Jo's POV:
I sat on the floor in Emma's room, doing my makeup in the floor length mirror hanging off the door. She sat across the room at her vanity, and Nikki was sitting on her bed, using a hand-held mirror that Sam was graciously assisting with.
We were all getting ready for the real birthday celebration for Nikki's 21st - the clubbing night. We were going to Tunnel, a new spot that had opened up only a few months ago and had all raving reviews.
I wasn't a huge fan of the clubbing scene myself, as large crowds tend to make me anxious. I much prefer smaller house parties or bar scenes, where I can move and breathe with ease. However, Nikki was notorious for going feral at clubs, so of course we had to go all out for her 21st.
I leaned in and worked on my smokey eye, using dark grays to bring out the hues of blue and green of my eyes.
"Do you think Matt will be there?" Nikki asked excitedly.
Matt was the guy she had been hooking up with recently, and whom I suspected she had caught feelings for. I felt bad for her, because he was clearly only looking for something casual, but Emma, Sam, and I didn't quite have the heart to break it to her. We figured we would wait for him to fuck it up himself, then be there for moral support.
"I don't know," Emma said cautiously. "I know he likes to go out, but I'm not sure if he even knows about this place. It's pretty new." The three of us exchanged looks, knowing that this could possibly ruin her night. And as her best friends, we couldn't let it.
"I vote you try to find some new dick," Sam proposed enthusiastically. "There's going to be men there tonight drooling over you. I wouldn't be surprised if a penis just popped out at the sight of you."
I chuckled, and I could see Nikki's face curl into a smile. Good, I thought. She deserves someone better.
"Do we have any other conquests of the night?" Emma asked, turning around to face us, wiggling her eyebrows. "As your cuffed friend, I need to live vicariously through you."
Sam and I exchanged looks and laughed. I knew that he wasn't betting on finding anyone tonight, as most of the gay bars and club are in the west end of town, opposite of where we were going. Although, you never know.
Likewise, he knew I wasn't looking for anyone, as per usual. Nothing against casual hookups - Lord knows I hear too much about them to ever pass judgment - I just had no interest in wasting my time on a man who isn't worth it ever again. And so far, I've had no luck finding anyone who is worth it.
"I fear it's gonna be a no from Sam and I," I admitted. Sam pouted.
"Hey, unless we end up at the Pitchfork tonight. Then I have something to work with," Sam joked, throwing his hands up in defense. The Pitchfork was his favorite gay bar, and I have to admit, I've always had a blast when I've went with him.
"Ughhh, you guys are no fun," Sam groaned.
I chuckled, turning back to the mirror to apply my cherry lipstick. Happy with my work, I stood up to get dressed.
I grabbed the dress I had brought from my closet and pulled it on. It was a shade of deep red that came down just below my butt. The halter neckline accentuated my toned shoulders, dipping down slightly in between the ties to give a glimpse of my cleavage. The exposed back drooped down to my butt, where it clung tightly to my skin. I had brought a pair of knee-high black boots to match.
"Holy mama," Sam cheered when he saw me. Emma looked up and whistled. Nikki pulled her eyes away from the mirror and gaped in awe.
"You look good," Emma cheered.
"Seriously, like fuckable good," Sam said. "You might be the only woman to turn me straight."
Nikki sat beside him in silence. I slightly worried that I had overdone it on her birthday night, and briefly considered changing into something more simple. But she gave me a small, reassuring smile, and I decided to stick with what I had on.
Once everyone got dressed, we stood in front of the mirror to admire all of our beauty. We took turns taking pictures with the birthday girl in front of the decorations Emma had set up in her room.
Nikki's dress was a beautiful shade of dark blue, bringing out her deep blue eyes. Her pale blonde locks were curled and fell loosely around her face, reminding me of aquamarine.
Emma was wearing a black sequin bodycon dress, simple but sexy. That's Emma. Her bronzed skin could glow in any color she wore.
Sam was dressed in black dress pants and a cheetah print button down, with all the buttons undone. His makeup was simple but beautiful, and his rich black hair was roughed up just enough.
Together, we made quite an attractive group.
***
I made everyone take a few shots with me before we got in the Uber, which I was starting to regret. I have a decently high tolerance for hard alcohol, but my roommates (namely Nikki) were not on the same page. I hadn't meant to get her too drunk on her birthday, but she was eager to go shot for shot with me, so what's a girl to do?
She laid on Emma's lap in the backseat, while Sam and I sat in the middle row. She was still conscious and playing TikTok's out loud, making us crack up with the out-of-context sounds.
Once we got to the club, we piled out and headed to the front of the line. Nikki had pulled some strings in advance to get us in easy, and lucky for us, it worked. I'm not the most patient person on the planet, I will admit.
The strobe lights hit me hard once we entered. Music blared throughout the club, making it almost impossible to see or hear anything. Nikki, having gained her energy, grabbed Emma's hand and dragged her to the dance floor, who in turn dragged Sam and myself behind her.
We were surrounded by sweaty strangers dancing to bad EDM, and I came to the conclusion that I was not nearly drunk enough for this. Emma and Nikki seemed to have landed on the same page, both swaying with the music and giggling.
Sam had gotten pulled away by an older, but attractive, man, and they were currently chatting on the side. He glanced over and gave me a thumbs up, indicating that he was fine. So much for no conquests tonight, I thought, rolling my eyes.
"I'm gonna go grab another drink," I yelled to Nikki and Emma over the music. "Stay here?"
They nodded back, and continued dancing. I took that as my queue to leave.
I weaved my way through the crowd and to the bar in the back of the club. I pushed my way to the front, leaning slightly over the counter to catch the bartenders attention.
It was a few minutes of waiting before I heard a voice behind me.
"Goddamn, I didn't know they made asses this nice around here," a deep, rich voice chuckled.
I whirled around in anger, ready to chew out whatever creep was hitting on me. But to my surprise, I found myself staring back at a very familiar pair of brown eyes.
"Oh, you again," I groaned at Colton. I rolled my eyes and turned back around, hopefully quick enough to hide the blush that had risen to my cheeks. I may not like the man, but I couldn't deny that he was hot. The alcohol in my system wasn't helping with that.
"I didn't expect to see you here," he admitted, pushing the stranger to my left aside so he could lean next to me. I couldn't help but blush harder as I felt the heat from his body radiation off onto mine. I focused my eyes on the bottles behind the bar, worried that if I made eye contact I would break. "Clubs didn't really seem like your thing."
I scoffed. "And how would you know what my thing is?"
He shrugged. "I dunno, just the vibe I got. Whatcha drinking?" He turned to face me fully, leaning sideways against the bar. My god, how was he getting even more gorgeous each time I saw him?
"Vodka soda for me," I answered, making brief eye contact. "I fear I'm too sober to enjoy this." I chewed on my lower lip, becoming more and more nervous with every second he looked at me.
He chuckled. "Darlin', I think it's nearly impossible to actually enjoy this. But you have the right idea, let's drink."
Colton waved the bartender over, who swiftly made his way over to our corner. It was like he possessed some magical power to command any room he was in.
"Two vodka sodas, and two shots please," he ordered. I looked at him shocked.
"I never said shots."
"My treat," he winked.
The drinks and shots came over quickly, and I watched Colton pass the bartender his card. I wasn't going to argue, he owed me after the door fiasco.
"I've got a game for you," he said grinning. "We both take this shot, and ask the bartender to judge who flinched more. If it's me, I'll buy you another drink. But if it's you, you gotta tell me your name."
I felt a sense of dread and excitement come over me at once. On one hand, this incredibly attractive man is buying me drinks and wanting to know my name. Why shouldn't I tell him my name?
But on the other hand, I knew what he wanted. Sam had filled me in more after our dinner yesterday, and safe to say I was better off. He had a strong reputation as a player, which is almost impressive considering he had only been at our school for a few weeks. I knew he was looking for a hookup, nothing more. Telling him my name, or even just engaging in more conversation, was risking it.
"Helloooo?" He waved a hand in front of my face. "Anyone there?"
I came back to reality, my cheeks burning. I was sure I was the same shade as my dress. "Fine," I said. "What the hell."
Colton's grin grew even wider, and he waved the bartender over once more. He briefly explained our game, and the bartender agreed to referee our competition.
"Three, two, one!" The bartender counted.
I knocked back my shot and was instantly hit with the repulsive taste of poor vodka. Fuck, that burns.
I looked over at Colton with squinted eyes to see how he was handling his poison, and much to my dismay, he stood there with that giant grin on his face.
"I win," he taunted.
The bartender nodded in agreement. "He wins."
Thank you for your input, Captain Obvious.
"What the fuck," I coughed. "Did we just taste the same thing?"
He chuckled at my discomfort. "Well if I'm being honest," he leaned in, "there's other things I'd rather be tasting right now." He was staring directly in my eyes, glancing down once at my lips before eyes his way back up my face. He had a devious smirk on his face that made me want to crumble.
I felt my lower belly twist and turn. He was bold, I'll give him that.
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding," he laughed, backing up slightly but maintaining his intense stare. "But now, you owe me a name."
"Jo," I said shortly, hoping he couldn't sense the utter attraction I felt.
"Jo.. Jo what?" he pressed.
"Jo for Josephine, Josephine Hayes."
"Josephine Hayes," he said slowly, as if savoring the taste of my name in his mouth. I felt the ache between my legs grow. I don't think I've ever heard my name spoken so sexily.
"That's me," I said as bravely as I could manage, unable to break the trance his eyes held me in. He looked at me so hungrily and with so much amusement, you could tell he was getting a kick out of my discomfort.
"Well nice to officially meet you, Josephine Hayes." He took my hand in his and brought it up to his lips, giving it a gentle kiss. "I'll be seeing you."
And with that, he disappeared into the crowd, leaving me speechless.
***
A/N: Gonna throw in this part too for now lol. See y'all next week!