“Wouldn’t it be fun to lick —"
“Stop!” I called out before she had a chance to continue, but then I laughed.
“Come on, party pooper. We’ll have so much fun.”
“Yeah, okay, dammit. I’m not driving. Come pick me up.”
I speed-showered and did my hair and it actually energized me. After I finished, I stared at that shot of tequila I’d poured earlier. Tom the cat watched in fascination as I downed it and then hurried to slap some makeup on.
“Sorry, dude, but your mom is hitting the town. She needs some fun because it’s been ages. You’ll be fine and I promise to rub your ears a lot tomorrow.”
Then it was time to decide what to wear. I chose red, a festive party hue, because why not. I put on a red lacy thong with a matching bra and pulled out a short, sexy red dress to show off my toned legs. I’d worked hard for those. Might as well let them be seen. A pair of black stilettos finished off the outfit. I was ready. Who knew? I could meet the man I’d marry. Okay, unlikely, but I could dream.
When the doorbell rang, I let Molly in.
“Oooh, you look awesome,” she cooed.
“You too. Love that purple on you. It looks divine with your blonde hair.” I’d always envied my best friend’s gorgeous hair, not to mention her perfect body. She was tall with legs that never ended.
“And that red is puuurfect on you. Come on.” She grabbed my arm and dragged me out the door to her car.
“Are you sure it’s okay for us to crash?” The party was in an exclusive part of town.
“Remember? My coworker said the host gave us his stamp of approval.”
When we arrived, they had valet parking. We hopped out of Molly’s car and walked up to the mansion. From the looks of the place, a lot of movers and shakers would be here. The place sure reeked of money. The outside and inside were all lit up and inviting. Through the glass windows in front I got a glimpse of a few people standing around. Maybe someday I’d have a home like this, even if it was a pipe dream.
The first thing I noticed was the waiters and waitresses barely wore a thing. They were topless and had on thongs. Interesting. They handed out champagne as we entered.
Molly immediately saw her friend and coworker and introduced us. Joe was pretty hot and, instead of shaking my hand, he pulled me in for a quick peck on the lips, taking me aback.
“Now that was quite an introduction,” I said after he released me.
“I aim to please,” he said with a wink.
This place was wild and crazy, and I began to wonder what kind of party Molly had brought me to. There were exotic dancers and half-naked people everywhere.
“Um, Molly, I feel overdressed.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“Is this a swingers’ party or something?” I whispered.
“I don’t know, but if it is, I’m in.”
I laughed because the Molly I knew wasn’t that daring. I wasn’t either. Yet, as thoughts about my ex-boyfriend borrowing money he promised to pay back but never did crept in, I needed a night of not stressing over anything. I was hip-deep in debt and stuck working for Mr. Douchebag as I struggled to meet my bills every month. It was time to have some shameless fun.
I glanced across the room to see a man leaning against a wall and a huge entourage of women surrounding him. They were walking up to him and kissing him.
“Hey, who is that?” I asked, pointing to him.
“Must be the host. Wanna go kiss and find out?”
“I’ll pass. You go and let me know if he was worth it. I’m going to scope out the place.”
As I did, people were so friendly and some even asked if I wanted to go have some bedroom fun. I laughed it off and said maybe later. I was grateful when I spotted Jeremy. He was smiling at some lucky girl when he noticed me. He left his fangirl in favor of me.
“Chloe, where’s your partner-in-crime?” he asked.
My cheeks heated as his eyes dipped to my lips. “We’re not joined at the hip.”
“I know that. But you guys are usually together. That’s what I meant.”
I pointed to the dude leaning on the wall. “She’s over there.”
“Ah… Smart Molly. Getting to know the owner.”
“Yep. Hey, do you happen to know where I can get a drink?” From everything I’d seen so far, I would need something to loosen me up if I was going to come out of my shell.
“Follow me.”
I did, which wasn’t a hardship considering his magnificent ass. Too bad he was a one-and-done kind of guy. Maybe with a couple of tequila shooters I could give into desire and make a play for him. Unfortunately, the tequila didn’t give me enough liquid courage. I switched to Jack and Coke.