Page 1 of Infala: The Alien's Bond
CHAPTERONE
“Come on, Dar, stay a little longer!Pleeeeeease!” Tamara whined. “It’s notthatlate.”
Darla looked around her friend’s apartment and gauged the level of festivities still underway. Tammy was right, it wasn’t really allthatlate, at least not by her standards, but things were nevertheless winding down. On top of that, all the available men had already been reeled in by Tammy’s moreforwardfriends.
By forward, she meant slutty.
Damn. Some nights I wish I could just pick up strange like that, consequences be damned, Darla quietly lamented.
She longed to live it up and throw caution to the wind, but she was always the responsible one. The one you came to if you needed a ride home, or when you needed someone to watch your back on a night out while you overdid it to an extent that would have made Caligula blush.
Nope, Darla simply wasn’t that person. She’d fantasized about it plenty of times, sure, but putting those imagined debaucherous actions into practice? It just never happened. Still, maybe tonight would be the night she stepped out of her comfort bubble. Maybe tonight she’d take a strange man home and do unspeakable things with him.
She gave the dwindling crowd one last glance, clocking those who had paired up and were well on their way to doing what she so desperately wished was in the cards for her. Around and around she looked, but the only remotely interesting man left unspoken for was Earl, and there was simply no way in hell she would stoop that low. Even if shehadgotten shit-blind drunk, there was no chance.
The only reason he kept popping up at Tammy’s parties was because he was her old friend from back in the day. The guy who was always around, and who over the years had bedded, or attempted to bed, just about every one of her friends. At least, those who would lower their standards enough to give him a shot.
The worst part of it? Darla had heard through the grapevine that despite his braggadocio and big dick energy, Earl wasn’t terribly well endowed. That was something that could be worked around with a little imagination and a lot of enthusiasm, but Earl failed to make up for his shortcomings, refusing to go down on a woman, saying it was gross, while simultaneously insisting she suck on his tiny dick.
Why anyone would sink that low was beyond her.
Desperation,she thought.Desperation and lack of self-respect.And I lack one and have plenty of the other.She turned to her friend. “Listen, Tammy, you know I’d love to stay, but I’ve got work tomorrow and can’t stay out too crazy late.”
“Just a little bit longer. C’mon, you know you want to.”
“Tammy—”
“Just one more drink, then I’ll let you go.”
“I’m driving.”
“So call a rideshare.”
“And then I’ll be without my car in the morning. When I have to go to work. Jeez, Tam, you really suck at this convincing thing.” Darla shook her head with a chuckle as she dug out her keys. “I’m going home. You have fun, okay?”
Tamara leaned in and wrapped her up in a sloppy hug, the smell of fruity alcohol wafting off of her like a reveler at last call in a WeHo tiki bar. “I love you, you know?”
“I know.”
“And you’re, like, mybestestfriend.”
“Yeah, you’ve said,” Darla replied, then headed for the door. “Thanks for the party, Tam. It was nice getting out.”
“You need to come over more often.”
“I know, and I promise, I will. Now, drink some water, then go have yourself some fun. And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Tammy let out a snorting laugh. “Shit, no way! That won’t leave meanythingfun.”
“Ha-ha. Love you too. Call me when you finally get up and let me know you’re alive, okay? Just leave a message if I can’t answer.”
“Yuppers. Will do, Captain,” Tamara managed without slurring, flashing a little salute then closing the door.
Darla took her time walking down the steps to the street. She’d only had a couple of drinks in the hours she’d been at the gathering, and they had been mild ones at that. Still, she was the responsible one, and she wanted to assess herself free of the distractions of the party. She took a deep breath, then another.
“Yep. Sober,” she noted. “Jesus, is this what my social life has devolved into?”
The walk to her car was relatively short, and in just a couple of minutes she sat in the driver’s seat and swapped out her heels for a pair of comfy athletic shoes.Aah, better. She then buckled up and started the engine. A yawn escaped her lips, and she had a decent drive ahead of her.
