When we arrived, the place was packed with twenty-something professionals. The after-work crowd buzzed with energy. We grabbed seats at the bar, and Danny ordered two Johnny Walker Blues. We clinked glasses.
“Shit, Danny, this is surreal.”
“Yeah, we earned it,” he said, taking a sip.
A few moments later, three women sat down next to us on my side. My back was turned toward them, but one leaned over. Danny gave me a look, shifting his eyes in their direction.
I shook my head.
“Hi,” the girl behind me said. “I’m Kaylie. This is Sofie and Nina. We can’t seem to get a drink around here. The bartender’s a woman, so she’s playing favorites.”
Just then, the bartender slid napkins toward them and asked what they wanted. The girls placed their orders, and Kaylie smirked. “It’s on him, my boyfriend,” she said, wrapping her arm around mine.
“What?” I laughed.
“It’s fine,” Danny cut in. “Round of shots for everyone.” Followed by cheers from the girls.
One shot turned into another. And another. Kaylie was practically crawling into my lap. I needed to keep my head straight. Danny didn’t seem to mind, fully engaged in flirting with the other two. But he wasn’t getting the same level of hands-on attention I was.
“You’re so hot,” Kaylie purred.
“Uh…thanks,” I said, not entirely sure how to respond. “How old are you, Kaylie?”
“Twenty-five,” she whined. “I’m getting old.”
“Ha, sure.”
The music got louder, and the women started dancing around us, either using us for free drinks or hoping to get lucky. Danny was eating up the attention.
I was drunk.Too drunk.
Kaylie grabbed my hand, pulling me toward her as she moved her hips, pressing in closer, rubbing up against me.
Shit.
I needed to get out of this.
“I got to hit the restroom,” I said, pulling away.
In the bathroom, I splashed cold water on my face. These women were bad news. I needed to grab Danny and get the hell out of there. When I came back, all three of them were dancing around him. He was lost in it. Kaylie spotted me and swayed in my direction.
“So, Jason…are you going to take me back to your fancy hotel?”
“Look, I’m married. I have kids.”
“That’s okay, Daddy,” she cooed.
All right. That was my final cue.
I tapped Danny on the shoulder. “We’re leaving.”
He resisted at first, but I fed him a line about heading to another bar, just to get him out of there.
I caught the bartender’s eye, and she nodded, immediately bringing me the check. I took my card, thanked her, and left with Danny barely standing. In the Uber back to the Four Seasons, Danny passed out. I wasn’t far behind him, completely hammered, my head pounding. Somehow, we made it back to our rooms. I must have blacked out at this point.
The next day I woke up fully dressed, my mouth dry, my head splitting. I glanced at my phone.
Danny: Morning, sunshine. Be ready for our 9 AM.
