Page 48 of Please Don't Leave Me

He was able to get us a booth with bottle service, which I've never experienced before. Unless you count one time on family vacation when my dad snuck me and my brothers into a club, that experience was not fun at all. He told us to hide out in the corner and keep our mouths shut. Jacob was twelve, I was ten, and Quinn was eight, so we just drank the mixers all night and tried to talk amongst ourselves while Joel flirted with younger women, even though my parents were still married at that time. I'm guessing this bottle service experience will be much better than that.

I’m meeting Quinn and Brian at the club because I had to do some work. When I get to the door, a bouncer with a clipboard asks my name and checks the list to make sure I'm on it. Last time Quinn worked a party was on Halloween,and he forgot to put my name on the list, so I was stuck in the lobby of the apartment building, trying to convince the doorman to let me up to the penthouse. Eventually, he got the host to put my name on the list, and I got in.

Once the bouncer finds my name, he unhooks the rope blocking the door and lets me in. A young woman dressed in a lacy top and leather mini skirt directs me toward a hallway where you access the bottle service area and takes my coat from me. She walks back down the hall, and I can't help but stare at her butt in that skirt. I haven't thought about sex in a while, but something about the lights, music, and atmosphere here is making me think about it again.

I walk to the booth, where I see Quinn and Brian. As I get closer, I can see they already have a row of shot glasses lined up and filled with a clear liquid. Please don't let it be tequila.

"Hey, we have some tequila shots for you!" Quinn doesn't get drunk before his gigs, so I'm lucky I don't have to play major catch-up.

"Quinn, you know I can't do tequila."

"No, youcando tequila. You just don't like to because you become too fun when you drink it."

I look at Brian to clarify for him. "By "too fun,” he means I get feral and usually end up making decisions I regret the next day."

Brian laughs and raises his eyebrows. "I think that sounds like the best way to ring in the new year!"

"Come on, Sam. This is your first night out in a while. Don't be old and lame."

"Old? I'm only two years older than you. And I amnotlame."

Quinn picks up a shot glass and holds it out to me. "Then prove it."

I reluctantly grab it from him. I look around the table, spot a small cup with lime wedges, and pick one up. "I hope you know you're responsible for whatever comes of this." I throw back the shot, suck on the lime. I shiver as it burns down my throat.

LOUISA

"Hurry up, we're going to be late," B shouts at me from the bathroom.

"Are you seriously worried about being late for once?" I walk down the hall and peer through the bathroom door to see her still doing her makeup. "And you're not even ready."

She puts down her brush and looks over at me with a cheeky grin. "I just wanted to see what you would say."

"You are so dumb, you know that!"

She goes back to fixing her eyebrows in the mirror. "But you love me anyway."

I roll my eyes and walk to the kitchen to feed Pepin before we leave.

"Here ya go, buddy." I lean down, which is difficult in my tight, short dress, and fill his food bowl. When he hears the clinking of kibble hitting the metal, he jumps off his chair and trots over. I pet his back while he eats because I feel bad that we are going to be out all night. He's completely fine when we're gone, but I always end up missing him. He's sort of become my security blanket.

B walks out into the living room, where I'm waiting for her, and I notice her new outfit. "You changedagain?"

"The other one was riding up my ass too much."

"That's never seemed to be a problem for you in the past."

"Well, Daniel has a DJ for tonight, and I plan to be shaking my ass all over that dance floor. I can't have it hanging out all night at a work party." She looks at me and crosses her arms like I should be taking her seriously right now. But I can't. I know her too well.

She orders the ride, and I pour us some shots to take before we leave. We throw them back, wince at the burn, then grab our purses and head out.

SAM

There are still a couple of hours until midnight, and I'm already drunk. But I'm self-aware enough to realize I should probably switch to water for a bit. Quinn is up at the DJ booth killing it, so Brian and I have been hanging out in the bottle service area. Brian made friends with the groups on either side of us, and we've all started to mingle back and forth between our three areas.

To our right was a group of five men dressed in what I can only describe as frat boy clothing. They're all in their 50s, with the exception of one young guy who looks like he's maybe 19 and clearly got snuck in here somehow. I believe he's one of their sons, and he is wasted. The kid looks like he's having the time of his life and getting attention from some hot girls though, so good for him.

The group to our left is made up of a mix of men and women, all in their mid-20s and all incredibly attractive. You can tell they do this sort of thing often and are used to getting a lot of attention here.

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