Oh well, tonight was not the night. I went to the shower and got ready to go to dinner.
18
Artemis
The doorbell rang as I applied the last of my lipstick in the mirror upstairs. I glanced at my phone. She was right on time. I finished up and made sure that the look was just right. I didn’t go to clubs often, but at least once a month, Eddy and Brenna were off of mummy-duty and we had a girls night. They never got as wild or crazy as they could be because Brenna was still breast-feeding, but I always had fun with the girls no matter what we were doing. Besides, half of the fun was getting dressed up anyway.
I was in pink bodycon, sleeveless, and figure-hugging down to my knees. It was out of the ordinary for me, but a club was literally the only acceptable setting to wear it. I grabbed my handbag and headed downstairs to let Maggie in. She was joining us tonight. I never thought when Brenna introduced us that we would end up being friends at all. I never imagined spending more time with a colleague than what was necessary during work. She was great fun, and wonderful to talk to as well. The fact that she was Brenna’s friend to begin with also helped.
I got to the door and let her in.
“Sorry, I was just finishing my makeup.” Maggie walked in, looking great. She was in an A-line skirt and a cute, tight crop top under a nice jacket.
“Don’t worry about it, you look great. Shall we go?” She asked. We still had to pick Brenna and Eddie up before we could get to the club. We headed out after a last-minute check and got a cab to head to Eddy and Brenna’s houses. They were ready to go when we got to the door. Their shared nanny, Prue, had taken the children and had them under control. For tonight, they didn’t have to worry about tantrums or dirty diapers.
I tried to imagine living like that, trying to balance being a mother with still being a human being who had other desires and needs. It was no use wondering when I would be ready to make that kind of sacrifice because I had only just started trying to balance work and a social life. The four of us women were all similar ages, but at such vastly different places in our lives. We piled into the cab ready to go to the club. It was a very popular spot and Niall, Eddy’s husband was considering buying it.
“I can’t believe Maggie is here,” Brenna said from the backseat. Maggie was sitting in the front seat next to the driver.
“Why is that?” I asked.
“Well, the woman claims to be an introvert, I don’t know how you managed to convince her out of her cave.” Everyone laughed.
“I’m an introvert, not a shut-in, I can go out for cocktail from time to time,” Maggie said.
“If that was true, why don’t you do it more often?” Brenna challenged.
“Well, look who I have as company,” she joked. We all laughed. Her sense of humor was growing on me. I could definitely see why she and Brenna were friends. It took about ten minutes to get to the club. Pulling up on the side of the road, I noticed the long queue to get in.
“Oh no,” Maggie said as we hopped out of the cab.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll get us in,” Eddy said. We huddled up in a group and followed her past the queue, right up to the bouncer. I heard the complaints from other patrons. I’d be upset too but to be honest, I had never really had to queue to get into clubs. The gargantuan man in dark glasses surveyed us.
“Yes, hello, we are here for Niall Bridges,” Eddy said. The guy sneered.
“And who are you?” He asked.
“I’m Mrs. Bridges,” Eddy said with a smirk. The man’s demeanor changed immediately, and he stood aside ushering us in.
“Wow, I wish I had enough money to pull stuff like that,” Maggie said as we made our way into the club. It was packed. People were everywhere, dancing, drinking, having a good time.
“Stick with us and you’ll be okay,” I said to her, bumping her with my hip.
“Mrs. Bridges?” I heard behind us. We stopped. There was another man in dark glasses following us. “This way ladies,” he said. He herded us to the VIP section, lifting a velvet rope for us
. A bottle girl appeared to take our order for drinks. All of the VIP spots were taken which made me think someone had lost their spot in order for us to get it. I was taking in the VIP arrangement, sofas, and chairs separated by velvet ropes when I noticed our neighbors. A group of three men and zero women, which was uncommon. The man on the sofa closest to our section was sitting with his body turned away from me, talking to his friends. I wasn’t on the prowl or anything, but there was nothing wrong with just looking. He seemed like he was on the younger side, pretty well dressed actually. I examined his outfit. Blue jeans, and a casual button-down shirt.
“Easton?” I said out loud, the realization hitting me after I had said it.
“Who?” Maggie asked, sitting next to me. Easton, the client that I had told her I had slept with. There were two other men with him, Toby and someone else that I didn’t recognize. He had said that he was entertaining a client tonight so that must have been who it was. He must have heard me saying his name because he looked over. I waved and he smiled, getting up. He walked over and stepped over the rope coming to our section.
“Fancy seeing you here,” I said.
“I told you I was going to a club tonight,” he said.
“Nice to see the outfit in person.” He looked great. I wasn’t sure whether I was happier seeing him or the outfit. I blushed a little remembering our conversation earlier over video chat. I didn’t think I was going to be seeing him right after. I was just playing with him anyway. I didn’t think he’d actually show me anything. I wanted him to but predictably, he tried to get something out of it too. Couldn’t blame him though, I was incredibly beautiful. I cleared my throat when the pause went too long.
“Do you want to meet my friends?” I asked.