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Chapter

Twenty-Three

Annalise

Jade and Nicky managed to convince me to go out with them again. I didn’t see the point, personally, but the girls were adamant. Meghan was only too happy to mind Ayden while I went out. She also thought it was time to let my hair down. She wasn’t exactly saying I should get out there and meet someone else—I was still married to her brother after all—but she wanted me to have a bit of fun. And what better way than a girls’ night out?

I decided to wear my LBD—after all, what girls’ wardrobe doesn’t have the old reliable little black dress? I showered and then straightened my hair before I slipped into my dress and sat at my vanity to apply my makeup.

One last look in the mirror and I left my room to pour myself a small glass of wine before the girls arrived. I finished my glass of wine and was about to pour myself another when the doorbell rang.

“Hey,” Nicky said as she kissed my cheek and walked past me into the hallway.

“Hi, babe,” Jade said as she followed.

“Well, don’t you look like sex on a stick?” Nicky said as she took in my appearance.

I laughed and she looked at me, quirking a brow in my direction.

“What? I’d do you. You know…if I was that way inclined,” she said as she helped herself to a glass from the kitchen cupboard and half-filled it with wine.

“Well, thanks for that ringing endorsement!”

“She’s right. You look smoking, babe,” Jade chimed in.

“Thanks.”

I felt a little unnerved by Nicky’s assessment of my outfit. I didn’t want to look that hot. I was just going for reasonable, presentable. I wasn’t after attention, I just wanted to fit in with the girls. They always looked great and I didn’t want to stick out like a sore thumb by dressing dowdy.

“Here, drink this,” Nicky said as she thrust a glass in my direction.

“What is it?” I asked as I took the glass she held out.

“Jack Daniels and cherry Coke,” she replied as she took a sip of her own drink.

I hadn’t even seen her rummaging around to find the JD and Coke. I guess I’d been too busy worrying about what she’d said about my outfit. She handed Jade a bottle of cider out of my fridge and we made our way into the lounge.

“So where are we heading?” I asked as I sipped my drink.

“Well, we thought we’d check out the refurbished cocktail bar in town. We heard they expanded, so the place is bigger and can cater to more of a club vibe now. What do you think?” Jade asked.

“You mean The Orchid Lounge?”

“Yeah. Is that okay?”

I swallowed down memories of what had happened the last time we’d been there. It was ages ago and there was little chance of bumping into him again.

“Sure.”

I knocked back the rest of my drink and called a taxi. Ten minutes later, we were on our way.

We pulled up outside the front of the bar and the first thing I noticed was the name change. The Orchid Lounge was now called Lust. I felt a brief flicker of a sensation run through me as I took in the new name.

Nicky paid the taxi and we lined up in the queue behind the red ropes. As we approached the doorman at the front door, I started pulling the hem of my dress down, still thinking about Nicky’s earlier remark.

“Ladies,” he said as he nodded his head slightly, “Can I see some ID, please?”

We showed him our IDs and he allowed us into the bar. The girls were right, the place had been refurbished. It had been relatively new when we had first been, or so I thought, but the sign over the bar read ‘Under New Management.’ We walked over to the already crowded bar. For only being 8:30 p.m., it was quite busy. The bar staff seemed on the ball though, as it wasn’t long until we were served.

“Shall we see if we can find a space to sit down or head for the dance floor?” Nicky asked. Trust her to always want to dance.

“In these heels? Please girl, I need to sit down. Maybe we can dance when I take the shoes off,” Jade giggled. I guessed she was already a little buzzed from the drinks she had apparently consumed at Nicky’s place, then mine.

After walking around a while, we managed to find a little booth to slip in to. Jade quietly slipped her shoes off and rubbed her heels. I laughed a little and she nudged me in the ribs. We sat and drank our first round before Nicky finally got her way and got us up to dance. The club was getting busier and more people were heading to the dance floor, so I decided it was time for a cigarette. I slipped outside and lit one, inhaling deeply. After stubbing it out, I made my way back to the girls. We danced some more before getting another round and sitting down for a rest. The music in the place wasn’t the best, it seemed that they played pop music, modern stuff that I just don’t get. Music is meant to be about the lyrics, the songs should mean something—at least that’s my two cents—but what do I know?

After drinking and yet more dancing to songs I didn’t like, I made my way out for a cigarette. I walked by the DJ booth to get there and swore my eyes were playing tricks on me. I closed the door behind me and lit up a much needed cigarette.

“It’s really you,” a voice said from behind, making me jump.

I turned to see who had spoken and felt my stomach drop. My eyes had been telling the truth after all. James was the DJ.

“Won’t they miss you inside?” I asked, hoping to get him to go away.

“Nah, I put it on auto-play on my laptop,” he replied as his eyes took me in from head to toe.

“Oh.”

I didn’t know what to say to this guy. I’d been so sure I wouldn’t see him again.

“You look…there are no words. You look amazing.”

“Thank you,” I replied as I felt the blush creep across my cheeks.

“I haven’t seen you since we first met. I assumed you hung out here until I didn’t see you again.”

“Have you been here a lot since then?”

I was curious whether he’d been hanging out in hopes of seeing me again or whether he was just a regular to the place.

“I’m the resident DJ now. New management took over a couple of weeks after you and I met. They gave me a job.”

“Oh, cool. Please don’t tell me you enjoy the stuff you play?”

“That shit? No way! Are you crazy? Chart music isn’t my thing. It’s what I’m paid to play.” He scoffed at me in mock offence and I laughed. He was seriously cute, especially when acting goofy.

“So what do you listen to?” I asked.

I actually found myself wanting to know more about this guy.

“I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.”

“Well, then at least I’ll die knowing that you don’t listen to cheesy crap-tastic music.”

He cracked up laughing at my lame-ass retort.

“Okay, well, they might be before your time, pretty lady, but I really like New Model Army. Also, Elvis Costello, Nine Inch Nails, Green Day, Depeche Mode, Joy Division—slash New Order—The Cure. I could go on all day, but I won’t. How about you? What do you listen to if not the latest chart stuff?”

“Well, the ones we can agree on are Depeche Mode, The Cure, and New Order—but not when they were Joy Division. Green Day are also pretty good, but I can’t stand Nine Inch Nails. Elvis Costello made like one good song—
She
—and New Model Army aren’t my thing. I enjoy listening to The Smiths and Morrissey too. But I like oldies like Duran Duran and cheesy ’80s music when I want to dance.”

“Don’t tell me you like Chesney Hawkes and all that sort of thing?” he asked as his face split into a huge grin.

“Well, maybe. Quit making fun. At least it’s not Miley Cyrus or Britney Spears.”

“I guess there is that. I have to say, I thought you had taste—for like two minutes, until you mentioned that shit.” This time he was bent over laughing at me.

“Well, I have some taste. But I have to confess, if you saw my iPod, you would be in stitches.”

“Out with it!” he said as we both lit another cigarette.

“Well, there’s Taylor Swift…I know, I know…don’t look at me like that…then there’s a real golden oldie, Rick Springfield. I also have some old boyband crap on there like Westlife, Boyzone, and Blue.”

I stopped talking because he was bent double laughing at me. “Well, we all have our guilty pleasures,” he said and winked at me as he ceased laughing.

“Tell me one of yours then, you know, if we
all
have them.”

“Ooh, what shall I confess and what will she have to find out for herself?” He nudged me in the ribs as he stubbed out his smoke.

“Tell me one—just one band that your friends would laugh at you if they knew you had them on your iPod.”

“Thirty Seconds to Mars,” he blurted.

“Well, I happen to like them!”

“I do too, but they are like borderline for me. I’m not into pop music, and I class them as sort of pop. I know they’re meant to be a rock band,” he air quoted around the word rock, “but they aren’t exactly what I call rock. Well, maybe cock-rock like Bon Jovi.”

“Hey!” I exclaimed as I hit him on the arm with my clutch bag.

“What?”

“I actually like Bon Jovi. I’ve seen them a couple of times over the years.”

“Well, we can have our differences. They say opposites attract,” he said as he slipped an arm around me.

“I don’t know about that,” I replied.

I felt butterflies in my stomach as his hand brushed my arm. My skin broke out in goose-bumps at the contact.

“Well, I’d best get back inside, else they’ll wonder why they’re paying me,” James said in a tone that could be thought to be pissed off.

“Oh. Okay.”

I couldn’t think of any way of keeping him talking longer. He had a voice that could make a woman weak at the knees and I loved listening to him.

“Come by the DJ booth if you like. I mean it’s harder to be heard but…” he trailed off as he opened the door back into Lust.

“Sure. Do you play requests? I might have to request something by Bon Jovi.”

“No, I don’t. For that precise reason…nah, only kidding. They pay me to play this crap, but I can do requests. But not Bon Jovi…not even for eyes as beautiful as yours.”

I followed him back into the bar and slipped away to find the girls. I didn’t realise how long I’d been gone until I looked at my watch.

Catching sight of the girls on the dance floor, I went to grab another round at the bar and then joined them for a dance. Talking to James had made me feel like loosening up and having a good time. Who said being single had to suck major ass?

We danced until our feet were sore and then went back to our booth for refreshment.

“You were gone for a long time. Did you smoke a whole pack?” Nicky asked as she poured herself a glass of wine from the bottle on the table.

“No. I just got talking, that’s all.”

I felt my cheeks begin to warm and hoped the girls wouldn’t notice in the lighting of the bar, but Nicky being the bloodhound she is hit the nail on the head.

“Oh my god. He was here, wasn’t he?”

“Who?” Jade asked.

“Him. You know, the one she kissed,” Nicky exclaimed, waving Jade away, desperate for me to spill the beans.

“What happens if I say yes?”

“I’d ask if you kissed him again. And if you got his number this time?”

“Ladies and gentlemen, I was asked if I play requests, so here is one for a certain lady with the most beautiful eyes,” came James’ voice over the microphone.

The opening bars of “A Question of Time” began to play. I thought it was an obscure choice, considering it isn’t one of the band’s most recent songs, but I wasn’t complaining. I did, however, feel my cheeks flame even more, knowing this song was being played for me.

“Is that you…the lady with the beautiful eyes?” Nicky asked, getting all excited. She literally clapped her hands and danced around the table.

“You did kiss him, didn’t you?” she asked accusingly, wagging her finger in my face.

“I did not!”

“Are you blind, stupid, or crazy? He’s totally into you. He’s hot. He has muscles, oh lordy does he have muscles. He’s book cover model gorgeous. Did you at least swap numbers?”

One look at my face gave her all the answer she needed.

“Oh my god! Girl, don’t make me go all high school on you and ask him for you. Exchange numbers. Go for a drink with him some time. It can’t hurt, can it?”

“You do remember I’m married, right?” I asked as I waved my hand in front of her face.

I haven’t been able to bring myself to take my rings off.

“He left you, Anna. He’s been out of contact for months.”

She grabbed my arm and began to pull me towards the DJ booth. I tried to dig my heels in, but the floor was too slippery and I nearly landed on my ass instead. Nicky all but pushed me through the people on the dance floor as the song ended.