Absolute Zero (60 page)

“Hey Andie! When’s the next party?” she could hear next to her as body bounced in unison with the rest of the crowd.

Good question
. It was about that time anyway, she pondered as she turned toward the woman next to her. She had to tilt her head back to look at the other woman’s face. Erica was a good six feet tall, compared to Andie’s five foot seven. She was model thin, pretty and smiling broadly. The last time she saw her, they were in a bathroom in a club a block down from this one, Erica balling her eyes out over some jerk she was dating that dumped her that night for another woman. They sat in the bathroom, a waitress kindly bringing them drinks as they sat on the counter for at least two hours. By the end of their chat, the bathroom was full of women giving advice, yelling out reassuring words in slurred tones, fixing Erica’s makeup and sending her out in the club with a new sense of purpose.

Ten minutes later she was in deep conversation with Pat, a guy Andie went to college with. He was staring at Erica from the moment they walked out of the bathroom, so it hadn’t been too much of a stretch to walk up and introduce the two of them.

“I’m not sure,” she answered the question, her eyes roaming the crowd for Pat. “Soon, though. Check the Facebook page,” she stated as her eyes continued to scan. Hopefully they were still together. “So, ah…how’s it going?”

“Great! We’re still together, if that’s what you want to know,” Erica stated with a smile. “I’m naming my first kid after you,” she announced loudly.

A look of a disgust marred Andie’s features before she smoothed it out. “Yeah, don’t do that,” she replied in a low tone. If Erica knew what her
real
name was, she would definitely rethink that promise.

“Andie!” she could hear Candy’s voice right before her wrist was yanked, causing her to trip before righting herself. Luckily the dance floor was packed so the only person that noticed would be the guy whose back she just head butted.

“Sorry,” she muttered as Candy gave another yank, causing her to stand in the center of their makeshift circle. “Here,” she removed the purse strap from her shoulder and swung it toward Liv before letting the music overtake her.

“Where’s mine?” she heard Ash ask right before a jolt of pure shock swept up her spine and caused her to stop mid-groove.

Shit.

Oh
SHIT
.

She had walked away from the bar, completely forgetting Ash’s purse, intent only on getting away from her hairy bar companion as quickly as possible. She blamed him. If he wouldn’t have grabbed her arm, she would have remembered the purse. It was all his fault. From the panicked look on Ash’s face, she quickly determined that even
that
excuse wouldn’t wash.

“Ahhh…” she croaked out, swallowing but not quite succeeding since her mouth was bone dry and a lump seemed to develop immediately in the back of her throat.

“Oh my gawd. You didn’t. You did
not
leave my purse. Oh my
GAWD
,” Ash breathed out, her eyes were huge in her face.

“I’m sure it’s still there,” Andie supplied in a feeble attempt to placate her friend. She took a step back to turn and run for the bar when her body bounced off something hard and immoveable. Her eyes fastened on the object in question as it was dangled in front of her eyes. Dangling from a single finger as if it weighed nothing.

“Looking for this?” the voice she recognized immediately as the man from the bar asked.

Relief washed throughout her body, relaxing every tightened muscle as the pounding in her brain subsided.

“That’s mine! Thank you! Thank you!” Ash exclaimed, grabbing the purse and hugging it to her chest like a precious newborn. Her smile overtook her features, the dazzling display aimed up at the face Andie knew towered over her somewhere beyond her back.

“See? It’s Ok,” Andie offered up as Ash’s previously brilliant facial display morphed quickly into squinty eyes and pursed lips for her benefit only.

“You’re welcome,” she could hear his voice as he practically breathed into her ear.

“You didn’t take anything, did you?” she asked without thinking.

“Just the credit cards,” she heard before he let out a small laugh at what she hoped was his own joke.

She turned to face him, having to crane her neck even further than she did to speak to Erica. He had to be six three, at least. He was taller than most of the people on the dance floor. He looked slightly ridiculous standing still as bodies bounced and gyrated around him.

“What’s your name?” Andie could hear Ash yell out. His eyes lifted from Andie’s and immediately, it seemed as if a look of uncertainty flitted across them before he finally answered.

“Gene,” he said after an almost awkward hesitation.

“Why don’t you dance with us, Gene?” Ash asked, bouncing around, still cradling her purse.

“I’m trying to quit,” he answered immediately before his eyes fixed back on Andie. They were both still standing motionless in a sea of moving bodies. “Besides, now you
me
a drink,” he stated.

“For what?”

“For saving your ass,” he said quickly.

“How about a sincere ‘thank you’?” she stated, tilting her head to the side as she regarded him. “Thank you, Gene, for doing the right thing. I’m proud of you,” she added with a distinct nod of her head.

“Nah. I’d rather have a drink.”

“Coop!” she could hear yelled loudly. For whatever reason, she watched Gene’s eyes squeeze shut coupled with a shake of his head.

“What are you doing on the dance floor? Gonna bust a move?” A tall, rather decent looking guy asked as his body bobbed up and down to a completely opposite rhythm than the beat of the song. It was almost painful to watch. He was clearly speaking to Gene, she noticed.

“I thought your name was Gene?” she asked, suddenly even more apprehensive than moments before.

“Ahh…last name. I mean, Cooper. Some people call me Coop,” he seemed to stammer before his narrowed eyes fixed on the man standing next to Andie.

“Hi,” the man stated toward her as his head swiveled from Andie back to Coop or Gene…Bigfoot…whatever. He extended his hand out to Andie. “I’m Mike and you are…?”

“Andie, come on!” she could hear Candy’s voice right before she appeared in front of them, her body gyrating in perfect time with the music.

“You know those girls? Sah-weet!” the newcomer exclaimed as he continued to move much to Candy’s horror, at least judging by the grimace on her face.

“You need to stop moving. Like, seriously,” she stated at Mike, her eyes wide as her body stilled.

“Andie!” a male voice boomed causing her attention to waver yet again.
Busy night on the dance floor, geez…

“Hey! You have to move your car. Dean’s bringing a chick to the club. Wants his spot,” Ted stated almost breathlessly as soon as he reached her side.

“Nooo…we just got here. Tell him to park somewhere else,” Candy yelled before her body started moving with the music once again.

“He
owns
the club, dumbass. If he wants to park in front of it, he parks in front of it,” Ted answered back.

“So make one of the
other
cars move,
dumbass
,” she shot back.

“I can’t. Those are his friends. Besides, they have way more money and clout than you broads do. I ain’t pissin’ em’ off,” he stated before his eyes fixed on Andie once again.

“Believe me, I would much rather have a fine piece of American-made history in front of this club than those foreign pieces of penis-enhancing shit, but that’s the deal, babe. Come on, he’ll be here any second,” he stated as he gently grabbed her arm.

“Ok,” she agreed almost relieved to have a bona fide reason to remove herself from Gene, er,
Coop’s
presence. 

“Fine. We’re leaving. This was lame anyway,” Candy huffed out.

Fifty people surrounding her, and the she considered it lame
, Andie mused as she turned to make her exit.

“Hey!” she could hear a male voice behind her, undoubtedly Coop. She didn’t bother to turn, just gave a him a quick flick of her wrist as a goodbye gesture as she continued to weave through the crowd.