“It’s Aura—yes,of courseit’s better than any other place. Celebrities, popular DJs, hot guys…” The blond rolled her eyes at her friends like,Can you believe her?
“It’s the place to see andbe seenon the island. It’s really exclusive.”
It was hard to keep a straight face; the way they were going on about it made the place seem just atadtoo overhyped. I’ve been in elite circles my whole life—Soho House and Surf Lodge were my sister’s favorite places to meet up for a casual weeknightdinner—but even still, my roommates’ excitement about Aura piqued my interest. Now, as I stand across the street from the club, taking in the entire scene, I begin to understand.
Aura is nestled in the middle of a long strip of cool restaurants and bars. The front entrance is nothing more than a pitch-black tunnel clubgoers disappear into if they’re lucky enough to make the cut. When people reach the front of the line, excited that they might finally get their chance to slip inside, they’re met with immediate resistance.Fivebouncers in coordinating black suits and earpieces bar entry. Being a hot woman dressed in a sexy outfit isn’t a free pass. It seems security will turn people away for no reason at all.
“Let’s try again tomorrow,” I hear a girl tell her friend. “I can call Jeremy and see if he still knows that guy who can get us on the list.”
Clearly, entering Aura is less about going to a club and more about enjoying a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Instead of leaving, I let my nose lead me over to one of the street vendors. Three euros gets me a heaping pile of croquettes, deep-fried and filled with serrano ham and a creamy béchamel sauce. I’m too impatient to let them cool. What are third-degree burns compared to culinary magic?
I savor them back in my spot across the street and train my eyes on Aura’s entrance. I want to see what’s on the other side of the black tunnel, but it’s no use. By the time I’m done with my dinner—enjoying every crumb—I still haven’t found the answer.
I decide to cut my losses. I’m thirsty and tired and I know I won’t glean any more information from where I am, so I toss my trash and turn to head back to the hostel. I’m two steps down thesidewalk when a sleek gunmetal-gray SUV pulls up outside the club. There’s been plenty of traffic along the road all night, but something about this fancy car has me curious enough to turn back for a second. From where I stand across the street, it’s hard to get a good look at who’s exiting the back seat, but surely it’s a celebrity. The girls at the hostel told me famous people come to Aura all the time, right? For all I know, I’m about to lay eyes on Paul Mescal or Bradley Cooper. I’d even take one of those Marvel superhero dudes. Ant-Man or whoever, I’m not picky.
I’m deeply invested, enough so that I walk closer to the curb and crane my neck just in time to watch a man confidently step out onto the sidewalk. Who are we looking at, ladies and gents? This guy certainly has the height and build to be cast in a superhero movie.
He’s wearing a loosely fitted black linen shirt with short cuffed sleeves that show off the few tattoos decorating his tan, muscular arms. His black pants look bespoke the way they fit him. I’ve barely come to terms with the back of him when he turns toward the vehicle, and my lips part on a stunned inhale.
Holy sh—
I blink and stand there as goose bumps spread over my skin, prickling beneath my silky dress.
His eyes.They’re rimmed with dark lashes and framed by equally dark brows.
His black hair is neatly parted, and his clean-shaven face is the perfect backdrop for his sharp jawline, made all the more beautiful when paired with his high cheekbones. He is blatantly, obscenely,dangerouslyattractive.
He’s wearing a stern expression as one of the bouncers comesover to talk to him, and in that moment—this snapshot—he looks like he’s arrived straight from the gates of hell, confidence surrounding him like smoke.
A few other people slink out of the SUV after him. I don’t have to wonder if their group will make it past the bouncers. The men in suits part upon their arrival like their very lives depend on it.
Just as the stranger and his friends disappear into the tunnel, the sights and sounds of Ibiza that were muffled by his arrival come rushing back like a cresting wave. I shake my head and smile. Then I laugh. How silly.How wonderful.I wish—not for the first time—my sister were here with me. She and I would take one look at each other and crack up. She would havea lotto say about that man, and I imagine her thoughts as I turn back toward my hostel.
I don’t feel bad leaving Aura behind. I’ll be back first thing in the morning to apply for a job.
Chapter Two
Isabel
This day has gone down the drain and I haven’t even had breakfast. My plan was to wake up bright and early and get a jump start on everything I need to accomplish. I’d dressed and was brushing my teeth when I went to check in on the money in my safe… only to find I’d been robbed.
I still can’t believe it.Robbed!
I’m standing at my hostel’s front desk with my packed duffel bag at my feet, trying to rein in my emotions. I’mthisclose to losing it on the scrawny front desk clerk.
In front of me, the kid—he can’t be older than seventeen—stands waiting for his boss to arrive while trying very hard to not meet my eyes. A side door opens and out waddles the man of the hour, Mr. Hostel Manager himself, stuffed into a white tank top stretched so tightly across his soft chest that it’s almost see-through. His coarse chest hair spreads up toward his neck.
“What?” he barks at the kid.
The kid points to me, and the man turns in my direction.
“What’s this about?” he asks, pulling a pack of cigarettes out of his saggy pants and lighting one up as he steps closer to the counter. He exhales smoke near my face, and I grind my molars together so hard I’m surprised they don’t splinter.
“I woke up this morning to find that someone took cash out of the locker in my room.”
If I’m a little curt, it’s only because I’ve already explained the robbery twice: once to the girls in my room and again to the clerk. Beyond swearing they didn’t steal it, my roommates had nothing helpful to say and no words of sympathy.
