Page 10 of Dark Encounter
"You girls in here?" Nate's voice filled up the hallway, and I yelped and ran for the bathroom to find it locked.
"Yeah. We're just changing." Jenna rolled her eyes and turned as Nate walked in.
I stood with the skirt hanging in front of my waist, not able to think clearly enough to put the damn thing on. "I'm getting dressed!"
"Good. Turn around and show Nate how good your ass looks in those panties." Jenna lifted her finger in the air and twirled it around. "Turn. Seriously. You have no clue how good you look."
"What? No. Nate! Get out." I pointed to the door as the world felt like it was closing in on me. My goodie-goodie persona was sliding fast at the thought of Nate's approval of my ass. It would boost my confidence. It would turn me on.
I was a horrible friend.
"So..." Nate glanced between the two of us, the handsome bastard obviously okay with giving me a rating while his girlfriend was standing right there.
"Turn around. Seriously." Jenna walked toward me, grabbing my shoulders and turning me around.
I focused onnotclenching my ass as I dropped my forehead to her shoulder. "I hate you so much."
"Wow. I never in a million years would have thought you were hiding such a beautiful body under those clothes, Grace. I'm impressed. You're an official cock-blocker for yourself." He clapped and winked as I turned and glared at him over my shoulder.
"Now, get out!"
He turned and walked out, laughing.
"See? I told you." She walked back to the closet, tossing me a pair of sexy black heels. "Wear your hair down and put on a little bit of makeup and we're heading out."
"I'm not going home with some weirdo tonight."
"I know you're not, but I want you to notice how guys react when you're not busy covering yourself up constantly. You're stunning, Grace. You need to see that."
"What if I lie and say that I do?" I gave her an innocent smile as she scoffed and walked out, leaving me with my thoughts. Was she really going to get Nate to reach out to Erik? Did I want that? He had to be five to six years older than me, and would he really be impressed by my virginity or think it was funny?
I didn’t know him that well, but something told me he was just enough of a dick to make fun of me about it.
Only one way to find out.
* * *
"I feel sick," I mumbled and walked toward the bar.
Jenna wrapped her arm around my shoulders. "Don't. Everything is fine. Just relax and have fun tonight. I'm not going to let you go home with a stranger. Drink and dance and just explore, Grace."
"Explore?" The sound of being so forward with my sexuality made my pulse spike. How long had I been holding myself back? Right. My whole fucking life.
"Hey, beautiful." The bartender leaned forward and smiled.
I glanced over at Jenna. "I'll just get a beer."
"Tell him." She laughed loudly. "He was talking to you."
"No, he wasn't." I glanced back at him as he nodded.
"Yeah. I was. You're gorgeous. What's your name, baby?"
I glanced at Jenna again, who rolled her eyes at me and turned to walk off. Something inside my chest swelled. Whether he was being nice or not... I liked it. I'd been working for so longnotto get the attention that I wasn't sure how to handle finally getting it.
"It's Grace, and I'll take a shot of tequila. Two actually." I pressed my hands to the bar top and watched as his smile grew.
"It's on the house tonight. Anything you want." I licked at my bottom lip and moved toward the liquor.
