Diamonds Are Not Forever

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER ONE
Juliette

On The Rox, the hottest club in the city, was coated in ultra violet light. Roaring its familiar roar to me, the dance floor full of simultaneously moving bodies to a quick tempo rhythm some local DJ was spinning. Carol already had a man with his hands all over her as she bopped around, every so often grabbing on to a broad shoulder or a petite arm for support in her drunken state. Ashley, my boss and best friend, just had her eyes closed whilst acting out every song lyric like some sort of modern mime artist, unaware of anyone or anything around her. It was quite brilliant to watch, myself in the middle just flicking my hips in every direction in an attempt to be sexy. Whatever sexy was, I was trying to look it.
Raspberry Mojito in hand, I saluted Carol with my glass as we caught eyes and she winked at me – proud she had pulled a guy so early in the night. Ashley eventually opened her eyes and leaned in close to shout something in my ear over the thudding music.
"He's fucking ugly!" Ashley gestured to the old guy grinding on Carol.
I turned to her and nodded as we exchanged a laugh, "She's got her beer goggles on, she can't be stopped now."
Still moving to the music, we both turned back to the subjects in question, the two of them on each other like a pair of teenagers hooking up in a park at night. "It's like watching something from animal planet." I scrunched up my face in mock distaste.
Ashley spluttered and elbowed me in the ribs playfully, a bit of her drink sloshing over the edge of her glass and landing on the already sticky dancefloor.
The guy she was dancing with, a middle aged balding man with a mustard coloured button down shirt and camel coloured chinos, whispered something in Carol's ear then held up one finger to indicate 'one minute' before turning from us and shuffling through the crowd towards the bar.
"Oh my god." Carol mouthed at us both as he got out of earshot, waving her hands in time to the music as we swayed towards her, closing in the gap her dance partner had left on the dance floor. "He's gone to get us shots, I can't believe I've already pulled!"
Ashley, thumbing at her engagement ring until it became loose around her finger, freed it from her hand and placed it on the opposite one, "Well I'm not gunna get any free drinks like Carol if I'm wearing this bloody thing!"
"I don't think a fiancé would stop anyone taking a shot at you Ash." Carol's words had a hint of envy in them.
I spotted the old guy pushing his way to the front of the bar in the distance, trying to flag down a barman like he was James Bond, his shirt looked even more hideous in the ever-shifting light of the club. "You really know how to pick them Carol." I muttered.
She ignored my jibe and began to rummage in her clutch bag for something, "I need my phone, I'm gunna get his number when he gets back."
I loved Carol, she was 20 years older than me, single and always ready to mingle. Even if that meant mingling with the worst looking guy in the club, just so she could feel validated. We had barely anything in common, but we saw each other 5 days a week at work. Work friends were a novelty like that, cause even though we didn't always agree, we still felt like we were a family.
After a few more misjudged dance moves, Ashley spotted a free space at one of the tables on the edge of the dance floor and guided us towards it before anyone else got the opportunity to take it from her.
"So, what's the Knight in Shining Chinos called then?" I hollered over the music, throwing my purse at the table and hopping on one of the available stools. Trying to stop my dress from riding up to my chin, I struggled to slide fully on to the high seat with any grace. Being short had its disadvantages.
"He's called Kevin, he's from North Leeds, do you know where that is?"
Ashley managed to get herself a seat by batting her long eyelashes at a tall young guy sat down on the opposite table, he offered it up willingly as she flicked her blonde hair at him. That was Ashley's superpower, bewitching guys. She paid him no mind as she dragged the newly acquired stool next to mine. "What I miss?" She asked me, the guy who's seat she just took still gaping at her.
"Lover boy is called Kevin, Carol wants to know where North Leeds is." I fill her in, giving the poor guy a look that said, 'better luck next time'.
Taking a sip of her cocktail, she beckoned Carol to move closer in so she can hear her better. Carol complied and shuffled in, her large cleavage pooling out of her low cut black dress and resting on the table top.
"You know Leeds right?" Ashley laughed, "Well think North of it."
"Alright you sarcastic bitch," Carol looked over her shoulder in the direction of the bar, "Shit he's coming back, how do I look?" She faffed with her hair, a poker straight black bob that didn't seem to move an inch with the amount of hairspray she had used on it. I couldn't resist following Ashley's lead in winding her up, "Same as when he left Caz!"
She gave us both a bittersweet, red lipped smile as Kevin plonked a tray down in front of us all, 4 clear shots lined up on it perfectly.
"Right ladies, drink up!"
The logical and less intoxicated side of me questioned a strange man in a shit yellow shirt giving three women free drinks that they haven't attended once, yet I still picked my glass up with the others.
"To a good night." I toasted before we all threw the burning liquid down our throats in unison and fought the feeling that we may have just been spiked.