*
Tasha picked me up two hours later. “Where are we going?” I asked her.
“There’s this new place. Velvet Arrow. I’ve seen photos. Verrry sexy,” She winked.
With a smirk, I said, “I bet.” Tasha didn’t have the best track record for picking classy places.
“No, I’m serious. Candlelit venue…serving the best of the best drinks.”
Pulling the visor down and popping open the mirror, I applied lip gloss and fixed my hair. “We’ll see. You’ve taken me to some crazy places.”
She giggled. “Ok, we need a code word if we decide to leave with someone.”
Sucking in a breath, I was louder than I meant to be when I said, “Leavewith someone! You’d freaking leave me?”
“Oh, calm down. We could make it a threesome if you really wanted to come with.”
I laughed so loud. “That’s HIL-arious! Not. Look. If you leave with someone, they had better be driving, because I need a ride home. Same with me. Neither of us get left without a car.Andwe have to tell each other what’s up. AND meet the guy…this way if he’s a serial killer, you can identify him when you get called in to look at a line-up.”
We laughed and agreed as we pulled up to Velvet Arrow. They had a valet, so we pulled right in front. I was already loving the place for the valet, alone. Tasha was right, itwassexy. Candlelight sconces ran along the wall of the long hallway entrance. All of the tables had candles, and the bar itself was dimly lit. The place felt like a secret, and I felt like I wasn’t supposed to be there. “Tash, how did you find out about this place?”
She turned toward me and hooked her arm in mine. “A friend of a friend of a friend. Look over there. Break me off a piece ofthat.”
My eyes landed on a group of men in suits, mixed in with men in casual attire, but still nicely dressed. Some men had a woman on their arm, and some were flying solo. At least it seemed like they were flying solo.
Tasha nudged me and said, “Serayah, girl, take your pick and get it on.”
I nudged her back with my elbow. “Cut it out. I’m not just going to jump on the first guy that talks to me.”
She giggled, “Imight. Let’s get a drink. You need to loosen those cheeks, girl. You’re supposed to be celebrating.”
I blushed and laughed, knowing she was right. I’d been overworked and needed to celebrate. We walked up to the bar and ordered a couple of drinks. Before I knew it, one martini turned into four, and I was feeling it. The room was warm, and I had to pee. I tapped Tasha on the shoulder and said, “I need to find the bathroom. Can you order me some water? I need to slow down.”
“Yeah, I gotchu. The bathroom is on the other side and down the hall. Be careful. I have my phone.”
Nodding and smiling, I made my way to the ladies room. It was sweltering, so I wet a paper towel and dabbed my neck, face, and between my boobs.Geez.The one time I wish these girls were a bit smaller,I thought.The sweat was unreal. After reapplying some lip gloss and fluffing my curls some more, I stepped back into the hallway. There was an intoxicating scent hanging in the air.Cologne.Of course it was, there were a million men around. Looking to the left, I spotted a back door.Fresh air.I just wanted to step outside for a few minutes to cool down some more.
The crisp air hit me, and I instantly felt better. Just then, I heard someone say, “Hey, sweet thing. What’re you doing out here alone? It’s not safe.”
I snickered because the line sounded awfully cliché, and familiar, but I couldn’t place it. I said, “I’m good, thanks. Just needing some fresh air.”
“I don’t think you heard me. A pretty little thing like you shouldn’t be here alone.” Then he came up and grabbed me by my arms.
I turned to try and get a look at his face, but he had a hood on, and he was wearing some sort of face mask. I could barely see him because it was so dark out. “Hey! Stop. Stop it!” I tried to pull away from him, but he held on tighter and slowly started to move me to the other side of a parked car. “HELP!!!!!! HELP!” I screamed as I stumbled backward, trying not to fall.
“Shut up, bitch!” he said. It sounded like his teeth were clenched and he was vicious. Before I knew what was happening, he pushed me down to the ground, where my knees landed hard on the gravel. Pain shot up my body.
“HEY!” another voice hollered. A deeper voice.
The attacker said, “Oh, fuck off. We’re busy.”
“I’m pretty sure you’re not, asshole.” I looked up and saw a tall, muscular man with a dirty blonde buzz cut, five-o’clock shadow, and whiskey-colored eyes approaching the guy from behind. When the bastard turned around, muscle man punched him so hard he hit the car and bounced off, landing on the ground a little distance away from me.
“Fuck. Who the fuck are you? I think you broke my nose.” Douchebag asked.
“Her boyfriend, asshole. Keep your fucking hands to yourself and learn what stop means.”
The guy jumped in the parked car and took off. He was out of sight before Muscles could get to them.
