Tonight, I had decided to wear a tight, black long sleeve shirt tucked into distressed light wash jeans that frayed right above my ankles. I’d paired the outfit with strappy black heels and dainty gold jewelry. I’d left my auburn hair down and wavy, andstuck to light make-up. I’d felt confident in this outfit when I left the house, it showed off my slim but curvy body in the best way. But now, I feel like a fish out of water.
As if Marley can read my mind, she comes up next to me, grabs my hand, and whispers in my ear, “Jenna, you are by far the hottest woman here. You are dressed to perfection. Anything else wouldn’t be you.”
She’s right. I straighten my shoulders, raise my chin, and turn. “Mar, I think one of my stipulations was that there would be a drink waiting for me.”
As if right on cue, Blaze whistles and a tall skinny kid comes running with a beer. He can’t be more than 19 years old and I just stare at him in confusion.
Marley barks out a laugh as she catches sight of the shock on my face. “He’s a prospect.” She says, waving her hand in the air. She makes it seem like I am supposed to know what the hell that means.
I take a long drink from the ice-cold beer and let it wash some of my nerves away. If nothing else, I will be getting a good buzz out of tonight.
“Hey, where’s the bathroom?” I ask Marley as we make our way into the party.
Marley points me down a small, dark hallway to the right of the entrance and promises to meet me at the bar when I’m done. I make my way towards the bathroom, trying to dodge drunk party goers along the way. Behind me, a loud screech of Marley’s name catches my attention. Of course, they all love her here. Shefits perfectly anywhere she goes. Me, on the other hand? I’m not so sure this is my scene.
The bathrooms are located at the end of the small, dark hallway because, of course they are. The first tall black door is cracked open with the light off, so I walk in expecting an empty restroom. The moment I flick on the light, a very large man fills my vision, specifically his muscular butt. For a moment I think I’m hearing things but nope, a woman’s moans are coming from between his legs. I quickly glance down to confirm she’s kneeling in front of him. I should turn around and walk out, but for some reason I can’t get my feet to move.
“You either join, or get the fuck out.” The man says without turning around. His voice is low and gravely, giving the distinct sound of someone who’s an avid smoker.
I shake my head, trying to get my brain to focus on why I really came down here, and quickly turn around, heading into the other restroom. No way am I joining whatever that is. I’m pleased to see that this restroom is sparkling clean and very well-stocked. There are folded towels next to the sink and good smelling hand soap and lotion out for use. Not everything here scares me, I guess. I go about my business, taking a few extra minutes to enjoy the quiet and center myself.
Walking back to the party, I decide to keep my head down and avoid making eye contact with anyone in the hallway, just in case anyone saw me walk in on the couple in the bathroom.
When I finally find Marley, she’s sitting towards the end of the bar and waves her hand in the direction of a woman behind the bar.
“Jenna, this is Mia. She is Cal’s cousin and is one of my favorite people here. You’ll love her!” I shake Mia’s hand and smile at her. She’s a small woman, but what catches my attention are her eyes. They are so warm and caring. Something about her makes me feel instantly welcome.
“Want something to drink? I’m one of the bartenders for the night.” Mia mentions while heading back to grab a bottle of liquor. I walk around Mar and hop on the stool right where the end of the bar meets the wall, hoping that if I stay as far away from the party as possible, everyone will leave me alone.
“Yes please! Something strong and fruity and keep them coming. Someone didn’t mention that this was a biker party, so I’m currently too sober for this situation.” I glare at Marley, making it evident who I’m talking about.
Mia’s head falls back, letting her platinum hair wave behind her as she lets out a long, loud laugh. “Wow Marley, way to shock the girl. “
Marly just raises her shoulders, as if lying to get me here isn’t a big deal. “You going to be okay here with Mia? I’m going to go find Blaze. But I don’t have to if you aren’t comfortable.”
I shake my head and shoo her off. “Go, spend time with your man. But I do want to actually meet him when I’m not in a state of panic,” I say, gulping down the drink Mia puts in front of me.
Marley smirks at me and mock salutes, “Aye, Aye, Captain.”
I watch as she walks off towards Blaze, who’s on the other side of the bar. I notice he tracks her movements through the crowd, making sure she’s safe until the moment she gets to him. Hmm, maybe I do like this guy.
As I look out across the large room, my jaw slightly drops as I take in just what kind of company I am currently keeping. Women, practically naked, are dancing all around the room, some even on top of men in the middle of open areas. I’m definitely out of my element here. Running my hands back and forth on my jeans, I try to focus on just making it through the evening. But the smell of smoke, weed, and alcohol is so heavy that all I feel like doing is bolting. I turn back to Mia who gives me a knowing look and smiles before turning to the man next to her.
“Cal, this is Jenna. She likes strong and fruity drinks, so if I’m not here, you keep them coming, okay?” Cal quickly glances at me and then returns his focus back to what he was doing, only to immediately turn back to me. He looks eerily familiar, like I’ve seen him before.
I watch as he stops what he’s doing at the bar and walks over to me with a huge grin on his face, “Well Teach out on a school night I see.” And that’s when it hits me, I have seen this man before. In the pickup line, after school, on the days I have line duty.
“Hey now, don’t give my teacher title away. I want to seem somewhat cool tonight,” I joke. “I remember seeing you during pickup. Does your child go to Cranson Creek Elementary?”
“Yep, my daughter, Sarah, is in preschool there. I didn’t think you’d recognize me. There are always hundreds of parents there to pick up kids.” He studies me for a moment as I fidget under his curious gaze.
“Well, not all parents are tall, muscular, and good looking.” Wow, maybe I need to slow down on the alcohol. I push my drink a little further away from me and try to avert my eyes from Cal, who now stands with his arms crossed over his chest, smirking at me.
I don’t even know if he’s single. I mean, of course he’s not. I’ve seen him and Sarah’s mom come to pickups together.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry,” I reply, feeling heat creep over my cheeks. “I shouldn’t have said that, especially since you’re in a relationship.” I don’t know why I keep talking, digging myself deeper into embarrassment. Don’t get me wrong, he’s handsome but really not my type, so I should just close my mouth.
“Why do you think I’m in a relationship?” he cocks his head, his smirk transforming into a full-blown grin.
