I roll my eyes. “Of course, I don’t think that. You know me, but I’m not exactly dressed for a bonfire.” I wave my hands down my body to bring her attention to the fitted black sleeveless dress I’m wearing that barely grazes my mid-thigh. “And these aren’t exactly outdoor shoes.” I lift my foot to show her the heel on my nude four-inch pumps.
“You look fantastic. You always do.”
I put my foot down. “I look ridiculous.”
“You want me to ask our driver to turn around and take us back to your house so you can change? I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”
I manage to smile at my friend. She’s right. We’ve always talked about going to one of these parties, but Jared smashed the idea down the one time I’d brought it up saying how dangerous it would be. Man, he really was fucking boring. A realization hits me.
“Shit, Yuli, am I…boring?”
“Drunk and boring, but yeah, boring nonetheless.”
I gasp.
Yuli grabs my arm. “Don’t worry. It hasn’t spread yet; there’s still time for a cure…but only if you’re willing to walk on the wild side with me tonight.”
“Cure me, Yuli.”
“Yes! That’s my girl!” She hugs me, then looks up with her arms still around my shoulders. “Do you want to go change first? Personally, I’d go wearing what you have on because one thing that dress isn’t is boring.”
“You’re the nurse,” I say. “The dress it is.”
“You are going to have fun tonight Lenny,” she lowers her voice to evil-movie-villain level. “Even if I have to kill you.”
“I thought the expression was ‘even if it kills you?’”
“Not tonight it’s not.” She shrugs off her light jean jacket, “Here. This might make the look a little more casual.”
I take it and shrug it on.
“Perfection, my dahlin’,” Yuli purrs. She looks at me for a minute then scrunches her nose.
“What?” I ask. “Do I have something on my face?”
A wide grin takes up her entire face. “No, I just realized something. You’ve only ever dated Jared. So, you’ve never broken up with anyone before, which means you’ve never discovered the best part of a breakup.”
“And?” I ask, waving my hand for her to continue. “That is?”
The Uber turns onto a dirt road while Yuli starts dancing, grinding her hips to the music coming from somewhere beyond the trees. “The best part of a breakup, my dear Lenny, is finding someone new to fuck.”
The Uber driver stops in front of what looks like the woods. “We’re here,” he says. “Have a good night, ladies.”
“Here?” I ask, peering out the window at nothing. “Where is here?”
“Thank you!” Yuli shouts, hopping out of the car.
“Fuck, even my thoughts are boring,” I mutter to myself, climbing out of the car.
“What’s that, miss?” The driver calls out.
“I said have a good night, sir,” I reply before shutting the door.
I join Yuli who bounces on her sneakers with excitement while I navigate the soft earth in my ridiculous shoes and try not to fall.
“Through here.” Yuli heads to a break in the bushes, revealing a small pathway between. I’ve been all over Logan’s Beach while running Leary Real Estate, but very rarely on this side of the causeway. I don’t even think I’ve ever been on this road before.
“You sure about this?” I ask as we continue deeper into the wooded area.
Yuli gives me a you’re killing my vibe look.
I take a deep breath and fluff my hair. “I’m sorry. I won’t do it again. Let’s do this.” I pull the strap out from inside of my purse and sling it over my shoulder.
The path leads us through some more trees into a large open field beside a farm of some sort with knee high green plants in dozens of neat rows.
Despite all my reservations, I find my heart thumping in my chest with excitement. Yuli is right. Doing something completely out of my element is exactly what I need tonight.
The open area beside the farm is filled with people. Overhead, white lights hang from wires zigzagging from large metal poles in the corner. A fire pit in the center rages with a fire at least ten feet tall. There are a ton of bikers, mostly members of The Lawless MC, but there are more than just bikers here. Some men don’t have cuts. Some don’t even have shirts. There are women everywhere, and couples all over, laughing or grinding on one another on top of the back deck, lawn chairs, the grass…every available surface space.
“How exactly did you know about this party?” I whisper to Yuli who looks like she just walked through the gates of heaven, staring out over the yard in complete awe and wonderment.
“I invited her,” a voice answers.
We both turn to find a woman in her mid to early twenties with long icy blonde hair and matching bright eyes smiling at us.