I’m basically forking over money to get laid.Kristen swallowed a disbelieving laugh.
“We have a band in an hour.”
“I’m sure they’re great.” Tori gave the bouncer a smile that usually made men stutter and blush. She touched his bicep. “We’re just here for a couple of beers and might not even be around by the time the band goes on. You sure we can’t just skip—”
“It just went up to fifteen apiece.” The bouncer folded his arms across his chest.
“You can’t do that,” Kristen blurted before glancing at Tori. “He can’t do that. Can he?”
Tori ignored her and slapped a ten and a twenty on the counter, grabbed Kristen’s hand, and whisked her past the bouncer stand.
“Trust me, this is your place,” she whispered. “Five minutes in here, and you’ll have, like, ten guys begging to go home with you.”
A prickle of nerves slid through her, and she looked around the bar. Sure enough, it was packed with guys. Some a little sketchier looking than others, but still.
Picking up a guy here suddenly felt far more intimidating and colder than meeting a guy at a party. She thought back to last night and how excited and certain she’d been when she’d zoned in on Blake. That same rush was notably absent.
“Let’s go to the bar.” Tori led her to the bar and sat down on one of the stools.
Being a good eight inches shorter than her friend, Kristen struggled to get onto the stool. She had to grip the wood bar and practically fling herself up.
Damn short-people problems. Tori was all legs and didn’t know how good she had it.
The minute Kristen made herself comfortable in her seat, she felt it. All the eyes that were honing in on them.
“They’re watching us,” Tori murmured under her breath. “Only a matter of time.”
“Before what?”
“Can we buy you ladies a drink?”
At the low male voice, they both turned to find two men standing behind them. The pair looked to be in their mid-twenties. They wore T-shirts and jeans and unzipped hoodies.
Seattle techies. Kristen would bet a beer on it.
“That’d be great—thanks.” Tori pulled out that smile again, and this time it worked. The two men practically fell into the stools next to her.
The hotter guy—if they could be classified as hot—took up residence next to Tori, while the shorter one took the empty seat next to Kristen.
“I’m Lee. What are you drinking?”
“I’m Kristen. Vodka cranberry would be great.”
“We don’t have cranberry juice,” the bartender quipped from nearby.
“Oh, bummer.” Lee gave her an apologetic look. “How about a vodka and Coke?”
Because they were totally the same thing, right?
She gave a small smile. “Sure.”
“And I’ll have a PBR.”
Of course he would. Her lips twitched.
“You from around here?” he asked.
She didn’t want lots of details this time. She wanted sex. Plain and simple.