My feet are throbbing and my ears are ringing, but that doesn’t stop me from following Sienna into Club 52, our third club of the night.
If you’d asked me yesterday if I would still be out at this time, I’d have laughed in your face and told you I was too old for that.
But tonight, after Prosecco at the restaurant, beer at the game, and then shots at the last two clubs, I’m pretending that I’m twenty-one again and letting go.
Hell knows I need it. The last few months have been a lot. And this…fuck, this is everything.
I throw my hands above my head as an old favorite booms through the speakers. The need to head straight for the dance floor burns through me, but I don’t divert from our group and instead follow them to the bar for more drinks.
Thankfully, Sienna doesn’t order shots this time, and only a few minutes later, I’m standing with a vodka and Coke in hand, my back to the bar, surveying everyone.
“I haven’t been here for years,” I shout to Rachel and Savvy.
“You know why we're here, don’t you?” Savvy shouts back.
I’m about to shake my head when movement above their heads catches my eye.
The VIP area.
Holy shit. Did they discover where the hockey team ended up?
Following my line of sight, Savvy starts nodding.
“Calvin Keller posted about thirty minutes ago that they’re here,” Savvy confirms.
I look around again and notice the women around us easily outnumber the men six to one. I guess that should have been my first clue.
“Come on, let’s dance,” Sienna says before hooking her arm through mine and dragging me toward the dance floor. My drink sloshes over the edge and spills over my feet, ensuring I slip in my shoes.
I shriek as I stumble forward and into some unsuspecting person.
“I’m so sorry,” I say while Sienna and the girls laugh.
I probably should remember at some point that I’m their boss. I’m meant to be the sensible, level-headed one they can look up to.
Yeah. I can try and be that again tomorrow.
Tonight, I need to let go. I need to forget about everything that keeps my muscles tight and my stomach knotted.
Tonight, there is no pressure or stress. There is no business to worry about. There is just friendship, laughter, and dancing.
Lots and lots of dancing.
We find a space, form a circle, and set about dancing as if our lives depend on it.
My skin is slick with sweat, my hair sticking to my neck, and I’m pretty sure my makeup is running down my face, but for the first time in a very long time, I don’t care.
My only concern is what song is going to be next.
As one tune blends into another, time seems to stop existing. I’m in this perfect moment that I never want to end with some of my favorite people around me.
These girls…they mean everything to me. Every single day, they make me smile. When things aren’t going my way, they pick me up and encourage me forward. I honestly don’t know where I’d be without them.
A few guys attempt to dance with us—mostly Sienna, seeing as she’s still wearing her birthday crown. It seems this is an invitation for them to try their luck at making it a night she’ll never forget. She doesn’t show any interest in any of them, though.
That all changes a couple of songs later, when a hot and hard body steps up behind me, putting his hands on my hips.
I’m about to shrug him off like I have the others when four sets of eyes widen.
