“You think it will help?”
She laughed and glanced back down at her app. “Three minutes away. Yeah, babe. You’ll be a chatterbox as soon as it hits. Whatever is normally holding you back from going up and meeting people will be gone like that.” She snapped her fingers. “So what do you think? If you take it now, it will start to hit just as we get inside the club.”
If Zoey ever found out, she would murder me. A drop of sweat rolled down my back as I contemplated what I should do. I took my phone out and opened the chat with Oliver. My message from earlier today sat unanswered.
If I wanted to change my life, I had to be willing to do drastic things, right? I couldn’t keep living the way I had been living all these years and expect a different result.
I closed my eyes for a breath, then turned to Mimi. “Okay. I’m game.”
She smirked and popped a gum bubble. “Hell yeah. Trust me, you’ll love the shit out of it. Partying on Molly is the best way to do it.”
She extracted a baggy filled with yellowish powder out of her purse. It looked like crushed brown sugar. “Lick your finger and stick it inside.”
“Really?” I asked skeptically. “Seems a bit…unsanitary.”
“It’s a new bag,” she assured me. “You’re the first one to dip. Three pinkies should get you good.”
I followed her instructions, wincing the first time the powder hit my tongue. “Ugh, ew.” It was terribly bitter.
She laughed. “I know, it’s nasty. Two more, hurry up, the car is right around the corner.”
I dipped my finger inside and was sucking off my third pinkie when the car pulled up to us.
We piled into the silver Prius, and Mimi slapped her hand down on my thigh. She squeezed and winked at me before pulling her hand away. “I’m going to do some too as soon as we get in. Mikey hates when I do it without him.”
“The doorman? He’s getting high while working the door?”
“He’s off tonight, but he’ll be there to ask the guy on shift to get us inside. Then he’ll be partying with us.”
I didn’t feel anything strange while we drove, besides a heightening sense of anxiety. Did I really just take drugs? Who was I?
We were driving through downtown LA, past flashing lights and columns of people lining up to get inside the clubs. A homeless woman jumped out in front of our Uber, forcing the driver to grind to a halt while the seatbelt dug a diagonal line across my chest.
“Jesus,” Mimi said under her breath. “What the fuck is she doing?”
Her words bounced around my skull as we pulled to a stop and climbed out onto the curb in front of a large purple neon sign that screamed “Flare” in all caps. There were about thirty people lined up behind a red, velvet rope in various stages of undress, a few of which gave us dark looks as we walked to the front of the line.
The bouncer was a tall and round man who looked me over with an impartial gaze before directing a closed lip smile at Mimi. “Mikey went inside. He was here waiting for twenty minutes.”
“We’re fashionably late,” Mimi said, spitting her gum onto the sidewalk. “This is my friend Ivy. She’s cool.”
The bouncer’s gaze flickered to my face for a microsecond before he lifted the rope and waved us inside. “Have fun.”
The whole thing happened so fast, I didn’t even have time to get nervous about getting inside. Mimi hadn’t been kidding about having a hookup.
We walked down a long dark hallway before emerging onto a balcony overlooking the main area. I swiveled my head around, taking it all in.
The main dance floor unfolded below us, a dozen or so steps down. It was shaped like an oval, bordered on one side by a long bar and an elevated DJ booth on the other. A man with huge headphones was bopping to the beat while he adjusted various toggles on his control board. A good-sized crowd was already dancing to the music.
To the left of me were two steps leading up to a smaller mezzanine dance floor, a bar shining inside of it with fluorescent lights. It was less crowded up there.
Mimi grasped my forearm and tugged. “Let’s get a drink below. First round’s on me.”
I followed her downstairs, telling myself to play it cool. My stomach was starting to feel funny. There was a dull pain spreading in my lower abdomen, and I mentioned it to Mimi when we got to the bar.
“Yeah, that happens. I’ll get you a ginger beer. It will help calm it down. Oh, also, make sure to stay hydrated tonight, okay? It’s important.”
“Uh-huh,” I said, wiping my clammy hands on my jeans. A tingle ran up my upper arms, not particularly unpleasant, but unfamiliar. I chewed on my nail as Mimi ordered our drinks from a bartender. There was a steady stream of people coming from the main entrance and filling up the remaining space around us. Soon, this place would be full, and I couldn’t stay down here then. No matter what promises Mimi had given me about Molly, I doubted it would lessen my anxiety about being closed in on all sides by dancing bodies. As soon as we got our drinks, I needed to go up to where it would be less packed.
“Here you go,” she said, handing me a cold bottle. “Cheers to a fun night!”
“Cheers,” I said, smiling at her. “And thanks for getting me in and the other…stuff.”
“Don’t worry about it! I’m happy I can help. Okay, I need to find Mikey. He texted me he’s going to be waiting for us in front of the DJ booth,” she said, turning toward the mass of people.
I reached out for her shoulder. “Wait. I can’t go in there. I get claustrophobic. I was actually thinking about heading upstairs.”
She bit on her lip. “How about I get Mikey, and we meet you up there in a few?”
What would I do if the drugs hit me when I was alone? Could I handle it without Mimi there by my side?
“That okay, babe? We’ll see you in like five minutes. I just gotta go get him, because he’s probably already pissed I was late. He can be such a bore sometimes.”
Uncomfortable but worried that Mimi would think I was a total coward, I nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you there.”
She grinned at me and rushed away.
I made my way upstairs and settled on a high stool by one of the far walls where there were only a handful of other people lingering around. Maybe once the drugs hit, I’d be able to chat up some cute guy up here.
I was there for about five minutes when the tingle happened again, and then something jerked hard inside my gut, forcing me up to my feet. Rushing to the bathroom, I locked myself inside an empty stall and sucked in a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. Was this really normal? Was I going to be okay, or was this a huge mistake?
When I finally emerged from the stall, the dim light over the sinks seemed brighter than before, and in the mirror, I saw that my eyes had turned black.
Whoa.
I leaned in to examine the phenomenon. My dilated pupils were so large that the irises had become thin brown slivers. Freaky.
My fingers tapped on the edge of the sink to the beat of the song coming from outside. The music vibrated under my skin, the baseline reverberating through my very core, as if it had reached into my insides and started to pull on everything with tiny hooks. I had a strong urge to dance.
Stepping out of the bathroom, I sucked in a harsh breath. Here, the pull of the music was even more powerful, and I began to sway on my feet before even reaching the small dance floor.
A sense of pure happiness enveloped me. I wanted to smile at all the people dancing around me, and I leaned into the urge, not able to come up with a reason why I shouldn’t. A few of the dancers smiled back, the gesture striking me as delightfully friendly and inclusive. Is this how people always acted in clubs? Why had I been missing out on this?
I danced to a few songs, moving confidently to the beat. I’d never been a confident dancer, but now my limbs felt especially light. Dancing was the most natural thing in the world. It felt easy.
My throat was dry. Water. Mimi said I needed to drink a lot of water.
I bought a bottle a
t the bar and chugged about half of it before going right back to dancing. All I wanted was to dance. I wished Mimi were here with me.
Where was Mimi?
She hadn’t come to find me. How long had it been? Time had taken on a distorted quality. I moved to the edge of the floor to look down over the balcony, scanning the bopping heads for a sign of her pink head, but my gaze wouldn’t focus. The bright shine of the lasers and strobe lights made it impossible to recognize the faces of the people below.
I took another sip of water and pulled out my phone. I’d already texted Mimi once in the bathroom, but my phone hadn’t vibrated with a response. Even though I was definitely high now, some rational part of my brain was still working, and I knew I shouldn’t be here alone.
Who could I ask to keep me company? Zoey was an obvious no.
Jack. I should text Jack.
He’d come here and find me. Sure, we’d had a fight, but he still cared about me.
When the screen turned on, I nearly dropped my phone. The light coming out of it was blinding, and when I blinked and squinted at the screen, the icons moved, jittering up and down.
I turned down the brightness as low as it would go and scrolled for Jack in my contacts. After what felt like forever, I finally found him.
“Hi! Can you come meet me? I lost my friend and I’ve taken something. ;)”
I pressed send and tucked the phone away. The music sounded so goddamn good. The dance floor called me, but I thought I should stay here where Jack could easily find me when he came.
The phone vibrated in my pocket. I squinted at the screen.
“Where are you?”
I giggled to myself. How did I forget to text him my location?
“I’m at Flare. Second floor, near the railing.”
I blinked again, and when I opened my eyes just a sliver, the words of my messages came into focus for a short moment. They were nearly illegible. The winky face I had tried to send looked like it was in pain.
Shit. Sudden panic gripped me, then it was gone. The music was perfect. God, I wanted to dance.
My phone was still in my hand. Wasn’t I going to do something with it?
It vibrated again.
“Where?”
Oh, right. My location. I clicked on the icon to share my GPS pin and sent it to Jack.
“I’ll be there in fifteen. Stay where you are.”
I glanced back down at the dance floor and the colorful lights blinking behind the DJ booth. How did they keep such perfect rhythm with the beat of the song? This was the best club I’d ever been to. I wished Mimi hadn’t disappeared, but I wasn’t upset at her. How could I be upset about anything when I felt this good?
I danced and danced and danced until I felt a hand on my shoulder.
When I turned around, my vision blurred, and I couldn’t tell who I was looking at. Blink. Blink again. A face came into focus.
It was Jamie.
My lips parted. His hair was slicked back, the beard was gone. He wore a gray T-shirt that molded to his body. I swallowed. This was unexpected.
“Hi?” I asked, not quite confident with what my eyes were telling me. “Jamie? What are you doing here?”
He gave me a once-over, his forehead wrinkling in concern. “You messaged me,” he said, leaning in closer so that I’d hear him. “I came as soon as I could.”
This was confusing. “No, I didn’t. I messaged Jack.” I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my messages. Dear God, when did they start making the screens so bright?
“How else would I know where to find you?” he asked.
Giving up on the phone situation, I looked at him. “You came looking for me?”
You don’t like Jamie, a voice sounded in my head. Remember what he did to you and Oliver?
I did remember, but right now, I was in an exceptionally forgiving mood. There appeared to be no point in holding on to old grudges. Life was far too short for that. Everyone made mistakes, and Jamie wasn’t any different. More importantly, he was a familiar face, and seeing him here made me happy.
He nodded. “I wasn’t sure if you were in some kind of trouble.”
“Trouble?” I laughed. “I’m having the best time of my life. I just wanted someone to be with me since my friend disappeared. We can hang out. The music is amazing here tonight.”
The frown on his face didn’t budge. “You came here with someone, and they left you?”
My skin was vibrating with dull pleasure that pulsed in time to the music. I closed my eyes and dropped my head back, focusing on the sensation.
“Ivy.” I felt his fingers wrap around my wrists. “What did you take?”
“Molly,” I said, a smile dragging across my lips. “It’s amazing.”
Jamie’s hands moved to my elbows. “Let’s get you some more water.”
I met his gray gaze. He towered over me, and from this insignificant distance, I felt the full force of his new physique. If this man had kissed me that night on tour, I doubted I’d have even thought about pushing him away.
He led me to the bar. As soon as Jamie handed me a bottle, I took a sip and moaned. “Even water tastes amazing.”
Finally, the tension in his face eased by a fraction of an inch. “That’s about the only thing that will taste good to you right now. Do you have any gum?”
I shook my head.
“Okay, well, just be careful with your jaw, okay?” He brought his fingers to my face and rubbed a few light circles over both jaw joints. “Try to fight the urge to grind your teeth or clench, otherwise you’ll feel it tomorrow.”
“I will,” I said and lowered my eyelids. “Whatever you’re doing right now feels really good.”
He dropped his hands so fast he may as well have been burned.
Now it was my turn to frown. “Why did you stop?”
“Do you want me to take you home?” he asked, ignoring my question. He opened his own water and took a sip.
“Of course not,” I said, shaking my head. “I want to dance.” We’d been standing here for too long, and I needed to dance off the pulsating beat I still felt beneath my skin.
Jamie finished his water. “Are you sure?” He sounded hesitant, and maybe a little nervous.
“Yeah, c’mon.” I smiled and clasped his hand. His gaze dropped to where I held him before a beat passed and it was back on my face. He nodded.
The dance floor below was undulating like an enormous organism, yet the thought of being down there didn’t send me into my usual panic. Mimi wasn’t lying when she said Molly would fix all my problems. I wanted to be down there. This was my opportunity to experience what I’d been missing out on all my life. I tugged on Jamie’s hand, and we headed down the steps, but when we were right on the edge of the crowd, he stopped me and leaned in close. “Why don’t we go somewhere less crowded?”
The hairs on the back of my neck rose. That voice mixed with his breath tickling my skin made me want to peel his clothes off.
Whoa.
I looked back at him, and wished I hadn’t. He looked so goddamn good in the dim light of the club that all the women in our vicinity were staring at him with their tongues hanging out.
What if you lost it to him?
The thought didn’t sound nearly as crazy as it should have. I was high. I was horny. I had a really hot, really experienced ex-rock-star chaperone that had come to my rescue for no discernible reason.
He narrowed his eyes as he probably realized I was hardcore checking him out.
I cleared my throat. “I want to be dancing with everyone.”
“Let’s at least go to the side. We’ll have more room there.”
It computed in my drug-addled mind that a guy his size needed a lot more space than I did.
I nodded, and he squeezed my hand tighter as he carved a path through the dancing crowd.
When he found a spot that suited him, he let go and turned to face me.
I grinned at him and began to sway my hips. Immediately,
I felt like I was one with the song. The world was no more than this moment, and this moment was perfect.
After some time, I realized Jamie wasn’t dancing with me. Twisting my head, I saw him leaning against the wall and watching me with a pensive expression.
“What are you doing over there?” I asked with a laugh. “Come dance with me.”
He shook his head.
“You don’t like to dance?”
“I do, but I don’t feel like it now.”
I stepped closer to him and put my hands on his chest. “How? I couldn’t stand still if I tried.”
Jamie’s chest rose beneath my hands as he sucked in a breath. “Yeah, MDMA will do that to you.”
“Please,” I asked, looking at him from under my lashes. “I want you to dance with me.”
He ran his teeth over his bottom lip as he looked down at me, his eyes swimming with something I couldn’t decipher.
I twisted my hands into his shirt. “You’re not going to make me beg, are you?”
His big hands covered mine and pressed them to his chest. “Fine. Just for a bit.”
My grin was triumphant, but it wavered when Jamie lifted my hands off him. He seemed determined to keep some space between us as we began to dance.
He was a great dancer. I didn’t know what to focus on. The handsome face that was finally starting to relax, the curves and valleys of his body as he moved, or the wild shuffling he was doing with his feet.
“Seriously, what the hell is going on down there?” I laughed, pointing at his feet after he pulled off a shuffle that I couldn’t hope to ever replicate.
He grinned and did a little fake bow. It was so endearing that it set off a flock of butterflies in my gut. I was having a lot of fun with him.
We danced for what may have been minutes or hours. When a loud gaggle of girls tried to push past me, Jamie pulled me into him to make room. My palms pressed against his chest, and this time, I noticed how hard his body felt. Really noticed. He was all muscle and strength, and when my memory flashed with the image of him swaying on that staircase, I couldn’t help but admire how far he’d come.
I tilted my head back to look at his face. “You’re huge.”
He moved his gaze down to me, his brows furrowing. “Sorry?”
Pretty Words: An Enemies To Lovers Rock Star Romance (River Valley Rebels) Page 15