“Absolutely.” Kaitlyn removed her casino card from the machine and waved it around. “If we don’t get in, I can bribe ’em.”
Laughing, we all followed her. She teetered on her four-inch heels, but her lack of balance was likely from our day of drinking and not the actual shoes. The girls were all a little tipsy from the steady stream of cocktails. I was the soberest of them, but not because I was the elder of the group.
I’d learned how to taste bourbon when I was fifteen. That was the first time Daddy hadknownI’d had a drink. With three older brothers, an older sister, and numerous foster kids who Mama and Daddy had taken into the fold for what time they had with us, I had been exposed way before my first “official” taste.
Destiny tugged down her short skirt. I owned volleyball shorts with a longer hem than hers, but if I had her legs, I would buy ten of those skirts. The others were dressed like her—short skirts, high shirts, and fuck-me makeup. The opposite of how they dressed at work.
I wore ankle boots with a chunky heel and rust-colored leggings. My cream wrap dress was the opposite of what I’d wear teaching too, but only because I wouldn’t want to get watercolor on it. I could blame my style on being a teacher approaching my midthirties, butthe truth was that my style had been the same when I was their age.
Brittany squealed. “The line isn’t that long. This is our night!”
They’d been so excited to go to Glitter & Gold, an ultraposh club that a normal person could still get inside.
I eyed the outside dubiously. Black with sleek silver lines, it fit into the theme of Silver while standing out. The posts for the waiting lines were gold and so were the bouncers’ vests.
We got in line.
“At least we’re indoors,” I muttered.
Destiny nudged me. When she leaned in, I almost got a face full of cleavage. Definitely not her work clothes. “You’re such a cat lady.”
“I only have one cat.”
She winked. “I’m sure Mark will let you get more.”
I gawked at her. Mark Knutson. My boss. “It was only three dates.” The first of which shouldn’t count. We’d both happened to be at Mountain Perks on a Saturday to get our caffeine fix. For the second date, he’d asked me out by saying,If you were to go out with me, Fatima would have to do your evaluations. Fatima was the school’s assistant principal.
I’d said yes. A biological clock could only be ignored so long, but I was courting speculation in and out of the workplace by dating my boss. It was also flattering that he’d been willing to risk tarnishing his brand-new position by dating me. But then, it was Bourbon Canyon. Small dating pool and all, which I knew too well.
Brittany spun around. “I heard he wants you to meet his parents.”
He had asked me to meet his parents. In Spokane.Which would make the visit an overnight trip. “He’s moving a little fast.”
I liked sex as much as the next girl, but an overnight trip was serious for someone I didn’t think I’d been seriously dating.
Still, a girl had needs.
Could Mark fulfill them?
Small dating pool.
I was the sister who’d never left Bourbon Canyon except for college. It was looking like I’d be the last to settle down. Junie might have a round-robin of boyfriends, but based on sheer numbers, her odds were better than mine. Something that loomed over me in Vegas.
“As long as he moves slow when it counts,” Brittany whispered.
We crept forward. The others chattered about how excited they were, lobbing questions back and forth.What’s the dancing like? The drinks? The men? The women?
When we reached the front, the bouncer in his black sport coat, gold vest, and black slacks nodded at Brittany while raking his gaze down her mile-long legs. “Welcome to Glitter & Gold, ladies.”
Brittany did a happy shimmy and rushed in. Kaitlyn and Destiny followed her, getting ogled by the bouncer.
He held his hand up to me.
“Wait here, ma’am,” he said, then turned to the side with his hand to an earpiece.
Ma’am?
Wasn’t I one of theladies?
