Page 25 of What Happens in Dubai

‘There, Raj.’ I pointed towards the figure. It was someone kneeling up in the sand. I adjusted my eyes and recognised the clothing.It was Ashley!My body exhaled the largest sigh of relief.

‘It’s definitely her, Raj. It’s her dress. Fuck, she’s bloody vomiting!’

I raced towards my friend, who I could hear retching in the sand, hoping to hold her hair or offer some assistance, but as I got closer the moonlight seemed clearer and I noticed that she wasn’t alone. And she wasn’t being sick. Ashley was, in fact, sucking dick.

I gasped when I recognised her star striker standing so proudly behind her with his hands rummaging through her weave.

‘Ashley, ew, what the fuck!’ I shrieked as Raj stopped a couple of steps behind me.

She turned around, looking dishevelled.

‘What areyoudoing here?’ she snapped, swaying from side to side, still on her knees.

‘You’ve been away for ages! We thought you gotmurdered!’ I looked up to the player who watched on, proudly holding his penis. ‘Hi, I’m sorry, can we have a word with our friend, please?’

I snatched Ashley’s arm and pulled her to her feet, marching her a few metres away.

‘What the fuck are you doing? You said you wanted to call Dave!’ I exclaimed.

‘Listen, Zara.’ She pointed in my face. ‘I’m on holiday, and I can do who or what I like. He’s fucking famous. He has a blue tick on Instagram.’ She looked over seductively at Bugs Bunny like an infatuated teenager.

‘I don’t care if he has a blue dick, Ashley, he’s fucking bogging.’

Raj stepped over, clearing his throat. ‘I can assure you his dick is not blue. I have seen it, all of it.’ In a more assertive voice, he said, ‘Ashley, we need to get you home now. You’ve had far too much to drink.’

‘No, I’m not going anywhere, Raj. I’m old enough to make my own decisions.’

‘And you’re old enough to remember you’re here on a business trip, representing my brand. Tomorrow is a big day and your hangover isn’t wasting it for the company. Get it together, Ash,’ he snapped back.

Ashley grumbled and finally agreed, bowing her head. She signalled back to her athlete, who was frustratedly zipping up his trousers.

‘I’ll call you later. I better go back. I’m working tomorrow.’

She shoved her arms around both our necks to be steadied as she walked.

‘I love you guys,’ she said and kissed us both on the cheek.

I watched Raj squirm as he knew where her mouth had just been. It didn’t bother me. I was just glad to have my best friend back safely in our arms. After all, what was one more dick between us?

Chapter Nine

I woke the following day to the racket of Ashley retching across the apartment.Great.Surprisingly, I didn’t feel that hungover. Perhaps the shock of seeing my best friend on her knees gorging on some random guy’s dick had sobered me up. I rolled over and checked my phone: 9.30 a.m. Following her wails of distress, I made my way into Ashley’s room, unsure just how much of a mess I would find.

‘Ash, are you OK?’

Instantly I was greeted by the smell of vomit. I peered into her en suite where she was lying with her legs dangling out the door, head still inside the toilet pan. When she lifted her head up to look at me, I saw that she was sporting two enormous bloodshot panda eyes.

‘I think I have food poisoning – this isn’t just a hangover.’ She turned again and sobbed into the toilet bowl.

‘I think it’s just the fear, doll,’ I said, struggling with the smells to get close enough to console her.

‘Trust me, Zara, I’ve had hangovers before. It was that dinner. I must have eaten something dodgy; my stomach is on fire,’ she moaned.

I knelt down on the carpet outside the bathroom. ‘I wonder what you could possibly have eaten.’

She shot me a look.

‘Tell me last night didn’t happen?’ She seemed exhausted, mentally and physically.

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