“The shower is all yours. I left you a towel on the back of the door.”
“Thanks.” I smiled, getting carefully to my feet. I watched Becca skilfully navigate around her cluttered floor in amazement. I shook my head, escaping out into the hall and headed straight for the bathroom.
Becca’s shower was wonderfully hot with just the right amount of water pressure. I sighed heavily, standing under the jets of water that were massaging the muscles on my back. The shower in my flat wasn’t awful, but it was nothing in comparison to this one. I washed myself quickly to make the most of the time I had relaxing in the heat. I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, letting the hot water trickle down my face.
All too soon it was time to get out, though I could have happily just stayed in that shower all evening. As soon as I turned the water off, the chilly winter air bit at my skin and I hurriedly reached for the towel Becca had laid out for me.
I noticed with mild annoyance that it was a small towel – one that I would have no choice but to wrap around my waist, rather than the large ones that could cover the whole body. As I dried myself off quickly and opened the door, peeking out to make sure there were no unexpected guests in the lounge before I just sauntered out half naked. Thankfully it was still dark and silent, and I padded back down the hall to Becca’s room, my dirty clothes balled up in my hands. If I’d had any sense, I should have taken my clean outfit into the bathroom with me, but it had slipped my mind.
When I wandered back into the room, Becca was kneeling in front of a large mirror in just her underwear, straightening her hair. She looked up, eyes widening when she spotted me.
“I don’t think you need to get dressed at all. Just go like that!” She grinned. I shot her a rather unimpressed look and snatched my possessions off the bed.
“Glare at me all you like but you’re the hottest thing to have ever been in my bedroom to date!” Becca wolf-whistled at me as I stomped back to the bathroom. Although I pretended it irritated me, I was flattered by Becca’s appraisal of my physique – though I would never dare tell her that.
“Do you think this t-shirt is too small?” I asked Becca when I returned, fully clothed, to her room. I was pleased to see she was in the process of covering herself up, shimming into a tiny dress.
“Definitely not,” Becca enthused, “You look yummy.”
“That’s not necessarily a good thing in this club we’re going to.” I wrinkled my nose, “Some nights you get lucky, but mostly it’s pretty disgusting old guys and the terminally ugly.”
“Max!” Becca scolded me despite the smirk on her face.
“Well, it’s true,” I replied with a grin.
“Can you do me up?” she asked, turning her back on me and gesturing to the open zip on the dress. I moved closer, tugging gently at the zip. “So, areyoulooking to pull tonight?”
“I dunno. I hadn’t thought about it.” I shrugged. I supposed I was probably getting ahead of myself, but I felt guilty just considering it. Rowan and I had only had the one official date, coupled with a few random make-out sessions, but it still felt like I’d be cheating – more than a little ironic seeing as he was the married man.
“We’ll scout the talent first, then decide, hm?” Becca teased, moving away from me and gathering a few make-up bags in her arms and setting them down in front of the large mirror on her desk.
I grinned but didn’t reply.
Eventually, Becca and I made it to the club. It was a small place called ‘Juice’; crowds of people were already gathered outside despite it only being ten o’clock.
“Christ, the music is loud, isn’t it?” Becca called to me, pulling her dress down self-consciously. The deep, repetitive thrumming of bass could be heard even from outside.
“I told you.” I grabbed her hand and tugged her through the doorway behind me. We wormed our way through the bustling crowds to the bar, Becca muscling a pair of rather flamboyantly dressed older guys out of her way.
“Sorry, darling!” One of them turned and drawled at her before his heavily made-up eyes flickered to me. He gave me a wink and I turned away quickly.
“I think you’ve pulled already, Max!” Becca smirked, nudging me in the ribs.
“Don’t even,” I grumbled, leaning across the bar to get the attention of the bartender. He was well-built but wasn’t sexy in the least. Judging by his confident swagger as he approached me, he didn’t seem to know that.
“Hey, what can I get you?”
“Two Sambuca shots and two vodka and oranges,” I shouted over the music.
He leered at me, eyeing me up before moving to get our drinks. “Coming right up, babe.” I glanced at Becca.
“You sure are popular here, eh?” she teased. “What’s that? Two in as many minutes?”
“Lucky me!” I laughed.
When the barman returned, he placed the drinks I’d asked for in front of me. I handed him a twenty pound note before carefully handing Becca her drinks.
“I get off work at three,” the barman shouted to me, taking far too much care to ensure I had the change firmly in my grasp.
