Page 8 of Crave: A Reverse Harem Romance

I shook my head, suddenly feeling a little too wobbly in my shoes. “I don’t think I can,” I said, grimacing as I looked down at my feet. How was it possible that they still hurt this bad after two drinks? Wasn’t liquor supposed to numb the pain?

When was my body going to get that memo?

Leave it to Liza to convince me to grab another drink and then immediately ditch me to dance.

“Come on, Harlow, we’re going to miss the whole song.” She pulled at my hand, but I stayed put.

“I will literally fall on my face.” I stood my ground and shook my head. “You could not pay me a million dollars to get on the dance floor right now. And anyway, one of us has to keep an eye on our drinks. You go. I’ll cheer you on from over here.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’ll get you out on that floor before the end of the night.”

Thankfully, she seemed satisfied with that threat and hurried off to the dance floor.

I sat back down, relieved at first that I had gotten out of dancing so easily.

Well, relatively easily. I would still no doubt have to find another excuse later when the mood struck her again, but I was at least good for now.

Except I realized as I looked around at the men whose eyes all still seemed to be on me that I was now alone on this couch.

Probably not the brightest move on my part.

With a heavy sigh, I pushed myself back up and tried to rush after her, but it was no use. She was way more balanced than I was, and she was out on the dance floor in seconds. I, on the other hand, was starting to trip over my own feet. I had to stop moving before I actually fell on my face.

I had to laugh at Liza, though. The second she hit the dance floor, she began to wildly swing her hips around. She had always been the life of the party, the star of the show.

I very carefully turned around and walked the few steps back to the black leather couch. I bent over to grab my drink and plopped down onto it. I was just about to take a sip when it was quickly jerked from my hand, some of it even spilled onto my dress.

“Hey!” I yelled, recoiling even though I could feel a flash of anger rise up inside of me. “That’s my drink!”

“I’m very sorry, ma’am,” he said in a careful, even tone. He took the mojito and set it on the bar top behind him, where I watched indignantly as the bartender took it away.

“Who are you calling ma’am? How old do I look to you?” I started to stand up, preparing to yell at him some more because taking a drink out of someone’s hand is incredibly rude and I couldn’t imagine why he did it. But as I stood, I began to wobble in my heels again.

Drink-Stealer grabbed my elbow and steadied me. “Easy, there,” he said softly.

“I will not take it easy,” I said, jerking my arm away. I could feel my face flush with embarrassment, but the irritation at being manhandled and having my drink taken won out over any thoughts over who might have seen me nearly lose my balance. “You owe me a drink. And an apology.”

He grabbed the crook of my elbow and began to lead me away from the bar area.

“Hey, where the hell are you taking me?” I snapped at him. “I’m here with my friend. Liza!” Panicked, I looked over at Liza and attempted to flag her down. She didn’t notice me waving at her, though, since she was too caught up in her dancing. “Seriously, let go of me.” I wriggled against him trying to get loose. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

He leaned in toward me suddenly, a serious look on his face. “Look, I promise I’m not trying to hurt you, okay? I need you to come with me while we take care of this situation. I’m just trying to keep you safe.”

I looked back at where Liza and I had been sitting, the space that was currently occupied by three giant men in security shirts and one scrawny older guy who was looking very nervous. Whatever was going on, I was pretty sure I’d rather take my chances with Drink-Stealer than with those guys back there.

He walked me over to the elevators, and once we were inside, he punched the button for the third floor. I didn’t even know this club had a third floor. All I ever saw was the second.

Drink-Stealer still had his hand carefully on my elbow, which I was actually grateful for now. I did not trust myself to be able to stay upright at the moment, and he was keeping me steady.

I felt the familiar whoosh of the elevator as it began to rise. I always loved that feeling as a kid, and I remember begging my mom to let me ride the elevator twice whenever we had to use one. Now the feeling sort of turned my stomach, though whether it was more from the alcohol or the adrenaline, I wasn’t sure.

The elevator doors opened and he led me down the hall of the third floor. I couldn’t help but notice that there was this giant window where I could see basically the entire club below. Huh. I hadn’t even noticed it from the first floor.

He took me to a small office and sat me down in an armchair before walking around the desk and taking a seat himself.

“I’m very sorry to take your drink and pull you away like that,” he began to tell me, “but I saw someone slip something into it.”

My heart dropped and I immediately felt much more sober. Holy shit… somebody had tried to drug me?

---