them as the cab pulled up to the curb. “We’re going home.”
The ride back to their apartment was silent as each friend thought about the events of the evening.
No one spoke until they got back to the apartment and shut the door behind them.
“I’m sorry, guys,” Shea said as she angrily kicked off her shoes. “I never thought Adam or his friends were the types that would drug a girl’s drink.”
Brooklyn reached out to hug her friend, saying, “You couldn’t know. I’m just thankful I saw it before any of us took a drink.”
Addy joined in the group hug and said, “Yeah, who knows what they would have done to us if we’d drank them.”
Shea nodded and said, “I’m thankful we made it out of there with nothing bad happening.”
“Not to us, at least,” Brooklyn said, giggling. “I can’t say anything about those guys, though.”
The three friends giggled as they hugged before heading into their own rooms for the night.
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
Addy was already in the kitchen when Brooklyn walked out of her room. “What are you doing up so early?” Brooklyn asked, stopping in place when she saw her roommate. Addy turned around so fast her elbow hit the cereal box next to her. She knocked it over, scattering the contents over the floor. “Oh, man! Look what I did!” she said, getting on her hands and knees to clean up the mess. Brooklyn hurried forward, getting down on the floor to help her. “You must be nervous,” she said, sweeping the pieces of cereal toward her in a pile. “You aren’t this clumsy unless you are.” Sighing, Addy stopped cleaning up the spill and sat back on her heels. “You’re right,” she admitted. “I am nervous. This job could be my big break, you know? What if I mess it up?” Brooklyn sat back as well, leaving the cereal on the floor. Reaching out to put her hand on Addy’s, she said, “You won’t. I know you, and I’ve seen your work. You’re going to do fine. I have a good feeling about this,