Page 52 of Infatuation

“I’m not gonna give you my application, Kat. It’s none of your fucking business.”

“Oh, I think you are.”

“Nope.”

She puckers. “I’m a really good kisser, Playboy.” She raises an eyebrow. “At least, that’s what Cameron Schulz said.”

I squint at her. “You’re evil.”

“I am.”

I motion to the bartender. “Check, please.” I glare at her for a long beat. She looks so fucking sure of herself—and so fucking hot, I doubt this girl’s experienced disappointment once in her entire life. “Okay, Party Girl,” I say. “The time for chitchat is over. I’m not gonna give you what you want—which means you’re not gonna fuck me.” I make a sad face and she matches it. “So I guess that means there’s only one thing left for us to do,” I continue.

“And what would that be?”

“Dance, of course.”

Her face lights up. “Oh, Iloveto dance.”

“Well, of course, you do. You’re theParty Girl With a Hyphen, for fuck’s sake.”

She grins.

“It’s time for you to earn that nickname of yours, babe.” I touch the cleft in her chin one more time and then put out my hand. “Let’s go, baby. Time to paint Sin City red.”

Fifteen

Kat

Josh slams the taxi door shut and we bound toward “the hottest dance club in Vegas,” hand in hand. A line of immaculately dressed people waiting to get into the club wraps around the side of the building and down the block, but, apparently, lines don’t apply to Josh Faraday—because he grabs my hand and pulls me past the throngs of people and straight to the front doors.

“Hey, Barry,” Josh says to a very, very large black man standing at the front door of the club.

The man beams a huge smile at Josh. “Joshua Faraday,” he says, bumping fists with Josh. “I didn’t know you were coming out tonight.”

“Yeah, it was super last minute. Is Reed in town, by any chance?”

“Yeah, he just flew in this afternoon. Have you texted him?”

“A few minutes ago, but he hasn’t responded yet. Will you let him know I’m here? We’ll hang out by the downstairs bar for a bit so he can find us.” Josh motions to me. “Oh, sorry. Barry, this is my lovely date for the evening, Kat.”

“Hello there, Kat,” Barry says in his deep voice. He puts out his hand and I take it.

“Nice to meet you, Barry,” I say.

“Careful, Barry. Don’t look her in the eyes. She’ll hypnotize you with that fucking gorgeous face and try to trick you into telling her your darkest secrets.”

I look at Josh, flabbergasted, but Josh and Barry are laughing easily together.

“I dunno, Josh. Seems like there are much worse things thatcould happen to a guy than getting royally fucked over by this one here.”

“Amen, brother,” Josh says.

“Uh . . .” I say, at a loss for words. I think Barry just complimented me, but I’m not sure if “thank you” is an appropriate reply.

Before I can figure out what to say, Barry opens the velvet rope and motions for us to pass into the club. “Have fun, kids. Go easy on him, Kat. He’s a good guy.” He chuckles. “I’ll tell Reed you’re here.”

The minute Josh and I enter the club, I slip into some sort of hedonism-induced coma. I’ve been to my share of nightclubs, but I’ve never seen a temple to pure excess quite like this. Almost-nude women “bathe” throughout the club in clear Plexiglas bathtubs filled with flower petals; lithe, rippling acrobats in skin-tight bodysuits hang from the ceiling on trapeze swings, twisting and gyrating like the performers Josh and I saw earlier tonight with Jonas and Sarah atCirque Du Soleil;seizure-inducing lights and lasers are bouncing around every square inch of the place; and screens scattered throughout the club flash shocking pornographic images in rapid-fire succession, so fast my brain isn’t sure what my eyes just witnessed. It’s sheer spectacle. Obscenity. Titillation to the extreme.And I love it.

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